Mums are amazing aren’t they? Always there to pick you up in challenging times, cheer you up after a hard week, to celebrate your successes and encourage you to keep going. Mother’s Day is a day to show your appreciation for all that mums, step-mums and mother figures in your life do, but how on earth do you say thank you to someone who does so much?
Handmade ceramics make a great gift because they are truly unique and one-of-a-kind. They show that a lot of thought has gone into picking that gift. Not only that, but they are also often practical, useful and sustainable, and something that a person usually wouldn’t buy for themselves – one of the essential requirements for a great gift. We’ve got this gift guide together which will hopefully provide some inspiration for all kinds of mums.
1. The gift of time
Sometimes, the best gift you can give, is a bit of quality time, particularly if you don’t see a lot of each other. It’s a lovely gesture to carve out some time for the two of you to do something together which mum is guaranteed to appreciate.
If you’re local to Marlow, why not take one of our clay taster classes? You’ll have a lovely day together, learning something new and you’ll each have your clay momentos, in the pieces that you create, to remind you of a lovely day spent together. Plus, our brand-new studio is based on Marlow High Street so you could pop to The Ivy next door for a spot of lunch, grab a coffee for a walk around Higginson Park, or a mooch around the shops together!
Classes are live now and we still have space over Mother’s Day weekend but we encourage you to book this sooner rather than later as we suspect these won’t be available for long! If you’re still debating whether to sign the two of you up for a class, check out our top 5 reasons to do it!
Alternatively, enjoy a pottery experience closer to home (and by closer, we mean AT home) with one of our home pottery kits. One clay kit provides enough clay for two, but the kit makes a lovely unique gift as it is perfectly presented. Have a bit of a giggle over a cup of tea or glass of bubbly and make memories from the comfort of home!
2. A relaxing gift
Mums so often don’t make time for themselves, and much of the time, we forget what that even looks like when caught up in the endless cycle of dealing with work and teenage troubles (or at least, that’s how I feel most of the time!).
One of the reasons we love pottery is because it is inherently relaxing, and it allows time to completely switch off and de-stress. There’s no way you can scroll on your phone (unless you’re happy for it to be covered in clay) or think about anything apart from the task at hand. It’s a meditative craft and because of that it’s slightly addictive.
If your mum has a creative streak, or would appreciate a couple of hours to herself, a pottery class could be exactly what she needs. Paired with the lovely sentiment behind this lovely gift, you’re onto a winner.
If an activity isn’t your mum’s thing, then candles are always a great shout and are a great way to help create a calming and cosy home for mum to enjoy and relax in. We have some gorgeous, scented candles in ceramic holders in stock now which smell delicious but once the candle has burnt out, the holder can be reused.
Tealight holders are a great option too, perfect for running a nice warm bath, or to create a warm and serene atmosphere before bed. If you’re going for a spa vibe for a gift, then our handmade ceramic diffusers are a good option for those into aromatherapy and can be paired with her favourite oils and scents. We love Territory Scents, a new business in Marlow taking the diffuser market by storm and guaranteed to create a relaxing vibe for Mum on Mothering Sunday.
3. Gifts for a foodie
Kitchen gifts can be a bit risky, and care needs to be taken when buying anything cooking-related to avoid negative connotations. An appliance or gadget that she doesn’t need, wouldn’t enjoy using or, more importantly, hasn’t asked for, is unlikely to go down well. However, if she is big into baking, is a budding home chef and loves everything food-related, a ceramic kitchen gadget or some decorative kitchenware could be well up her street.
Our handmade pottery pestle and mortar is a fantastic option, a staple kitchen gadget which will get a lot of use, all the while looking unique and rustic. For the same reason, a butter dish is a great option for cooks and bakers alike, keeping butter stylishly covered at room temperature avoiding that annoying moment when you realise the butter is hard as nails and you want to bake!
At Keeeps we have a gorgeous selection of salt pigs, cute little ceramic gadgets to keep salt close and fresh, and they look so gorgeous on the kitchen top or on the dining table for when she is entertaining!
4. A personal touch for home
When buying something that she will love for the house, it’s important that anything that could be regarded as ‘generic’ or ‘tatty’ is avoided but it also shouldn’t be something that could be used by the both of you, as it loses that ‘gift’ feeling and makes it less special.
Try getting something that could be paired with something else. For example, flowers are always lovely to receive but could be edging toward the generic category, simply because that is a very popular option to buy for women. However, paired with a gorgeous ceramic vase, the bouquet is made extra special due to just a little bit of further thought. Dried flowers and a handmade ceramic vase make a great gift as dried flowers can last up to three years.
If you’re local to Marlow, team your ceramic vase gift with some gorgeous flowers from The Flower Studio or Foxglove Studio to make your gift super special.
At Keeeps, we have a large selection of bud vases which we love to use to showcase a single stem or small bunch of flowers, or as a reed diffuser to hold your favourite scent and make your home smell and look divine.
5. Vouchers
Gift vouchers are somewhat controversial for a gift, with these being frowned upon for being a ‘thoughtless’ gift and whilst we would agree that you shouldn’t buy her any old voucher, if you have found a store that you think she’d really love but are not 100% sure what to buy, then go for a voucher and let her pick something she loves.
If she loves pottery, handmade objects, kitchenware, or homeware but you know she’d rather select something herself, then why not treat her to a Keeeps gift voucher? That way if she fancies trying making pottery at one of our classes, she can use the voucher toward this instead!
We hope we have given you a bit of a helping hand, or at least pointed you in the right direction when it comes to buying gifts for her. If you need any help with buying a gift from Keeeps, do not hesitate to get in touch, we’d be happy to help you find something perfect!