Then and Now

 

My Mom is my everything. My best friend, my sounding board, my ride or die. The one who gives me tough love when I need it and tells me to be gentle with myself when the days are hard. We’ve always been close, but it was only once we no longer lived in the same house that I began to appreciate the things that once annoyed me. The way she always put me first, how fiercely protective she can be, and even the amount of discipline she instilled in the way she raised me.

 

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My mom was made to be a mother, my mother. She had me at a young 22 years old, but was wise beyond her years after some difficult family circumstances early on in life. But once she gave birth she never really looked back – we went everywhere together, did everything, and were sidekicks. We still are.

 

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I wanted to give her something extra special this Mother’s Day, something that represents how we began and how far we’ve come as mother and daughter as well as friends. I chose two of Artifact Uprising‘s Instagram Friendly frames, each of them measures 8 x 10″ and is deep set with a gorgeous walnut finish. In the first she’s holding a one and half year old me in her arms at my cousin’s baptism, and in the second we’re crouching in together at Mother’s Day brunch two years ago.

 

 

Both of these photos were already in my Instagram feed, so I only had to connect the channel and voila – no uploading necessary. I know these two museum quality frames will be something my Mom cherishes for years to come, and I love that we can add to them in the future with more shots of the two of us!

This post sponsored by Artifact Uprising. All words and opinions are my own, as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush creating fresh content! Enjoy 10% off your order through May 9th with code AUxMOTHERDAY17.

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Mother’s Day Cards

If your mom is even half as amazing as mine you’ve struck gold. The lady who birthed me is my #1 fan, my best friend, and my anchor in this sometimes crazy world. My grandmother has also been a huge influence on me, as well as my aunt. So don’t just celebrate your mother on Mother’s Day, let all of the incredible women in your life know just how appreciated they truly are.

 

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ROW 1: Egg Press // The Good Twin Co. // Rifle Paper Co.
ROW 2: Ashkahn // Sycamore Street Press // Sea + Lake Paper Co.
ROW 3: My Dear Fellow Co. // Moglea
ROW 4: Denote Stationery // Ink Meets Paper // Hairpin Letterpress
ROW 5: The Detroit Card Co. // One Canoe Two // our heiday

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Don’t Forget the Card: Mother’s Day

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Garden Mother’s Day Card by Rifle Paper Co. // Home is Where Your Mom Is by Moglea // Love You Mum by bespoke Letterpress

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I Love You Mom Card by Quill and Fox // Awkward Mother’s Day Card by Emily McDowell // One Hot Mama Letterpress Card by Wednesday Press

 

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Mom Libs Mother’s Day Card by Minted // XO MOM by egg press // Muscle Man Mom Letterpress Note Card by Isabell’s Umbrella

 

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Baby Head Mother’s Day Card by Wit & Whistle // Mom Town by egg press // Love You Heaps Card by little low studio

 

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Thanks Mom, I Turned Out Awesome by Cheeky Kumquat // Cat Mother’s Day Card by Chloe Derderian-Gilbert // You’re the Best Mom Lavender Flowers Card by Happy Cactus Designs

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Every Mother Counts + Minted

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This past January I had the chance to sit down with Christy Turlington Burns, founder of Every Mother Counts, and Mariam Naficy, founder and CEO of Minted, to hear about their newly formed partnership. If you’re unfamiliar, Every Mother Counts is a non-profit organization created to increase public awareness and support for improved maternal and child health. EMC is committed to ending preventable deaths caused by pregnancy and childbirth around the world. You don’t have to be a mom to appreciate the importance of such things.

 

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For every art print purchased through Minted 2% is donated to Every Mother Counts. But Mother’s Day seemed like the perfect time to take things up a notch so they’ll be donating a whopping 20% of art print purchases! Order by April 28th and use the code DESIGNCRUSHEMC.

 

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Minted‘s art, journals, stationery, and decorations are all great fits for Mother’s Day. I love the idea of putting together a special little brunch full of printed touches and decor with all of her favorite foods as a surprise. Or maybe creating a tiny version of a gallery wall with some favorite art and photography from Minted’s huge selection. Any way you look at it, this is a great fit for everyone!

 

EMC is supporting Midwives for Haiti (MFH) work to increase the number of skilled birth attendants available to assist pregnant woman in Haiti

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Mother’s Day + Kolo’s Photo Books

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Mother’s Day is very meaningful to me, so I like to try and pull out a few extra stops. This year that includes a ridiculously awesome Kolo photo book that I put together for my mom. A few years ago I did something similar for my dad, an album that included photos of just me and him. But as soon as I got to raiding my photo collection I realized a little something – my mom was always the one behind the camera! That meant fewer photos of us together and a lot of photos of just me. Being an only child I hoped she wouldn’t hold it against me. (Ahem.)

