Ideas for Mother’s Day + why I’ll be going to Hawaii soon.

Today I have some inspiration for Mother’s Day:

- a pretty craft project,
- a simple muffin recipe,

- and some small yet special gifts, all of which you can order online.

I made small cubes from air-drying clay – even very small kids can manage to make them!
Equipped with wire they make pretty notecard holders to insert short love notes or small pictures.

The Mother’s Day breakfast spread will be perfect with home-made raspberry-Rafaello muffins and a stylish scented candle.

If you like you can present your mom with an additional surprise: a rose gold star dangling from a silk ribbon in summer colors.

Those who would like to write a lengthier love note for their moms can do so in a particularly pretty way with this stylish wire heart notecard.

The muffins are not too sweet and have only a faint coconut taste – easy peasy preparation!

Raspberry-Rafaello-Muffins

6 Rafaellos (Ferrero)
1 cup raspberries
1 egg
1 and ¼ cup flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. butter
½ cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla powder

Cube butter, sift flour into a mixing bowl.  
Add sugar and butter and mix well.
Make a dent in the middle.
Mix egg and milk and add to the dry ingredients all in one go.  
Mix with an electric mixer approx. 3 minutes. 
Add Raffaellos to the dough and mix again at medium speed.  
Gently fold the raspberries into the dough.  
Fill paper muffin liners to two thirds with dough.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 15 minutes, until muffins have risen and are brown.

For the notecard holders you will need:

- air-drying clay (e.g. from Amazon)
- wire (I usually ask at the florist’s for stiff floral wire, which you can buy separately)
- gold paint spray (plus white, if you like)
- loose glitter.

Cut a wide strip off the block of clay and cut the strip into cubes.

Tip:
if the shape of a cube is not nice, press it from both sides simultaneously with two big knives or small cutting boards, until achieving the desired square shape.
Let dry for a few hours. In the meantime wind the wire around your finger a couple of times and flatten – you want to be able to slide a piece of paper in between later.
Next spray paint the wire with the gold paint, spray paint the half-dried cubes with the white paint.
If you want the cubes to be glittery later you have to sprinkle a bit of glitter over the cubes while the paint is still wet.

After the paint has dried shorten the wires to different lengths and carefully stick them into the cubes.

A few days ago I stood at the door in my PJs at 7am in the morning – as I always do – while Ben was putting on his shoes.

It suddenly hit me like a bolt of lightning that Mother’s Day is not far off; this was followed by a natural “choking” sensation.

Unfortunately I automatically feel sick on occasions like this, for we all know it well: expectations, expectations, expectations.

I said to Ben spontaneously:

"It’s Mother’s Day again soon…”

Ben, while putting on his jacket:

"... and I have certain expectations!”

Me: "... which are?"

Ben (without missing a beat!): "1. A wellness day at the spa. 2. A trip to Hawaii. 3. A three-tier cake.”

Me: "But I want every tier in a different flavor.”

Ben: "No problem."

Me: "Or you could braid my hair INSTEAD.”

Ben: "But Mama! Sadly, I DON’T KNOW how to braid!”

Me: "Well then. The bottom tier with chocolate, please.”

I also would have been infinitely happy about a voucher for hair braiding, no question!

Mother’s Day card, scented candle: Nicole Mohrmann

Silk bracelet with star pendant : DeinLieblingsladen

Love,

Joanna (soon reporting from Hawaii, you know what I mean.)