Mother's Day - or
Mothering Sunday, as it is traditionally known here in the UK - falls on different dates in
different countries.
Here in the UK,
Mothering Sunday is always celebrated on the third Sunday before
Easter and as Easter is a 'movable feast' - and very early this year!
- there is no fixed date for Mother's Day. (This year Mother's Day is on March 6th in the UK.)
But I realise that
elsewhere Mother's Day is celebrated much later in the year, towards
summer, so I hope I've included enough suitable floral designs for
early summer as well as early spring!
You can read about the
origins of 'Mothering Sunday' in this article, which also
describes the kind of gifts that are often given to mothers in the
UK, along with special greeting cards and flowers.
The article doesn't,
however, mention that tradition has it that when girls were 'in
service' walked home to visit their mothers, on their day off, often
across fields and down lanes, they would pick a posy of wild flowers
on the way, as a gift.
As you'll probably see
from my collections below, I love flowers, even though I've become
sensitive to many of the more highly scented blossoms in recent
years. Nevertheless, I treasure my little garden and take photos or
paint the flowers whenever I can.
Almost any mother will
appreciate a bouquet of flowers on Mother's Day or even a pretty
little posy of garden flowers! And breakfast in bed, a meal at a
favourite restaurant or you might even like to bake her a cake
yourself! (Simnel Cake is traditional for Mother's Day as well as Easter - recipe here)
But it gets a little
more difficult if you no longer live close to your mother, too far
away to visit in person - and that's becoming a lot more common as
time goes on.
In any case, however
much they're appreciated at the time, flowers will fade and die and
edible treats, well, once they're eaten, all that remains is the fond
memory of them! So with that in mind, I've created quite a wide
selection of more lasting gifts for Mother's Day - most of them as
inexpensive as a special Coffee Mug to personalize for your mother,
and a few more expensive gifts, such as the pillows or cushions, some
of which are also ready for you to personalize.
And of course, for that
extra-special finishing touch, I've provided gift bags and wrapping
paper to match many of the Mother's Day greeting cards and gifts!
Mother's Day Greeting Cards and Gifts with Photos -
Here are some very pretty Mother's Day Cards and matching Gifts - with photos of Bluebells, Tulips and brilliant pink Wild Roses.
So take your pick and have fun personalizing them for Mother!
Just click on the image below to see the full photographic collection -
Collage Mother's Day Gifts and Greeting Cards -
Such a pretty collection of Mother's Day Greeting Cards and matching gifts for your mother! There are Coffee Mugs - some of them to personalize and Pendant Necklaces, as well as Pillows/Cushions and even some matching Wrapping Paper to add the finishing touch! The charming floral designs are all made from hand-painted paper collage and are sure to be favourites!
Just click on the image below to see the full 'Collage' collection -
Mother's Day in Watercolours!
Watercolour is probably my favourite medium for capturing the essence of the more fragile-looking flowers, such as Sweet Peas, Poppies and Roses, with their almost translucent petals.
These Mother's Day greeting cards could make a wonderful accompaniment to a bouquet or posy of flowers. And in this collection, there are flowers that will be in bloom from March onwards through into summer, so you'll probably be able to find them no matter what date Mother's Day is celebrated in your country.
But if not, there are gifts here with many of the same flowers that you can be sure your mother will treasure!
Just click on the image below to see the full 'Watercolour' collection -
Patterns for Mother's Day -
One hundred gifts and greeting cards for Mother's Day - all with floral patterns, some painted in watercolours, others from hand-painted paper collage motifs!
All of the cards and many of the coffee mugs and pillows are ready for you to easily personalize. And there's even matching gift-wrapping paper and gift bags for many of the designs.
What could better demonstrate your care and thoughtfulness on Mother's Day!
Just click on the image below to see the full 'Pattern' collection -
Mother's Day Greeting Cards and Gifts with Floral Oil Pastels
If you're looking for something a bit different for Mother's Day, you've come to the right place! These Mother's Day greeting cards and coffee mugs feature my original oil pastel paintings of garden flowers.
Mother's Day is celebrated on different dates in different countries but they are all in spring and early summer. So here are flowers that bloom in spring - daffodils and tulips - and early summer - wallflowers and poppies.
All are ready for you to personalize with your own greeting.
Just click on the image below to see the full 'Oil Pastels'collection -
Just for fun - Mother's Day Medals!
Strike a special medal for a Very Special Mother! The medals on these brightly coloured Mother's Day greeting cards and gifts are all individually made from hand-painted paper collage and any mother would be proud to receive them.
So go on, reward her for being the best mother in the world and see the smile on her face when she opens it!
(Don't forget that you can choose from a wide range of Case-mate cases by clicking on the menu below Style Options - Device Type)
Just click on the image below to see the full 'Mother's Day Medals' collection -
Mother's Day Cards with Welsh Language Greetings
Here's a collection of pretty, floral Mother's Day Cards with the greeting in the Welsh Language. Sure to be a hit with any mother who speaks Welsh, they all feature the same attractive floral designs as English Language cards.
You can personalize the inside message and the front cover greeting of some of them as well. Make Mother's Day special with one of these charming Welsh Language greeting cards for your mother!
Just click on the image below to see the full 'Welsh Language Greeting' collection -
Although the
celebration of Mother's Day has some common features around the world
- showing love and, particularly, gratitude to our mothers, or
mother-figures in some cases - there are, as you would expect, a few
small variations in the customs that are observed, which you can read
about HERE.
Whereas at one time
Mothering Sunday was celebrated by making the journey to visit one's 'Mother Church', rather than one's actual human mother, in many
countries Mother's Day has become entirely secularised and heavily
commercialised. Greeting Card stores and florists reap the financial
benefits of children, young and old, wishing to show their gratitude
for all that their mothers have done for them, raising them and
caring for them with the kind of enduring love that, for the most
part, only mothers (or mother-figures) know how to give.
But short of every
child, of whatever age, making their own Mother's Day greeting card
and picking a posy of wild flowers from the wayside for their
mothers, this is probably inevitable! But as long as we all remember
that it's not how much money we have to spend that counts, but rather, the care and thought that goes into our choice of
Mother's Day Greeting Card and Gift.
I remember scraping
together my pocket money, as a child, to buy my mother a tiny bottle
of perfume that she liked. It wasn't a classy, expensive perfume but
it did smell nice and the bottle was a very pretty colour and shape -
and she was thrilled that I had noticed what she particularly liked
so it gave pleasure to both of us when I saw the look of surprise and
pleasure on her face.
So be sure to take some
trouble with your choice of Mother's Day Card and gifts this year.
It
really is 'the thought that counts' - as long as the 'thought' is
translated into action! A
phonecall, a visit, a Mother's Day Greeting Card, flowers, a cake or
gift - whatever seems most appropriate to you.
Just don't let this special day go past unremembered!
