Let’s face it, whether you’re a mom, have one or celebrate someone else on Mother’s Day, it’s nice to be have a few great and I’d argue, out-of-the-box options in mind for gifts. While I’ve never met a woman who doesn’t love dark chocolate and I certainly have my favorites, why not spring for something she’ll absolutely LOVE!
Let’s start with having cleaner floors without any work. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of iRobot (and no they didn’t pay me to say that either — I rave about their products constantly because of our positive experience with our Roomba who we named Rocky. We even included it in our favorite product picks of 2016. They also have a floor cleaner – yes, really!
iRobot’s Hardwood Floor Cleaner
If you have a larger home, I’d suggest the 300 Series since it covers a 1,000 square foot room size for sweeping and 350 square feet for mopping opposed to 250 and 200 square feet respectfully with the Braava Jet. You can order it on Amazon. You can also learn more about their other products at www.irobot.com.
Titika Active Couture
Made of Nylon and Spandex, this active clothing line is oh so chic. The quality is as good as the design and in addition to neutral colors that travelers can pack easily (blacks, whites, tans), they offer fun options as well, such as this Jory work out jacket.
The jacket has a 4-way stretch, underarm venting and zipper cover and a feature I love in zip up jackets: thumb holes. It’s a great option for traveling but also for the end of that yoga class or a morning jog.
Then there’s their Prim Performance Jacket — how beautiful is this? You can wear this when in active mode for a power walk or even with a pair of jeans for that extra layering when scouring a new city.
It exudes luxury and quality with their Supplex fabric that offers a long list of functions including moisture wicking, quick dry, wrinkle recovery and UV protection – how great is that when you’re on the road?
Its rich burgundy tweed effect and black piping along the trims is so elegant, no one will realize you’re wearing a workout jacket. Like our first pick, it has a 4 way stretch, under-arm vents, and a zipper lock. It doesn’t wrinkle easily (A+ for travelers) and has the fabulous thumb holes.
One thing to note is that while the arm length is true to size, the rest of the jacket runs a little small, so I’d recommend ordering one size up from what you typically wear to be safe. More information can be found at www.titikaactive.com/.
Noli Yoga
Into fitness, take yoga or do pilates? Most of our readers are pretty healthy so we know you’re always looking for fun new clothing, gear and more for your wellness regimen. We really took to these elegant but also fun leggings from Nola Yoga.
Above, a dark twist on an iconic print: the Black Tree Legging brings out each intricate detail of the tree – from root to leaf. They are designed for yoga, pilates, Barre, Spin, power walking or any other exercise you may do every week.
The fabric is 88% polyester and 12% spandex and is machine washable. We found their leggings to be pretty true to size and all of their printed leggings are four way stretch which makes them ultra comfy. They’re also moisture wicking and have a triangle gusset.
Made from the same material, they also offer capris in neutral colors, black and white and bold colors for those who want something a little more fun. Noli Yoga has plenty of colorful and beautiful designs to choose from for both ankle length and capri length.
Bold, graphic, and will be sure to make a statement . The Chevron Capri (above) has an Aztec inspired print with a blend of purple, pink, white and black and is bold enough to make you pop in the crowd, or if you’re not into popping, these fun colors will simply bring a smile and add a skip to your walk. More information can be found at https://www.noliyoga.com.
Harney & Son Teas
Okay, those of you who know me, are aware of how much I love tea. I grew up on tea and then spent many years living in England, so got accustomed to tea time. During my high school year in South Africa, we even had tea time. In other words, I can’t imagine life without tea.
I haven’t tried Harney & Sons teas in years, so was thrilled to try them out recently. And, I was also thrilled to learn that they had a delicious decaffeinated Ceylon black tea. It’s oh so rich and oh so delicious.
Let’s face it: tea makes a great gift choice, especially from a company like Harney & Sons because their packaging is exquisite.
While I didn’t test out their iced teas, I thought I’d mention them because summer is fast approaching. They offer Fresh Brew Iced Tea pouches as an easy way to brew 2 quarts of your favorite tea and the flavors they have on hand are too good to pass up like passion fruit, green tea with coconut, blueberry, blood orange and black currant.
They have plenty of choices (even one of my favorites: Lapsong Souchong) so you can get them individually (loose leaf or tea bags) or as gift packs.
They even offer a few different Mom’s Day options ranging in size and variation, but why not go for the Tea Time With Mom, which has it all: Mother’s Bouquet, an herbal blend of flowers & citrus, Cherry Blossom is a blend of green teas with a flavor of plump, fragrant cherries, Demerara sugar cubes and Lemon Sugar and Almond Toffee cookies from Grey Ghost Bakery. Oh so lovely! What’s not to love? More at https://www.harney.com.
Italian Sheets by Vero Linens
Who doesn’t love incredibly high quality linen sheets, especially if they’re Italian made? Meet Vero Linens which offers luxury bed sheets in a few different options, all of which are handmade in Italy. They don’t sell through retailers which makes them more reasonable than what you’d find at a Nieman Marcus of similar stores.
You can get it all over on Amazon, individually if you’d like, including fitted Queen sheets, flat Queen sheets, duvet covers and if you don’t want to go for a whole set, you can even opt for their very soft luxe cotton pillow cases. We went for their Diamante, which has a 600 thread count, although they don’t believe it’s the best measure of quality — they emphasize their grade of cotton, weaving and finishing instead.
Mattress depth isn’t a problem (something we still need to consider when you shop believe it or not), since they have 17” extra-deep pocket fitted sheets. In addition to the Diamante (their top of the line), you can go for the Righetta sheets which have a subtle and classic shadow stripe, or the Olivia and Ava options which are available in solids.
