Some mothers are easy to shop for, others, like mine, seem to already have everything they need or want, making gifts all that more difficult to buy. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, many local retailers have put on some fantastic deals to ensure that you find something to suit your mom’s tastes and interests. If you feel you’ve settled into a routine of the same type of gift every year, then take a look at some of my ideas for creative and unique Mother’s Day gifts.

Mother’s Day Wine Tasting, Pacific Breeze Winery, New Westminster

What better way to celebrate and spend some time with your mom than sharing an afternoon sipping on a wonderfully chilled glass of Chardonnay? Pacific Breeze winery located in nearby New Westminster is pulling out their finest vintage Chardonnays to put on a special Mother’s Day wine tasting. What you’ll get: a lesson from a winemaker on how to taste and detect the subtle differences between wines, fingers foods and ending the evening with a glass of robust red wine.

Tickets, $50.00

Side by Side Pedicures, Lotus Day Spa, Langley

Give the gift of relaxation (while treating yourself as well) with some great spa experiences at the Lotus Day Spa in Langley. Indulge in some chocolate covered strawberries and champagne, then choose from their weekend specials such as a full body Swedish massage and custom facial, massage and facial combo, or a side by side pedicure. Make sure to book an appointment.

Side by side pedicure, $110.00

A Yummy Bouquet, Edible Arrangements, Various Locations

Usually opt for a nice floral bouquet? This year, why not go for something that’s pretty and tastes good, too! Edible Arrangements is the go to shop for gorgeous arrangements made from creatively shaped and decorated fruit. Heart shaped pineapple and chocolate covered berries are some of the treats you might find in one of their lovely Mother’s Day bouquets. Best of all…they deliver!

Prices range from $25.00 +

Something Special, The Bay, Various Locations

No matter what your mother’s tastes, you are sure to find something she’ll love at the Bay’s Mother’ Day weekend sale. From high end pots and pans to leather purses, fragrance gift sets to stunning silk scarves, this Canadian retailer has some great deals on some great gifts. Check out their website for their Mother’s Day Gift Guide.

Prices range.

by Tanya Colledge
Contributor

One lucky Stimuli reader will win a Back to the Roots Mushroom Kit courtesy of Well Seasoned. Valued at $29.99, this kit allows you to grow your own mushrooms in a box filled with 100% coffee grounds as the soil.

Congratulations to Gwen - she is the winner of the Mushroom Kit. This contest is now closed.

To enter, post a comment on the editorial, Grow Your Own Gourmet Mushrooms. The winner will be announced on Friday, May 11, 2012.

I have a serious crush on Joe Fresh clothing.  I love finding a pair of cute trendy shoes, a new blouse for work or a cute accessory or two while I am grocery shopping. I realize sometimes the quality isn’t there, but even so, the prices are right and the styles are generally trendy, of-the-moment designs that you wouldn’t want to break the bank on anyways.  And, you can grab eggs and ballet flats in the same store. How can you not love Joe Fresh at least a little?

When I happened upon the Joe Fresh cosmetics line I was a wee bit hesitant. I had never heard of it before and considering that my experience with the clothing line was that it had hit and miss quality, I was afraid the cosmetics would as well.  

So, my beauty spending diet seemed like the perfect time to be brave and try Joe Fresh Cosmetics. I decided to try out an eye shadow single and tinted lip balm.

I chose a single colour eyeshadow in Navy. I had been going back and forth on trying a navy shadow for some time, I thought the look was pretty and perfect for spring, but I didn’t know if it would work on me. I had flashbacks to the blue eyeshadow I rocked in the late 80’s (yikes!), so I didn’t want to spend very much in case I hated it. The pigment was really nice, it gave a true colour with minimal fall-out and lasted well throughout the day. I will buy more colours in the future, I was quite impressed.

My favorite Joe Fresh product was the Tinted Lip Balm in Nude. It looks like a boring tan in the tube but on your lips it gives a super soft peach shine to your lips and it creates a very natural looking, soft, supple lip. I have a thing for lip balms and this one is no disappointment. I would really recommend this product. At $8 it isn’t the cheapest tinted lip balm in the world, but given the quality of the product, I think it is a steal.

So go ahead, next time you hit Super Store for milk take a detour over to their beauty area and explore the Joe Fresh cosmetics. If you try something out please report back what you think, I would love to hear your thoughts!  

by Carissa Halley
Contributor
Twitter: @carissayh

As the trend towards living in high density housing has become the norm, most of us are not able to have much of a flower garden let alone grow vegetables, yet we crave fresh, sustainable food choices.

Founded in 2009 by two friends during their last semester at UC Berkeley, Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora, were inspired to turn waste into wages after a lecture about potentially growing gourmet mushrooms entirely on recycled coffee grounds. After successfully producing a bucket of mushrooms in the fraternity kitchen, Back to the Roots was born.

The Back to the Roots grow-at-home mushroom kit allows you to produce up to 1.5 pounds of Oyster Mushrooms in a box in your kitchen - all in 10 days. Each self-contained "garden" will produce multiple crops (at least 2 but sometimes up to 4) and all you have to do is open the box, mist it twice a day (mister included) and enjoy. The soil inside is made from 100% recycled coffee grounds so it's safe and sustainable. Take a look at this infograph that shows the sustainable cycle:
 

We discovered the Mushroom Garden at Well Seasoned in Langley for $29.99.

CONTEST ALERT!
One lucky reader will win a Back to the Roots Mushroom Kit from Well Seasoned. To enter, post a comment on this editorial. Winner will be announced on Friday, May 11th.