The Second Mother, and A Mixed Media Mother's Day Bouquet Card

As I introduced earlier, this week I'm paying homage to the amazing moms of all kinds who have shaped my "mama schema" (read the post to understand what in the world that means :) and sharing simple handmade cards to deliver to these women who have been so influential in my life. Check out today's easy but awesome card tutorial at the bottom of the post: mixed media mother's day bouquet. 

The Second Mother

A Second Mother is one of those women who takes you under her wing, who tells you that you matter, who cheers you on -- even though she has no biological or legal responsibility to do so.

Rusti, my second mom throughout high school, the one who didn't get mad when we had a frosting fight in her house. :)

Second mothers love you like you belong to them, whether that means adding you to their brood or making you their honorary first child.

Second mothers, much like all mothers, give you the advice that you need, even when you don't want it.

Miranda, my manager when I waited tables in high school. 

When I was younger, my second mothers filled the gap between my own mother and my teenage brain -- telling me just what my mother had told me, but making it sound reasonable instead of unfair :)

Now that I'm "grown" (ha!), I am still finding second mothers who are watching out for me and allowing me (and my family) to become part of their families.

Yes, this is my best friend, Debra, and her mom, Sonja. Best family ever! :)

And, how lucky am I? One of my most influential second mothers later became my mother-in-law! (I think she is even as happy about the arrangement as I am ;)

My amazing mother--in-law and father-in-law

For the second mothers in your life, whip up a mixed media card... that looks like it took more time than it did :)

Mixed Media Mother's Day Bouquet Card

Just use what you have on hand... here's what I used:

• blank card (mine is just a piece of standard sized cardstock cut in half, hamburger-style, and then folded in half again)
• fabric scraps
• buttons
• washi tape
• textured scrapbook paper
• ribbon
• black and yellow chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
• glue -- I used a regular glue stick and a hot glue gun

Then, just start cutting and gluing...

1. Draw your flower shapes on the back of the fabric and cut them out. 
2. Stick on washi tape stems. 
3. Fold a small (1-2 inch) piece of ribbon and stick the cut ends under the washi tape to form leaves. 
4. Glue down the flowers. 
5. Cut grass out of textured paper and glue it on. 
6. Glue on buttons. 

And then, if you feel like something is missing, grab the pipe cleaners and create a tiny fuzzy bumblebee friend, by wrapping them around the tip of pencil:

And then adding another tiny piece of black pipe cleaner for antennae. Look at all that fuzzy goodness!

Glue it on, and you're done! (Once you write a nice note inside, of course!)

And now you can present your mother with a beautiful hand-picked bouquet that won't make her sneeze (or was I the only one who perpetually picked my mother bouquets of weeds she was allergic to? :)

-Lorene