CREATIVE CELEBRATIONS
Vancouver moms share how they’re celebrating in lockdown
Innovative local moms share ideas for Mother’s Day weekend DIYs
Mother’s Day is going to be decidedly different for Tayler Mariles this year.
Celebrating her first holiday holding the title of “mom” herself, the founder of the Vancouver-based skincare brand Midnight Paloma is looking forward to marking the milestone with her family — in a safe, socially distant kind of way, of course.
“I will be with my husband and seven-month-old baby, most likely just hanging out and being together, which is exactly what I want,” she says of the special day. “And, of course, dropping off some flowers for my amazing mom.”
While she admits the closures and changes due to COVID-19 have impacted all areas of her life, as they have for everyone, Mariles says the experience has made her pause and appreciate all the good that exists within her world, rather than focusing on the bad.
“If anything, this crazy time is making me more grateful for what I have. My friends, family and business have been such blessings, and I feel much more present with so much uncertainty,” Mariles says. “Our time is precious and celebrating every moment will be so much more important moving forward.”
That idea of moving forward by focusing on positivity, especially on a celebratory day like Mother’s Day, was echoed by Langley-based lifestyle influencer and author Monika Hibbs.
“It gives us something to look forward to, some normalcy amongst so much uncertainty these days,” she says of the importance of getting creative in order to mark these special celebrations. “Creating these joyful special moments will hopefully overshadow the memories of COVID and will bring comfort to the ones you love by letting them know you are thinking about them.
“No matter how hard life is right now, to find positive moments and reasons to celebrate is what helps sustain us.”
For Hibbs, she expects to spend the special day being celebrated (and a little bit pampered) by her three children.
“My kids tell me that I should be expecting breakfast in bed,” she says. “I’m excited to see what they decide to make me. They know I love an arrangement of fresh flowers and lots of hugs and kisses from the three of them.”
Beyond breakfast in bed, Hibbs admits she has the whole day pretty much planned out, in order to ensure she gets as much time with her own family — while also making the other moms in her life feel special, too.
“I’m hoping the weather is nice so we can go for a walk around our neighbourhood,” she says. “And then, probably cosy up for a movie with them after dinner. We’ll also go visit my mom and my mother-in-law with a curbside hello, bringing fresh flowers and giving lots of blown kisses and air hugs.”
Vancouver baker Fanny Lam, owner of Oh Sweet Day! Bake Shop, will be busy in her bakery kitchen on Mother’s Day as the small business is still open for takeout orders, including a special Mother’s Day cake in three flavours: lemon, red velvet and chocolate.
“We’ve been offering free delivery since this quarantine started,” Lam says. “For Mother’s Day weekend, we will be doing the same. Hopefully, mothers can celebrate with their kids in isolation.”
Creating these joyful special moments will hopefully overshadow the memories of COVID.”
Monika Hibbs
Instead, she will be taking the two days following Mother’s Day in order to spend time with her family.
“My family will be spending most of the time in our backyard sunbathing, reading, chatting, eating and drinking,” she says. There may be some baking going on at home, too, she admits.
Lam says the most important thing about this Mother’s Day — and, really, any day right now — is to make sure friends and family know that you’re thinking of them.
“This is such a strange time now. No hugs, no kisses, no handshakes, no contact,” she say. “I keep reminding my kids that although affection comes at too high a risk now — and it’s sad — we should never forget love comes from our hearts.
“Just a phone call, email, or text to your loved ones to show that you care. That means everything.”
DIY ALL-NATURAL FACE MASK
1 tablespoon oats 1 tablespoon plain yogurt “This is an easy at-home mask hack,” Vancouver-based clean beauty brand Midnight Paloma founder Tayler Mariles says. “Rolled oats are great for all skin types while all-natural yogurt is nourishing and filled with natural lactic acid which helps dissolve dead skin and tightens pores.”
Mix the two ingredients in a bowl, apply to skin using a brush or your fingertips and, once it dries, wash it off with warm water and follow with your favourite skin-care products.
DIY LEMON BLUEBERRY DUTCH BABY PANCAKE
Fanny Lam swears this pancake recipe is as easy as they come.
“Five minutes tops is what you need to whip up this baby,” she says. From her book Oh Sweet Day! The Celebration Cookbook, the recipe features a few ingredients and steps but yields some big flavour for a Mother’s Day brunch.
“Put it in the oven, prepare the toppings, and you have an amazingly beautiful and delicious pancake breakfast,” Lam says. “By using just eggs, milk, flour and butter, you can instantly create a magical golden puffy goodness.” 3 large eggs 2/3 cup (160 mL) milk 1/2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 3 tbsp (45 mL) butter 1 cup (250 mL) lemon curd 1 cup (250 mL) fresh blueberries 1 tbsp (15 mL) powdered sugar Preheat oven to 425°F. In a food processor, blend together the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla and salt until smooth. Melt the butter in a large castiron skillet on high heat until bubbling.
Pour the egg mixture over the melted butter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden brown.
Top the pancake with lemon curd and blueberries (or other desired toppings). Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes one 10-inch pancake
DIY COUNTRY FLORAL ARRANGEMENT
In her book Gather at Home, Monika Hibbs shares a curated collection of recipes and do-it-yourself projects to try at home.
For Mother’s Day, we asked Hibbs to share one of her favourite floral arrangements from her book for readers to try re-creating on this family holiday while in their own homes.
“Flowers are a wonderful way to show someone you love and care for them,” she says. “They bring a beautiful amount of life and peace into any space. Creating your own arrangements from loose stems from a local florist, or better yet, from your own garden makes a gorgeous gift and thoughtful statement.” Medium or large vase Garden shears Variety of seasonal flowers (she used hydrangeas, delphiniums, lavender, yarrow, garden roses, and Veronica)
Select flowers with different thicknesses and heights from your garden or from a local farmers market, flower farm or florist. Together they will give your arrangement a unique shape.
My favourite hues to combine are blush, cream, violet and white. You don’t need to use the flower varieties listed above, just be sure to have a variety of blooms on hand when preparing your arrangement.
Choose a vase to put the arrangement in, being mindful of the size of the vase in relation to the types of flowers you’re using. I used a large, heavy vase to help ground the arrangement, especially the tall delphiniums and hydrangeas.
Measure the flowers against the height of the vase you’ve selected and snip the stems on an angle to lengths that complement the size of the vase. You’ll notice I let the delphiniums and hydrangeas remain tall to give the arrangement more height. Trim away any leaves that other- wise would go into the vase. This will help the water in the vase stay fresh for longer.
Fill the vase about half to three-quarters of the way up with water. Start to build your arrangement by adding some of the taller flowers first, like the hydrangeas and delphiniums, placing them on the outer left and right sides of the arrangement. This will give the arrangement a romantic English country look. Layer in medium-length flowers, like the lavender, Veronica, and yarrow, and then add smaller and more delicate flowers, like the garden roses, to the front lower section of the arrangement. Continue layering in additional flowers until the bouquet is full and the desired look is achieved. If your arrangement still looks a bit thin, add any additional greenery for texture and interest.
Published by Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher.