A little of this, a little of that, Lily of the Valley Day, Mother’s Day gift ideas and more…Weekend Meanderings.
Happy weekend friends!
It is Saturday morning and I am having a lie in with my pups and enjoying my new book.
Can you believe that tomorrow is May 1? Where does the time go?
This morning I am joining my friends Juliet and Kim for Weekend Meanderings.
Lately I have been thinking about creating a cottage garden and Mother’s Day gift ideas. So I decided to combine the two and here is what I came up with, flower themed Mother’s Day gifts.
Weekend Meanderings
Lily of the Valley Day~La Fête du Muguet ~La Fête du Travail
Have you ever heard of Lily of the Valley Day? The First of May is a Public Holiday in France, officially known as La Fête du Travail (National Labour Day) but also called La Fête du Muguet (Lily of the Valley Day).
It is an occasion to present Lily of the Valley flowers to loved ones. The French tradition of giving Lily of the Valley on May Day is supposed to have begun on May 1st, 1561, when King Charles IX of France was presented with a bunch of Lily of the Valley flowers as a token of luck and prosperity for the coming year.
I have always loved the scent, look and charm of these delicate flowers. I am hoping to plant some bulbs under the pine tress for a layer of ground cover.
For more information about Lily of the Valley Day read about it here.
Mother’s Day Memories
Mother’s Day is the perfect day to go all out and let mom know how much you love her. As I child, my siblings and I would pool together our allowance to buy a gift for our mom. Somehow we always ended up at Woolworth. Does anyone else remember Woolworth?
After we debated over wether or not she would like a fish or a hamster we headed to the home decor department. Porcelain music boxes of men and women in Victorian clothing lined the shelves so one year we decided to start a collection for her. I am not sure what made us think she would like them because we had nothing in the house like it. Mom was always gracious and told us she loved the gift and us. The last time I was at home I found a few of these little music boxes in the attic. I should note, the figurines shown above are antiques and are not some of the ones that we purchased.
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas with Flower Power
If you would like to get your mom something a little more sophisticated you can never go wrong with flowers. Flowers picked from your garden and arranged in a vase, or flowers from her favorite florist are sure to brighten her day. You could also get her something that will last a little longer, flower themed gifts.
Flowers for Mom-Pajamas
A set of Field Flower Print Pajamas, would be a welcome gift, as would this robe.
Or this pair of pj’s from J.Crew, which by the way is on sale.
Flower Fashion
A few weeks ago I saw this dress online at Saks Fifth Avenue and it became the inspiration for this post. It’s an investment piece to be sure. As I have no where to wear it I left it in the cart and will admire it from afar.
This Sweet Pea Flower Dress while quite different is vibrant, pretty and at a less expensive price point.
A beautiful scarf is always nice.
I love this embroidered pashmina and this one too.
A few more floral favorites I have posted in the past.
Tea and Biscuits
One of my go to gifts is a beautiful tea cup and saucer along with a tea and some hot chocolate too. I love the Creatures of Curiosity Spode pieces like the one above and this one too.
The Language of Flowers Mug Set or perhaps teacups and saucers are also beautiful.
McKenzie Childs Teapot will bring the colors and cheer of spring to your kitchen all year long.
Here are a few more tea themed gifts.
Gifts for the Kitchen
You can never go wrong with a sweet treat. A gift baked with love makes every celebration better. Why not bake the moms in your life some scrumptious cupcakes? You can find the recipe and tips for the decorations on this post for white almond cupcakes with buttercream frosting.
If you don’t feel like baking you can pick up a special sugary treat from your local bakery or order these.
Breakfast or brunch on Mother’s Day or any day will be much sweeter with this waffle maker. I have this waffle make in the traditional design and it makes the perfect size “appetizer” waffle. If I am not making my own waffle mix I use this mix.
There is something about mini-treats that is so sweet(no pun intended),this mini-cupcake pan can be used or gifted to your mom to make delectable treats all season long.
Edible flowers can be used on cakes, cookies, salads or whatever else your imagination comes up with.
Sue of From the Great Island recently shared this recipe for Pansy Topped shortbread. Why not make a batch for your mom to accompany the tea and chocolate?
If you would like to learn more about edible flowers this is a great article about using them, preparing them, finding them and more.
Don’t forget to get mom some rose water, orange blossom and vanilla so that she can use them to bake you some treats! I love Nielsen-Massey products and often find them in the baking isle at Tj Maxx.
Don’t forget cookbooks!
Flower Perfume
My mom loves perfume so that is one thing that is always in her gift box. A few weeks ago I told you about The Library of Flowers and I think they all smell wonderful.
The Library of Flowers is one of my favorite brands, it is economical and they come out with new scents often. That is one of the great things about perfume you can find a sent to suit any price point. Note: The scent above is sold out, but Honeycomb with notes of sugared fig, ambrosia honey and bee blossom, is another scent that smells like Spring. My other favorite perfume Lollia is at Anthropologie.
