too bad it skips a generation

my mom has always been creative.  it started when my nana hired a teenage girl in their neighborhood to teach my mom to sew.  as i was growing up, she liked to sew me dresses.  i was definitely the only one who showed up for picture day in the 3rd grade wearing a brown and tan prairie-style dress with a bow at my neck.  (i loved it.)  and although she may argue this, she's very artistic, too.  i always loved her quirky little drawings and doodles i used to find all over the house.

and through the years, i remember her going through phases with many a creative outlet.  for example, in my early teen years i remember a certain obsession she had with fimo clay.  miniature pink fimo babies covered our counters and tables.  and then fimo babies turned into fimo santa clauses and fimo pins for friends.

as my brothers and i started to leave home, my mom started quilting.  she started with a class at a local adult school and before any of us knew it, we were buried in quilts and she had started meeting with her quilting groups instead of making dinner.  (jokes, mom.  jokes.) (kind of.)

but her creativity really took off when we all got out of her house and freed up a sewing room for her.  it has been great watching her grow in her talents (awww) and see all the beautiful things she has created.  especially when she gives ME those beautiful, wonderful things...

every time my mom visits, she always brings me a little something.  "i whipped up about ten of these one day," she'll say, handing me a cute crafty little bag or pouch or toy for the kids.  and this last trip was no different.  she had recently made a bunch of little sewing kits and gave me one.  and then i got to thinking about ALL the "little" things she's given me over the years...

...and as i started going around the house i realized that i would need an assistant if i was ever going to take a picture of EVERY thing my mom has made for us, so this is just a sampling.  i honestly could have been taking pictures all day of every quilt, pillowcase, headband, coaster, pouch, bag, toy, doll quilt, skirt, and cute thing my mom has ever made for us.

i know!  too cute, right?!

"oh, no big deal... this was totally easy..."
made out of an old tablecloth.

parker's monkey quilt.

"lucy goosey"
parker sleeps with her every night.

macy's butterfly quilt.

she made this for parker's 7th birthday.

i about died when i saw this quilt.

she made the cowboy pillows...

... and here's a better picture of ollie's baby quilt.

this is the quilt she made for me and josh when we got married.  i have to keep a close eye on this one when she visits because she loves it so much and she's threatened to take it back.

that top yellow one is one of my most absolute favorites.  it's made entirely by hand. she made it for parker when she was a baby.

thank you mom for all your creativity and wonderful gifts over the years!  next up, a quilt for oliver that she's been working on.  she says it's the best thing she's ever made and i'm beginning to wonder if we will ever see it...

although she hasn't blogged for three years, this is my mom's blog...