Shedoesthecity’s Ultimate Mother’s Day Wish List

Mother’s Day is just around the corner (Sunday May 8th – bonus points if you remember), so we’ve lined up some sweet ideas for the mom(s) in your life. From high tea to the ballet, and pampering to DIYs, we’ve come up with eleven thoughtful and unique gifts that are sure to put the biggest smile on Mom’s face. Without further adieu, here you go!

• On April 30th, spend a lovely afternoon with your mom or daughter, sipping Sloane tea, indulging in delectable treats, and working together to create a stunning floral arrangement at a Mother’s Day High Tea and Floral Workshop at Colette Grand Café (550 Wellington Street West). Florist Lauren Wilson of Timberlost Designs will delve into arrangement techniques with fresh, garden-inspired florals. You’ll leave with an arrangement to display at home. All materials will be provided. Get tickets here.

• Lady Mosquito‘s unique collection of locally handmade necklaces and accessories are perfect to top off a new summer dress. This beautiful Macrame Necklace ($89), Peyote Bracelet ($55), and Zara Studs ($25) are handcrafted using beading, crocheting and macrame (hand-knotted) techniques. We love the hot pink for Spring!

• Shopping for the mom who has literally EVERYTHING? Why not give a Gift of Hope from Plan Canada? Your donation will go towards helping children in emergencies, provide literacy training for women or providing checkups for newborns in the developing world.

• Want to immortalize your family for generations to come? Get mom some custom-made modern-style Russian matryoshka dolls to match your family! Sets are made from high-quality wooden nesting dolls made in Russia and make a wonderful gift.

• If your mom is the bookish type, consider Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry, a riveting new psychological thriller in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. When Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister in the countryside, she expects to find her waiting at the station. But instead, she walks into her sister’s house to find she has been the victim of a brutal murder. It is a haunting exploration of the fierce love between two sisters, the distortions of grief, and the terrifying power of the past.

• Feeling ambitious (and crafty)? If you’ve got $10 and an hour to spare, make Mom this cute DIY Glass Bottle & Wood Vase Centrepiece.

• Of course we haven’t forgotten brunch. This year, celebrate Mother’s Day at the AGO with a delicious brunch buffet at FRANK, prior to checking out the new Outsiders exhibit, or Painting Tranquility: Masterworks by Vilhelm Hammershøi. Choose from continental, carving and seafood stations, including an oyster bar, as well as salads, an assortment of sweets, and a selection of housemade pastries. Moms, don’t worry, they also have a special menu for your little ones. Book your table here.

• Bliss out with a Perfect Blitz spa package from BodyBlitz. $170 gets Mom a 30-minute massage, sample scrub and a full-day in the therapeutic waters (including a warm Dead Sea salt pool, hot Epsom salt pool, cold plunge pool, eucalyptus steam room, infrared sauna and complimentary use of showers, lockers, towels, robes and sandals). It’s a transcendent experience. Hell, book a package for yourself while you’re at it.

• Swing by Umbra’s flagship store (75 King St. E) to check out their sweet selection of Mother’s Day gifts – everything from weave photo displays to curio jewelry trays to pelica book props – all cleverly designed right here in Toronto.

• Your mom would LOVE a night at the ballet. Get tickets for The National Ballet of Canada‘s production of Giselle, in all its rapturous, ghostly glory.

• Have you heard of Drake’s Urban Conservatory Collection? A darling collection of plushy cacti, playful watering cans, printed planters, statement tees and other fun and whimsical gifts that will add a bit of sunshine to every living space!