If you enjoy lilies of the valley you might like this perfume.
Book Gifts
Last but certainly not least books!
I love any and all book by Carolyne Roehm and think they would all make a beautiful gift.
Her latest is called Passions.
London in Bloom takes me back to the many adventures I have had over the years in London.
Botanical illustrations are some of my favorites, this book by Celia Fisher is on my wish list.
You can find all of my book recommendations on My Bookshop Pinterest board.
Pin me for later
Have a wonderful day.
I hope that you enjoyed the post, Mother’s Day Gift Ideas, Lily of the Valley Day, Flowers and More. Thank you for spending part of your day with me!
Don’t forget to hop over to visit Juliet and Kim to see all of the things they discovered this week, the links are below.
This post contains affiliate links, if you purchase something from a link I will earn a small commission.
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Silent Sunday 7-2-2017
So many great Mother’s Day gift ideas, Elizabeth. And I love your floral theme. These are things my mother would have loved. I still have her floral tea cup that I use once in a while for my cocoa. It makes me happy. And yes I remember Woolworth. We didn’t have one but when we visited our grandmother, she did! I would love to have a McKenszie Childs teapot. Each time I see one I’m more and more tempted. Perhaps I’ll forward this to my hubby … I like to point out to him that dog and cat mom’s deserve recognition too! Those floral cupcake are amazing. I’m swooning. Wish I could decorate cupcakes and cakes like that … but I don’t have to when I can order them. I think Jim’s mom would adore them. So many ideas to consider, but must do it quick because Mother’s Day is next weekend. Yikes! Hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend and enjoy that new book! xo
Juliet, YES, dog and cat moms definitely deserve Mother’s Day gifts. I hope your three fur kids get you the MCKenzie Childs tea pot! It would look beautiful in your kitchen.
I would love to see your beautiful cup from your mother, what a special piece to have and to enjoy your cocoa in!
You can easily make the cupcakes, they are made with Russian piping tips, and they are very easy to make! I am sure that Jims mom would enjoy them if you made them or purchased them.
I loved your post! Your personality always shines through. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your houses. xx Elizabeth
You’ve inspired me to plant some lily of the valley! You can grow it in pots, so think I’ll go that route. Thanks!
Amy that is a lovely idea! I think I am going to they that next year. Have a wonderful weekend.
Elizabeth, I am crazy about this post! You outdid yourself here and so much to love in the florals! I’m all over this. How wonderful you can buy the edible flowers in the boxes. I was wondering about that and I would love to try the shortbreads with them. Your waffle maker is so pretty too. I didn’t know that about Lilly of the Valley. One thing about May Day I remember as a child was picking little posies and tying them with a ribbon and leaving them on neighbor’s porches. How sweet is that story about buying your mom a gift?! Adorable. I think my brother and I would go to a place called Quick Stop ( like 7-11) that we could ride our bikes to and we would buy some mug or something not pretty, but my mom would act thrilled about. LOL. I very much want to get that Library of Flowers scent and will keep looking. In the meantime, I am going back and shopping all these pretty florals. I see a few lovely things. You find the most beautiful items. Have a great weekend! xo Kim
Thank you Kim. I love the idea of making flower posies and leaving them on your neighbors porches. That is so sweet. Make sure to read the post about the edible flowers, there are a lot of good tips there. https://education.teamflower.org/learn/2021/8/4/how-to-prepare-edible-flowers-for-baking
And this article about growing and using your own flowers. https://education.teamflower.org/learn/2021/8/4/how-to-prepare-edible-flowers-for-baking#listofedibleflowers
The pansy cookies are so beautiful! The View from Great Island always posts and make the most beautiful things.
I will take a look around and see if I can find that perfume! Have a wonderful week Kim. So happy to see you up and about.xx
So many pretty finds! Love the information regarding Lily of the Valley Day. My mom is a fan of these flowers. I remember Woolworth’s! I loved to go there as a kid.
Marie, lily if the Valley is such a beautiful flower and so I love the celebration of it in France. Have a wonderful week!
What a heavenly dose of floral inspiration!!!
Thank you Mary Ann! I hope that you are settling in the new house.
So many beautiful floral finds! Aren’t those cookies from Sue amazing!?
Thank you Annie. Yes! Sue is amazing and I cannot wait to make the cookies!
Mother’s Day is always bittersweet after you lose your Mum. It’s 5 years since my Mum died and it’s still hard to celebrate without her. Having said that, and being a Mum myself, my children make it very special. I love the kettle you shared above. It’s gorgeous.
Carol, I cannot even imagine the pain of loosing your mom. I am sorry for your loss. I hope that you find comfort with your children celebrating what a wonderful mother you are and your own mother as well. Take care friend.