One mother of a gift

Giving mom what she really deserves this Mother's Day (but in a good way)

By Allison Williams
Metro New York
5/8/2006

WITH SPRINGTIME: comes flowers in bloom, sun in the sky, and guilt in the air...unless you manage to find a decent gift for Moth- er's Day this year. Try for a personal gift, one that says "Thanks," "I love you" or even "Sorry" or whatever else you need to tell dear old mom this year.

FOR THE CULINARY MOM: Recipe cards are so 20th century. These days your mom is ripping out recipes from Oprah magazine or printing them out from the Food Network Web site. This recipe journal turns her pile of scrap paper into a personalized cookbook with dividers and labels, conversion tables, and even a few cooking tips in case your mom isn't quite the Julia Child she thinks she is. $24 at fredflare.com. Or try: The measuring tape kitchen timer at fredflare.com; looks like a measuring tape, works like a timer and adds a little whimsy to mom's kitchen. $15 at fredflare.com.

FOR THE (REALLY) PROUD | MOM: You don't # need to resort to something tacky just because your mom plasters pictures of her children/grand children/beloved lapdogs on everything she owns. The photo collage tote is made of sturdy cot- ton canvas, with interior pockets for the thousands of items Mom likes to carry everywhere. Best of all, the circular photo holders make it a tasteful way for your mom to brag. $55 from redenvelope.com. Or try: The square locket key chain at RedEnvelope has a snazzy silver-plated frame for two one-inch photos plus you can personalize further with Mom's initials. $35 at redenvelope.com.

FOR THE GARDENING MOM: If your mother has a green thumb—or even a bit of a black one—the eggling is a great and space-conscious way to bring a little greenery to any corner. A little sprout of basil, thyme, petunia, mint, or lobelia emerges from each (ceramic) egg with a little TLC. Just don't let her stick the eggs in the fridge; they'd make a terrible omelet. $9 each, else- wares.com. Or try: For the hardcore gardener, the GardenWay Gardener's Delight Gift Basket is like Christmas in springtime: Six tools and a kneeling pad wrapped in a stylist basket. $50 at Garden- way.com.

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIC MOM: You can't go wrong with flowers on Mother's Day. But you can go even more right with MercyCorps' Mother's Day Kit. Along with a exquisite 20-stem floral arrangement from Organic Bouquet, your mom will also have a donation made in her name to MercyCorps's humanitarian programs around the world, including the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. It's a gift that says "Look, Mom, you made me a good person!" $100 at mercy-corps.org. Or try: Give the gift of live- I stock from Heifer Inter- national. You'll probably be the only one in the family to give Mom a llama (to a Latin American community, of course). $20 per share, heifer.org.

FOR THE MOVIE BUFF MOM: No mother/daughter pair will ever be as bizarrely intriguing as Big Edie and Little Edie of "Grey Gardens." The eccentric cousins of Jackie Kennedy were immortalized in this 1976 documentary in all their peculiarly stylish glory. It's now an off- Broadway musical hit, but nothing will beat the affection and dysfunction of the original. $22 from Amazon.com. Or try: If your Mother's Day gift is belated (oops), try the gift that tells your mom "you could've been so much worse": The 25th anniversary edition DVI) of the camp classic "Mommie Dearest" will be released on June 6. $12 at Amazon.com.

Sustainable Flowers Make The Perfect Gift For All Occasions

Organic Bouquet is the largest online provider of eco-friendly and organic floral gifts. All of our flowers are grown in a manner that is not only environmentally friendly but also provides outstanding resources for farm workers and artisans. Organic Bouquet partners with select flower farms in California, Ecuador and Colombia. All of our flower farms follow stringent growing practices which are monitored by multiple certification agencies and associations. When you purchase flowers from Organic Bouquet, you are helping to improve the life of a flower farm worker, their family and the local floral community.

Our eco-friendly flower arrangements include roses, calla lilies, tulips, gerbera daisies, hyacinths, sunflowers, alstromeria lilies and blue iris. In addition to a complete line of flower arrangements, we offer gift baskets, fruit baskets, nut baskets, gourmet chocolates, gourmet cookies, plants and wreaths. All of these products are certified eco-friendly and/or provide for environmental benefits through our participation in Carbon Offset programs.

Whatever the occasion, our flowers make the perfect gift- birthday celebration flowers, anniversary flowers, holiday flowers, or floral arrangements simply to say thank you. Sending flowers from Organic Bouquet says that you care not only about the person receiving the flowers, but also about the environment. All of our gift items are shipped nationwide to all 50 states. So whether you need to send flowers to Florida, New York, California, or Colorado, we can guarantee overnight delivery to ensure they arrive fresh and ready to put a smile on someone’s face.

Whether you are purchasing online, or through one of our customer service specialists, you can be assured you are ordering the freshest quality of flowers and environmentally friendly gifts.