Hi sweet girlfriends and happy Wednesday! I am SO EXCITED to share this gift guide post with you in honor of Mother’s Day this upcoming weekend and all of the graduations & parties that happen through out this month and early June! You girls know how much I enjoy Village Pointe; Omaha’s best shopping, dining, and having fun destinations. Long before we began to work together here on Sabby Style, Village Pointe was always my go-to destination for anything gift-related for all the special people in my life! So naturally I had to gather up the best gifts for her to help you prepare for Mother’s Day and Graduations! Yes, I love to shop for myself, but goodness I had the best time shopping for my sweet mama, as well as rounding up some fabulous “you’re about to be on your own” gifts for the grads! The best part about all of these gift ideas is that you can still snag them before the momentous occasions. I always have great intentions of hammering out my shopping super early but holidays and special events always seem to sneak up on me, so I’m super thankful to have such an awesome selection of retailers right up the road at Village Pointe that offer the most perfect gifts for the gals!

Since Mother’s Day is right around the corner, we’ll first chat about the gifts I picked out for my own mom! My mom is the most dedicated blog reader but just this one time I hope she doesn’t read this haha!

MOTHER’S DAY GIFTS FROM ALTAR’D STATE

Altar’d State recently opened a store here in Omaha at Village Pointe and I literally had no idea what I had been missing out on all these years until I took my first step into their perfectly manicured store! Yes, the decor is stunning. Yes, the clothes and jewelry are fabulous. And yes, the gifts, home decor, and trinkets are darling. But if you look a little bit closer, you will realize that Altar’d State is so much more than a retail store! You can read all about my first shopping experience here, but to reiterate, I literally could cry happy tears every time I stop in. I’m not even exaggerating either. You know how there are just some people and some places that immediately warm your heart and you just feel Him & feel happy – well that is exactly how I feel while shopping at Altar’d State!

I don’t care if you have zero dollars to shop, I encourage you to just pop into your nearest store and take it all in. Chat with the sweet girls who work there to hear about the Altar’d State mission and what they stand for. Listen to the faith-based music they play through out the store. Take in the delicious scent that is all over the store (seriously it’s so good, I bought it in the perfume version). Browse the plethora of inspirational quotes, journals, plaques, tees, mugs, and all around cute merchandise! Seriously, just go in and see what it’s all about. And if you do happen to bring your wallet, I would encourage you to try and do your shopping on Monday because every Monday they donate 10% of all net profits to animal & rescue organizations! The folks over at Altar’d State love fashion, people, animals, and God and that is a business I can most certainly spend my time and money at!

So I obviously had to start my gift mission at Altar’d State and I found the sweetest gifts for my mom! I mentioned above that the store smells SO GOOD. I’m not joking, the moment I walked in I was like holy moly that smells amazing. I then was quickly approached by a sweet store associate and I immediately had her direct me towards the good smelling stuff! The signature store scent, Sanctuary, comes in a home fragrance mist, hand cream, candles, as well as a perfume option. I’ve been on the hunt for a new scent and didn’t have to think twice about not only grabbing one for myself, but also for my mom! My mom loves perfumes just as much as I do and has always been one gift that I give her year after year for either Mother’s Day, her birthday, or for Christmas! I know she’ll love it, but if not, I’ll take it off her hands haha. Just kidding, I got a gift receipt! 🙂

After almost buying allllllll the fabulous smelling goods, I spotted the cutest floral monogram coffee mug and quickly added that to my stash! My mom is a dedicated daily coffee drinker, so I love that this gift is not only cute, but functional and won’t just take up space or collect dust! It took all of my will power not to grab myself one, too. But Tony might loose his mind if I put one more mug in our already very crowded cabinet haha. I also spotted the sweetest hand towel dedicated to all the great moms! I can definitely see my mom using it and hanging it over the stove in her kitchen. A little daily reminder that she’s pretty much the greatest and we sure are lucky she’s ours!

I gave my mom a snazzy new designer bag for Christmas and had meant to give her a new wallet and makeup bag for her birthday in February, but due to a few unexpected vet bills and travel plans/expenses, I wasn’t able to do that for her. So I was delighted to learn that I had reached the purchase amount threshold to receive their complimentary gift with purchase, in honor of Mother’s Day! NOTE – they are also available for purchase. There was a small part of me that wanted to keep these cuties for myself, but I know my mom will love this three-piece printed canvas bag set! Function meets fashion and these will definitely help organize her cosmetics, personal items, and the other five million things that can be found in my mom’s purse. Because after all, she was and always will be a Girl Scout mom & troop leader! Girl Scout Moto = always be prepared! xoxo

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT FROM YANKEE CANDLE

Growing up, my mom was always burning the best smelling candles and had vases of potpourri around each corner of our house, so I knew I wanted to give her a fresh candle! I hadn’t shopped at Yankee Candle in such a long time but am so glad I decided to bop in while perusing Village Pointe because I was able to personalize a large candle with a photo of my mom and I! How stinking cute, right?! I legit hope they do this for every holiday because this definitely will be my go-to gift idea for all the important gals in my life. The personalization process was super simple and Will, the kind young gentleman working on Monday afternoon, was very patient and helpful!

