I always celebrate Cinco de Mayo by setting out my much loved Mexican painted wood trays and my sweet little Mexican pottery creature colletion. 

I have several trays and quite a few birds (and one frog) - all rescued from thrift shops and garage sales over the years.  I can't bear to leave them sitting unhappily in those musty places where they are not appreciated.  I have to give them a good home!  Just HAVE to!

Panna Cotta!   Chocolate Mousse!   Cream Puffs!   Cheese Blintz!

All perfect, deliciously decadent ways to celebrate Mother's Day!  And all made with very little or no sugar!

(Not So) Sweets is a perfect gift for Mothers, especially those who are cooking and baking for family members on restricted sugar diets. and for Moms who are just simply trying to reduce the amount of sugar in the family diet.

And, I am thinking, with all the tutorials in our crafty universe for making book covers, printing out a copy of the book and making a lovely paper or fabric  cover would make your gift both personal and unique.

To celebrate Mother's Day Diane and I are co-hosting a giveaway and my contribution is a copy of (Not So) Sweets so you can make a beautiful book for your Mom!

And Diane is sharing some of the crafty goodness she brought home from crafty play time aboard the Crafty Chica Cruise.

I picked Diane up at the airport when she returned from the cruise so I got to touch and see and hold every item you see here! You or your Mom will love having these bright, happy objects in your homes - made by Diane and inspired by Crafty Chica!

Adorable button boquet! Pop it into a tiny vase and it is a perfect color - accent almost anywhere.

Reconstructed T-shirt pillow case created using Tulip Fabric Spray Paints and stencils and glitter - all part of the Crafty Chica product line.  All you need to add is the stuffing!

Very colorful wooden shrine designed by Kathy's super crafty husband, Patrick the Mantastic Crafter!  Add personal images and tokens to it and make it a personal shrine for Dia de Muertos.

Hand painted silk scarf using Kathy's Crafty Chica Tango Fabric Markers.  This pretty scarf could be worn, of course, but it would also be lovely displayed on a table or on the back of a chair, or cut into pieces and framed!

So!  There you are!  The lucky winner will receive all of these gifts!

To enter, leave a comment below or on Diane's post here! International entries are most welcome!

Entries close on May 5th (Cinco doe Mayo) at noon, PST

Good luck everyone!

Tomorrow, April 30th is celebrated all over Sweden to mark Valborgs or Walpurgis Nacht.

The dark, cold winter days are waning.  Huge bonfires are lit to welcome the returning sun and the warmth it brings to the earth. All the debris collected during the winter, from old fence railings to branches pruned from shrubs and trees become fuel for the celebration fires.

Last year about this time I put together this little vine wreath for the front door.  My plan was for it to last through the summer and then to reuse the wreath as a base for a fall themed wreath.

But, when fall came, it was still growing and looking beautiful! So, just before the first frost, I brought it inside with the faint hope I could winter it over.

And here it is - back on my front door for another summer!  Those two little canisters I used to hold water really worked great!

A great way to celebrate Earth Day?  Order a copy of "Card, Paper, Ribbon" by Kristin Roach and create beautiful, useful items from all the greeting cards, and used ribbon and wrapping paper you have been diligently saving!

Did you know that you can make paper from greeting cards?  Or oilcloth like papercloth by bonding wrapping paper to fabric? Or crochet and knit bags and bowls using discarded curling ribbon and leftover yarn?