Our mums deserve a magical Mother's Day. They do so much for us and love us to the moon and back. Where would we be without them singing our praises, giving us shoulders to cry on, and wrapping us up in warm hugs? Christmas Elves can help you plan your special celebration with a selection of gorgeous gifts for all the special women in your life. Our Mother's Day Collection features vibrant premium floristry and touchingly elegant Willow Tree figurines. Come along and discover timeless gifts mum will treasure, as well as decorating tips that will warm her heart.
Willow Tree
Well known artist Susan Lordi’s Willow Tree ornaments and figurines quietly evoke our desire to connect with others. Working from her Kansas City, Missouri studio in the heartland of America, Susan describes herself as a ‘maker’ who ‘sketches in clay’. Each figure she sketches is a study in simplicity and sentiment. Lacking facial features, all pieces rely on gestures and body language to express emotion and convey meaning.
When she creates, Susan allows her intuition to guide her. She focuses on form and shape to convey universal ideas and shared human experiences so that both the giver and the receiver of a Willow Tree figurative sculpture can attribute their own unique personal interpretation to each piece. Starting with a humble mound of clay, Susan hand carves and paints every side of her prototypes. When completed, casts are made from her originals. All stone resin figurines produced from these casts are then hand-painted and detailed by skilled artisans.
Susan aspires to design a Willow Tree piece ‘…for every age, for every stage’. We certainly feel she has succeeded in capturing the many meaningful moments of motherhood and so much more. A gift tag with a specific sentimental message accompanies each figurine and ornament. The words on these tags breathe special life into the stories we assign to Willow Tree figures.
Figurines
Loving My Mother
‘I’m here for you as you’ve always been for me.’
The love shared between an adult daughter and her mother brings both women joy and strength. Are they watching children play, or is the daughter consoling her mother? Perhaps they’re savouring a tender moment on an otherwise ordinary day. Regardless of the circumstances, this pair hold so much love for one another.
‘You will always have my heart.’
Inspired by a young cancer patient, this hard to find collectible musical figurine celebrates the love and trust boys have for the role models who guide and support them.
‘A year of light and love.’
This rare, limited-edition figurine reminds us to hold onto the precious, happy moments from a challenging year we won’t soon forget.
‘Each day, unexpected blessings.’
Welcoming life with arms wide open takes courage. When we move through the world with a heart full of goodwill, what blessings might we discover?
‘Apart or together, always close to me.’
Intertwining vines, leaves, and flowers etched into the dresses worn by these figures accentuate and amplify the bonds of mutual affection that they hold so dear. Are they parting or reuniting?
‘So loved, so very loved.’
Perfectly capturing the connection between mother and newborn child, this piece evokes memories of newfound motherhood.
‘Hold close that which we hold dear.’
Mothers are their children's guardian angels.
Ornaments
When they’re not snuggled among the branches of your Christmas tree, we suggest displaying these all year long on one of our birch trees.
‘Surrounded by the warmth of family and friends.’
The simple pleasures life provides us comfort and reassure, just like a hug from a loved one.
‘Like our friendship…vibrant and ever-constant!’
Cala lily blooms endure, as does true friendship.
‘Friendship brings the sun…and flowers bloom!’
Angels reside in the hearts of those who bring happiness into the lives of others.
‘A bouquet of wonderful wishes.’
Unexpected gifts of all kinds lift our spirits like nothing else.
‘I love you!’
A universal sign for a universal feeling.
‘Thank you for making a difference.’
A genuine expression of thanks is a precious gift.
Willow Tree pieces convey an enduring sentiment, making them excellent gifts that quickly become keepsakes. Caring for them means keeping them away from direct sunlight, heat, and moisture. When they require dusting, gently wipe with a soft, dry cloth or brush.
Fabulous Floristry
Flowers and floral-themed gifts are the essence of Mother's Day. Beautiful blooms brighten autumn days and bring smiles to the faces of the special women in our lives. Unfortunately, live flowers don’t last very long, even when we take extra care to preserve them.
The good news is that premium floristry remains colourful and vibrant long after live flowers have faded. We love floristry’s versatility and decorate with it during the holidays and all the ordinary days in between. Plus, it’s so affordable. There is a floristry option for every budget. You can give live flowers along with a separate floristry gift and still have money left over for some chocolates. Whatever you buy for mum this Mother’s Day, make sure you give her floristry, the gift that lasts, as does your love for her.
