happy birthday

today is my mum's birthday. born several decades ago on remembrance day, i can usually count on having the day off to scramble together something crafty for her birthday. 


you see, she's a woman who's got it all. if she wants it, she buys it. no questions asked, no deliberation. she buys it. therefore, she is impossible to shop for, which is why i'm so greatful for craft. in the past i've drawn portraits of her favourite musicians, knit for her, made clay things, assembled home-made calendars, etc etc etc. this year i knt her a pair of socks. more details on ravelry here.

anyway, the issue of a card comes up every year. i fuc*ing hate cards. i find them wasteful, expensive and pointless. the store-bought kind that is. unfortunately however, i come from a family who LOVES cards (especially my mum and dad...both of whom have shed tears over those really cheesy halmark style cards, with long, boring poetry declaring sentimental declarations of love/devotion/respect/etc typed in italicized font with watercolour flowers, clouds, or what-have-you in the background, often in lame pastel colours designed to pull on heart-strings or something). because of my unquantifiable hatred for these cards, but with a nagging awareness that cards are the social narm, i usually make them. (by the way, i LOVE LOVE LOVE receiving home-made cards, for anyone who might be so inclined. i actually keep them). 


i usually assemble a card with construction paper and scissors, vaious types of art paper and glue. i have painted autumn scenes, done fun bubble letter artwork, or whatever happens to pop into my mind as i'm scrambling on remembrance day afternoon to come up with something. this year, i had a ton of scrap quilting fabric as i have recently tried my hand at a patchwork project (more details in the future). because my son is almost 2 and a half, and surprisingly independent some days, i actually had time today to experiment. i decided to make a patchwork card.

 

           the whole project took me a total of 45 minutes, during which time i was also changing a diaper and assisting my son in his intricate toy-sorting scheme. 


so there you have it...the gift for the woman who has everything. tonight when she gets home from work, i'm also going to bring her vietnamese food and an icecream cake (her favourite). it should be a fun night had by all. 


anyway i'm off to drink a coffee and bitch with my husband about our decision to build a new house from the ground-up. what were we thinking??