Shopping for Mother’s Day? There’s no one perfect gift for the grandmother, mother, sister, wife, and expectant spouse… Maybe a simple handwritten card or some flowers will do, maybe she’s hoping for the moon!
in a color she’ll love, because she still prefers handwritten notes.
But she shouldn’t have to waste precious time on the return address, so a custom Calligraphy-style stamp would be sweet.
, for the perfect latte, even if she never makes it out the door. Cenitfolia Robe from Anthropologie: that place between comfortable and sexy.
An Air Plant: simple to care for, lovely to look at Zoku Quick Pop Maker
, because she really wants a popsicle, too.
Not pictured:
A brag book with her favorite photos from Pinhole Press. She’ll love it forever.
Well-crafted with a story behind it: something pretty from BRIKA.
A book of essays written and illustrated by women:Equals.
And of course:
Anything made with love.
An offer of help. (True story: A few months ago, I happened to be at an event with the founder of Pinterest, Ben Silbermann. His wife, infant, and mother-in-law were along with him. I got to talking with the last of those three—who was visiting from across the globe—and I’ll never forget it: I said something to the effect of “it must be so nice to be here with your grandson.” And she replied “Oh, no. I’m not here for him. I’m here for my daughter. Everyone wants to take care of a baby; I’m here to take care of my daughter.” Amazing, right?)
P.S. My wedding anniversary falls on Mother’s Day this year, by the way. Just saying. Wink, wink.
Elisabeth Thurston Fraser and Miya Hirabayashi are about to release the inaugural print edition of Equals, “Exploration,” with essays and photographs devoted to cartography, uncharted territory, nostalgia, and souvenirs. For almost a year, they’ve been publishing contributed work on their site, the Equals Record (you can read my essay, “Being Camera Ready,” there), and have decided to create a new publishing platform that can really showcase content from up-and-coming writers, photographers, and illustrators. It looks beautiful and I wish them much luck!
I’ll be sharing ideas for Mother’s Day gifts next week and this would make a nice addition to the list. (You can buy the book at a reduced rate or purchase a limited edition gift package here.)
Speaking of friendships, I often find myself thinking about this New York Times article Alex Williams wrote about making friends as a grown-up. Having just moved to a new town, sometimes it really feels like I’m dating, couple dating. If only we could all just, like, hold hands. (Thankfully Alex and my husband liked each other when his wife and I became friends or it would be a blow to read.)
I’ve actually made quite a few adult friends through blogging. For all of the bad ways that the “blogosphere” feels like high school, that’s been one of the best.
Funny story: Abbey once wrote to me and suggested that we meet up for breakfast with our husbands. We knew each other through our blogs, but had never met in person and I wasn’t sure how much I should cop to knowing about her life. Do you ask: “where did you grow up?” or is it “I see that you grew up in X, what was that like?” A little nervous about this semi-blind date, Aron and I were laughing about how stalker-like I could sound when we decided to google “get-to-know-you questions.” Oprah has a list, but the first suggestion that popped up was to ask “what’s your favorite kind of cookie?” It’s been a running joke with us ever since: the image of meeting another couple and being all, serious-like, “chocolate chip? or chocolate chip oatmeal?” with Aron and I exchanging knowing glances at the answer: “ohhhhh…”
Of course the best conversations are more organic, but do you have a story you keep in your back-pocket for meeting new people? Is there a question you like to ask? I had a boyfriend who had a piece of trivia for every occasion—things like escalator-related accidents and such. You’d be amazed at how many people have stories about escalators!
[image of Stand By Me, Rob Reiner’s adaptation of “The Body,” by Stephen King, copyright Sony Pictures via]
