Some Oldies But Goodies - Family Photos & a Tribute to My Mom!

My mom's 70th birthday is coming up this weekend. She gave birth to me when she was in her late thirties so she's always been an older mom in age, but she's also always been a younger mom at heart and in her energy and zeal for life. It is just in the past few years that I've realized that my mom is getting older. Sometimes that is hard to see because she has always appeared extremely youthful and vibrant to me. She still is in a lot of ways, but I find it difficult to believe that she's turning 70 years old soon.

As part of her birthday present, I scrapbooked a small album for her of family photos over the years. It is a hodge podge of my favorite family photos that documents portions of her entire life. My mom is not a materialistic woman so it can sometimes be hard to purchase just the right gift for her. I'm hoping that the photo album will be something unique that she'll cherish and enjoy. Below are a few of my favorite photos from the album. I thought that I'd share some of them and pay tribute to my wonderful, wonderful mom.

My Mom riding a buffalo - I 'm not sure of the back story on this one,
but it is one of my absolute favorite photos!

My Mom and Aunt with my Grandma
(my Mom is the one on the right)



My Mom and Dad from around the time that they got married



Myself (w/baby), my Mom, and my Dad from not too long ago - my how things change!

(And, if you're wondering, both my Mom and Dad have naturally dark brown hair, yet I ended up a natural redhead. My Aunt on my Mom's side and several family members on my Dad's side are redheads though so it does run in the family. It's crazy how genetics work sometimes!)

NEW Yarn and Bead Kits!

It seems that I have a bit of insomnia tonight - okay, a lot of insomnia! Therefore, I've decided to be productive and go ahead with an announcement that I had planned for tomorrow's blog entry.

I'm introducing my new Yarn and Bead Kits which is very exciting for me. I've combined my hand felted wool beads with matching handspun wool yarn to form a spectacular new embellishment kit. Since I've started spinning yarn on my new drop spindle, I couldn't resist making some matching sets of yarn and beads.

What crafty thing can you use this for? Well, I would suggest using it as embellishment or trim. It would be great for adding some decorative touches to a handmade purse, scarf, sweater, and the list goes on. The beads make great buttons, whether whole or cut in half. It is also nice for scrapbook lovers who want a touch of unique embellishment on their pages. The yarn and beads can be crafted into cards or jewelry too. They could even be used in paper making or book binding. Really, the skies the limit when it comes to crafting possibilities!

You can find several color schemes and combinations of these new Yarn and Bead Kits in my Etsy shop. I also have one available on Mintd. Here are some examples of what's currently available or will be available very soon.