Mother’s Day is coming up!  If you have a mom you’d like to thank this special day, why not make her something?  Cook her a nice lunch (I have posted a great recipe for Baked Tofu and Rice today) or make a card.  Yes, MAKE a card.  Even if you think you have no artistic abilities.  I  am a mom of a 17 year-old and I still prefer the stuff he makes me.  His hand-made cards, crafted simply with colored paper and coloured inks, although not the kind you’d find at Hallmark stores, are my favourite presents.  Or if you think a card is not enough for your special mom, try one of the gift ideas in our Affordable Gifts section of this blog.

I love giving and receiving very personalized or hand-made gifts.  To me, it shows that the giver really took the time to think of the recipients and took the time and energy to create something for them.  Also, the gift is likely one of a kind or at least a limited edition.  And another plus is that it’s usually very economical to make something rather than buying an item from the store.

There are two moms I am going to give gifts to this year: my mom and my boyfriend’s mom, Mary.  I made Mary a personalized journal (a store-bought journal on which I pasted an acrylic transfer of a painting of me and boyfriend).   My mom likes jewelry, so I am making her a beaded necklace.

I am going to enjoy making my mom’s gift very much because I will be taking a class in order to create her necklace.  Since I believe in lifelong learning and trying out new things, I consider this class to be an investment.  I will be learning a new skill and have a reason (my mom’s gift) to practice this skill after the class is over.

If you have any other ideas for Mother’s Day or Affordable Gifts, I’d love to hear from you.  Or if you want more info on what I think are Alternative Investments, go to Alternative Investments section of this blog.