Love Begins with Family printable Mother's Day card plus a gift for mom

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hallmark Jewelry for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.


I never realized how much my life was going to change when I became a mom. I was young when my oldest son was born, only 20. When you are 20 your life still very much revolves around you. My decisions were driven by what I wanted to do and what I needed but as soon as that baby was placed in my arms it was no longer about me. I didn't just become a mom that day, we became a family.

It's true what they say that once you become a mother you begin to appreciate your own mother and their sacrifices for you. I know I hear stories about how I didn't sleep for the first three years of my life. Well, I got payback because I had one of those kids myself! 

Becoming a mom allowed me to see my mom with new eyes. The eyes were sometimes strained with exhaustion, sometimes worry and oftentimes pride, but my new eyes could see the compassion. I don't know if you can fully realize quite how much your mom loves you until you have your own child. There is something about experiencing and knowing that mother's love that you just didn't know before.
Love begins with family.



While it's nice to show appreciation to your mother every day of the year, it's always nice to stop and take the time to express that appreciation on Mother's Day. My family is everything to me, but family didn't start with me. Like the branches on a tree, we all come from a strong base. We have roots that ground us and people in our lives that steady us. I wouldn't have been able to branch off without my parents, which is why I'm giving this Tree of Life Necklace from Hallmark Jewelry to my mom.


Inside the custom gift packaging from Hallmark there is a card inside that says "love begins with family." I just love this saying, because it is so true! Which is why I created a custom card to go along with the Tree of Life necklace that I am sending to my mom. I printed it off in grey, but it also comes in color.  I'm including the link to download so that you can print it and send it to your mom on Mother's Day.

love begins with family free printable mother's day card

Find the free printable "love begins with family" Mother's Day card here. I know my mom is going to love the Tree of Life Necklace. You can find Hallmark Jewelry at Amazon.com

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Free Printable Flower Vases that you can Color for May day or Mother's Day or Anyday

When I was a small child, I remember celebrating May day. As kids, we pretty much had the run of the neighborhood. My friends and I would pick whatever flowers we could find, tie them together and knock on the door of our neighbors as we ran away giggling. The flowers were a sweet thing for our neighbors to find on their doorstep and it was a fun thing for us to do as kids. 

It's so fun for me to find flowers on our door from the little neighbor girl across the street now. It reminds me of those sweet childhood days celebrating May day.  Which is why I made up these fun paper flower vases that you can print off and use to celebrate May day or Mother's Day or just because. They are so easy and you or the kids can color in the blank vases to create a special treat for those you love.

free printable coloring flower vase for Mother's day or May day with or without a Bible verse

You want to start by downloading your flower vases and printing them off. I have two separate printables, one with a Bible verse and another without {perfect if you want to use it for a classroom}. There are three vases per page and cut line that you can follow to cut them out.
download flower vase with NO Bible verse
download flower vase with Bible verse
free printable coloring flower vase for Mother's day or May day

Once the printables are cut you can gather your supplies. I use these brush pens to color because they are my favorite and the washi tape helps hold the flower in place on the back.

free printable coloring flower vase for Mother's day or May day

You will need to use scissors or a retractable knife to cut the top opening of the vase. 

free printable coloring flower vase for Mother's day or May day

Then, simply find some flowers and tuck them in. Use your washi tape to secure them in the back if you need to.

with or without a Bible verse

You can use these for Mother's Day tea's, place cards at women's events, May Day, or for a little pick me up.

free printable coloring flower vase for Mother's day or May day with Ecclesiastes 3:11

Your kids will have fun with them, but I think that you will too! Why not brighten someone's day today.

free printable coloring flower vase for Mother's day or May day
dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!
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All About My Mom free printable questionaire

There is nothing cuter than having your young child answer questions about someone who is close to them. I still go back and read the answers that my kids wrote about me when they were in pre-school. Which is why I put together a free all about my mom printable that you can use for your kids to capture their answers.  I promise you, your older kids will look back on it and get a chuckle too.


This would be something sweet to help kids do for their mom's for Mother's Day, or it would be fun just because.




Take a few minutes and have kids fill in their answers or record the answers for them. Be sure to date it and write the age of the child you are interviewing.


**all free printables are for personal use only. Please do not distribute them for sale. If you link to them, please link to my site and give them proper attribution. **

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25 free or inexpensive things you can give your mom on Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner. As a mom of three kids that are growing up far too fast, I thought that I would make a list of the top 25 free or inexpensive gifts that you can give your mom on Mother's Day. I promise you, these are all under $10 so they will fit into any budget.  

