With Mother's Day quickly approaching, here are 17 gift ideas ranging in price from $10 - $800.​

Georgia O'Keeffe is an American artist known for her paintings of flowers, bones, shells, stones, leaves, trees, mountains, and other natural forms. Her expressionist paintings are full of beautiful, vibrant colors inspired by nature. O'Keeffe's artwork serves as inspiration for wonderfully Spring-y color palettes that are ideal for garden parties, weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, picnics, and a variety of festive alfresco celebrations. 

I recently earned the CGMP (Certified Government Meeting Professional) designation and while everything is still fresh, I'd like to share some exam preparation tips that proved helpful. I used the same strategies that were useful when I passed the CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) exam in 2016. The two exams are very different. For the CMP exam, you can choose the self-study route, an in-person study group, or an online study course. The CMP exam is computer-based taken at a Prometric testing site and you learn if you passed immediately. With the CGMP exam, you participate in a 3 day class and take a paper exam on the 4th day. You learn if you passed within a week after the exam.

The following tips are based on the strategies I used when preparing for both exams:

Know your learning style
Some people are visual learners, others learn better by listening. If you're unsure about your learning style, this quiz may help. Once you know your learning style, study accordingly. I’m a visual learner so I used colorful pens and highlighters when taking notes which made recalling information easier.

Focus on weak subjects
Through practice questions and review of topics, you should be able to determine areas where you don’t have a solid grasp. Focus on those, particularly if you’re short on study time. This approach helps you to use your time and energy efficiently.

“The use of color in my paintings is of paramount importance to me.
Through color I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness,
rather than man’s inhumanity to man.”
— Alma Woodsey Thomas

Alma Woodsey Thomas is one of my favorite artists of all time. I love her abstract expressionist paintings and her use of bright and vibrant colors inspired by flowers and nature. The majority of her work was created while she was in her 80s and she was the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The following are color palettes inspired by some of her paintings. These are useful color palettes for a variety events including cocktail parties, birthday parties, fundraising dinners, weddings, garden parties, and baby showers.