News

Mother's Day in Ottawa Gift Guide

Your mom is probably as Covid-fatigued as the rest of us, and will be thrilled to accept delivery of spring flowers, but there are lots of other ways to celebrate your mother. Just turn to some of Ottawa’s incredible small businesses for inspiration.

▪️ WHOA. Zola is offering its Mother’s Day “Motherlode”, an incredible Heat + Eat Blunch AND Heat + Eat Dinner for $99 per person. It sold out last year and it’s easy to see why: Blunch includes waffles and your choice of quiche, while the dinner portion starts with lobster bisque and salad and your choice of main with sides. Dessert is also included, but you’ll have to choose between chocolate mousse or New York cheesecake. Each order includes a carnation flower, a magazine, dinner rolls, and a Himalayan salt bar.

▪️ The Campy Home Mother’s Day Gift Boxes are packed with goodies by Ottawa makers. Each box includes a up to seven products like chocolate, a Campy Home candle, coffee, and macarons. $85 - $115.

▪️ The Ottawa Handmade Mother’s Day market launches on April 16, and will be a perfect launching point to hunt for jewellery, art, textiles, and greeting cards. 

▪️ Drop off a nice bottle of wine on mom’s porch. La Bottega has received a shipment of whites and red from Tenute Orestiadi, from Sicily. La Bottega recommends sipping on a sunny afternoon, whilst grazing on olives and arancini. $25 per bottle. 

▪️ It’s a fact that all mothers appreciate their offspring’s art attempts, no matter how unpolished. If you plan to give your mother a piece of your own handiwork, Wallack’s offers very fast delivery including same day (within 30km of a store).

▪️ If Mom’s into jewellery, buy her some Canadian-made earrings from Ebb & Flo boutique (234 Dalhousie Street, Ottawa). Other homegrown products include the Ebb & Flo Sheer Illuminating Lotion, which promises to “replace youthful glow” ($29.99) and a collection of cosmetics and skincare products. Shipping is free on orders over $75.

▪️ Visit the Nat in the Hat Etsy store for stylish accessories that are made right here in Ottawa. The fanny packs, backpacks, hobo slouch bags, and shoulder bags are made with faux leather wax canvas, and fabric. We love the Shoulder Sling Bag, a crossbody bag that’s available in a variety of colours and patterns. $168 

▪️ Maker House has stocked up with local Gift Boxes to delight the mother in your life whether she’s a foodie, a self-care enthusiast (or needs encouragement to be one), a gardener, or a chocoholic. The boxes are filled with items by Canadian makers, and include a hand written card, all for $49.95. You’ll also find a load of individual items for Mom at the site.

▪️ Square Lemon is holding a Mother’s Day Online Market from May 6 at 6:00pm too May 8 at 4:00pm. They’re accepting vendor applications now. 

Ottawa’s many florists don’t just offer bouquets for Mother’s Day. You can also purchase long lasting plants and accessories for indoor plants and gardens that your Mom can use all year, and when she does, she’ll think of you. 

▪️ Flowers Talk Tivoli has a range of sweet plant accessories for the Mother who lavishes love on her plants. The Colourful Glass Plant Mister in clear, amber, purple, or green is stylish and useful. $17.50. The Plant RX Plant Fortifier Spray is used just once on indoor plants to give them a year of good health. $25.

▪️ Check out the New Arrivals page at Flower to the People for cool pots, planters, and plants. We love the Eye Pot, which comes in a range of sizes. From $20. 

▪️ Bella Rosa is having a Mother’s Day Sale until May 7. Use the code MOTHERSDAY15 to receive 15% off all floral arrangements. 

▪️ If you’re only sending Mom a card, make it one that’s full of wildflower seeds that she can plant where she likes. The Good Card from Guelph, Ontario makes floral greeting cards that, once enjoyed, can be planted indoors or in the ground where they will release the Birds’ Eye, Clarkia, Black Eyed Susan, Catchfly, Snapdragon, and Sweet Alyssum seeds contained within the biodegradable paper. 

▪️ Scrim's Florist is now carrying Earth Medicine natural fertilizer, which contains dairy manure and straw. Available in a sample size for $16 and a growler for $40, the fertilizer has no shelf life, so this is gift that will last forever. Scrim’s also carries pet friendly plants like the Pilea Peperomioides or Chinese Money plant, for $25.

▪️ Capital Florist has now opened its Mother’s Day presale, and the bouquets are available in your choice of neutrals or “Mother’s Day Mix”, which features light shades of blues, yellows, purples, and pinks. Capital Florist is also closing curb-side pickup for now, and are only offering delivery. 

▪️ Belfiore Flowers has some glorious bouquets, but they also offer a package of loose flowers, accents and greenery that allow you to make an arrangement yourself. Ranging in price from $50 to $200, this bouquet will truly be one of a kind.

▪️ Maison Anthea warns that the shop will likely sell out of Mother’s Daybouquets before the cut off date of May 6th. This year’s collection ranges from simple and gorgeous tulips ($49.95) to a large table arrangement for $150. $3 from each order will be donated to Parkinson’s Canada.

▪️ Bar from Afar has put together a Mother’s Day Kit of eight Mom-friendly cocktails. Each kit contains ingredients for Flowers for Mom (vodka based with elderflower), Breakfast in Bed (sparkling rosé with pink lemonade), Maw Tai (rum and overproof rum), and Breakfast Martini (gin based, of course!), all for $130. Available in Ottawa and Toronto on May 7 and 8. Finish off this loving gift idea with a set of vintage glasses.