Honestly, what I had in mind when I wrote this are things that I would appreciate getting from my own kids. Long gone are the days when their teachers helped them create a sweet card or created me an art project in class. My kids are on their own now. This is the perfect list for a teenager or a young twenty something to keep in mind, so make sure you share it with them.

25 free or inexpensive ideas for things you can do for your mom on Mother's Day perfect for the teen or college kid



1. Frame a photo of you and your mom together. You can find cheap frames at the dollar store or Goodwill.
2. Help your mom with a project. Set aside time to help her do something she's always wanted to do. My mom isn't the most computer savvy, so I helped her make her first photo book. Then I watched her do her second. She's since made several on her own and appreciated the hands on tutorial. 
3. Create a photo book. Chatbooks are super easy and only cost $8. You are limited by the amount of pages, so it's best to keep it to a theme {grandkids, recent trip, etc...}.
4. Create a gift basket with your mom's favorite candy. You don't need to go all out, just pick a few items you know she loves. Everything looks better in a basket or tied up in a cello bag.
5. Spend the day with her. Let your mom pick the destination and then go along for the ride. Even if it might not be your choice for the day, do your best to act like it is.
6. Cut some flowers and make an arrangement. You don't need to buy an expensive bouquet {sometimes the best flowers are those you find on the side of the road}, simply put them in a ball jar or take grocery store flowers and rewrap them in brown kraft paper.
25 free or inexpensive ideas for things you can do for your mom on Mother's Day perfect for the teen or college kid
7. Your local big box store often has great plants. Simply find a pot at a thrift shop and you have a great inexpensive house plant.
8. There are so many creative people out there creating free printables. Simply print and frame them at home for a handmade gift. You can find lots of free printables on my printable Pinterest board.
9. If your mom is crafty, consider putting together a basket with some goodies to DIY from the craft store. Don't forget to use your 50% off coupon!
10. Moms love personalized and handmade gifts. These hand stamped necklaces and bracelets cost under $5 to make and can be done in under 20  minutes. 
11. Stick to a color palate or theme. For under $10 you can fill a box of sunshine like this from HappyMoneySaver.com. 
25 free or inexpensive ideas for things you can do for your mom on Mother's Day perfect for the teen or college kid

12. Give your mom her favorite drink. It could be tea or coffee or maybe it's wine, regardless, just knowing that you know what her favorite is will be treasured.

13. Shop your mom's favorite store. Most likely you will find something in your budget {or get inspiration for something that is in your budget at another store} that she will love.

14. Write a note. Write down your favorite memory with your mom or write a line or two about what you appreciate about her. It doesn't take much and is sure to be appreciated.

15. Create a play list. If your mom is a music lover, she might enjoy the hand selected tunes you have picked for her.

16. Wash and clean her car for her. It won't cost you anything if you do it yourself and the time you spend on it will be greatly appreciated.

17. Make a journal or a notebook for her. You can use scrapbook paper or if you sew, you could cover an existing notebook. Both will cost you less than $5.

18. Make her a dinner. I cook nearly every day of the year so it's nice to have one day when I'm not expected to cook. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but cooking for your mom would be a really sweet gesture.

19. Look around for free events in your area that you think she would like and offer to take her to one. There might be a concert in the park coming up in a few weeks, planning that with her and making the time to go would make her beyond happy.

20. Take on a project that your mom hates. Heck, you may hate it too, but doing it will make her forever grateful. 

21. Do something active together. Go on a bike ride our scout out a local hike.

22. Rent a movie and pop some popcorn and enjoy an evening together. Make sure it's her choice, not yours!

23. Set up a tripod and snap a family picture. You don't need to hire a photographer, just taking the time to be in a picture together that she can share with others will have her beaming. 

24. Visit a local attraction or museum together. Many libraries offer free admission to local museums, all you have to do is check out a pass. Some local attractions are free. Set aside the time to go with your mom.

25. Call her. Like on the phone with your voice. You may not live close enough to your mom to spend the day with her. Simply calling to let her know that you remembered is priceless.

