Mother's Day - Great Gifts for Incredible Mums

Mother's Day is fast approaching on March 26th. Think After Alice can only keep the children happy? Think again. We give you our top 10 Marvellous Mother's Day Presents from After Alice Ltd. 

1) A humble card. Not going to BS you on this one. If you are older than 12, your mum really doesn't want you to hand draw her a card any more. It isn't cute any longer and if you add glitter it is actually roving into passive aggressive territory. Plus she then feels obliged to keep the bloody thing and I assure you that by this stage in her life she has enough of your adorable handcrafted delights, the attic is groaning under the weight of your artist endeavours. Buy her a card. One that you like and that she will like. Think about it. Does she like the Tatty Teddy twee stuff? The cute kitten doing adorable kitten stuff? Or something beautifully designed and simple? Whatever you choose, take more than 30 seconds to scribble your name, when you are on the way out of the door to post /hand deliver it. Sit down. Find a nice pen (pencil and anything neon are not advised) take a minute, and then write something that will make her smile, make her cry, or make her proud. Bonus point if you manage all three. For our card suggestions please see here. 

2) A handful of wonder. Otherwise known as marbles. I bang on about these A LOT. That is because they are such a cool thing and I can't fathom why the rest of the universe hasn't caught on. You can buy your mum the most beautiful, handmade balls of joy you ever did see. Right here on our site. They are lovely to hold and behold. They look great in that dish you made out of clay when you were 5. Plus when the grandchildren come to play, they will love them too. Functional and gorgeous. For our favourites take a look here.

3) Botanique's Recipe Book. Is your mum a baker? Does she consume the Great British Bake Off with a hunger usually reserved for Jaffa cakes? This is a lovely gift. Somewhere to collect and record all the family favourite recipes. It looks wonderful and serves a purpose too, and if she is lucky enough to have a Kitchen Aid it will look gorgeous propped up to the side of that. It looks even better numerous years down the line, a bit smudged, with the odd splatter of batter, when you inherit it and get to cherish her handwriting and her favourite dishes. Wonderful stuff. If she is less Mary Berry, more Mary Shelley, there are wonderful journals in the Botanique range too. 

4) Mugs. You can't argue with a mug. We need them. They regularly get chipped, broken, or moved into the part of the cupboard reserved for workmen and undesirables that can't be trusted with the decent china. Get her mug. And then make her a lovely cuppa to go in it. On a regular basis. We have some lovely mugs. Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, Henry VIII all feature. Some of our mugs are sooooo very special they are a bit high maintenance (we like to be honest) so if your mum bungs things in the dishwasher, rather than gentle massages her china clean with frothy suds, you may want to go for a more robust one . . . our collection of needy and emotionally stable mugs can be found here.

5) A book. No arguments here. Get her a book. Possibly the most wonderful gift possible. If you choose the right one. If she still has little children in her life (you or grandchildren) get her a book that she will not mind reading to them over and over again on loop. Very few books can survive this constant attention before you want to fling them out the window in front of a confused little face accompanied by the words 'Really? THIS one? Again?!' Have a look in our wonderful books section. How about a book that lauds Coco Chanel, Amelia Earhart or Maya Angelou? If not head to Waterstones and get her something she can read on her own, submerged in a bubble bath until she wrinkles like a prune.

6) A game. Game over. How can you beat that? Something to liven up the grey matter after a lovely if stodgy Mothering Sunday lunch. We have some amazing games to choose from, and are adding more lines regularly. Need something to go with that cute cat card? Try Cat Bingo. After something a bit more highbrow? Try the Old Masters Memory Game. Pentago is a good challenge for all the family. For our full range of games to delight old and young please look here.  

7) A Kite, yup a kite. But not just any kite (hang on, this is going all M & S) a truly wonderful kite. A Ship of the Sky no less. Is your mum a fan of Star Dust? Time Bandits? Peter Pan? Or just delights in the wind in her hair and the sun in her face? Then this is a magnificent choice. Pray for wind on March 26th (and not just from your father), stuff yourselves silly at lunch, and then find a great hill and kite-fly it all off. This kite takes about 10 - 15 minutes to construct (definitely part of the fun). Ethically sourced. Looks great on the wall once you have finished flying for the day. 

8) A snuggle on the sofa, teaching a beloved child a new skill. Yes, you really can purchase this at After Alice Ltd. One way is through our wonderful sewing gifts. Make, Do, Mend. Sew, crochet, knit. We have some fab choices through our Buttonbag gifts. The Filled Sewing Basket is certainly lovely enough to keep a grown woman happy, plus it has lots of little projects for when little fingers come to visit and need to be entertained. She can even crochet her own sausage dog. 

9) Beautiful stationery. Okay, let's be honest. No one ever consciously decides they want stationery, it has become a bit of a forgotten art in this modern world where texts and emails are all so easy. But if you have some decent cards & envelopes, you totally find a reason to use it. And it becomes a joy. A rather lovely thing. A thank you letter, a commiseration, 'Good Luck' or even 'I am just thinking of you'. We have some gorgeous sets from Portico. Some things never go out of fashion. Good manners never go out of style, and I am pretty sure your mum will appreciate that. 

10) 24 Watercolour Pencils (we have 12 if you are a bit tight / feeling the pinch). Wonderful simple and mess free to use. Easy to slip in a bag with a sketchbook. If your mum is an artist, or would like to nourish her artistry, this is a lovely thoughtful gift. We also do a travel watercolour kit, if she likes things even more compact. 

We could go on and on. Sudoku magnetic travel kits (fend off dementia for a little while longer!), a soft singing robin, an inspirational Jane Austen to sit on her desk . . . have a little browse, we are sure you will find a great gift for your Mum. Happy Mother's Day!