Paperie for Inspired Living author Karen Bartolomei credits her mother Janet for encouraging her passion for creativity. From gorgeous Easter eggs to felted Christmas tree ornaments, every occasion in Karen’s childhood was made even more special with hand-crafted touches. This Mother’s Day she shares her thoughts about how we can show Mom our appreciation.

1. What sorts of handmade gifts have you made for your mother?

What didn’t I make for my mom over the years? I made collages, handmade cards, Playdough sculptures, Spirograph ornaments, I.O.U. books with coupons for hugs and household chores. . . . One of her most favorite gifts was the Faberge-like egg I made for her. Right after college I had an egg-decorating fetish. I used to embellish real bird eggs with jewels, pictures, paint, and glitter. The one I created for her was pretty fantastic. It was a goose egg with a three-dimensional flower on a small hinged door. The door opened to reveal a tiny quail egg centered inside with an identical flower design. My mom still has it displayed in her china cabinet right now.

I also once made an accordion-folded card with about twenty 2″x 3″ panels. Each panel had a picture of my mom’s favorite people making silly faces. You can imagine how funny it was for her to unfold the card to its full forty inches to see all the goofiness.

2. What are you giving your mom for Mother’s Day this year?

This year, I am going to custom frame some old black-and-white photos of her with my late grandmother and aunts. I never buy premade frames. My mom loves family keepsakes and heirlooms, and I think this would be something she’ll treasure. She has commented more than once about the frames I choose, so I know which ones she likes!

3. What project from Paperie for Inspired Living do you think she’d most like to see at a Mother’s day celebration?

She absolutely loved the designs I created for her thirty-fifth wedding anniversary (you can see them in the book), but one of her favorite designs is the Paddle Fan I created for an outdoor party (pages 50 and 51). She has asked me to custom make a design for her church: They don’t have air conditioning, so it gets pretty warm in the summer months!

4. What special things can we do to help celebrate our mothers this year?

The best advice I have ever heard or given in regard to gifts: They should always be useful or edible! Here are a few suggestions to start you thinking in the right direction:

• Bake your mom a delicious batch of her favorite cookies and put them in a colorful bakery box lined with custom wax paper. Print a poem or personal message about how sweet she is onto the paper.

• Can some jam. Use a beautiful vintage canning jar and add a handmade tag tied with rustic twine or gorgeous ribbon.

• Does she love wine? Buy her a few fantastically rated wines and make custom cards with tasting notes and meaningful quotes about savoring life with those you love. Take it a step further if you have a large family and have each sibling buy a bottle and attach a picture of themselves onto the tasting cards.

• Moms love personalized gifts and keepsakes from their kids and they love getting together with their family. Give your mom a yearly calendar and have your entire family fill it from January to December with birthdays, anniversaries, and plans for family get-togethers. Have the littlest members of the family draw pictures on random days just to make her smile!

• You can also have a Mother’s Day celebration at your favorite cafe, spa, amusement park, museum, or theater. Book a professional photographer to capture candid moments for an hour. The family can gather to create scrapbook pages for an album. It is a great gift to do as a group and will be a wonderful family activity throughout the year.

Categories: Paper |

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