Hey everyone! Popping in this lovely Friday to offer up a few ideas if you find yourself needing some inspiration for those mothers, mothers-in-law, grandmothers, mother-friends, you know…anyone you plan to honor on Mother’s Day. I don’t know about you, but I love looking through gift guides and have gotten some of my favorite ideas for gift-giving by doing so. Hopefully this will offer a little help if help is needed!

All of the goodies you see below are things I’ve either bought as gifts or that I actually own myself. Or in other words: unsponsored and highly recommended (I’ve given more details/info for each gift below). There are a few Amazon affiliate links scattered throughout the post for the items I’ve actually purchased from there.

If you are searching for more ideas specific to kitchen and cooking, here is my ongoing list of personal kitchen favorites that I claim I can’t live without. Happy Mother’s Day Shopping!

1. I love this Red Vanilla Cake Plate! It’s a little more casual than serving up cake on an official cake stand and is still pretty and stylishly elegant. Plus it comes with a matching server which is just plain awesome. I use this for family birthday cakes and Sunday desserts (plus it doubles as a really nice platter for serving up many other things besides cake).

2. Oh, aprons. I adore them and wear them a lot when bopping around the kitchen. This apron by way of CreativeChics on Etsy is probably one of the cutest aprons out there. While I don’t own it myself (it’s on my wish list!) I’ve given it as a gift before to rave reviews. It’s fully lined which you don’t find in many trendy aprons these days especially at this price. And this color combo just rocks (yellow is my favorite color of all time).

3. I know reusable grocery bags may not be the most exciting things in the world but aren’t they lovely? I’ve had my set of RuMe bags for years and they still look brand spanking new. They are machine washable and come in lots of different patterns (medium and large sizes). Plus, they roll up small enough to tuck into a purse. I’ve even been known to use these bags for trips to the library, sending ice skates with the boys for the gym unit at school and a myriad of other tasks. Not only do I own these but I gave them to my mom a couple years ago for Mother’s Day and she loves them too (either that or she just pulls them out when I come into town to make it look like she uses them).

4. If you have a gourmet chocolate loving momma, you have to check out Chuao Chocolatier. These are my favorite gifts to give lately when I want that certain little treat that is unique and different with major wow-factor. The flavors are crazy. Crazy-in-a-good-way! Firecracker, potato chip, maple bacon, pretzel toffee twist, and a hundred more. You can’t go wrong with their little samplers that include small portions of all their flavors.

5. Acacia bowls are so gorgeous…but holy moly, they can be pricey. I’m sure the $100+ bowls are awesome, but when price is a factor (when is it not, right?), this less expensive bowl is fabulous. It is durable, washes up well and looks amazing. Salad just tastes so much better when served in a bowl like this. Seriously.

6. If you are ready to make a decision now (these need to be ordered ASAP to make the Mother’s Day deadline), Vintage Pearl necklaces are hard to beat. Last year, Brian and the kids gave me the style you see above. All five of my kids’ names are crammed onto that beautiful circle and I can honestly say that I wear this every single day. No fail. It’s like a little talisman of love and a constant reminder of the blessings in my life. It is one of the most meaningful Mother’s Day gifts I’ve ever received. {PS: Vintage Pearl has a lovely selection of bracelets and other necklace designs, too.}

7. I love all things Erin Condren. I’ve waxed poetic about the life-changing planners (currently using mine every day for the second year running – I’ve been known just to give it spontaneous hugs) but she has so many other really cool gift ideas, too. Right now, the recipe notecards and acrylic boxes are speaking to me. While I would never pay the retail cost for one of those acrylic recipe boxes, they are 40% off through the month of April, and since I’m still very old school when it comes to writing down recipes (and maybe your mom is, too?), I love this idea of keepsake recipes stored on handwritten cards in a clear box. I also love, love the flat personalized notecards. I’ve given these as gifts more times than I can count. If nothing else, you have to visit the site and hover over the logo to hear the twinkling bells; I never get tired of it.

8. Hello, address stamp! Should we tell the world how much I adore you? No kidding, sometimes, I just open my cupboard and stare at my address stamp with love shining from my eyes. I love return addressing letters (it makes putting the return address on bills something I actually look forward to!) because this baby is in my life. It was on my wish list for a long time after a couple of my sisters-in-law kept sending me correspondence and packages with the classiest return addresses. We gifted one to my parents last year and even my very down-to-earth dad has confessed that he looks forward to breaking out the address stamp. Address stamps: You (uh, I mean your mom) need one!

9. Ever practical, I received this BPA-free microwaveable steamer as a birthday gift this year and it’s rad. I’m no longer spending a fortune on those steamable bags of frozen veggies – I can buy in bulk and steam what I want each night. I have the largest size because of my large-ish family, but it is also available in small and medium. Fantastic little gift!

See you on the other side of the weekend with a fabulous 30-minute meal!