25 free or inexpensive ideas for things you can do for your mom on Mother's Day perfect for the teen or college kid
source: Pavan Trikutam

So there you have it. 25 free or inexpensive ways to show your mom that you care this Mother's Day. Let me know if I missed any. I would love to hear from you.
dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!
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Project Fail Sometimes Things Don't Go Like You Plan

Sometimes projects don't always turn out the way that you think that they will. Bloggers don't always showcase their failures but I promise you, we have days where things don't turn out the way we envision them either. So I'm showing you one of my most recent fails.
Blogger failure with greenery for a live wreath

On the left, you will see the inspiration for my project. It's lovely. I saw it on the Magnolia Market blog and not even a day later I found some greenery that had been marked down at my local grocery store. With all the supplies in hand, I set to work, but somewhere something went wrong!

Spring greenery wreath fail




At our local grocery store, we have a section with markdowns. Being the thrifty shopper that I am, I always check that section before I leave. Sometimes I find marked down flowers, sometimes I find baked goods {they freeze}, this time, I found some greenery that had been marked half price.

Perhaps my first mistake was taking already dying greenery and leaving it on my counter for nearly a week before working with it.

Regardless, I had the supplies on hand {wire wreath form from the dollar store, floral wire and dikes} and set to work.


The collage tutorial from Magnolia Market blog looked easy enough.

Magnolia Market spring greenery wreath

As I got started it felt like things were going according to plan. But then they didn't. The branches just didn't look as peppy as the Magnolia Market branches {I figured it was because I was using a different kind of greenery} and when the wreath was flat, it seemed like I could squint and make it look OK, but once I picked it up, it was so not OK.


I kept on truckin' and hung it up on my cabinet hoping I could shape it up a bit.  Maybe tuck a branch in here or there and make it look better.

Spring greenery wreath fail

I could not.

Spring greenery wreath fail

There you have it. My project fail. Not everything turns out the way I want it to and some days I have projects that just weren't worth my time.

Spring greenery wreath fail

I do still love this wreath and the Magnolia Market tutorial so I'm not totally defeated just yet. I may steer clear of the clearance section at the grocery store for my greenery if I want to try it again.

Magnolia Market spring greenery wreath

So tell me I'm not the only one with a project fail. I would even love to see them. If you post them to social media tag me {@holycraftblog} and use #craftfail.
dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!
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Fixer Upper-Mansion Edition: Follow a Young Couple on Their Journey to Rehabbing a Historic Home

I spent the first ten years of my life growing up in a small town in Indiana. The home we lived in was built in 1860. Brick houses were common and I fell in love with the charming details old homes have that you just can't find in new construction.  I went back to that small town recently and met up with my childhood best friend, who grew up in a beautiful Craftsman home across the street from me. Her youngest brother and his new bride recently purchased a brick home at auction that I remember admiring when I was a kid. 

Fixer Upper mansion edition-follow a young couple on the journey as they restore a historic home in Indiana

The house the couple refers to as "The Mansion" is close to the town square. As kids we would often ride our bikes past it and I remember loving the statuesque qualities of the home. I never got a glimpse inside as a kid but always wanted to. It's exciting now to know the current owners Christian and Dea. Dea is willing to take us along on the ride as this newlywed couple renovates and restores this fixer upper. 

I think you are really going to enjoy seeing the restoration process in a series of blog posts. While you may not be brave enough to take on a historic home renovation {I know I wouldn't be!}, seeing this historic home come back to life is going to be fun. I promise you, you are going to love Dea's style! There will be DIY's, tutorials, and glimpses inside the process of this fixer upper.  But first, let's find out why this young couple wanted to take on an old home and what their vision is for it. Don't miss out on the first big reveal. You are going to love seeing this couples completed foyer!




Tell me a little about yourself.
I am 26 years old, recently married to my husband Christian. I work during the day as an internal auditor for an automotive plant in small town Indiana and fill my evenings with hobbies such as quilting, decorating, painting, and cleaning the mansion. 




Is this your first home? What drew you to a very old fixer upper?

This is the second home we have owned together. We bought our first home on a whim so-to-speak based on location proximity to his job. Our first home lacked all of the charm and character of an older home that we both love. We actually had seen this home up for auction while living in our first home and in passing mentioned that it was too bad we had just bought a home or it would be nice to put an offer in. Once my husband left his job we were left with the decision to stay in our current location or move in to town. We decided moving into town was the best for us. Luckily this home was still up for auction when we were house hunting the second go-around. We both decided it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we went for it. I remember admiring this home from afar when I was younger like most people in town had. We both love the character of older homes; the tall ceilings, the elaborate woodwork, and the large formal spaces. We just feel lucky that we were able to scoop it up when the time was right. 


