Breast Cancer Awareness

In 2000 my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. We were lucky, it was caught extremely early. She had a wedge mastectomy and has been cancer free since then. She was 74 when it was diagnosed, and at 83 she's still very healthy and doing well. A few health issues since the cancer, but she's weathered them like the strong, beautiful lady she is.

Since then I've done what I can to promote awareness of the fight against breast cancer, and when my husband's beloved Aunt passed away from it a few years ago it reinforced our desire to help get women tested early, treated and healed. To that end I've decided to create a new category in my shop called "Breast Cancer Awareness". I'll regularly add pinkful items made with the struggle in mind. Anytime you purchase one or more of these items, I will donate 10% of your entire order to the Ozarks Medical Center Cancer Center in West Plains, Missouri, where my mother was treated and cured.

It might be a small thing, but it's something tangible and real that I can do in thanks for my Mom's survival, and to help other people's Moms, daughters, sisters, fathers, sons and friends be treated and survive. Remember that breast cancer is not just a women's issue - many men are afflicted with the same disease, and they often do not get diagnosed and treated in time.

Handmade Christmas

I just added my Handmade Christmas Artfire badge to this blog, and it's got me thinking - just how am I going to do that this year? It's easy to saturate your friends & family with handmade gifts, and there's always the danger that someone won't quite appreciate them. Not to mention the fact that (at least for me) it's just plain hard to make "guy gifts". Then add to that our paring down of the Christmas gift list, it gets harder and harder to figure out how. I've generally always defaulted to food, because that is a gift pretty much everyone cherishes, enjoys, and waits anxiously for next year to get again! I have a friend who makes handmade chocolates for his nearest and dearest. We love Tom for many, many reasons, but we adore him for those beautiful boxes of joy at Christmas. I like thinking that my friends say "I wonder if Teresa's going to make that heavenly pumpkin bread again this year..." I hope they do.

In the past I've done teabags of my specialty herbal tea in handpainted mugs, cookies, hot chocolate mix in jars with cross-stitched lid covers, the aforementioned pumpkin bread, cookies, and a variety of other treats. What's on my list this year? Probably pumpkin bread and cookies with my brand new $30 cookie press, acquired for $7 at Goodwill. Gabriel can help me decorate the cookies, and begin his introduction to Handmade Christmases. I hope it's an idea he embraces, and learns to put his particular spin on as he gets older.

So, how are you going to do your own handmade holiday this year? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Oh, and don't forget the giveaway that I posted about in my last blog entry!

A Mask and a giveaway.

My Artfire guild teamed up with another guild to put on a Masquerade Ball event this month. I've created and listed one display mask (full size, it comes ready to hang on the wall) for sale. I plan to try to get one more mask (a pendant) in the shop in the next day or two. I've also got a 10% off special in my store if you use the coupon code "MASK".

You can see my listing here, and read more about the Mask event here at the PCSG guild blog. The blog has a sidebar list of everyone who is particpating in the 10% off promotion.

From masks

This mask is made completely of black polymer clay. Each individual leave was molded and coated with gold or silver powder and slightly distressed for a more ancient look. Backed with suede and ready to hang on the wall! I've always been fascinated by Celtic mythology and the concept of the Green Man is of particular interest. I've experimented with foliage masks before, and I'm very proud of this attempt.

Now for the giveaway! This is my first one so I'm just dabbling my toe in the concept. Comment on this entry during the month of October and tell me what you think of the mask I made, and give me an idea for a new mask. On November 1st I'll randomly select one entry and the poster will receive a gift in the mail plus a coupon code for free shipping at my shop!