As a mother myself, I think the best thing your children can give you – especially the grown up ones, with their own busy lives, is some quality time and their attention. Thoughtful gifts that recognise mothers as individuals, creatives, and personalities all of their own with dreams and style and talents that go beyond the nurturing or domestic are touching to receive. With this in mind, I’ve compiled a list of suitable presents for the mother, or mother figure, in your life, celebrating whom may be finding it difficult this year with social-distancing and lockdown affecting many of us.
Charleston
My Charleston gift sets are inspired by the Bloomsbury Set and their creative retreat, Charleston Farmhouse. They’re a fabulous, fun, time-saving present for your mother which include everything one needs to complete a mini-makeover (for example a chair or a bedside cabinet). Inside each set you’ll find paint, wax and inspiration booklets to get your mum off on the right foot with her creative endeavours. The only thing she’ll have to worry about is where to display her proudly completed upcycling project when she’s finished!
Mini Project Pack
Similarly to the Charleston gift sets, these Mini Project Packs have all you need to transform a small piece of furniture – but rather than letting Virginia Woolf and her cohorts dictate the colour scheme, you can choose the colours inside yourself to suit your mother’s taste and style. I recommend choosing one neutral and one joy-bringing colour, perhaps a spring-like pastel. Your mum can have a pleasant afternoon painting and waxing and perhaps will rediscover a nascent love for painting, interior design, or DIY! The pride she’ll take in showing you her completed project will be a poignant reversal of the times you proudly showed her your own creative accomplishments as a child.
The Colourist
The Colourist is a Bookazine which recognises that women don’t necessarily want to read diet fads and relationship advice. Packed with colourful inspiration, travel tips and home tours, this glossy coffee table time will have one’s creative juices flowing and imagination running wild – all from the comfort of one’s own sofa. And there’s no washing up of brushes to do afterwards! Perfect for the mum who doesn’t like to get messy, and who deserves a quiet half hour or two to herself with some stimulating reading material. Perhaps consider some chocolates too!
Detail Brushes
My Detail Brushes are a fabulous gift for the more experienced painters. If your mother has already painted a few pieces, she may be looking at extending her repertoire. These brushes have been specifically designed with tips that dictate four different patterns. Mark-making can be as simple as dipping brush to paint and applying to furniture (as demonstrated by my own son, Felix). More confident artists can paint freehand designs – such as this stunning piece by Maisie’s House.
Pearlescent Glaze
Treat the Pearly Queen in your life to a little bit of sparkle with one of my latest products, Pearlescent Glaze. This water-based, light-reflecting finish creates a sublime, high-end, lustrous look and can be used over Chalk Paint® to create an intense opalescence, or mixed with very small additions of Chalk Paint® to create gently shimmering, translucent shades.
Workshops
My favourite suggestion for a Mother’s Day gift is to contact your mum's local Annie Sloan Stockist and to book her on to a future Annie Sloan Techniques Workshop - a lovely treat to look forward to post-lockdown! Here, she’ll learn all the most popular Chalk Paint® tips, tricks, and effects to build her confidence and inspire her to get stuck in. Bonus points if you book a place for yourself, too, and spend some quality bonding time over a Chalk Paint® tin.
I hope there’s enough ideas here for you to give a gift that is thoughtful and will make Mothering Sunday, birthday, anniversary, or any day, a really special day for you and yours!
Annie.