Fixer Upper mansion edition-follow a young couple on the journey as they restore a historic home in Indiana


Tell us a little about the history of your home.

The home was built in 1871 by Bright B. Harris, a scout for Morgan’s Raiders during the Civil War. Once the war was over Harris returned to Greensburg, Indiana and opened a limestone quarry and called it Harris City Stone Quarry. He used the limestone from that quarry to build the foundation of the home and for several architectural accents like stairs and walkways. The previous owners have also given us several stories of the homes’ history along with artwork and news clippings which has been a lot of fun. One interesting fact for instance is that there is a cistern located in the attic which was used to fill and flush the first indoor toilet in Greensburg!


Have you ever done any DIY before? 

I have in fact participated in my fair share of DIY projects. For example: I was recently featured on a billboard in Time Square for a kitchen remodel project I completed in our first home. 



I painted the cabinets gray, replaced the counters with butcher block, installed an apron sink and faucet, and added a white subway tile backsplash. I’ve also tackled many DIY projects such as: installing closet organizers, painting, laying wood flooring, building a dining table and bench, hanging light fixtures, wallpapering, and installing sinks and plumbing. I grew up watching HGTV and DIY shows like trading spaces, design on a dime, and HGTV’s next design star, so one could say I was bred for DIY!


Your goal seems to be to restore the home rather than gut it and renovate it. Why?

What drew us to the older home was the character and charm. We couldn’t imagine gutting those qualities only to replace them with cheap or builder grade materials. We want any fix we do to be seamless to the original so that when people walk through it feels authentic to the period. That being said, the home also needs to function for our lives today. For instance, could you imagine living in a period kitchen? It’s just not practical. We also enjoy some of today’s amenities like heating and air conditioning.



Old construction is a lot different than new construction, how are you learning how to restore the home?

We are researching online, talking with local contractors, and a lot of trial and error. Many small projects end up quickly becoming large ones with many trips to the local hardware store. For example, Christian recently wanted to change the light bulbs in the front lamp post. When all was said and done a 30 minute project turned in to eight hours of work and three trips to the hardware store because he had to complete a total rewire. 

Do you see The Mansion as your forever home or are you interested in rehabing multiple historic homes in your area?

We definitely see the Mansion as our forever home. Especially after we put all of our love and sweat equity into it, I couldn’t imagine us deciding to sell and start over. I wouldn’t mind, however, rehabbing several other historic homes in our area. I have always wanted to flip houses or fix up property to rent.


It's fun to do the lipstick projects (the painting and the decorating) but I'm sure with a very old home like The Mansion, you have had to pay attention to some of the not so fun projects (wiring, roofing, heating). Tell me about some of those.

Of course the lipstick projects are my forte and I love doing those, but we’ve actually had more expenses poured into the not-so-fun projects so far. When we bought the house last year it needed a new roof, box gutter repair, a new electrical box put in, new plumbing throughout, attic vents, and hearths put in for the fireplaces. There are still some projects that need to be done though, like installing a dehumidifier, plastering the kitchen walls, and upgrading the heating and cooling systems. 


Are there any projects you and your husband won't tackle on your own?

Some projects we won’t do ourselves, like electrical, plumbing, and wall repair. Everything else is fair game in my book. 


You and your husband both have full time jobs, how do you find the time to work on the house and the many projects you have in mind for it?

I usually take on a large project every couple months. During project time everything else gets put on hold, the laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, EVERYTHING! A project usually takes me a week or two from demo to finished product and then I will usually spend the next month or so getting everything caught up. My husband and I live by what is typically known as “burning the candle at both ends.” Even when we don’t have a large project to occupy us we are either cleaning the mansion, working in the yard, or playing with our hobbies.


What are some of the original features of the home that you are most excited about bringing back to life?

I’m really excited to showcase the marble floors in the entry, the marble fireplaces, the high ceilings, and the wood floors. I plan to pick paint colors that will make those elements pop. 



What are your biggest challenges when it comes to decorating and remodeling your home?

