Caught up in the fascination of dying I was intrigued by Martha Stewart’s Ombre Scarf project.  I purchased cotton gauze at Joanns as well as liquid RIT dye and dye fixative.  My products were not the same as the ones listed in the project, so I had to wing it.  Obviously, our scarves are more saturated in color than Martha’s.  We had enough fabric to make four scarves.  We used one entire bottle of liquid dye for each color.  The process is quite fun.  You dye in six-inch increments along the fabric.  After every section, you add water to dilute the dye.  This creates a weaker dye and the ombre effect.  Since our color is so saturated the ombre effect is not as evident.  I do not have a lot of experience with dyes so I started with the entire bottle poured into a squirt bottle with a little water added.  I think I would recommend starting with half a bottle of dye.  Nevertheless, it was a learning experience.  I’m not sure my mother-in-law will find too many places to wear the vibrant blue scarf, but I hope my mom will enjoy the green scarf.  The best part is that Annie and I have a scarf in each color to share!

My mother’s day included a lovely surprise from my boss and friend Sondra.  I’m designating this lovely “green” bag as my shopping bag.  I’ve finally made it a habit to bring my green bags to the grocery store.  (I only shop once a week, so I needed to build up a lot of bags – and remember to take them!)  But I often don’t bother taking a bag when I run to Joanns or Target.  Now, I will keep this lovely bag near my door for my shopping expeditions.

She also gave me this lovely journal to record reflections.  Not only was this a surprise gift, but given from one who is always encouraging me in my motherly endeavors…one who recognizes the importance of this job. 

My day was spent resting from the lively dinner we hosted with my husband’s mother and siblings the night before.  Church services, my son doing his first load of laundry, guilt-free time at my favorite spot in front of the window, a wonderful dinner prepared by Annie, not watching calories for a day, a special tissue-box made by my 10 yo son and a little couch-time with my knitting.

My friend Sarah wrote a lovely post about the gifts her mom didn’t give her.  Sarah frequently writes about vintage parenting and this post struck a nerve with me because it is how I was raised.  I wish I could thank my mom in such an eloquent way….

I hope you all had a lovely Mother’s Day.