Ah, Mother's Day. A time for children to exercise the right side of their brains and create extraordinary works of art in honor of Mom. What mom wouldn't love a coupon holder fashioned from two paper plates? Or a pencil holder made from an empty soup can covered in construction paper? Thank goodness for unconditional love. I think about the gifts I made my mom when I was young, and I marvel at her ability to keep from falling down in hysterics.

I like to think I've come a long way in the quality and creativity of my handmade gifts! I still enjoy making cards and gifts for my mom, but I also take pleasure in honoring my friends who are moms. One of my favorite gifts to make for new moms is a small album to record special moments in the life of their child. Sometimes I take a store-bought album and tweak it with die-cut windows and embellishments. Other times I make an album entirely from scratch with beautiful paper and ribbon. These albums have taken on many shapes and formats, but they're always personal and made with love.

That's really what it all comes down to in our craft. While our creative skills have progressed from the days of making coupon holders, our pages and our gifts are still created with a smile and lots of love.

Happy Mother's Day!