One of the largest challenges right away was how tall the ceilings are (14 feet!). This makes it difficult to just change a light bulb or clean the cob webs out of the corners. We realized very early on that even our extendable ladder wouldn’t suffice. We quickly invested in scaffolding which has been a huge help during all of the remodeling. Another large obstacle we have run into is that the floors are filled with concrete. This concrete barrier makes it difficult to have plumbing done on the second floor or to invest in in-floor heating as a heating solution. There are also very small areas of opportunity to run things to the second floor because the walls are all solid brick.


Tell me about some of the rooms of the home and what your vision is for those rooms.

I have a vision for almost every room in the house at this point, the grand parlor I imagine having very sophisticated, feminine, chic stylings where as in the drawing room (where men draw on their pipes) I want to have the feel of an old library or study with stacks of books laying around and adorned with masculine leather furniture. 

Some of the other rooms like the Foyer, dining room and master bedroom I would like to design around furniture that we have acquired from my husband’s Grandmother’s estate or the furniture that we have already and love. I’ve also found little bits of inspiration which I’d like to work into the design like this fabulous charcoal floral wallpaper which I want to incorporate somewhere. 

The family room, which will be upstairs, is going to designed around a brightly colored rug of Christian’s mother’s and I think it will give the room an overall more fun and relaxed comfortable feel. 

The bedroom will also be designed around a rug which was Christian’s grandmothers. I have an idea to make custom bedding to match in the bedroom. 

children's bedroom


The children’s bedroom, however, I am designing from scratch. This is the project I am looking forward to the most. I got the inspiration from a set of Eastlake furniture that was his grandmothers.  It looks like it has a fox in the woodwork. That gave me the idea to do a woodland animal theme kids room with foxes, raccoons, deer, bear, & rabbits. I want to make the bedding for that room as well, along with several other DIY projects which I will keep to myself for now.


fox detail in the furniture


Buying a historic home isn't for everyone. What would you say to someone who was thinking about buying a historic home?

I would definitely tell them to plan for the expenses of an older home. Not only do things break more often, but they also tend to cost more to replace. I would try to plan any fixes needed into the purchase of the home so that the worry isn’t there when you move in. One thing I wish we would have done is try to get the kitchen updated when we first bought it. Now we are realizing that kitchen renovations are very expensive, especially in an older home with 14’ ceilings. 

One of the first projects Dea tackled was completing the foyer. I love the grand staircase and marble floors and can see huge potential here. Heck, it's pretty amazing as it already is but wait until you see the after!


There were a few different paint options, but I love what Dea ended up settling on. She tells me that she basically laid down the color chip wheel and picked the color closest matching the veins in the marble. She said she was "tired of running back and forth to the paint store and the gamble paid off"! 


This was no small project! 


If you have a home with 14 foot ceilings, owning your own scaffolding is a must!


In the home I lived in growing up, we had an entry way like this one. There was a beautiful curved stairway in the front and a servants stair case in the back of the house. I lived there in the 80's when wall paper was king and my mom hired a few guys to wallpaper the whole house. I remember there being a little bit of a stall in just about the same place at our house. Think about it. You have 14 foot tall ceilings and it's two stories tall, you are looking at 28 feet to the top at least. The guy who finished our wall paper project a few days later ended up dying of a heart attack. My mom blamed herself and our high ceilings on his death!


Can we stop for a hot minute and look at that huge linen cabinet in the upstairs hallway. Restoration Hardware is feeling bad about all of it's knock offs that can't hold a candle to this original piece!


I have all the heart eyes for this piece.  I can't even! There are no words so let's just stop and stare at this piece. 

linen cabinet in historic home

Remember that charcoal floral wallpaper Dea was mentioning in her vision? She took this space under the stairs and decided to hang it there.


I just love the print!


I think it makes for an unbelievable accent wall don't you.



I know Christmas has passed but one of my favorite parts of living in a historic home was how beautiful the home was when it was decorated for the holidays. Dea's home is a stunner!

historic home decorated for Christmas

And since you can't celebrate Christmas all year round, here is the foyer when they aren't celebrating the holidays. Isn't it stunning?

foyer with curved staircase and marble in historic home in Indiana

One last before and after side by side. I think the dark grey paint is a major winner. What a difference it makes. 

foyer with curved staircase and marble in historic home in Indiana

I'm so looking forward to more before and after fixer upper projects from Dea. Until then, go check out her etsy shop. She's an amazing quilter and has an eye for a great print! 

Are you like me and have a soft spot for a historic home? They really don't make them like they used to! I can't wait to tour the rest and see the vision that Dea has come to life in The Mansion.

dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!
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