PlumParty

Tip #49

MAMA-RAMA

Show Your Mom She's Got It Goin' On

You showed her you’re resourcefulwhen you rigged a makeshift ladder to sneak out of your second floor bedroom window. You showed her you’re adventurous when your prom date pulled up on a Harley. You showed her you’re independent with a belly button piercing and a platinum dye job. Now it’s time to show her how much you appreciate her with a Mother’s Day celebration that just might make up for your adolescence.

WE ARE FAMILY
We love celebrating Mother’s Day with extended family: moms, grandmothers, great- grandmothers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins. Opt for a Breakfast-in-Bed theme and invite the fam to come over clad in jammies. Start with a sunny color palette—our “Funky Diagonals” invitations and papergoods perk up the party faster than a round of grande lattes. Decorate with our “Happy Mother’s Day” candle tins and morning mantra mirror stickers on the hall mirrors. Serve indulgent, devil-may-care-about-carbs fare, like thick-cut challah French toast and pain au chocolat from a local patisserie, on trays lined with the morning paper. Embellish each tray with a honiton glass bud vase outfitted with a vibrant blossom. Send guests home with baskets of homemade muffins (use our heart-shaped muffin pan) and gourmet jam.

MOTHER LOVIN'
If your family is small or scattered across the country, you can still go big for Mother’s day. Host a party honoring the moms in your group of friends. Make it a family affair—try a low-key barbeque with a “Mother Knows Best” theme. Leave space on the invitation for each guest to document his or her favorite mom-isms, e.g. Kate’s mom on dating: “If you want to attract a man, just wear stockings and dangly earrings” or Casey’s mom on beauty: “There’s nothing like a good suntan to improve your complexion.” Mix up the submissions and put one at each place setting. Have guests read them aloud for a laugh. Make it a “Mom’s Famous Recipe” potluck—guests bring dishes that best represent their mothers, even if its spaghetti with cut-up hot dogs. Serve everything (how else?) family-style on our Fantasia platters. Instead of writing guest’s names, pen their moms’ names on our round ceramic placecards: “Helen’s Daughter” and “Florence’s Son.” Scatter our “women chocolates” on tables; each bears a retro illustration of a woman with a funny saying that could have come right out of mom’s mouth. Our “Mom” candle tins add nostalgic appeal. For favors, fill our “flower power” gift bags with “Smart Women Make Changes” erasers, “Beauty Comes From Within” mirrors and phone cards with a note that reads, “Call Your Mother.”

MOMS AWAY
Sometimes the gals need a break from the people that made them moms in the first place. This Mother’s Day, have the dads take the kids for a few hours and host a Ma Spa. For the invitation, send pal a framed picture of her kids, looking less than angelic, with the words, “Happy Mother’s Day. Get away from it all!” Book a private room at a spa and pre-arrange a pampering circuit—manicures, mini-massages and quickie pedicures. Serve cosmos from our “Cosmopolitan 101” kit with bite-sized burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches. Do it at home (many aestheticians will come to your house) or do-it-yourself (forgo the pros and stock up on pedicure tools, mud masques and scrubs so guests can self-pamper). Decorate the room with our “Diva” signs, a pink moiré tablecover and pink scalloped paper goods. Assemble goody bags with flip-flops, our “Inspire” candles and bubble bath. This idea also works well to shower a Mom-to Be (choose our Diva Mom invitations and papergoods).

OUR CAN'T MISS MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS:

1. Framed side-by-side pictures of you and mom at the same age. Try your prom pictures, sweet sixteen pictures or wedding pictures.

2. The “Where to Wear” Collection of Shopping Guides

3. An iPod loaded with tunes from her high school days

4. Subscription to a bouquet-of-the-month club

5. Mrs. Meyer’s Cleaning Kit (nothing beats the satisfaction of showing a tough stain who’s boss)

6. Hand-delivered dessert from her favorite bakery

7. Sessions with a personal trainer who comes to the house

8. Our “Mom” TV blanket and a subscription to Netflix Mother-daughter cooking class

9. A pint of her favorite flavor in our handsome pint holder