After my foray into digital design last Christmas, I decided to make a few things for my mother this year for Mothers' Day back in May.
Since the printing had turned out so well on my Christmas cards, I decided to make the whole card, instead of just printing the front and having to hand assemble the rest. Here's a little preview:
My mother is extremely difficult to buy presents for. She has too much stuff already and, if there's anything she wants, she goes right on out and buys it- whether she needs it or not. Another thing- she does not believe in presents for her that are really 'household' presents. Therefore all appliances and gadgets are pretty much out of the running. Added to this, my mother likes to see that she is valued- so nothing can be too cheap. Yikes! She really
is hard to buy for.
After years of buying
products for her, about ten+ years ago I turned to creating presents for her. Thus, I've made many a hand-made present back in the day when I was into a range of crafts. I've cross-stitched on the edges of hand towels, folk-arted many a picture (front door plaque and a clock with matching pictures are still on display), and quilted placemats.
One year, while they were out and had recently updated their bathroom, I snuck around to her place, got up on a ladder and traced the feature border tile. I then appliqued that pattern,
painstakingly I must add, to some new towels. (I saw those towels recently, looking rather tatty, and declared that it really is okay to throw them out by now- I wouldn't be offended.)
Along with those ideas, I've bought her craft items (eg patchwork quilts and tools), tickets to shows, dinner packages and put together many a basket of her favourite foods and wines. You name it- I've most likely done it!
As you can no doubt gather, my mother is very good at focussing on 'things.' Unfortunately, certain words and sentiments are not her forte. Never have we said words in my family such as 'I love you.' Never have hugs and affection been anything more than an awkward moment. If my mother wants to show she loves you, she buys you something. That's always been her way.
Yet I know, that deep down, what my mother
really needs, is affection and sentiment. There is a reasoning behind her focus on 'things' and some of it has to do with her growing up without much security that comes from a strong sense of love and good dose of affection.
So what I wanted to do this year is to make something that clearly displayed that she is loved, that she is valued and that she is appreciated. I wanted it to be something that could be seen by all who pass by, and something that she could be reminded of regularly. So I settled on using the phrase "I have a great mum, and I love her." This was to be the basis of my design. Although my present didn't cost a lot financially, I did take about a month (between working and life) to perfect my design. I printed several for her to choose from. The one I liked the most I knew would not be her favourite but I gave them all to her, plus a plain white wooden frame.
This was the one I knew she would like. She has a passion for flower-fairies and likes purple hues.
Here are some of my alternate designs:
These are all ready-to-print A4 sized prints. Click on the image to see the full size, then right-click to save the image if you'd like to use it. (Just don't pass it off as your own or try to sell any of my work.) These are for your personal use only.
Finally, here is the card I made:
Of course, the left side is the back of the card.
And, as usual, I made the inner part of the card. Here's the one I used:
Let me know if you want a blank insert without my name on it!
cheerio, Lou
