Mother’s Day gift ideas for maker mammies and gadget lovers

If you don’t already have the date highlighted in your diary, Mother’s Day lands on 15 March in Ireland and the UK, and we have some tips for tech treats you can get to spoil your mammy.

Gifts for hands-on mothers

Whether your mam is an advanced maker or just getting started, a good place to find a gift is the Science Gallery’s Makeshop in Dublin. Here, you can find everything from hacker’s delight Sugru, to Makey Makey electronics invention kits, to computer development boards such as the Raspberry Pi. You could even sign your mam up for a Raspberry Pi workshop for €180 with a development board included.

Alternatively, you could show off your own crafty skills with a personalised, 3D-printed gift from Love & Robots. From their website you can design your own smartphone cases, jewellery, coasters and clocks, which will be 3D-printed or laser-cut to order.

^{Cubes earrings, €42, Love & Robots. Photo via Love & Robots}

Presents for photo fanatics

These days, most of your family snap probably come from smartphones. While convenient, these multi-purpose gadgets aren’t the optimum for photo quality, but with a little added functionality you could help your mam improve her photography game.

^{Photo via Photojojo}

The options here are numerous. You can get clip-on lenses for a variety of effects from Olloclip and Photojojo – the latter even ships a smartphone dolly.

^{Smartphone camera dolly, US$90, Photojojo. Photo via Photojojo}

Other smartphone add-ons cater to active parents, but we’ve covered the wearable tech for fitness fans elsewhere.

Accessorise, accessorise, accessorise

Truly tech-savvy mams are likely kitted out with all the top gear since Christmas, so what’s a son or daughter to do, then?

Never fear: the accessories are here.

You can pick up designer cases for tablets and laptops in stores across the country – Michael Kors’ and Cath Kidston’s ranges in particular are as fab as they are functional.

^{Michael Kors sleeve for MacBook Pro, €99.95, Apple Store}

Or, for mothers weighed down by gadgets, a Cocoon GRID-IT! organiser could be a godsend. Available in a range of sizes, these padded organisers are fitted with rubberised straps to keep various bits and pieces from getting loose in a large bag.

^{Cocoon GRID-IT! accessory organiser, from €19.95, Apple Store}

And if it’s mum’s desk that needs a bit of composure, there are cleverly crafted inventions out there that combine desktop organisation and charging stations in one – perfect for achieving the serenity of a place for everything and everything in its place.

^{One Stop Desktop Charging Station and Organiser by Great Useful Stuff, US$89.90, Amazon}