 

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It took some extra work, but I managed to find several of my mom’s favorites of me and several of the both of us together. (Yeah, there’s no injury under than bandage. I just liked to wear them.) I chose an 8.5 x 11″ photo book with a Mango cover and got to work scanning in all of the photos I’d picked out. I adjusted the color and brightness on several (ahhh, the age of technology) and uploaded them to Kolo‘s site. I was tempted to use the auto load function that places all of your photos in the album for you, but then decided to be a little more hands-on and chose the placement and size of each one myself.

 

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The photos turned out amazing thanks to Kolo‘s Canon printing technology, especially when you consider that most of them are 30+ years old! I loved creating the perfect flow of images and personalizing the layout. I could have opted to add some text as well, but preferred to allow the visuals to speak for themselves.

 

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Last weekend my mom came over to dye Easter eggs at my house (one of our many traditions) and I gave her this gift early. She loved it so much and with every flip of a page said “I love this picture!”. So I’m guessing I did okay, especially when she said the photo book was one of her favorite gifts ever. *pats self on back* The heirloom quality of these photo books guarantees they’ll be around for some time, and the rainbow of colors available for he covers gives my mom lots of options when it comes to expansion.

 

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I especially love this one of the two of us at the Pittsburgh Zoo when I was about a year and a half old. My mom’s outfit looks like it would be just as in style today! Wish I could say the same for those overalls I’m sporting.

 

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My grandmother is turning 90 this August and I think I’m going to put together a smaller version of the two of us as a special gift. Had I realized how easy it was, I probably would have done hers for Mother’s Day as well.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Design Crush going!

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Countdown to Mother’s Day

I love buying gifts for my mom. She’s fun to shop for and always acts like I’ve just given her the most brilliant thing in the world (as all moms are apt to do I suppose). But her birthday and Mother’s Day fall about a week apart on the calendar every year which involves some thinking ahead on my part. When Uncommon Goods asked me to share some of my favorite gifts for Mother’s Day I was excited to delve into their shop, where half of the goods are made by hand, most are made in the USA, and one-third incorporate recycled and/or upcycled materials. They also have a great selection of personalized gifts.

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Of course I had my mom in mind while window shopping. Pool season shows up early here in Oklahoma, and a set of silicone wine glasses would get lots of use. She’s also been on a bit of a health kick, but water gets boring and would be much more interesting served in a flavor infuser water bottle. A wine pairing towel set would not only make a good reference, but also be a great conversation starter. My mama loves a good mojito and could muddle up her own with this molecular mixology kit! A trio of solar tealights would be perfect for early weekend mornings spent sipping coffee and reading the newspaper on the patio or late nights spent outside chatting with friends. So basically I can’t wrong. And also, I hope she isn’t reading this!

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush going!

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Mother’s Day Picnic

Mother’s Day is an important occasion, especially when your mom is as fantastic at her job as mine. I’ve come up with some fun things over the years to show how much I appreciate all she’s done for me. Once it was a container full of memories rolled up on little pieces of paper that she could open throughout the year, another time it was a multi-course from scratch lunch. Since spring has finally decided to stay for awhile I think a picnic would be lovely, don’t you? Lots of little bites, a colorful setting, and even champagne!

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ROW 1: Beach Blanket by Steven Alan // Pack a Picnic Basket by Kate Spade // Black Striped Balloons from Oriental Trading    ROW 2: DIY MOther’s Day Bouquet from Paper n Stitch // Pack a Picnic Champagne Box by Kate Spade // Everyday Napkins by Alder & Co.    ROW 3: Golden Stripe Highball Glasses by C Wonder // Marchena Salad Plates from Anthropologie // Ceramic Utensils from CB2

 

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ROW 1: Raspberry Mint Mozzarella Skewers by Biscuits and Such // Parker House Rolls by Always With Butter // Orange Thyme Jam by Minimalist Baker    ROW 2: Honey Feta Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds by Branny Boils Over // Secret Fruit Salad by Rachel Schultz // Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding

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Happy {Mother’s Day} Weekend.

{Jenny Lewis by Autumn de Wilde}

I’m skipping out a little early this week to fly home to Pennsylvania for a family wedding. It’s rare that I get to go back any other time during the year other than Christmas, so I’m really looking forward to it family drama excluded. I’m especially happy about getting to spend Mother’s Day with my 85 year old grandma! My mom will be in town for the knot-tying as well, so it’s going to be a good trip. I’ll see you back here Tuesday morning!

+ I can’t wait to try my hand at Megan’s felt dahlia flower brooches – I just hope I can manage with only two hands!

+ Forgot to pick up a Mother’s Day card? No sweat, download this free silhouette card from Two Brunettes

+ More May wallpaper to mix things up on your desktop: 1, 2, 3

Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Weekend!

PS: Don’t forget, if you haven’t entered the CSN giveaway yet you have until Tuesday at 9am!

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