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Next Sunday is Mother's Day here in the UK and one company who have got it right this year are Marks & Spencer who have put together a colourful and modern range of cards, gifts, and wrap. This floral design (above & below) is the main focus of their Mother's Day packaging as well as being available as a card and gift bag. It also has lots of secondary patterns to compliment it across the

Sticking with Marks & Spencer here are some of their Mother's Day cards for the 2014 spring season. They have a wide range with something to suit all tastes but here are a few that picked out in store and from their recently revamped website. Highlights for me included seeing the delicate type that is stitched in thread and the 'Mumderful' card raised smiles from everyone who was viewing in my

And finally for today some more lovely Mother's Day designs on gift wrappings from Marks & Spencer. See more Mother's Day designs online here at M&S.

for today's look at mother's day design we look at britains favourite department store john lewis. brands in their 2013 offering include caroline gardner, belly button designs, and urban graphic. here are some of my faves spotted online and in store.

because next specialise in fashion and contemporary homewares you can always find a stylish and fashionable card in one of their stores. they do also have an online personalised card service now, but here are a few i spotted in my local branch... Read the rest of this post

this is the last post for P+P's mother's day reporting with a final round-up of cards. above : katie elliot designs on etsy, below : noi publishing. below : paper and pip printable card on etsy. below : two mother's day designs from nineteen seventy three. below : mothers day promo display from joules. below : cute lettering on a window display in the kitchenmonger shop. above :

with mother's fast approaching this sunday there is still time to buy a great card if you havent yet done so. wilkinson's have managed to combine good design with value prices in their 2013 collection. they have especially excelled in cards for younger buyers who may only have pocket money to spend. especially with these cute owls and fun ladybirds (above & below).

here are a few snaps from clinton cards (and papyrus) for mother's day 2013.

these three fun designs from hallmark cards were spotted in fashion store matalan.

and finally for today wh smith have designs by woodmansterne, cardmix, max and sid, and the art press amongst others.

today on p+p i am looking at cards and wrap spotted in the supermarkets. we begin with tesco who have some very colourful designs for mother's day this year. sainsbury's may have had the best valentine's cards but tesco have totally excelled for mother's day, providing everything from modern graphics to shabby chic and even kitsch. there was also a striking geo rose pattern used for

next up its a selection from sainsbury's who have used the same lovely bold typography (above and below) as they did for valentine's for two bright and contemporary mother's day cards  - but this time in warm spring colours.

my last supermarket for mother's day 2013 is asda. not so much to choose from here as asda are very big on cute bear type designs, but there were a few florals that caught my eye.

my coverage of mother's day 2013 continues with a look at the cards available this year in marks & spencer. i think they probably had some of the most innovative designs of the season with contemporary graphics and lots of use of pink and orange neon mixed with kraft paper.

i spotted this range of mother's day cards by 'stop the clock' in a local card store and loved the graphic sketches and stylish colours. seeing the designs instore led me to check out more designs online from their marvellous mum and all things pretty mother's day ranges.

now i know its not the same date all over the world but this sunday (10th march) is mother's day here in the UK, and so i have been scouring the high street to see this years designs. mother's day is the second of the big three 'spring season' design categories along with valentine's day and easter and i started my research as usual in paperchase.... Read the rest of this post

design spotting readers will probably have noticed several lovely cards by designer caroline gardner in the paperchase selection today. at this popular uk publsiher there are lots of different designs available this year from various different stockists but you can also buy direct from caroline gardner online here.

camp hopson is an independent department store in newbury, england. for their 2013 mother's day offering they have lots of cute and lovely cards by liz & pip amongst others. here are a few snaps from my visit to the store last week... Read the rest of this post

belly button designs are fresh from their henry award nominations and straight into previewing their new spring summer 2013 ranges on the belly button blog. they've also been creating some stunning designs just using embossed gold and silver metallic foils. below you'll find their colourful new spring season highlights, sophisticated wedding designs in john lewis and the recently released '

Hickem, Catherine. (2012). Heaven in Her Arms: Why God Chose Mary to Raise His Son and What It Means for You. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-1-4002-0036-8.

What do we know of Mary?

 What we know of Mary’s family is that she is of the house of David; it is from her lineage Jesus fulfilled the prophecy. Given the archeological ruins of the various places thought to have been living quarters for their family, it is likely the home was a room out from which sleeping quarters (cells) branched. As Mary and her mother Anne would be busy maintaining the household, with young Mary working at her mother’s command, it is likely Anne would be nearby or in the same room during the Annunciation. Thus Mary would not have had a scandalous secret to later share with her parents but, rather, a miraculous supernatural experience, the salvific meaning of which her Holy parents would understand and possibly even witnessed.

 Mary and Joseph were betrothed, not engaged. They were already married, likely in the form of a marriage contract, but the marriage had not yet been “consummated”. This is why he was going to divorce her when he learned of the pregnancy. If it were a mere engagement, he would have broken it off without too much scandal.

 Married but not yet joined with her husband, her mother would prepare her by teaching her all that she needed to know. This is further reason to assume that Mary would be working diligently under her mother’s eye when the Annunciation took place.

 We know that her cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy was kept in secret for five months, and not made known until the sixth month when the Angel Gabriel proclaimed it to Mary. We know Mary then rushed to be at her elderly cousin’s side for three months (the remaining duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy), and that this rushing appeared to be in response to Elizabeth’s pregnancy (to congratulate her), not an attempt to hide Mary’s pregnancy. Note how all of this is connected to Elizabeth’s pregnancy rather than Mary’s circumstances. As Mary was married to Joseph, he likely would have been informed of the trip. Had the intent been to hide Mary, she would have remained with Elizabeth until Jesus was born, not returned to her family after the first trimester, which is just about the time that her pregnancy was visible and obvious.

 So we these misconceptions clarified, we can put Mary’s example within an even deeper context and more fully relate to her experience. We can imagine living in a faith-filled family who raises their child in strict accordance of God’s word. The extended family members may not understand, and certainly their community will not, so Mary, Anne and Joachim, and Joseph face extreme scandal as well as possible action from Jewish authorities. But they faced this together steep in conversation with God, providing a model for today’s family.

 Although sometimes scriptural interpretations are flavored with modern-day eye, overall this book will be more than just a quick read for a young mother (or new bride, or teen aspiring to overcome the challenges of American culture, or single parent losing her mind). It is a heartwarming reflection with many examples that open up conversation with God. As an experienced psychotherapist, the author’s examples are spot on and easy to relate to. We do not need to have had the same experiences to empathize, reflect, and pursue meaning; we see it around us in everyday life. As such, a reflective look upon these examples can help one overcome an impasse in their own relationship with God and also open the reader up to self-knowledge as Hi

im rounding off the week with a few more last minute mother's day cards. these were snapped in marks & spencer who are renowned for their contemporary feminine designs. more designs can be viewed online here.

one designer who knows a lot about designing for mother's day is rachel taylor. you may remember rachel as one half of lovlidesign. rachel is now freelancing as a surface pattern designer under her own name and has a great selection of work available for use in kids design markets, greeting cards, stationery and wall art.

a few more lovely mother's cards. above : union jack card from next, below : three designs from caroline gardner.below : from scribbler's new card website.

and finally today a selection of mother's day cards from the excellent liz & pip.

its just a few days to go now until mother's day here in the uk. if you are still on the search for a card for sunday or in need of some mother's day design inspiration here a few choice cards spotted in wh smith.below : not mother's day cards i know but just of couple of birthday designs that caught my eye whilst in wh smith.