▪️ Dunrobin Distilleries has combined two of our favourite things in its Mother’s Day Gin & Chocolate Gift Box ($99.95), containing two bottles of Dunrobin Distilleries Gin, including the recently launched lavender coloured Earl Grey Gin. Also included are two bottles of house brand bitters and hot chocolate bombs from Neighbourhood Delights. Cocktail recipe cards will also be tucked in the package, so your Mom can get creative. $99.95 - $144.95. 

▪️ The Cupcake Lounge’s incredible Mother’s Day lineup with keep you busy making decisions. Will you buy macarons or cupcakes? Or both? Or maybe a Mango Pecan Meringue Cake (from $55)? Or perhaps you’ll deliver a sweet and savoury breakfast of scones, croissants, and conchas ($39). These guys don’t make it easy. 

▪️ If she loves ice cream (or the plant-based version) you can request that your Mother’s treat from Merry Dairy be delivered via their adorable Ice Cream Truck (for a charge of $35). Not only with the truck arrive with your order of cake, pint of ice cream, and/or ice cream sandwiches, but it will stay for a socially distanced visit of up to 10 minutes. Nice. 

▪️ The Three Tarts Mother’s Day Menu has all sorts of goodies on offer, including spring decorated shortbread cookies (6 for $12) tartlets (4 for $15), and cakelets ($5-$8). There’s also a selection of treat boxes from $14 to $18. All are available Friday May 7 to Sunday May 9.

▪️ The best self-care moments include a nice cup of tea. The tea experts at tease have created the lovely Self Care Bundle including tea, a tumbler, and a bath soak from Bathorium. $79.

▪️ Beyond the Pale Beer has come together with Lot 7 furniture and homewares and Roam Flora to produce a limited availability gift that’s sure to please Mom. The Mother’s Day Bundle with flowers, vase, and a four pack of BTP beers is available in two sizes.  $40 - $75.

▪️ The Love Tea and Chocolate Pairing Box takes tea and chocolate very seriously. Each box contains three bars of chocolate from Canadian chocolatiers, plus a series of teas curated by Ottawa’s World of Tea. $39.50 plus shipping (or choose curb side pickup).

▪️ Buyers and Cellars (327 Somerset)’s Mother’s Day offering is a nice bottle of Miss Valentine Rosé accompanied by three small desserts from Koala Baking ($60), available for pickup after 10:00am on Sunday May 9.

▪️ The Artery Community Roasters has three gift boxes for Mother’s Day. If your Mom loves coffee, she’ll appreciate one of these. Each box contains coffee, fair trade chocolate, mugs, and a personalized greeting card. Every purchase supports people with disabilities and helps coffee farmers get paid fair wages. 

▪️ We think the wow factor colour of the Prince of Orange Philodendron ($99) at Phulero Dola will please the plant loving Mom, and since it won’t die within the month like a bouquet, it will remind her of you all year round.

Paper Hearts Paperie makes gorgeous cards and everlasting bouquets. The set of four incredibly realistic paper daffodils has wire in the stems so you can arrange as you wish. $60. 

▪️ There is a certain 88 year old mom and grandmother of our acquaintance who would absolutely rock the “Cool Mom” tee from Ottawa lifestyle brand Shop Oolong the Way. We think your mom - or you - would love it too. DM to order. 

▪️ Another cool tee, the Hipster Giraffe from HeapsHandworks is slim fitting with hand drawn artwork that is manually screen printed in an Ottawa studio. It’s 20% off right now.

▪️ Maker House has Mother’s Day gift boxes starting at $49.95, to please Mom no matter what her passions. Gardening, Cooking, Teaching, Chocolate Lover, I could go on. Or you can pull together a custom gift box from the amazing range of Canadian-produced food and homewares on the site. 

▪️ Check out the customizable Mother’s Day bundles at the Ottawa Artisans store. Ranging in price from $35 to $65, these bundles offer well considered food and self-care items from local producers, and will make Mom feel mighty special indeed.

​​​​​​​▪️ Carmelito Café’s Mother’s Day Elegant Tea is $34.95 + tax and includes mini sandwiches, pastries, and scones, a teabag, a tea cup and saucer, and a rose. Cut off for orders is tonight (Thursday) at 6:00pm. Order by calling 613-234-5336 

​​​​​​​▪️ The Whalesbone on Kent has a Mother’s Day Gift Box that will feed you all day. Full of goodies like bagel and lox kit, smoked scallop quiche, salad, bacon, a Mimosa kit, a french toast kit, a pack of ground coffee for a French press, and even a deep dish cake…this is serious Mother’s Day celebration in a box. $150. Email wholesale@thewhalesbone.com or call 613-231-3474 to order, and pick up at 504a Kent St. on the 7th or 8th. 

​​​​​​​▪️ Jojo’s Creameria has - count ‘em - four kits of make at home fun, to help Moms celebrate their day. Choose the Sundae, cookie, or donut kits for $40 or the Pizza DIY kit for $60. 

▪️ ​​​​​​​Mint & Honey in Kanata has a plethora of tea, fashion accessories, homewares, and sweets for Mom. The Earl Grey and Matcha Latte bonbons are a collab with Ottawa’s Anna Stubbe chocolatiers, and can be enjoyed on their own ($16.95) or with teas like Matcha Sora.