First, use your cell phone camera to scan the QR code. Second, enter the store code and click on your store location. Third, upload the photo of your choice. Fourth, crop and edit if need be. Fifth, add your personalized message. Sixth, preview label. And lastly, hit PRINT! I choose a white candle to complement the photo I picked, but there are so many color and scent options to choose from. I opted for the classic jar, single wick candle because it burns longer! Then the sales associate removes the label from the candle of your choice and puts on the photo label! When it was all said and done, the candle and personalized photo was under $35. That’s such a great price-point, especially if you have a lot of special women to shop for!

I had such a difficult time choosing which photo to use, and we have some super pretty, professional ones of us from my wedding, but this photo is one of my all time favorites of my mom and I! This photo was taken about four or five years ago in Chicago while we were on a girls trip. It was mid-Summer and we were at the big Greek outdoor street festival and I just remember having the best time laughing, dancing, eating and drinking with her! I can have fun with my mom anywhere and I cherish that bond we have! I love this picture and hope she likes having me plastered on her new candle haha!

GRADUATION GIFTS FOR HER FROM BATH & BODY WORKS

Now let’s shift gears and chat about Graduation gifts for the young ladies in your life! Sure, you can go with a standard Hallmark card + gift card to Target, OR you can put together the cutest and best smelling care package to help them make a house a home and also set them up with some self care goodies! There are so many great options at Bath & Body Works (and the sales associates at the Village Pointe location are super helpful!) to create a thoughtful gift basket full of items that not only they’ll want, but will use and need!

HOME FRAGRANCE – Nothing says cheers to your new digs like a new candle! But if you’re living that dorm or apartment life, candles are a big no-no. So the smart people at B&BW came up with Wallflowers! I swear by these cute plug-ins and have them sprinkled all through out my own house. These make for great gifts for your soon-t0-be college student or recent grad that is about to embark on apartment living! I love that there are so many different colors and styles of the Wallflowers, from simple white and gray options to fancy cherry blossoms like I picked out for the basket. These Wallflowers will bring sweet smells to her new space!

SELF CARE – When the fun money runs out for the month, there’s nothing better than staying in with your girlfriends for a full evening of pampering and self care! When I was a recent grad, I learned to get pretty savvy when it came to beauty pleasures I liked to treat myself to but couldn’t quite afford at the time. So to help every girl grad stay fresh, I rounded up a few items I can’t live without! First, I take skin care very seriously now and wish I had more so when I was younger. One way to easily rejuvenate your skin is with a quick mask treatment! I personally struggle with keeping my face hydrated, so I opted for this sea mineral hydrating mask!

Another beauty to-do that I religiously get done would be my nails. I shellac about every 2-3 weeks and love that I don’t have to fuss with cutting, cuticle trimming, or painting them on my own at home. But this luxury was not a reality when I was in school and post-grad, so I learned to become quite versed in the art of the nail file! This sparkle gold file with the neon tassel brings the cute to a necessary tool & weekly task!

Lip balm & lip gloss is something that can be found in every girl’s purse or backpack, so adding these to the gift basket was a no brainer! I honestly didn’t realize Bath & Body Works even had lip care items, but was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon them while shopping! I had to add this super cute “Chic Happens” cosmetic pouch to the gift basket to hold all the self care essentials for that busy grad on the go!

BATH – I couldn’t resist the darling packaging from their newest collection featuring Steam-Distilled garden scents and oils! I opted for the Chamomile & Honey body scrub, the Pink Magnolia body cream, the Wild Rose & Apple shower gel, the Pink Magnolia fragrance mist, as well as the Spring Fresh Garden hand soap. Whether she’s getting ready for dorm life or moving into her own place after college, all of these essentials will help her feel good, smell good, and put her best foot forward!

GRADUATION GIFTS FOR HER FROM SCOOTER’S

I don’t know about you, but I pretty much have coffee to thank for getting me through the hustle & bustle of my daily life, and Lord knows how much caffeine I consumed during graduate school and that first year of having a “big girl” job! So if you’re going to give your favorite grad a gift card, make it a good one aka give her some Scooter’s bucks! Buying coffee can get pricey, especially when ordering those drinks that taste like a Snickers bar, so I love that Scooter’s always has a tasty flavor of the day and is usually under $3. Which means that a $20 or $30 Scooter’s gift card will give her a lot of energy on those crazy-busy days! And as she’s beginning life on her own, it’s only right to help her start her coffee cup collection. This travel mug will come in handy while she’s going from school to work!