A Charming Mother's Day Gift

Homemade gifts are always special. Knowing that someone has put in time and effort to create something unique, just for you, can be quite humbling.

 I was sent a MyStyle Deluxe Charm Bracelet craft set to review in the context of Mother's Day.

My initial thought was that it would be a fun activity for my little Addy (aged nearly 4 years) to do with her older sisters and make a lovely 'surprise' gift to present me with next Sunday when they bring me my breakfast in bed. However, a quick look at the kit made me realise that this kit was about serious crafting and entirely unsuitable for the clumsy, inexperienced hand of a pre-schooler! Instead, I settled her down with a packet of modelling clay to make sausages and spent the time myself with my teenage daughter getting creative with Charm Bracelets.

I can think of no better Mother's Day gift than quality time with my daughter spent doing something a little bit different, a lot of fun and with an end product that was well beyond my expectations.

The kit contained polymer clay with enough eyelets to make 40 beads and  a storage box with glitter, craft foil and tools for creating them. The finished beads could then be combined with the charms and dice charms provided to make two bracelets, each with its own velvet effect gift pouch.

The instruction booklet gave clear advice and ideas about how to make the beads. Once the basic technique (simple but a bit fiddly) was mastered, the possibilities were limitless.

The seven different colours of polymer clay could be combined to create new colours or marbled together and the basic beads could be embellished with glitter, foil or clay designs.

The video shows me making a basic, marbled bead (please excuse the black clay under my finger nails - several scrubs later and it is still not completely gone!)

We really enjoyed trying out different ideas and attempting to make the perfect bead. Anyone wishing to get even more creative could model 3D charms using the clay. These could be attached to the bracelet using the split rings provided.

The finished beads were baked in the oven (130ºC, 15 mins). Once baked, they can be painted with clear nail varnish or craft glaze to give them a glassy sheen.

I was impressed by how professional our beads looked and felt after they were baked. All that remained was to select the combination of beads and charms that would make the finished bracelet. I left this part of the creative process to Charis.

Here is what she came up with.

I think these would make a lovely Mother's Day gift provided that you are a slim wristed Mother! The bulk of the beads and charms does not leave a lot of room for your wrist.

Despite the disappointment that I can't actually get the bracelet to do up on my wrist, I love them as a reminder of a perfect afternoon spent crafting and laughing with my daughter. And we have plenty of beads (and clay) left over for another day.

Reasons to be Cheerful

I am still feeling the cheery effects from a lovely Mother's Day last Sunday. As well being given a gorgeous bath robe that makes bath night now feel like a pampering spa, the three year old presented me with a pot of chrysanthemums, we had a family favourite breakfast of croissants, orange juice and coffee, and I have the promise of any meal I choose to be made for me when Ivy gets back from Uni for Easter. In addition, three more Mothering Sunday Reasons to be Cheerful are:

ONE

I have new bedtime reading material courtesy of my eldest daughter. I love the Clan of the Cave Bear books by Jean M Auel and have waited a long time for this final instalment. I even bought new pillows for my bed to ensure my comfort during prolonged reading sessions!

TWO

Thanks to something of an obsession with the TV series 'Pushing Daisies' in which the lead character is a pie maker, daughter Taylor has become something of a pie maker herself. I never say no to a nice bit of pie. This is an apple and ginger pie she made especially for me as a Mother's Day present.

THREE

No celebration day would be complete without cake. When I came back from my dancing lesson on Sunday evening, I opened the fridge and found this:

I didn't mind at all that the cake looked 'like it was done by a 2 year old'. It tasted just fine and I loved that she made the effort to make it for me.

Silent Sunday

Mum - Nana Knits and Thespian Aspirations

My mum has always wanted to be an actress. For a brief time she was a member of an amateur dramatics society and loved standing in for absent members and doing read throughs.

My dad never really liked her joining. For as long as I can remember they have had a very intense relationship that takes priority over everything. Dad did not like her being away from him and had no aspirations himself of a thespian nature.

Mum gave up her chance to be on the stage to be back on the sofa with dad watching the soaps.

In the last year, she has found a little outlet for her desire to perform.

Mum likes to enter competitions.

If ever there is a competition that requires a video entry, mum is totally up for it. Either myself or sister, Wendy, will do the filming, editing and submitting (she does her best with technology but most of it is beyond her) and she relishes the opportunity to act out whatever is required of her. She has also helped out with some video product reviewing which she loved.

Unfortunately, the opportunities were getting fewer and further between but I pointed out to her that we could make a video just for our own entertainment. I suggested that she write a poem and perform it. She was delightfully keen and this is what she came up with.

So that is my mum and her poem about knitting.

Mum only started her knitting relatively recently after having broken her wrist when she misjudged cocking her leg over a barrier to take a short cut and fell. A metal plate used to bind the shattered bones left her with less flexibility than she had before the accident and knitting was a perfect exercise to strengthen the joint and improve movement. She only likes making small garments. All the grandchildren have hats and mitts aplenty but the youngest three are the major recipients of what we affectionately call Nana Knits. She is a prolific knitter!

The way my mum throws herself into projects with obsessive fervour does make me wonder. If she had pursued her dream to act, would she now be landing starring roles on stage and screen and collecting Oscars on her mantlepiece? We'll never know but my children's woolly collection would no doubt be much sparser and less colourful!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MUM XXX