Breast Cancer Does Not Care!

One thing can be said about all types of cancer-it is very fair and nondiscriminatory. Breast cancer is no different. It doesn’t care if you are black or white, it does not care if its day or night. It does not care if you are poor, it does not care if you are rich. It doesn’t care if you are kind or if you are a complete-well, you get the idea.

It does not care because we are all the same. That’s an amazing thought-no matter where you grew up, what foods you ate and culture you’re a part of, inside we are all share the same biological make up. Cancer can strike any of us equally, and then we will be going through the same struggles as every other cancer battler. The good news is at MarellaDesigns, I don’t care either! Of course, I have my personal belief system. But a large part of that system is respecting other’s systems as well. You can be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Agnostic, Atheistic, whathaveyou-I love you!! And I want to make you smile with my work.
 
Never is this more true than this week, while I am focusing on breast cancer. Every battler needs support, and it does not matter where this support comes from. A lot of people turn to their religions, so I wanted to create some pins especially for them. One features the Star of David, while the other a wooden cross. But my favorite part is they each have one small, white rose to symbolize hope. Because, you see, it doesn’t matter where you get your hope from, but that you have it! Never give up hope!

These pins will launch on Monday, September 17th! Please remember, I am always willing to create special orders, especially for my readers! You all can email me any time at Marelladesigns@gmail.com

Breast Cancer Awareness Inspiration

I have been incredibly lucky in my life-I have a fantastic family, D is probably the best bf ever (in my opinion, anyways!), Gracie as my ever present helper, and my team won the Super Bowel last year.

There is an old cliche that says when you marry someone, you marry their entire family. The same is true for dating, D’s family has become a part of my family. So when we learned that his aunt, JoAnn, had breast cancer in the spring of 2011, it scared me.

JoAnn is part of the branch of the family that lives in Maine, dubbed the “Maine Cousins” by D (He’s very creative like that!). She has four great kids, a smile that lights up a room and an infectious laugh! While I do not know the full, inside story and I do not wish to post all of her personals here, I would like to share her journey from my point of view.

In the spring of 2011, JoAnn was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her youngest daughter, B, was planning a wedding for the following spring and JoAnn insisted the plans continue as the doctors stated she would be well by Christmas. Her older sister had fought and defeated the same disease in the 1990s, so everyone had hope. It was a long, hard road ahead of her that she may not have completed on her own.

JoAnn and all her kids visited us in Brooklyn last February. (I say ‘kids’ but some of the cousins are older than me! Think somewhere between 22-32.) She was sporting a pixie cut-due to chemo treatments-that looked adorable on her. At dinner, we got to talking about the last year, and she told me how instrumental her children were, each with a role they played. One was the goofy kid, who’d always make her smile. One always had the hopeful outlook. One was the ‘shoulder,’ who’d always listen to her problems. And of course, one was the task sergeant who made JoAnn go to her treatments when she REALLY did not want to. Beyond that was the mother’s motivation-she wanted to watch her kids continue to grow and have kids of their own-and B’s wedding was right around the corner!

JoAnn’s doctors were right-she was in remission by Christmas! She got to dance at B’s wedding, with all of her kids. She told me through tears how she takes these little moments, when everyone is together and happy, and stores them in her heart. When times get tough or she does not feel good, she pulls them out and they make her happy. (She’s going to have many more happy moments in 2013-B is expecting a baby, the first grandbaby for JoAnn and her husband!)

Unfortunately, right before B’s wedding, we learned that JoAnn’s younger sister now must face breast cancer herself. We are all praying for this lovely woman, and sending her all the love and support we can-hopefully, she will have the same courage, tenacity and luck her elder sisters had.

JoAnn’s struggle and bright spirit were the inspiration for my first two Breast Cancer

Awareness pins, and continue to be the inspiration for the entire line and launch. What I really learned from her was how important supporters are in a struggle for life and death. Sometimes, when someone we love is in such a scary situation, we tend to pull away from them for whatever reason: we don’t want to see a parent helpless and sick, we don’t want to get hurt too badly if they die, we just don’t know what to say, what have you. Yes, JoAnn could have given up because it was hard, but her family would not let her. Yes, she could have succumbed, but look at what (and who) she would have missed!

