My New Year’s Resolution will be to go downstairs to my studio
and clean the whole place top to bottom and keep it clean…for
at least two days! –
Art is an absolute mistress; she will not be coquetted with or slighted;
she requires the most entire self-devotion, and she repays with grand
triumphs.
Karen Christians
Fly Fish Design
282 Lexington Street
Woburn, MA 01801
781/937-3827
The essence of creation is chaos…out of chaos art and
creation spring, so woe be the designer with an orderly
workbench…
Hi Fellow Orchidians,
As we enter 2011, many of us are making resolutions. 2010 was not a
great year for me. A mastectomy followed by chemo. I benefited from
an organization called Look Good, Feel Better which teaches about
make up and wigs and gives you a good sized box of makeup donated by
various companies. But life lets you make lemonade from lemons. My
cousin was fundraising for a cancer patient and along with a group
of 17 had her head shaved. She commented that the ones wearing
dangly, sparkling earrings looked better, and advised me to get some
dangly, sparkly earrings before my hair fell out. Thinking of the
gift of makeup I received, I decided to make some up for the local
cancer treatment centre to give out to people who were stressed by
the hair loss. They were simple loops of wire with a Swarovski
crystal for sparkle. I packaged them in baggies to prevent people
from trying them on first. As we enter 2011, I would ask you to
consider making a pair of inexpensive sparkly earrings for a friend
or acquaintance who is losing her hair due to chemo. A small
unexpected surprise will lift the spirits and Hope Sparkles! Of
course, if you decide to make a bunch for your local cancer centre to
hand out - so much the better. Cheers and Happy New Year,
Karen in Toronto, where the January thaw has already started.
P.S. Please contribute to Orchid it costs money to run this
wonderful forum!
Karen, this has been a difficult year for you, but you have such
great strength, and have indeed turned lemons into lemonade. I wish
you the very best.
What a wonderful idea to make long dangly earrings for those
undergoing chemo. Two of my dearest friends are having that
treatment, one has Multiple Myeloma, and the other has Melanoma.
I think they would enjoy some long dangling earrings, and I shall
make some for them. I will also check out making them for their
cancer treatment center. I sincerely hope that 2011 will be a really
good year for you.
Best wishes,
Alma
Karen-
Your post was my first one of the new year and it is a marvelous
beginning. It seems that 2010 was traumatic not only economically
(worldwide) but on a personal level, catastrophic. You dealt with
cancer, I had a heart attack.
Splendid idea to make earrings for the local cancer center. I’m back
at my bench (well, it’s actually a huge white formica desk) and
raring to go.
Marly
Karen - what a wonderful idea!!! Thanks for suggesting it - I will
make some when I get home from my holiday visit with my daughter in
London.
Beth Wicker
Three Cats and a Dog Design Studio
What a great idea. If someone would undertake getting a list together
for us, the jewelers, to send gifts to suffering breast cancer
patients it would be spectacular. As for me, I,m approaching my 91st
birthday and have lots of stuff left over as I intend to retire
shortly.
Irv B,
A list of breast cancer fighters would be great. I would do my part.
My daughter is a survivor and I am BRCA1. I have made many HOPE
necklaces and I will continue.
Thanks for the idea.
Jean Menden
Hi Irv,
I envision this as a local initiative for each person who wants to
be part of it - no bureaucracy, no central planning. I simply dropped
off earrings at the cancer centre that treated me. The nurses decided
who got them and they saved them for those they felt needed a little
boost the most. Nurses are pretty practical and I trust them to make
good decisions. Some jewelers might like to do this. Others might
only want to donate to someone they know personally or to a friend of
a friend. These earrings are not meant to be expensive - just a
little bit of help.
As an aside, some centres accept donated books and scarves and hats.
Cheers,
Karen