Still no Mother’s Day gift? It’s not too late with these mobile apps
Mother’s Day is only a couple of days away but -- wouldn’t you know it? -- you have no gift, no card and no time! If you’re just now scrambling to put something together and trying to make it work, remember, Mom deserves better than that. After all, we love our moms -- and yours too.
To improve the gift-giving experience, we have a few “tech-centric” sentimental ideas to help save your Mother’s Day. Put your smartphone to work and use it to make Mom feel extra special this Mother’s Day.
Cards: The first thing every mom needs is a card. Even if you don’t have time to find your mom a present, sending her a card (through postal mail or e-cards) should be a priority. What you decide to write in the card is up to you.
The Felt iPad app lets you create handwritten cards, which it then mails for you. You can select the design of your choice, as well as the ink color to craft your handwritten message.The app then handles the rest by sending out a card printed on “premium Mohawk card stock and a kraft paper envelope” within 24 hours. Price: $3.99 including postage.
If you’re really down to the wire and don’t even have time to pick up a card -- the Cleverbug Cards app gives you the option to send a high-quality printed card, or a free 3-D digital card that can be sent as an email, SMS text, tweet, Facebook post or pin on Pinterest via your iPhone or iPad.
The app integrates with your Facebook social network data so that you can quickly and easily customize the card and add pictures of you and your mom from Facebook. Just select your mom as the recipient, and Cleverbug will automatically add her most popular photos to the card, or you can upload images of your own.
Though the cards normally come at a cost, Cleverbug is offering them for free to make sure your mom is celebrated this year.
By the way, the Cleverbug app is not limited to Mother’s Day cards, there are several categories with age-specific cards for birthdays, graduations and other special occasions. The app also reminds you when your Facebook friends’ birthdays are coming up. Price: $2.99 plus postage fees if you use the option to send by snail mail.
Sentimental gifts: Even though Mother’s Day is once a year, show your mom just how much you care all year long. The Slow Message app for the iPhone and ipad sends prewritten emails to your mom throughout the year, letting her know that she is invaluable to you every single day. Every mother will smile when she receives those emails. Slow Message is free for the month to celebrate Mother’s Day. Otherwise, it’s 99 cents.
Is Mom a scrapbooker? The ScrapPad Mother’s Day photo journal app for the iPad is an option that makes scrapbooking digitally much easier than the traditional cut and paste. You can design the scrapbook clipart and images by using your fingers to touch, drag, pull, plop and pinch your layout.
Once you’ve created the digital version of the scrapbook, you can order it to be printed as a physical book for Mom to cherish forever.
It’s free, with the option to upgrade to a 99-cent version that unlocks various design elements and themed scrap kits. Ordering costs vary depending on the complexity of the scrapbook.
Flowers: A Mother’s Day gift idea that never fails. BloomNation.com has made a name for itself alongside big-name companies such as 1-800-Flowers by taking a personalized approach to ordering flowers online. All you have to is input your ZIP Code to shop and find a selection of flower arrangements that a local florist has actually designed, but without the extra service fees.
BloomNation’s services are available in 2,920 U.S. cities, so it’s pretty likely that there’s a florist near Mom.
If you use the code “Bloom20,” you can get 20% off, just in time for Mother’s day.
R & R: Mothers are very busy women, and often overworked. So why not help your mother relax with the help of the Desk Fountain app. Make her feel pampered and give her a “spa day,” just by downloading the app to her iPhone or iPad. The Desk Fountain app features visuals and sounds such as a fountain or pleasantly chirping birds. Any mother will appreciate the mental down time. Price: 99 cents.
Gourmet items: Life is so much sweeter with Mom. This Mother’s Day return the favor, with the H.Bloom app and send all kinds of gourmet products, such as chocolates, cupcakes, macaroons, flowers and candles. The gift-giving app ties in with H.Bloom’s existing online subscription flower-delivery service, but also gives users an easy way to place gift orders on the go. The price for the subscription service starts at $29.99 and goes up from there. App for iPhone and iPad is free.
Crafts and vintage items: With limitless options (and too little time), finding a personal gift that Mom will use can be stressful. For tangible gifts, the Etsy app offers a unique online marketplace where independent crafters, merchants and shoppers share and converse about handmade crafts and vintage items. The website has a section dedicated to Mother’s Day gifts. The free app is available for Apple and Android devices.
Still unsure what to get Mom? The El Gifto app for Apple and Android devices is like a digital personal shopper that helps you find the perfect gift for your mom. Simply enter the details of who you’re buying for, what they’re personality type is, the occasion and how much you want to spend. After you fill out the quick questionnaire, El Gifto presents you with tons of great gift ideas. The app is free.
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Twitter @JessicaNaziri