Magnificent magnolias have captured our hearts in 2023. We adore the shape of their petals and how they overlap as they radiate outward. Our Mother’s Day magnolia selection comes in a rich rainbow of colours. Each stem shimmers in its own special way thanks to shiny gemlike stamen and pistil arrangements, dewy sequins, and glitter-tipped petals.
Crafted from lamé fabrics, gold, rose gold, platinum, and champagne magnolias shine brilliantly. Peach, sea green, and white versions show off a satiny sheen. Velvet red, royal blue, pink, and green magnolias softly sparkle.
We want volume and texture in our magnolia arrangements. Champagne, pink, silver, and rose gold leaf sprays do the trick. And who can resist pink ferns? For a whimsical touch, we add a few bead sprays and curls into the mix, too. Lilac, mint, pink, and green curls catch the eye and draw it down the length of the display. Compact bead sprays like these navy blue, silver, and gold options delight in their contrast with broader flowers and leaves.
How to Create a Magical Magnolia Display
Designing your own floristry display allows you to express your creativity and have fun. You can choose stems that accurately replicate specimens found in nature or select varieties that look as though they sprouted from the pages of a fairy story. Here’s how we would prepare a ‘pixie-perfect’ magnolia arrangement:
Choose your vase. We like either a plain glass vase or an unadorned basket designed to hold flowers.
Choose your flowers. We’re going with peach, green velvet, and gold magnolias. These colours complement one another while their textures offer a wonderful contrast. How many stems you’ll need depends on the size of your vase. If you purchase too many, you can always use them elsewhere. (See below for more ways to display and use floristry on Mother’s Day.)
Choose your foliage. For this concept, we need champagne leaf sprays, gold bead sprays, and a couple of pink ferns. We’ll also include a few mint green curls.
Time to build your arrangement!
- Start with the pink ferns. They’ll act as the backdrop.
- Then, place the flowers in the vase in front of the ferns, evenly distributing the colours.
- Position your sprays so that one of the leaf sprays stands between the ferns and the flowers. The metallic leaf will appear even shinier against the matte pink ferns. Place other sprays among the flowers.
- Finally, place the green curls close to green magnolias to accentuate the green hues.
Expert Stylist Tips
- If necessary, trim any stems carefully using craft scissors or pruning shears. (Gardening gloves advised.)
- Stems may need more support in vases and baskets with wider mouths. Place a rigid (not spongey) foam block within the vase for an easy fix. These can be bought at art supply stores.
- Camouflage any foam blocks in a glass vase with pebbles and moss or wrap a piece of fabric or paper around the outside.
Blooming Brilliant Decorating Ideas
Style a terrific table.
- Build a Beautiful Centrepiece: Arrange floristry in a large vase, basket or bowl. Surround that piece with displays in smaller vessels or strew flowers like these champagne magnolias on clips along the length of the table.
- Put a few stems in small vases, jars, and bottles. Position these in a row down the middle of the table.
- Decorate individual place settings. Place a single flower, spray, or small bouquet at each.
- Hang small posies from the backs of chairs. Make sure mum’s stands out from the rest!
Decorate a dazzling wreath.
The perfect gift for an Australian mum: a blue gum wreath dotted with Australian native floristry, such as banksia, gumnuts, red bottlebrush, grevillea, and gold setaria. Hang a single red waratah in the centre to symbolise a heart full of love. (You'll need florist wire, pruning shears, protective gloves, and glue.)
Crafty Kids
Everyone has memories of drawing pictures and making pasta necklaces for mum. We think it’s time to add making a colourful floristry arrangement to that list. Set-up is a cinch. After you and the kids select all the elements, trim the stems to your desired length. Then, show the kids how to push the stems into foam blocks if you’re using them. Finally sit back with your favourite cuppa and watch the kids get crafty. Best of all, if you can get away with it, why not make a game out of tidying up!
Vignettes & Cloches
See our Easter decorating blog post for the best way to use cloches and style vignettes, both indoors and out.
Wrapping Up
Secure stems beneath bows, atop cards, and within clear cellophane bags.
Special Gift Card Offer
Need another great gift idea for Mother’s Day? –Buy mum a Christmas Elves gift card! For a limited time, all gift cards will receive an extra 10% of extra value FREE. Our gift cards because they never expire and are the perfect gift for the mum, grandmother, or auntie who has everything. Purchase them here.
Now it’s your turn to create marvellous Mother’s Day magic! We would love to see how you decorate and hear stories about how much your mums, grandmothers, aunties, and other motherly figures mean to you. Simply snap a photo or two and post them to Instagram. Tag @christmas_elves_ and use the hashtag #heartsinbloom❤️. (Remember to use the ❤️ emoji!) Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Christmas Elves.