There’s also the Serena 100% Cotton sateen fitted sheets which are available in King, Queen, California-King and Full. The colors are elegant: a soft elegant gold, which they refer to as Sable, ivory and white. We loved that out of box, they felt like high quality linens — soft, elegant and yet crisp at the same time. I’d recommend the Sable color – it’s unique, subtle and oh so luxe. Their site is at www.verolinens.com.
IBEX Clothing
We only learned about this brand recently but LOVE the quality. They’re known for their WOOL and tout themselves as a natural fiber company. The result? High quality, soft and warm. I’d also add that they manage to combine that quality, softness and warmth with elegance, which is hard to do. How often do you find a great coat that will keep you incredibly warm and is also tailored so you don’t look like a box when you wear it? For example, take a look at this gorgeous fitted Juliet Zip Tunic, that you’d be proud to wear if you’re 25 or 65 years old.
Ibex Outdoor Clothing seems to have nailed it. What else we love? They say that they’re a hiking-before-dawn company, a dogs-in-the-workplace company, a bike-to-work company, a community-supported-agriculture company, a cross-country-ski marathon company and a coffee-in-front-of-the-woodstove company.
How cool is that? Sounds like a company I’d love to work for. The below Freya Cardigan Woman’s jacket is also a great option — flexible (can wear with anything), durable and warm, a great option for a spring or fall trip.
Whether you go for their Woolies base layers, or zip up a Shak jacket, it’s all high quality merino wool. One of the first things we noticed about their garments was how soft they were (and tailored) and we love their carefully thought out color choices which are more subdued and elegant than most we’ve seen from other brands. Our choices? See below.
The below jacket is so elegant that I had three people comment on it the first time I wore it. It goes well with a pair of jeans (dresses them up and it’s beautifully tailored) or you can use it as a dressier jacket when you go out. The material is oh so soft that you just can’t wait to put their clothes on – bravo! More information at www.shop.ibex.com.
DODOcase Cell Phone Covers
Everyone needs a case for their iPhone, but the problem is that many of them are cheap, are not practical or don’t protect your phone very well. We think the most elegant options from DODOcase are their Lorna iPhone Wallet Cases.
We love that the case is made of Premium Pergamena leather and comes in three different color combos: Brown, Blue, Red, and Black. Additionally, there are three card slots to the left of the case (a godsend for women) for your credit cards, business cards, license and extra cash.
Their vegetable tanned leather darkens over time creating a rich patina and they have an easy-to-clean book cloth interior and elastic band closure.
You can also opt to design your own bookcase and they have great options for women. You can pick and choose both the exterior and interior book cloths (how cool is that?), and there are dozens of different pattern and color options to choose from.
You can even add your own elastic color and add your own monogram – perfect for a gift! More information can be found at www.dodocase.com.
KiraGrace
Meet a new brand we just discovered in the workout and yoga clothing space that we absolutely fell in love with: KiraGrace. Check out these Palazzo Pants that can be worn during a workout or after a yoga session. It’s a great option for the curvier goddess with fuller hips and bust line – we love the fit!!!
The wide leg makes it a more feasible option for a variety of occasions and there’s plenty of comfy compression, which makes it a great option for active travelers. The pants are made with moisture wicking fabric and a 4 way stretch and they come in black.
Another great option for travel because of its neutral black color and its fit is their Grace Fleece Cardigan, which fits well regardless of body type. As they like to say: designed for all goddess shapes!!
This stylish cardigan is made from a cotton/spandex fabric blend lined with fleece and like their bottoms, the material is so soft and comfortable. This loose style with its patch pockets and extra fabric for drape is ideal for trips where you want to either layer or dress outfits up or down depending on the occasion.
Lastly, I want to mention their yoga and fitness tops. What we love about these vis a vis so many other brands we’ve come across, is that a medium is really a medium which leaves a little room for shrinkage.
While we haven’t had time to do several washes yet, we love that the fit is both elegant and practical, making them great options for travelers, especially us over 40 year olds. And, they’re so stylish, you can wear them to a yoga class but also out for a brunch or as you’re power walking through those Paris streets on your next European getaway.
They are made with PowerLite fabric for lightweight compression to help keep you cool, dry, and secure. There’s also built-in bra pockets for your removable bra cups and a lovely drop back design for range of movement. More information can be found at www.kiragrace.com.
Candles
Everyone I know could use candles regardless of season or purpose. We use taper and votive candles all the time even for every day dining. These dripless Made in America 15 inch taper candles are tall, elegant and beautiful.
We also love that they are offered in a bunch of different colors, from soft gray (shown above and available on Amazon), purple, red, gold, navy blue, lime, pink, black and others.
Votive candles are also useful for any occasion and they have them for a steal over on Amazon for a massive box of them for under $25.
Hand Woven Turkish Towels & Throws
I recently got introduced to a very cool new woman-owned company named Bask Miami which offers an array of hand woven Turkish towels, throws, blankets and cover ups, as well as baby blankets and cushions for one’s home, beach and boating needs.
Below is the cover-up that I took to Aruba with me recently: beautiful, elegant, stylish and can be worn over a shirt with a dressy pair of pants or jeans OR alternatively as a swimsuit cover-up.
The great thing about Turkish Towels, which can also be used at home for lounging, bathing and snuggling up on the couch as much as they can on the road, is that they dry quickly and don’t wrinkle easily.
Each towel available at the boutique is hand loomed in Turkey. A perfect traveling companion, the towels are eco-friendly and lightweight as well.
Aside from the more traditional uses, they can be worn as, pareos, sarongs or scarfs. We also thought as some of the larger ones as great gift ideas for a table cloth, a couch throw or a picnic blanket. More information on them can be found at www.BaskMiami.com.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
