Top Christmas present ideas for Mum
Step aside Santa
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They say that behind every fat jolly bloke is a great mum feeding him pies. So, it's time to step aside Santa and allow Itchy to pay homage to the real star of Christmas, our mums. Let's face it, Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without your mum running around in a military fashion shouting those immortal festive words, ”get out of the Kitchen!“. The turkey isn't cooking, dad won't stop interfering and there is always some elderly relative pissed on the Hardy's by midday. However, somehow mum always manages to pull it off. So, to pay our respects, Itchy popped down to the Country Living Magazine's Christmas Fair to find the perfect Christmas present for dearest mum. Well, that's our excuse anyway!
Fratelli Guzinni
www.formahouse.co.uk
As Itchy well knows, sometimes cooking can be quite the chore – especially if you're working with lacklustre tools. Help mum out by giving her Fratelli Guzinni's bright and durable kitchenware – we're sure it'll add more oomph to her already impressive cooking skills (meaning tastier treats for you and the rest of the family when Christmas roles round). We particularly like their colour-coordinated chopping boards for fish, poultry, meat and fruits/veg (£20). Another plus, we didn't have to battle through crowds of women and children to buy from this venue (read: no guilt).
Bahoma London
www.bahoma.com
It's a well-known fact that mums always smell nice. Not sure how it works, exactly – even when they're covered in dirt and sweat and all sorts of unpleasant things from the garden, our mum still manages to smell like roses. It stands to reason, therefore, that your mum (and ours alike) will certainly enjoy fragrant gifts like perfume oils, candles and diffusers to expand and continue the phenomenon. With a plethora of varying aromas, any Bahoma gift will encourage your mum to spice things up and try something new (for dad or whomever) as she rings in the new year.
Aiga and Ginta
www.aigaceramic.co.uk
www.ginta.co.uk
For artsy, fashionable mums (and plenty of us have them) check out the Aiga and Ginta stall – it's filled with jewellery, decorations and tableware made by the collaborative duo. Designer Ginta specializes in fashionable accessories like leather necklaces, rings and earrings (sounds strange but is strangely appealing) whereas Aiga makes stylised kitchenware and Christmas decorations made from ceramics, leather and even fur! Since Christmas has a lot to do with looking good and eating well, why not get something that will involve eating well whilst simultaneously looking good? Kills two birds with one stone, and here at Itchy we're all about efficiency.
Batik by Jane Hickman
www.janehickmanbatik.com
For girly mums (and whose isn't, really?) greeting cards and scarves by batik artist Jane Hickman are quaint and affordable gift options. Of course, we aren't suggesting you give your mom a greeting card as a gift – but it would be a nice accessory to that wonderful gift you've already gotten her. Our favourites were ”Brown Cow“, ”Pink Bream“, ”Ginger Hob Nob“ and ”Baby Elephant“ (£1.40 for one). If you haven't already got her a gift, one of Hickman's colourful silk or velvet scarves may be what you're looking for. Especially if she likes flowers.
Penny Lindop Designs
www.pennylindop.com
Melt your mum's heart with these ridiculously adorable handmade gifts and gift accessories. We especially recommend the Christmas cards featuring black and white snow-laden landscapes featuring little sheep and other farm animals splashed with colour (do not mock us Itchy reader, it sounds naff but it really isn't). In fact, we challenge anyone who doesn't think the designs are capable of melting their stone-cold hearts. Because trust us, they are. Also on offer for your buying pleasure are magnets, coffee mugs, gift tags, gift-wraps, calendars and socks (among others) decorated by the same cutesy designs. A mother's Christmas heaven, if you will.
winnie magee
www.winniemagee.com
While one of these high-quality linen raincoats will take a fair chunk out of our bank account, we're choosing to look at it as an investment on behalf of one our favourite people. Apparently the way the coats are made makes them completely water-resistant, but all we really care about is that they look pretty. To be honest, though, we might 'accidentally' leave the price tag on so that we can credit for how much we spent.
Susie Watson Designs
www.susiewatsondesigns.co.uk
So, the pictures of the house interiors displayed on this website are basically a Mum's Christmas wonderland, filled with lots of decorative pillows, candles, pretty plates and bowls, and furniture covered in floral patterns and plaids. They basically sell everything that your mum could ever want for her home. Keep in mind that with this recession you could be living back at home, so don't buy anything you couldn't stand to look at everyday.
Country Traditionals
www.countrytraditionals.co.uk
These ceramic bowls are a perfect easy gift for mum this Christmas, being that they come in different patterns, but are all painted the same cobalt colour. You won't have to stretch your brain too much when it comes to picking out what set to get for mum, which Itchy is especially happy about. We can't spend another holiday shopping season pretending that we understand the taste of a middle-aged woman. Just make sure that the pattern on one bowl matches the pattern on the next.
Hope & Benson
www.angelahope.com
These throws and handbags made us think of our mum as soon as we saw them. The only problem is that we have no idea which of the wacky floral or hound's-tooth patterns will go best with her wardrobe, which is why Itchy is extremely thankful for the monogrammed pillows that Hope & Benson has just put out. While we may not know very much about mum's wardrobe, we do know her initials. Well, actually we seem to have forgotten her middle name.
