Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Thank you Janet Kinkade the creator of JK by Thirty-One jewelry for today’s tips. Her ultimate passion is to inspire women and help them recognize their own beauty and potential. Read more on Janet’s blog, and follow her on Instagram!

I love how we set aside a whole day to honor and celebrate the women who raised us. My mom is an amazing mother. She is selfless yet strong – and the most beautiful woman I know!

Mother’s Day holds a special place in my heart because of my own daughter – Belinda.  I remember several Mother’s Days in the past, waking up to handmade gifts she had poured her hearts into making. These moments remind me motherhood is a gift and my favorite job of all despite the fact my “baby” is all grown up.

Thirty-One makes it so easy and fun to find the perfect gift for all of the special women in your life! Here are a few ideas for you:

Save the day with a fun and funny “New Mom Survival Kit”

New moms get so many gifts for baby, why not take this opportunity to put together a cute and creative gift just for her? Help ease her transition – and give her a little chuckle at the same time – with a sweet “survival kit” tucked into a reusable Zipper Pouch or Swap-It Pocket, along with a note explaining each item:

• A healthy snack to keep her energy up!
• Hand sanitizer so she stays healthy. (Moms can’t get sick!)
• Dry shampoo, because regular showers are a thing of the past.
• Yummy-smelling candle to help create calm when she needs some alone time.
• Snickers® bar and Laffy Taffy® to keep her sense of humor.
• Bag of marbles to replace the ones she’ll lose!
• Rubber bands to remind her that flexibility is key!

Take something off her plate with an all-in-one meal kit

You can pack an entire meal inside one of our gorgeous totes that Mom will love to use long after the meal is over! Put all the ingredients for a delicious dinner in a personalized Zip-Top Organizing Tote or Catch-All Bin – or in one of our new Summer Essentials like the Summer Fun Caddy or In the Clear Tote. You can even add some hand-painted soup bowls, a matching kitchen towel and potholder – and don’t forget a bottle of her favorite wine!

Why not try one of my family’s favorite meals: Taco Soup! Most of the ingredients are in cans, so it’s perfect for packing.

Taco Soup
Ingredients:
3 cans of beans (I mix red beans and black beans)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 package of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch dressing mix
32 oz. of chicken broth
2 cups of cooked ground beef

Directions: Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker, and cook on high for 4 hours. (You can cook on low for 8 hours, instead, if you’re going to be gone all day.)

Express your love and gratitude with custom home décor

If you’re looking for a personalized gift that will last long enough to become a family keepsake, look no further than our custom Statement Canvas Pillows, Statement Canvas Wall Art and wooden Close to Home Tray! These gifts can be a creative way to show off her Personality, talk about her Passions and inspire others with her Purpose as a mother. Check out our 3 Ps of Personalization for tips to make a beautiful gift for her home that she’ll always treasure!

Stay close to her heart with a mother’s necklace

Our new Charm Catcher Necklace is the perfect way to design Mom her very own meaningful – and wearable – keepsake! Create a beautiful piece of jewelry (moms LOVE jewelry!) that she can put on every day to remind her of all the joys of motherhood.

Start with our Charm Catcher Necklace in gold or silver tone, then add:

• Family Roots Keepsake Charm, because her family means everything
• Two-tone Wax Seal Charm that represents her number of children
• Round Initial Charm with the initial of the family’s last name
• A Celebration Birthstone Charm in her birth month, or those of her kids or grandkids

What special gift are you getting your mom?  Share it with us, we won’t tell…

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Three Inspirational Words

I am a HUGE fan of Andy Andrews.  If you haven’t read any of his books, you need to! They will make a lasting impression on your life, I guarantee it!  He is the inspiration for today’s blog.

Think about the last time you were discouraged – in your business, or in your life. Feeling discouraged, you probably had little energy and let things go.  As a result, you considered quitting.  Maybe you were convinced the best part of your life was over or you began to isolate.  Have you or someone you know described their situation as discouraging or maybe even felt like a personal failure?  We’ve all been there, if only for a moment, right?

At our low points, the first thing we do is search for words to inspire us.  Thousands search Google every day for inspirational words.  What are we hoping to find?  The magic wand, right?  Actually, we are either:

1. Hoping to inspire someone, or
2. Hoping to have someone recognize our own need to be inspired.

The truth is “inspirational words” are rather useless. Yup, I said it!  Someone who really wants change or be motivated is really looking for tangible results.  Inspiration by definition is the process of being mentally stimulated to do a certain thing which means it is a word used to stimulate someone toward a specific outcome.

How often when we doubt ourselves, have we been “stop telling yourself you can’t…because you can!”.  How effective were those words? Not very I’m sure.  Think about these:

#1: YET!

The word “yet” is filled with hope for the future.  It can be annoying when someone says it especially when we are wallowing in a pity party,  The power of YET is true. And it’s why YET always wins in the end.  You need to harness the power of YET.

No matter what you say “can’t to” when you add “yet” to the end of the statement it changes from a negative to a positive statement. Things just haven’t happened “YET”

• You can’t play the guitar…yet.
• You can’t catch fly balls…yet.
• I’m not comfortable in front of a lot of people.…yet.

#2: PROUD

This word is designed to erase doubt about whether or not you are “on the right track”.  Maybe no one ever has ever said these words to you?  Sadly, far too many have never heard these words.  No matter how much success you have without these words being spoken by someone – you are missing the impact it will have on you and your life.

The truth is, it doesn’t take much effort to “be proud” of a person.  My mission every day is to make a difference in the lives of others – so I am always on the look out for people —young and old, rich and poor—who rarely, if ever, experience the satisfaction and joy of having another person express gratitude and amazement at the life they are leading.  The inspiration provided by the word PROUD can’t be measured.

If no one has told you, let me be the first to say “I am proud of you. I am proud for you. I am proud of the person you have become and of who you are becoming. I am proud of the difference you are making in this world, for this world, and for the people of this world.”

#3: IMAGINE

This word has no limits attached to it.  Its power exists in the four dimensions—height, width, depth, and time.  When you embrace this word, you can take “nothing” and turn it into “something.”  This word provides the greatest degree of hope and control.

While YET is an adverb encouraging patience with one’s progress and PROUD is an adjective that acknowledges what one has already done or become…IMAGINE is an action verb….

Imagine describes an action you can (and must) choose to engage in.  Think about it, everything ever invented was first imagined by someone.  Everything from products to recipes were first pictured in someone’s mind before they became useful, sealable, and edible items.

One of my favorite books by Andy Andrews is the Butterfly Effect.  It is about an original thought or action by the first person sparking a series of increasingly inspirational thoughts in other people, which becomes a rising tide of opportunity throughout the world.

I want you to know whatever you wish to accomplish, you must first imagine. And whatever you imagine, you can do.  Powerful stuff!

Or maybe there is someone you wish to inspire, take a few minutes to imagine with them.  Prompt them to imagine what their life will be like when they find “the answer.”  Have them walk through and imagine the ripple effect it will have in the world.

These three words have made an impact on my life.  It has helped me to imagine the difference each of you can make in the lives of others. And as a result, I want you to know in advance how proud of you I already am.  Then know your very best—is yet to come!

Have  a ThirtyOne-derful day!