As a sort of tribute to JoAnn’s kids, the Maine Cousins, today’s pins are ‘little helper’ pins, who are there to give just another small push of support! They are full of love and hope, and will be there every step of the way!
Who is your inspiration to keep fighting? Or who will you not let give up?

Please remember that I am more than willing to create special orders, so your fighter can have the perfect little helper with them always! You can email me at Marelladesigns@gmail.com

Breast Cancer Awareness Line Announcement!

Hello Crafters!
Last week, I debuted two Breast Cancer Awareness Pins:
For my first pin, “Hope Awareness Pin,” I wanted to bring even a small smile to those going through the arduous ordeal of breast cancer, to offer something that says “yea, it sucks, but I will get through it!” With the “Mom Awareness Pin,” I wanted to give someone whose mother is going through the battle, or lost their fight, and they want a sweet, simple way to remember and honor her.

I never imagined the response these two little pins would generate. While they are both still available in my shop (as of September 10), it made me realize-breast cancer is a huge deal in the world, and many people could use a little extra strength, or a reminder of hope in their everyday life. So I made a decision-and now I make an announcement-I am going to present a Breast Cancer Awareness line of pins, and a portion of each sale will go to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

This line will launch in my Storenvy store on Monday, September 17th, 2012. But you don’t have to wait until then to see the sweet designs I have created. Everyday I will be offering sneak peaks on my blog and my Facebook page. Additionally, I will be sharing the stories of the strong people in my life who have faced cancer, and I welcome you to share yours. Cancer is something that doesn’t care if you’re a democrat or republican, rich or poor, black, white, Asian, man, woman-it just does not care! We need to come together to find a cure and offer support for those fighting everyday. Please spread the word and join me!!

Remember, I also take special orders on pins, small wreaths (approx 8″ in diameter) and larger wreaths (10″ in diameter) If there is someone special you’d like to honor in a unique way, just email me and I will do my best to make it happen! Please email me at Marelladesigns@gmail.com

The Unsellables

Every crafter has one. The product that came out a little wonky. Or took twice as long as any other project. Or practically jumped out of your mind in frantic hours in the middle of the night, fueled by almost unnatural  crafting compulsion.

However they got here, every crafter has that one project they simply cannot let go. Perhaps its not their best work, but for whatever reason, it has been dubbed an Unsellable.

Marella DesignsFor me, it’s my Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs wreath, for its story.

When D (who we met in an earlier post and is, in fact, my Significant Other) was a small child, his mother, like countless other across the world, would make him a birthday cake every year. She would always top it with something he really loved at the time. One year it was Sesame Street characters, another it was dinosaurs. And one year it was Snow White and the Seven dwarfs.

I first saw the pieces in a home video of D when he was a little, maybe four or five. Now, I may be biased, but he was the epitome of adorable as a child-pretty blond hair, bright, excited blue eyes and a smile that could melt your heart! When he saw his birthday cake his happiness was almost tangible and my girly heart went tha-thump, tha-thump! And then, his mother said,

“You know, I still have all those little toys. Wouldn’t they be great in a wreath?”

Light bulb!

We scavenged around boxes of old toys until we found all eight pieces. I cleaned them off, repainted a few worn spots and they looked good as new. Never have I crafted a wreath with such care and patience-every piece had to be placed perfectly! Each supporting element was selected with more thought than I put into my SATs. Not only was I creating a wreath, I felt like I was connecting with D in a way I never could before-I got to touch a part of his childhood.

I have taken this wreath to side walk sales, but its always been hidden in the back. I have never been able to post it online. Every time I go to, something inside of me shouts “No!! Maybe tomorrow, but not yet!” Eventually I looked at it and said, “Nope. This wreath is mine!” Perhaps someday I will sell it, or pass it on to a friend. But for now, it has a place of honor in my home, and I smile every time I see it.

What is your Unsellable? What’s its story?