Hinde Designs
www.hindedesigns.co.uk
Exhausted from many years of trying to find the perfect gift for mum and failing miserably, Itchy has decided to go for the can't-fail gift of stationary. We know that she'll have to love whatever we pick out from this site with themes like English Country, English Lifestyle, English Garden (getting the idea yet?). Plus all of her friends will probably go nuts for it too. And a feeling of superiority is really the best gift we can give our favourite person anyway. Written by:
Kelly Allen & Ariana Anthony
Fratelli Guzinniwww.formahouse.co.uk
As Itchy well knows, sometimes cooking can be quite the chore – especially if you're working with lacklustre tools. Help mum out by giving her Fratelli Guzinni's bright and durable kitchenware – we're sure it'll add more oomph to her already impressive cooking skills (meaning tastier treats for you and the rest of the family when Christmas roles round). We particularly like their colour-coordinated chopping boards for fish, poultry, meat and fruits/veg (£20). Another plus, we didn't have to battle through crowds of women and children to buy from this venue (read: no guilt).
Bahoma Londonwww.bahoma.com
It's a well-known fact that mums always smell nice. Not sure how it works, exactly – even when they're covered in dirt and sweat and all sorts of unpleasant things from the garden, our mum still manages to smell like roses. It stands to reason, therefore, that your mum (and ours alike) will certainly enjoy fragrant gifts like perfume oils, candles and diffusers to expand and continue the phenomenon. With a plethora of varying aromas, any Bahoma gift will encourage your mum to spice things up and try something new (for dad or whomever) as she rings in the new year.
Aiga and Ginta www.aigaceramic.co.uk
www.ginta.co.uk
For artsy, fashionable mums (and plenty of us have them) check out the Aiga and Ginta stall – it's filled with jewellery, decorations and tableware made by the collaborative duo. Designer Ginta specializes in fashionable accessories like leather necklaces, rings and earrings (sounds strange but is strangely appealing) whereas Aiga makes stylised kitchenware and Christmas decorations made from ceramics, leather and even fur! Since Christmas has a lot to do with looking good and eating well, why not get something that will involve eating well whilst simultaneously looking good? Kills two birds with one stone, and here at Itchy we're all about efficiency.
Batik by Jane Hickman www.janehickmanbatik.com
For girly mums (and whose isn't, really?) greeting cards and scarves by batik artist Jane Hickman are quaint and affordable gift options. Of course, we aren't suggesting you give your mom a greeting card as a gift – but it would be a nice accessory to that wonderful gift you've already gotten her. Our favourites were ”Brown Cow“, ”Pink Bream“, ”Ginger Hob Nob“ and ”Baby Elephant“ (£1.40 for one). If you haven't already got her a gift, one of Hickman's colourful silk or velvet scarves may be what you're looking for. Especially if she likes flowers.
Penny Lindop Designs www.pennylindop.com
Melt your mum's heart with these ridiculously adorable handmade gifts and gift accessories. We especially recommend the Christmas cards featuring black and white snow-laden landscapes featuring little sheep and other farm animals splashed with colour (do not mock us Itchy reader, it sounds naff but it really isn't). In fact, we challenge anyone who doesn't think the designs are capable of melting their stone-cold hearts. Because trust us, they are. Also on offer for your buying pleasure are magnets, coffee mugs, gift tags, gift-wraps, calendars and socks (among others) decorated by the same cutesy designs. A mother's Christmas heaven, if you will.
winnie magee
www.winniemagee.com
While one of these high-quality linen raincoats will take a fair chunk out of our bank account, we're choosing to look at it as an investment on behalf of one our favourite people. Apparently the way the coats are made makes them completely water-resistant, but all we really care about is that they look pretty. To be honest, though, we might 'accidentally' leave the price tag on so that we can credit for how much we spent.
Susie Watson Designs www.susiewatsondesigns.co.uk
So, the pictures of the house interiors displayed on this website are basically a Mum's Christmas wonderland, filled with lots of decorative pillows, candles, pretty plates and bowls, and furniture covered in floral patterns and plaids. They basically sell everything that your mum could ever want for her home. Keep in mind that with this recession you could be living back at home, so don't buy anything you couldn't stand to look at everyday.
Country Traditionals www.countrytraditionals.co.uk
These ceramic bowls are a perfect easy gift for mum this Christmas, being that they come in different patterns, but are all painted the same cobalt colour. You won't have to stretch your brain too much when it comes to picking out what set to get for mum, which Itchy is especially happy about. We can't spend another holiday shopping season pretending that we understand the taste of a middle-aged woman. Just make sure that the pattern on one bowl matches the pattern on the next.
Hope & Benson www.angelahope.com
These throws and handbags made us think of our mum as soon as we saw them. The only problem is that we have no idea which of the wacky floral or hound's-tooth patterns will go best with her wardrobe, which is why Itchy is extremely thankful for the monogrammed pillows that Hope & Benson has just put out. While we may not know very much about mum's wardrobe, we do know her initials. Well, actually we seem to have forgotten her middle name.
Hinde Designs www.hindedesigns.co.uk
Exhausted from many years of trying to find the perfect gift for mum and failing miserably, Itchy has decided to go for the can't-fail gift of stationary. We know that she'll have to love whatever we pick out from this site with themes like English Country, English Lifestyle, English Garden (getting the idea yet?). Plus all of her friends will probably go nuts for it too. And a feeling of superiority is really the best gift we can give our favourite person anyway. Written by:
Kelly Allen & Ariana Anthony
1 Comment
Penny Lindop
11 Aug 2011I've only just discovered this article - thank you very much, Kelly and Ariana, for your enthusiastic and kind words about our work. Lovely article about lots of lovely gift businesses, and I love your style of writing. Thanks