Happy Mother's Day

Meet my mom. Isn't she cute?

My mom tickling my daughter. A common scene when the two are together.

Somehow I was lucky enough to be born as this woman's daughter. She has been an example of tremendous grace, love, strength, and faith to me. I wrote her a poem a few years ago and framed it, with pressed flowers, and gave it to her for Mother's Day. I was going to re-print it here for you to read and copy if you wanted to...but I can't find it! So then I was going to sneak into her house while she was at the beach this week, grab the poem off the wall, copy it quickly, then return it to the wall before she got home. But, she hurt her back at the beach and had to come home early. My plans of MacGuyver-like escapades were thwarted. So, you will just have to imagine a lovely, sentimental poem that basically credits my mom for a big part of who I am today. Wait...perhaps I should just write another poem...hmmm...don't have a lot of time or inspiration at the moment...but I'll give it a shot, right here on the world wide web:

Roses are red, violets are blue - You're a great mom and I love chocolate.

Hmm, something doesn't seem quite right. Let me try a different version:

Roses are red, violets are blue - Love you so much, you know it's factual.

Nope, that's not quite right either. How about this one:

Roses are red, violets are blue - I may be a cheeseball, but I love you!

Woohoo! I did it! "I made a rhyme!" as my daughter says. Happy Mother's Day to my Mom...and my mother-in-law...and to all the other great mothers out there who work so hard, day in and day out, hoping that one day their kids will grow up to be decent people, love God, and write about them on their blogs. :-)

Friday's Fabulous Finds - Jewelry Extravaganza

I love my mother...and I love jewelry...and I love being a mother...and I love receiving jewelry...hey, why not put all these loves together in one post? (I know, I'm a cheeseball.) But, seriously, it only takes a minute of browsing Etsy to realize that there are a lot of talented jewelry artists out there. My favorite part is finding something that is handmade, and therefore, one of a kind. This May, why not treat yourself or one of the favorite women in your life to something sparkly and feminine? I searched high and low and edited it to just a few of my favorites for today. Here they are:

Pink photo frame bracelet

Mulit Spring photo frame bracelet

I think this is just a great idea, and the Picture Frame Bracelet Co. pulls it off beautifully. They will insert the photo of your choice for you, or include instructions with the bracelet for you to do yourself. I didn't include photos of these, but there are also bracelets with openings for two or four photos. I'm thinking this is a perfect gift for a mom or grandma, but also a proud aunt or even pet owner might appreciate one.

pea pod necklace

Isn't this sweet? You can request this necklace with any number of peas in the pod. Great for a mom or even an expecting mother. By Etsy artist Tefi.

Shiny copper rainbow bracelet

Cuffed by Cupid bracelet

These bracelets I just picked 'cause they're pretty. They don't really have a Mother's Day theme, but they've been favorites of mine for a while and I wanted to showcase them here. I love big chunky bracelets, and I love the way that Sharonk1420 brings an old-fashioned charm to a larger, more modern style.

Addison Mommy & Me freshwater pearl bracelets

I love this idea of matching Mommy & Me bracelets. Aren't they cute? This would be a sweet gift for both a mom and her little girl. Check out the selection at Little Diddle Boutique, as they have a lot of charming little jewelry items for little ones as well as a few more Mommy & Me sets to choose from.

"Marie pick your poison" earrings

"Invisible sun" necklace

Oh my word, don't you just love those earrings? SPARKLY! And the necklace too. I fell in love with them immediately and had to post them here...again, just 'cause they're so pretty. I really like all the jewelry in Golden Stiletto's shop, so it's definitely worth browsing.

Hmm, my credit card is calling my name. Must. resist. must. be. strong.

Friday's Fabulous Finds - Mother's Day gift ideas

Can you believe it's already almost Mother's Day? (Wasn't it just Christmas, like, yesterday?) Well, believe it, my friends, and celebrate it, with the help of this week's Fabulous Finds. Here are some perfect gift ideas to help you celebrate the mom in your life - whether that be your mother, wife, daughter, a friend, or yourself, for goodness' sake. This collection just happens to be in earth tones and blues...I'm telling you, sometimes the color palette is intentional, and sometimes it just works out that way. How do I do that? (Even I don't know.) Anyway, have fun browsing the shops of these uber-talented artists. Many of them have been in my "favorites" for a long time, and I've been just waiting for the right moment to showcase them.

"Mother - Your Love is a Song" necklace

"Grandma - A Garden of Love Grows in a Grandma's Heart" necklace

When I first laid eyes on these pendants, it took me about half a second to decide I adored them. On the front is collaged "mother" or "grandma" and on the back has the phrase listed above...but they are also customizable, to say whatever you'd like them to say....perhaps a name, or favorite verse, or simple message. Etsy artist Kellie0901 creates these little works of art for her shop, Charmed!. I had too many favorites in her shop to list them all here, so check it out for yourself and you're sure to find something.

recipe cards (set of 12) "from the kitchen of..."

This is a set of 12 recipe cards by wonderful Etsy seller Kiss 'n Tell Cards featuring illustrations of 4 different herbs: peppermint, thyme, fennel, and parsley. I like the elegant, old-fashioned look of these, and it's a unique idea for someone who is a good cook and has recipes that people want. (I'm not sure what that feels like, myself. :-) ) Although I would have a hard time giving these beauties away!

"Moon Flowers" - original textured painting

set of 2 abstract minimalist landscapes - original paintings

I discovered this artist a few months ago and was this close to purchasing one of her paintings, but it sold in the 24-hour period it took me to make up my mind to buy it. When you look at her work, you can see why. Etsy seller EarthArt produces a wide range of beautiful original paintings in a wide range of sizes and prices as well...nice for people like me on a tight budget, but it also gives me something to save for if I want to splurge on a larger piece of hers.

blue crystalline bud vase

I am such a sucker for vases...especially wheel-thrown blue ones that are one-of-a-kind. Hey, like this one! This charming wheel-thrown crystalline bud vase by PottersVision is a great little gift idea. Search the shop for other colors and vessels.

"Spring Tree" hand-finished print

Isn't this print beautiful? Etsy artist Slavko produces a large number of prints, paintings, and unique art pendants. I was especially drawn to this Spring Tree print. The artist explains that "hand-finished" means "added some paint by hand where it is needed to make it close to original in colors using high quality acrylic paint and acrylic gel, to have some visible strokes". Only $15 for a huge (16x12) hand-embellished print.

The Mother's Circle - customizable necklace

Cascade Mother (or family) necklace

I can finally showcase this beautiful shop - I've had it in my favorites for months and was making myself wait until Mother's Day to show them off. Etsy seller Birthdesigns offers a myriad of customizable jewelry and keychains for mothers, moms-to-be, grandmothers, daughters - really anyone that you would like to honor with custom jewelry. You select the names and one of their many styles that you'd like - Birthdesigns does the rest. I love sentimental gifts at Mother's Day, and this one definitely fits the bill!

***
There's your Fabulous Finds for this week. Thanks for all your well-wishes for my health (and that of my family). This is a nasty virus that is just hanging on longer than normal, it seems, and quarantine is getting old. That's why I'm so glad I have this little "escape" of window-shopping and writing and chatting a bit with friends I've never actually met. So have a great weekend, friends!