You can never really know what is going on in the lives of the people around you, can you? The struggles others go through behind closed doors are often unknown to the people around them. I live in a very small community and had the privilege of lending a hand and a little comfort to someone that needed it. In turn she gave me inspiration.
She is such an amazing woman, fighting breast cancer and being all the things all women wish to be. Strong, beautiful, inspiring. She is always cheerful and happy in spite of everything. Her love for and relationship with God shines through her.
When i first heard what she was going through i kept asking myself what could i do? how can i help her? My skill set is quilting...so, I presented our homeschool group with the idea to make this quilt for her and was pleased that they wanted to take part and participate by writing personal messages to her. I just pray that they do not fade or wash away...i wanted to have the chance to wash it first to see if there were going to be any great catastrophes but i ran out of time. Pray!! pray hard.
I could not bring myself to quilt through any of the personal messages so i just outlined each box in pink. Then i spent what felt like forever straight line quilting, of random sizes, the rest of the quilt. It looks beautiful but was a lot more time and work than i anticipated.
I also wanted to hand stitch in some things that would be personal to her so i did a pink on pink breast cancer ribbon...a purple on purple cross...and the names of her husband and children, so that they would be with her when she used this quilt no matter when or where. I had not originally intended to make it pink but it turned out that they were her favorite colors. What a perfect coincidence.
She in turn gave me a gift...the gift of gratitude and appreciation(and a few tears) which really meant a lot to me. It is hard to know what people really think when you make something like this and then mail it away...and kids don't necessarily love getting a blanket.
This is ironically Breast Cancer Awareness month. What a perfect time to honor her fight by bringing her this quilt. If someone around you opens that door a little and lets you in consider it a privilege to do what you can....what seems so small and insignificant can mean so much to someone that is struggling. I know you don't know her but if you think of her take a minute and say a little prayer, every single one counts!
I am linking this up to Fabric Tuesday this week, as well as Amylouwho's for sew and tell. Got to Amylouwho's and see what everyone else has made and leave a little comment behind so they know you were there.
You can never really know what is going on in the lives of the people around you, can you? The struggles others go through behind closed doors are often unknown to the people around them. I live in a very small community and had the privilege of lending a hand and a little comfort to someone that needed it. In turn she gave me inspiration.
She is such an amazing woman, fighting breast cancer and being all the things all women wish to be. Strong, beautiful, inspiring. She is always cheerful and happy in spite of everything. Her love for and relationship with God shines through her.
When i first heard what she was going through i kept asking myself what could i do? how can i help her? My skill set is quilting... so, I presented our homeschool group with the idea to make this quilt for her and was pleased that they wanted to take part and participate by writing personal messages to her. I just pray that they do not fade or wash away... i wanted to have the chance to wash it first to see if there were going to be any great catastrophes but i ran out of time. Pray!! pray hard.
I could not bring myself to quilt through any of the personal messages so i just outlined each box in pink. Then i spent what felt like forever straight line quilting, of random sizes, the rest of the quilt. It looks beautiful but was a lot more time and work than i anticipated.
I also wanted to hand stitch in some things that would be personal to her so i did a pink on pink breast cancer ribbon... a purple on purple cross... and the names of her husband and children, so that they would be with her when she used this quilt no matter when or where. I had not originally intended to make it pink but it turned out that they were her favorite colors. What a perfect coincidence.
She in turn gave me a gift... the gift of gratitude and appreciation (and a few tears) which really meant a lot to me. It is hard to know what people really think when you make something like this and then mail it away...and kids don't necessarily love getting a blanket.
This is ironically Breast Cancer Awareness month. What a perfect time to honor her fight by bringing her this quilt. If someone around you opens that door a little and lets you in consider it a privilege to do what you can....what seems so small and insignificant can mean so much to someone that is struggling. I know you don't know her but if you think of her take a minute and say a little prayer, every single one counts!
I am linking this up to Fabric Tuesday this week, as well as Amylouwho's for sew and tell. Got to Amylouwho's and see what everyone else has made and leave a little comment behind so they know you were there.
Ah I don’t know what has gotten into me lately – I have been blogging like a mad woman! At least two posts a day for the past weekish. There are stints when I find little to no movie news or reviews that interest me but lately... lately there has been tonnes. Dawn French tonnes. If there hasn’t been a new cinema-plex opening or a new movie worth reviewing, then there’s hordes of news which interests me and I want to write about it. I’m hoping this post will satisfy my insatiable urge to write blog posts at the moment and I intend to have at least a day break after this. But seriously, I just HAD to give you the run down on some up and coming new releases. I had a YouTube binge last night and caught up on a bunch of trailers I hadn’t seen and rewatched some I had. Anywho, here’s my selection of MUST SEE movies for the months of June and July.
Two Lovers
James Gray, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Nay, let me count the films; Little Odessa (digged), The Yards (blew my freakin' mind), We Own The Night (adored). Now we have his latest offering and Joaquin Phoenix’s alleged last foray in to acting, Two Lovers. The theme of love and the dark comedic elements are new features in a Gray film which has previously dealt with family relations and crime. However, Two Lovers does look like a splendid adult-drama with a juicy cast. It was released in Australia last week but won’t be screening on the Gold Coast until this Thursday (if we’re lucky).
