Reuben is Here (& Home)

I haven’t been writing much for the last few months – between craft fairs, completing jewelry for orders, Christmas, preparing for the baby, and general family ‘stuff,’ there wasn't much time towards the end of 2012.

2013 began with Reuben’s birth on January 3^rd (1:41am).  He aspirated meconium and spent his first few weeks in the NICU at the IWK Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, finally coming home at 3 weeks and 4 days old.

The family has been adjusting nicely to our new addition.  He is still learning his days from his nights, so some days have more time in them than others (you parents out there know what I mean by that).

I have some pieces finished that I haven’t gotten photographed yet.  And, I have some new tools and a sketchbook full of ideas to try.  But, for now, I have to get back to baby-land.

"There is nothing like a newborn baby to renew your spirit

- and to buttress your resolve to make the world a better place. "

- Virginia Kelley

New - Hair Bands

Here is something that I've been thinking about trying for a while, now - chainmaille hairbands.


It took me some time to take the plunge and make one because I don't solder (I'd like to someday, but there are just too many little people underfoot in the house right now to try something that could be so potentially dangerous).  I finally made one for myself and have been wearing it almost daily for weeks to try it out.  I am happy to report that I haven't had a single hair get caught or pulled!

Each hair band has a section of elastic in the back for a good fit.  And, it makes them very comfortable to wear, too.

Feel free to let me know what you think.

"Some of the worst mistakes of my life have been haircuts." - Jim Morrison

Donation Day 2012

Yesterday was Adam's 3rd birthday.

It was also the day that I donated all that had accumulated in the donation fund between October 1, 2011, and September 30, 2012, (from both last October's "Adam's Month" promotion and sales of the year-round donation pieces) to the IWK Foundation in his memory.

I would like to say a big "Thank you" to all the wonderful friends and customers that made this year's donation possible.

October isn't over yet - there is still time to order some holiday gifts or a little something for yourself, adding 20% of the price to next year's donation fund.

I think we'll follow Jerry Lewis' lead and aim to donate at least $1 more next year. What do you think?

"In charity there is no excess." - Francis Bacon

Sometimes You Need a Little Nudge...

Sometimes you have an idea but need a little push to go forward with it.

New Hair Clips!

That's the way it was with these scale flower and trillium hair clips - I had been toying with the idea of hair clips since the necklaces, pendants, and brooches were so well received last Fall.

The nudge necessary to get them made came from a lovely lady at a craft fair this Summer, and here they are!

Individual photos of the hair clips I have made so far are on Facebook , but these have not been listed on Etsy yet, so you're getting a bit of a sneak peek!

What do you think?

"The creative mind plays with the objects it loves." - Carl Jung

The Bitter and The Sweet

If things had gone differently in December 2011, I'd be announcing a little one's arrival this month.  But, that wasn't to be. The miscarriage was sad  and disappointing but not life-altering like Adam's loss was, so, as a couple, we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and decided to try again.

For years, I heard women say that a woman 'knows' when the family is complete.  I had fully expected to have that feeling of 'done' when Clara was born.  But, I didn't.  And, that worried my - What if the family never felt complete because Adam would always be missing?  But, for those few weeks last Fall, I felt it.  One more baby would complete the family.  One more baby and I could part with my maternity clothes and with the baby gear as the little one outgrew it.  That was the positive I could pull from the experience - I could have that elusive 'complete' feeling after all.

Now, here we are.  The last little DeChamp is due in January 2013 (but a late December arrival is more likely).  So far, all is going well, but the anxiety and worry that is part of the territory in a rainbow pregnancy is there, too.  While we are both hoping and praying to bring this last little one home, we both also agree that, no matter what happens, this is our last pregnancy.  So, we're trying to push the memories and anxieties off to the side so we can enjoy this last time as much as we can.

One last baby.

"We have suffered, but we have survived;  we are hurting, but we are enduring."

- Ben Van Vechten

Guest Post - ArianaJaquysh

Here's a post from another great humanitarian Etsy shop, ArianaJaquysh, which helps support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by selling knit market bags and photo cards.  Here is how it began, and how you can help, in Ariana's words:

"Hello all - My name is Ariana.  I'm a wife, mama, knitter, and sporadic runner... and, on occasion, I like to combine knitting and running.

