(no subject)

[renai.livejournal.com]

I have some ideas, and I'd really like some feedback on them.



In November of 1999, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was lucky, and discovered it very early. My entire freshman year of high school, she was flying back and forth between our hometown in Alaska, and Seattle every week to recieve treatments. In the beginning of June 2000, she moved to Seattle for the summer, to recieve treatments every day. My uncle manages a hotel in downtown Seattle, and she stayed there for free all summer. The guys working at the front desk pitched in money and bought her a microwave and a big comfy chair. I went to stay with her for a week when I got out of school, and I arrived the day after she had shaved her head. I remember she went to a Bad Religion concert with my brother and I, and wore my Converse All Stars. She never cared if people stared at her. The only thing that mattered to her was that she was alive, and that she had people who loved her. Her recovery went really well, and tomorrow afternoon she's flying back down to Seattle for her five year check up.

Something amazing that she has done though, is started her own local group of Team Survivor members (http://www.juneau.com/tsp/home.html). She leads a Monday night walking group, as well as yoga classes, and a running group. She has taken teams to the Klondike (http://www.sportyukon.com/klondikeRoadRelay/raceInfo.aspx), for the past two years. She has a booth every year at the local health fair, and she told me recently that she eventually wants to teach her own health and fitness classes. She also hosts a tea party and hat auction every winter, as a fundraiser for athletic equipment and race fees. Now this is where the crafty fun comes in!

I came across a post a few days ago, where a girl had posted photos of pink fleece scarves that she had made. She'd gotten lucky, and bought fleece during October, which just so happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This sparked a few ideas for me... and then today while reading Octobers issue of Shape Magazine, I came up with about ten billion more ideas. What I want to do is this: I want to create a handfull of crafty goodness to give to my mom as a gift of sorts. Basically they would be a sampling of items that I would like to donate to her, to use as auction items this winter. The items that I'm considering are a pink fleece scarf (embroidered with her team logo, if I can find someone to do it), a pink purse (handmade, of course!), and a hand bound journal, made from hand made pink paper. I would give her one of each of these items, most likely as her birthday or Christmas present, and then if I could, I would recruit some of my aunts to help me make enough to auction off. Does all of this seem logical, and worth while? I don't want to make items that won't sell. I don't plan on making a huge quantity of any of them, probably only 5 or so scarves, and 2 or 3 purses and journals. Are there other items that would be easier/better/more likely to sell? Any input or advice would be SO appreciated, and if any of you have any items that you'd like to donate, please let me know! Thank you SO much if you took the time to read all of this, it means a lot to me.