For My Mom

My mom letting me blow out her candles . . . clearly, my mom did not make this sad looking cake!

My mom hates blogs.  She says they are for people starved for attention and have nothing better to do than write about themselves.  She's not wrong.

I'll take a break from myself and write about my mom.  Without her, I wouldn't have my Etsy shop.  Yes, she gave me life, a fact I (like everyone else) take for granted daily.  Though, if I take any time to really ponder the physics of my birth, it kinda grosses me out.  Blame it on Western civilization, Puritanical influences or the bombardment of pornography in our everyday lives.  Thinking about sliding out of my mom's hoo-ha makes me feel icky.  There, I said it.

Other than my icky origins, my mom has been the driving force behind my creativity.  When I say "driving force" I suppose that makes her sound like Honey Boo Boo Chile Tigers and Tiaras mom.  That couldn't be farther from the truth.  The only thing she ever really pushed on me was that fact that I needed to go to college.  

My mom influenced me by example.  There truly is nothing she can't do.  Before the Internet, she would go to the library and check out books on gardening, cooking, baking, decorating, sewing . . . you name it.  She didn't do it to impress people are make herself look like a "Super Mom"; she did it because she has a thirst for learning.  If she wanted to know how to do something, she'd read up on it and try it.  So many women use the excuse "I'm just not creative" when faced with a project that takes time and effort.  My mom taught me that creativity is not just a "gift."  It's going out on a limb and trying something new, even if you fail.  Creativity isn't magic, it's work.  Plain and simple.

Growing up, my mom made our Halloween costumes (she even glued red sequins on some shoes for me, one by one, for my Dorothy!), our birthday cakes (she still makes cakes for all the grandkids, too!), cultivated impressive gardens and plants, made me and my best friend prom dresses one year, made my sister's wedding dress, made my wedding cake (and dozens of other friends' wedding cakes), hosted several open houses, paints beautiful portraits, made most of the decorations for my wedding and the list goes on and on.  Can you see what I have to live up to?!

It seems intimidating, but it's nothing like that.  My mom is proud of me the way that I am.  In many ways, we are different.  My mom is super practical.  She hates shopping and has never had a manicure or pedicure in her life (I almost got her one for Mothers' Day but I knew she would hate it!).  I love clothes and shopping.  Her style is very traditional and she wants everything to match.  I have a quirker style where I seldom match!  But through these differences, we've been able to collaborate on several projects together.  She even let me decorate a groom's cake for a wedding!  She is the first person I talk to when I'm visualizing a purse or another artsy project.  She does the same with me!  We don't always agree but it's so much fun to work together.

I'm the cute yawning baby with the emo hair in my mom's lap.

My mom was one of the people pushing me to open my Etsy shop two years ago.  I was terrified.  I didn't think I could ever make it work.  Over 100 purses later, I have a successful shop and I can't imagine life without it!  I show her every purse when I'm finished.  She's the first one to see them and she always has a compliment ready for me.  Mom also made the fabulous tablecloths and runners I use in my craft fair booths.  Heck, even today she was at Hobby Lobby and got me some interfacing since I can't drive (due to surgery) yet.

On a more personal note, she has done so much for me lately.  Due to my health problems and student loan debt (ick!), we've lived with my parents for a few years now.  My mom cooks for us and constantly helps us.  She's like a second mom to my little boy.  The past few years have been incredibly difficult with all of my health problems.  It's really hard to have a young child and to be sick most of the time.  If it wasn't for her, I know that we could not have made it through all of these hard years.  She is the most giving person I know.  She quietly helps all of us in the family and is extremely patient.  She's not just my example in art but in life, too.  I think I'll be okay if I can be just half the mother she is.

I'm pretty much the luckiest daughter to have her.  I love you so much, Mom!

For pictures of some of my mom's fabulous creations (other than me, of course), check out this and this and this.