I had a fairly normal childhood... well, if a normal childhood includes living in a teepee on 100 acres.  My sister and I ran around like wild-beast children on my grandparents' property - climbing trees, exploring the castle (yep... a castle but it was filled with black widow spiders), and taking baths in the claw-foot tub in the garden.

Knit Market Bags

The flip-side of my hippie childhood was visiting my other grandparents - where we wore velvet dresses with ruffled socks and were taught to be "little ladies."  One of the things my grandmother attempted to teach us (mostly me because I showed more interest) was how to sew, knit, and crochet.  The sewing didn't stick and to this day I can barely stitch a straight line.  The knitting and crocheting stuck a bit more but even those I eventually forgot/stopped.

Then many (many) years ago I was visiting with a friend who knit but wanted to learn how to crochet so we swapped lessons and I've been knitting ever since.

How does this connect with Team In Training and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, you ask?  Well, first you need another little piece of back-story...

Inn 2009 I became very sick... tests and more tests but no good solutions or answers.  Luckily it turned out to be nothing major but I did have to have surgery.  In the middle of all this, my sister call and says "Hey, you wanna run a half-marathon with me?"

Um... let's see... I've been sick for over a month, barely eating, and losing weight too fast to be healthy and you're asking if I want to run 13.1 miles?!

"It's with Team In Training to raise month for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society."

Photo Cards

Oh... okay


And less than 2 weeks after my surgery we went to Kick-Off and started training.


When you join Team In Training you commit to raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society while getting phenomenal coaching and mentoring as you train for an endurance event.  Since I was a knitter and had, a couple of years previous, perfected my Market Bag pattern I thought "I'll sell my market bags and donate a portion to LLS as a fundraiser!"


And in my 4th (eeek!) consecutive year of joining TNT to run the Nike Women's Marathon, I continue to donate 80% of the purchase price of every market bag to LLS to help find a cure for blood cancers.  This year I've also added a few of my original photo cards - 100% of their purchase price will be donated to LLS.


This year, Nike will be on Sunday, October 14, 2012 and more than 20,000 women (and quite a few men) will take over the streets of San Francisco to help fight cancer.  Since the Nike Women's Marathon began in 2004, runners have raised more than $118 million dollars for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.


Here are a few ways you, dear blog readers, can help...
*Buy one of my market bags or photo cards through my Etsy shop:  ArianaJaquysh


*Buy a raffle "ticket" for one of my market bags - you about the raffle, right?  You don't?  Well, for every $5 donated through my fundraising page you'll get 1 raffle entry for my newest (not-yet-listed) market bag, Creamsicle!  You can see a picture of it on my Facebook page but you better hurry - the raffle ends July 31st!  Market Bag Raffle

*Or, if you'd like, you can simply make a donation - any amount, every amount, will help patients receive the care they need and help fund cancer research.  http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/nikesf12/acohen20ll

Whew!  I know... a lot of info!  But if you have any questions - about TNT, LLS, or just general questions for me - I'm more than happy to answer :)

xo
Ari"

What's in a Label?

Every so often, in any forum frequented by artistic and/or crafty people, the question "How do you think of yourself - as an artist, an artisan, a crafter, or a craftsman?" comes up.

A look at a dictionary shows that these labels are very similar - in fact, these words often turn up in each other's definitions.

So, I guess it comes down to subjectivity - what do those words make you think of?  I think of an artist as someone skilled in the fine arts, such as painting or sculpting.  To me, a craftsman is more of a tradesman, making things like high-quality furniture or cabinets.  When I hear the term 'crafter,' I think of a hobbyist who dabbles in several crafts rather than specializing in one or two.

The label that resonates best with me is 'artisan,' which dictionary.com defines as "a person or company that makes a high-quality, distinctive product in small quantities, usually by hand and using traditional methods."  That very succinctly expresses what I strive to be.

And, I guess that's the good thing about labels we can choose for ourselves - we can select the ones that feel right for who we are right now and inspire us in who we want to be.

"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself.  But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates."  - Thomas Szasz