Put Her Name on It: The Best Mother’s Day Gifts Are Personalized

L.L. Bean’s canvas tote bags are a Strategist (andCBK)favorite. They are also endlessly useful; in addition to packing this zip-top version for day trips, I also use it at home for coraling household clutter like toys and unfolded laundry. You can monogram any size Boat and Tote with a name or word up to ten letters, a larger single letter, or classic monogram of three initials for just $10. There are five fonts and 48 thread colors to pick from, too.

Aura’sdigital picture framesmakefantastic gifts, letting you preload the frame remotely with photos and a gift message. You can also add other family members via the Aura app so they can add pictures to the frame as well.

Read more:Just Get Your Mom (or Grandma) the Digital Picture Frame

Or you could send your mom one of Artifact Uprising’s affordable brass-and-wood photo display boxes. They come in three sizes, each of which can hold up to 50 printed photos.

Lindquist’s exquisite leather goods are all made by hand in the brand’s Providence, Rhode Island, studio. And every purse, tote, and wallet it makes can be stamped with a variety of colored foils, including 22-karat gold. I am a huge fan and have both the Pal phone carrier and a small round cross-body bag called Eggi, but what I really want now is this caramel-brown leather wallet.

I am not really a scented-candle person, but this tomato-scented Flamingo Estate candle smells so good I want to eat it. For Mother’s Day, you can personalize it with up to 20 characters.

For a doubly special gift, I suggest GLDN’s micro heart lockets insterling silveror14-karat gold fillthat can be engraved on the outside with your mom’s initial. If only solid gold will do, GLDN also makes a daintyheart tag braceletthat can be engraved as well.

Susan Alexandra’s quirky cursive-letter charms can be purchased à la carte or bundled with one of two sterling-silver chains for a finished name or word necklace. Each letter costs $68 and a necklace with three letters will run you $218.

Each of these small Versace plates features a different baroque letter design. Measuring 4.7 inches square, they are a perfect place to store earrings and rings at night and are made in Germany of 100 percent porcelain.

I dream of a life with more time to sit at my desk, writing to all of my friends on beautiful personalized notecards. Maybe your mom has a similar dream.

Or maybe she has more of a fondness for making lists and jotting down notes. If so, this set of three name notepads is the perfect personalized gift.

If she likes to keep all her to-dos in one fancy place, this Smythson notebook is up to the task. For an extra fee, you can personalize the cover with up to 15 characters in two fonts as well as dozens of “motifs” like a horseshoe, paw print, or zodiac sign; prices vary according to the number of characters you include.

For moms who love game night, this monogramable roll-up leather backgammon set is a hard gift to beat.

I wouldn’t normally suggest giving Mother’s Day gifts that require her todosomething. But if she’s crafty and loves working on projects as a family, this personalized mosaic coaster kit is a fun one to try. And if you’re a crafty person yourself, you (and your kids) could make the coasters ahead of time and give them to her with a cold drink and some alone time to read or relax.

I’ve often sent Cameo greetings when I need a personal but last-minute gift. I prefer the animals over the human celebrities, because your money usually ends up helping to fund the zoo where they live.

Slip is the OG in thesilk-pillowcasespace and was named thebest luxury silk pillowcaseby Strategist writer Tembe Denton-Hurst, who says the quality and feel are unmatched. The brand’s initial collection features blue and white striped piping and your choice of ornately embroidered letters.

J.Crew pajamas are a Strategist best seller thanks to their crisp but comfy fabric and grandpa-style piping. I particularly like this short set because I run hot when I sleep. You can add a monogram in one of two styles and 18 thread colors for $10.

If the mom is an XBox fan, she’ll appreciate customizing (or having you customize) her own wireless controller. You get to choose the colors for every part of the controller and you can have a personalized message etched onto the front as well.

But if her favorite pastime is staying hydrated, get her a personalized Owala FreeSip instead.

Around Christmas, my son’s teachers sent him home with the most adorable miniature-handprint keychain that he had made at school. This uses the same technology — Shrinky Dink paper — to transform a handwritten letter to Mom into a micro-keychain.

You could also give the mom in your life a custom LEGO Minifigure portrait of herself, or even a set that represents your whole family. The process is simple and lets you choose each Minifig’s hair, face, clothing, and accessories; you can also add text or decorations to further kit them out.