Mother’s Day is just around the corner (May 12th, folks!) and if you’re like us (confession: Kelly has this shit on lock, it’s Kylin who is woefully behind), you’re scrambling for a gift for your mama. Whether you’re making free foot rub coupons, giving the gift of a meal out, or buying something purty, you’re definitely looking for a way to show your mom that you love and appreciate her. Today, we’re sharing some of our favorite gift ideas for Mother’s Day, from handmade knick knacks to simply gorgeous Etsy finds (we want all the things). After reading this post, you will know what you must do. Mission accepted? Get on it!

1. What could be more perfect than a handmade lantern? Learn how to make one here.

2. Neon plate wear? Yes, please!

3. We couldn’t think of anything better for your feet than lamb wool slipper socks.

4. A beautiful screenprint for any space.

5. Make your mom a colorful bookmark for every occasion!

6. Tiny succulent cork planters. What else do we need to say?

7. Everyone needs a tote bag…especially one as beautiful as this.

8. We want this sisal purse, because it is just so cute!

9. A wrapping cloth to wrap, well, everything.

10. Tea towels for you?

11. The field bag is the perfect weekend bag.

12. This is a great how to for very cute neon fabric bowls.

13. How about some vouchers? Everyone loves multiple gifts!

What do you have planned for Mother’s Day this year?

There is something about this warmer weather that makes me want to host a backyard picnic style dinner. These images have me dreaming about and looking forward to warm nights under the stars with friends.

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One of my favorite things to do during the summer is collect glass jars of all shapes and sizes and put tea lights in them. You can set them up on a patio, stoop, or in a backyard to add an instant magical glow and twinkle to your evenings.

Image via Jessica Clifford on Flickr

Featured image via The Fresh Exchange

The liberals and environmentalists were wrong; there IS oil worthy of a few world wars, drone strikes, and dead baby seals.  COCONUT OIL.

Coconut oil is the end all be all of hair oils – it’s economical, smells fantastic, and is one of the few oils that has the right combination of molecular size and shape that can penetrate the hair shaft.  Its chemical structure (lauric acid derivation) has an affinity for protein, assisting in reducing protein loss in your strands.

Story time: I just recently dyed my hair. I haven’t had virgin hair for awhile. Performing a bit of math, I realize the lower 5 inches or so of my hair has been processed at LEAST 4 times (not counting likely, accidental re-dying when I touch up my roots). That’s 4 different full applications of permanent dye. You don’t have to be a stylist to know that this is the hair equivalent of attempted murder. But, aside from those times when I’m months late for my regular trim, my hair seldom looks like a cheap Halloween witch wig. And it doesn’t feel like steel wool.  It’s not witchcraft – put away that newt’s eye, that cauldron, and that wizard’s hat-shaped bong because that shit is crazy and pot makes you lazy. And like weirdly numb. Or is that just me?  Either way, you don’t need that – just get a big ass jar of unrefined virgin coconut oil  (found frequently for less than 75 cents an ounce) and follow my instructions.

Before at LEAST one shampoo a week, do a pre-poo (love that phrase) and give it time to set:

1. Separate your dry or slightly damp hair into sections.  I prefer treating dry hair, because then there is no absorption competition between your tap water and your beloved coconut oil. But this preference is psychologically-driven, not result-driven; I noticed no real difference between the two options.
2. Scoop a few teaspoons of coconut oil into a separate container. How much oil you’ll need will vary with length, moisture levels, and thickness of your mane.  It will be solid at room temperature, but can be transformed into liquid gold in the palm of your hands or by letting it melt/warm up in your sink full of hot water.
3. Coat your hair sections – gently massaging and focusing on the ends.  Unless you have fine hair or an oily scalp, go up to your roots.  Mid-shaft is usually enough for me.  You don’t need it dripping in oil, just saturated as if you haven’t washed in like 3 weeks.  Gross image, but you pre-poo is going to smell way better than that would have.
4. Comb your hair without tugging with a wide-toothed comb.
5. Gently put your hair up and in a shower cap or other head covering you don’t mind getting oily.   Find a way to apply some heat to your oily head (another ewww).  For the relatively unprepared, a towel fresh out of the dryer or a towel being heated up by a blow dryer are good options.
6. And now the hardest part: the wait.  Heat does not have to be constantly applied, but you have to let the oil set for anywhere between an hour and 14 hours.  Times can vary and still elicit results, but hair care gurus all agree that longer is better.  I always try to leave it in overnight – not the full 14 hours, but ain’t nobody got time…meme meme meme.
7. Shampoo as usual or slightly more thoroughly.  Your hair will vary in what it needs after an oil pre-poo.  Some ladies just rinse it out.  That would be madness for someone like me.  I’d look like Betty Spaghetty.  Feel free to condition as well.

I also coat my hair with CO before I dye my hair. That’s right – it won’t affect hair dye uptake!  BLACK MAGIC.  Aside from not being a hindrance to the processing, CO contains compounds that chelate iron and copper, which prevents the iron and copper that has been absorbed into your hair from tap water and some hair products from reacting with the peroxide in dye and producing free radicals. These free radicals produce a great deal of damage and dryness in hair, but with the CO as a pre-dye prophylactic, you can nip a lot of damage in the bud and rock a new color.

Fair warning: damaged hair is damaged hair. No matter how many photoshopped actresses vouch for it, NO product can REVERSE damage. But you can improve the general moisture level and prevent its further demise. When I’ve slipped up on my pre-poo regimen, my hair definitely feels different and my ends cry for a quick death.

Another warning: you wannabe gingers out there, red dye fades faster than me after a big dinner and two glasses of wine, especially with frequent oiling (the red dye apparently is very small molecularly, so it leeches out fast). I’ve had no problems with my medium golden blonde, strawberry blonde, or honey blonde post-dye color. My light auburn did seem to fade a bit fast.

Get good and oily, ladies. And feel free to use your coconut oil for other things too. I can vouch for almost all of these and add a rumored one: apparently, coconut oil is the lubricant of choice for many ladies in pornography (not mixing it with latex, of course). It apparently helps reduce yeast infections (a major job hazard). Turns out we women CAN learn something from porn. Who knew?

Image Source: National Geographic Found Tumblr (Pretty Rad)