Potted stained glass made by Alex Berger, aka The Glass Desert, displayed at #ThisIsTucson’s artisan market on Feb. 18, 2023.

 Antonia Muskat, Special to the Arizona Daily Star

I love giving gifts. I inherited my love for gift-giving from my mom, which makes Mother's Day even more exciting.

If you're searching for the perfect gift for the moms in your life, hello. You've come to the right place.

Stained glass fit for a desert dweller

The Glass Desert is launching a new Mother's Day collection on May 5. Artist Alexandra Berger Clamons is most known for her potted glass shaped like cacti, but she also makes plenty of handcrafted hanging works of cactus flowers, fruit slices and even an ice cream sundae.

Learn more about The Glass Desert here. She'll be at Di Luna Candles + Goods on Saturday, May 4 if you want to shop in person!

Heliotrope Metal is known for its metal jewelry, often sporting desert critters and cacti.

A piece of jewelry they'll never want to take off

If you've ever been to an artisan market around town, there's a good chance you've seen at least one (probably two, three, four, though) local maker set up with their own crafted jewelry. There are tons of options here.

For something a little more funky (earrings specifically), check out Coy Creative, Luna & Saya or Sigfus Designs (who has a brick-and-mortar!). For something a little more classic, try Earthsbones, Juvelarto Designs, Lilith + Daughters or MagJo Designs. Also, Unearthed has a collection of jewelry that gives back to Tucson Medical Center's NICU.

And for something very, very desert-themed, this list wouldn't be complete without Heliotrope Metal. 

The Oro Indígena soap is a favorite among customers of Flowing Waters Soap Co.

Something soothing

Candles, bath bombs, essential oils, soap: here's where to get 'em locally.

If you're searching for candles with a desert scent, Cicada Goods (who also has a creosote perfume) and Arya Tara have your back (the creosote candle from both is *chefs kiss*). For more classic scents, like sugar plum and citrus peach, check out Light of Mine Candle Supply and Di Luna Candles. If you want something a little more out of the box and ultra sweet, Smells Like Dessert Candles is right up your alley — the candles smell AND look like the desserts of your dreams. 

A couple more tips from three makers who have brick-and-mortars: 440 & Co. has candles and florals; Desert Mystic Goods (whose brick-and-mortar is called Monsoon Mystics) has bath bombs, skincare and spiritual items; The Lavender Manor has beauty and health products, plus lavender bundles!

One of the candles for sale at Monsoon Mystics. The candles are handcrafted by shop owner Torrie Dueñas.

For essential oils, diffuser scents and sprays, head to Ace of Cups Essentials for scents like cedarwood and Sonoran Rosie (who also has skincare and bath bombs) for scents like desert rain. Sonoran Rosie is also the owner of brick-and-mortar Arizona Poppy. Yōlia Botánica, who has a brick-and-mortar, has creosote bath/body oil, floral bundles for smoke cleansing, crystal jewelry and other metaphysical goodies!

And finally, soap: Flowing Waters Soap Co., Gigglestars Soap Co., Alo Goods and Artemesia Soaps, Salts & Scrubs (which has a brick-and-mortar!), Honest Bars, Wolf Den Soaps and Magnolia Street Soap Mill all sell soaps in peaceful scents like saguaro blossoms, desert rain and horchata. 

Also check out Mama Bare AZ, who has soap bars with beautiful Arizona scenery drawn in the middle and candles shaped like cacti.

Say it with flowers 💐

Maybe a bouquet is all you need. 

Bloom Maven, Thistle, Flower Shop on 4th Avenue, Roses & More and Bloomie's Flowers have all launched collections ahead of Mother's Day. You might also drop by one of Tucson's newest flower shops, The Green Room, to check out their blooms.

Prickly Posies offers another option — dried flower bouquets amid lots of other gift items including skincare goodies, candles, cards and more. The shop also has Mother's Day gift boxes!

For the mom who loves to read

As I'm sure you know, Tucson is home to lots of talented people. In that group of talented people: authors.

To name a few, there's Kathleen Glasgow of the popular "Girl In Pieces," Lydia R. Otero who wrote about experiences growing up as a queer person of color, Clark Norton of Tucson books like "100 Things to do in Tucson Before You Die," and Adiba Nelson, who wrote a powerful memoir that includes the journey through motherhood. 

A couple more cutesy lil gifts for this section: Turtle's Soup has the most adorable bookmarks. Rather Keen is also known for their bookish items, including enamel pins, keychains and hats.

You can find Tucson-centric tea towels, stickers, prints and earrings from Juju & Moxie.

All the food things

For the mom who loves to cook:

Some of the cutting boards and risers from “La Vida. Taprūt.” made by local designer Emily White.

If you'd like to pack a gift basket with snacks and baked goods, here are some options:

If that's not enough, a gift card to mom's favorite restaurant is always a worthy option.

For the plant lover

If your mom loves plants as much as mine does, this is the section you should be reading.

Pick up an indoor plant from Plantney, put it in a fun pot from Sonoran Rain Designs, Libra & Thorn (which is a metaphysical art shop with a brick-and-mortar), Lila Art or YellowBird Farm (who has lots of gift box options on her Instagram right now!), and gift it with a macrame hanger from Melrose Macrame or Knotted by Kiwi. 

If outdoor gardening is more the vibe, you can start from the ground up with seeds from Native Seeds/SEARCH, or head to a local nursery like Harlow Gardens, Desert Survivors, Drutopia, Green Things or Ponderosa Cactus. 

When in doubt, get a cute card

If you're really just looking to sandwich a gift certificate inside a greeting card (no judgement there), here are a few options:

  • Creative Kind, a brick-and-mortar at La Encantada, has a huge selection of cards, including mom-themed ones. (They also have Mother's Day gift boxes filled with goodies to make things even easier.)
  • Pink Moon Mercantile, in Main Gate Square, is also home to lots of cute cards, including a few specifically for mom.

One of my favorite gifts that I've given to my mom is a reusable water bottle (we're in Arizona and it's May, it's almost mandatory to carry water with us everywhere we go). I didn't gift her a plain bottle, though — it was decked out with stickers. Here's a list of local artists who make stickers, if you need a little inspo.

Signs of all types, including one from the Jerry’s Lee Ho Market, middle, are on display at the Ignite Sign Art Museum.

Gift an experience

Take your mom hiking to see the saguaro blooms in all their glory. Maybe you take a trip to a museum, like the Ignite Sign Art Museum (they have a sign from the now-closed and very-missed Molina's Midway, which my mom loved). 

If your mom is a sports fanatic, take her to see a University of Arizona baseball game or local soccer club FC Tucson.

Here are some events happening on Mother's Day specifically:

Maya Moffett, right, and Madeline Bosshardt browse the jewelry and candle tables while Di Luna Candles and Goods employee Josefina Cortes stamps logos onto shopping bags.

Where to shop

Here are some local brick-and-mortars that are always around:

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