The Hangover
Looks like this little gem from the director of Old School is shaping up to be the surprise comedy hit of the year, but it’s still early days. The trailer is hilarious and in the US it opened to a $46 – $53 million weekend ahead of the Will Ferrell blockbuster Land of the Lost. The critics are frothing for The Hangover too with the almighty Empire giving it four stars. Pretty impressive for a comedy-formula that seems tired. Apparently one of the many benefits here is instead of covering the dramas of a bachelor party, The Hangover starts once the party is over and the three mates have lost the groom (and their memories). Sounds a like a frat-pack version of Memento but the trailer is very appealing, plus Bradley Cooper is great in pretty much anything he’s in.
Bruno
Try and ignore the controversy if you can, but you simply cannot ignore the brilliance of the Bruno trailer. There are few times I have laughed so hard during a trailer. I enjoyed Borat but from the snippets of Bruno I’ve seen, I think Sacha Boren Cohen’s latest character will trump him. The best recommendation I can give this movie is the trailer, I particularly love the African American scenes.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Everytime I watch this trailer I get goosebumps. Whether that's because the trailer is actually good or because I'm a massive fan of the books, it's hard to know. I do know this, this movie begins to build towards the Harry Potter series climax which will come to life on screen in the from of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (to be released six months apart respectively). I’ve never been a huge fan of the films but the last two have certainly improved my expectations dramatically and this looks Potteriffic.
Drag Me To Hell
Easily the film I’m most excited about on this list. Long before director Sam Raimi did the Spiderman films he dominated the horror genre with his Evil Dead series (among others). Apparently Drag Me To Hell is a hilarious and horrific return to form for one of the genre’s heroes. It premiered at Cannes and since then has got rave reviews from every Tom Dick and Harry film critic. Horror is one of my favourite genres but recently there have been only a handful of decent films. Going off the trailer, Drag Me To Hell looks like an awesome ride and I can’t wait to be genuinely scared at the movies again. Its been too long.
My Sisters Keeper
I know, it’s hard to get past the vomit-inducing movie poster complete with Abigail Breslin and Cameron Diaz looking cute. My Sister’s Keeper has been a long awaited adaptation of Jodi Piccoult’s best selling novel. I heard great things about the book and was sincerely disappointed upon finishing it. The book was drawn out, self-indulgent and overly soppy. To my surprise, the trailer looks like its done a much better job of compacting the themes and storyline of the novel. Cameron Diaz looks like she’s about deliver a stellar performance but one of the major reasons to see this film has to be Sofia Vassilieva. Here she plays cancer-ridden Kate but most of you would recognise her from tv’s Medium. She’s a superb little actress and I look forward to seeing this movie despite the misleadingly happy poster (when really this is a film about cancer, death and family relations).
That Land of the Lost shiz is out this Thursday too and as much as I love Will Ferrell, I don’t think I can sit through two hours of him trying to do a Brendan Fraser in Journey to the Centre of the Earth. There’s this other movie you may or may not have heard of, Transformers something? Transformers 2, that’s it. The Bayhem hits screens on June 24 which is, like, so soon for the fanboys patiently waiting. Ew.
p.s. Mickey Rourke’s turn as Russian baddie Whiplash certainly makes Jack Sparrow look straight as a ruler. This, dear readers, is the latest image off the set of Iron Man 2, the sequel to the Robert Downey Jr hit of `08. Rourke stars as the thorn in Tony Stark’s metallic side for the sequel along with Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. This is the first look at Rourke as Whiplash and was pointed to off Jon Favreau’s Twitter account. I must say, the get-up is a bit... erm... campe? With Scar-Jo in leather as Black Widow and Rourke rocking the bondage, it seems the sequel will be catering to all fetishes. Bunuel would be proud kinky has gone so mainstream.
By EMILY ALLEN The pleasure boat ''Hamayuri'' washed up on the rooftop of an inn by tsunami and a building have so far been removed in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on April 6, top, and on June 3, bottom. Japan's economy shrank 0.9 percent in the first quarter but recovery is expected between July and September Just three months ago Japan was plunged into chaos after a cataclysmic earthquake sent a merciless tsunami crashing through towns and cities up and down the east coast. The unforgiving tide of water obliterated tens of thousands of buildings, devouring almost anything in its path. Thousands of people died and hundreds of bodies have never been recovered. The heart-breaking images of families desperately searching for loved ones amid the rubble of their homes sent shockwaves around the world. Now, three months on, these images show the Japanese people remain undaunted by the havoc nature has wreaked on their homeland as step by step they rebuild their nation. A Shinto shrine gate and surroundings in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture three days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the same spot on June 3 But despite their progress, stark reminders of the work left to do means the resilience of this Asian country is still being tested. Headway in the clean-up has been made in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture where the pleasure boat ''Hamayuri'', which was remarkably washed up on the rooftop of an inn, has been removed, along with a building shattered by the the wall of water. Further down is an image of a Shinto shrine gate in the town three days after the March 11 disaster. The same spot on June 3 which shows thousands of tonnes of rubbish, which had lay smouldering in an almost post-apolcalyptic landscape, has been cleared, roads re-laid and power lines restored. Civilisation appears to have returned in Natori in Miyagi prefecture too. The first image shows a towering wall of ocean crashing through trees devastating homes and businesses lining the coast, tearing down power lines and drowning anything in its path. A residential area being hit by the tsunami in Natori, Miyagi prefecture, top, and the same area, with only one house remaining on June 3, bottom A parking lot of a shopping centre filled with houses and debris in Otsuchi town, Iwate prefecture two days after the earthquake hit and the same area picture on June 3 Astonishingly just one house survived the wave and a lone digger is pictured having cleared away the once thriving community reduced to rubble. Hundreds of cars parked in the foreground remain abandoned and appear to be the only reminder of the devastation. Similarly, the striking image of a ship atop tonnes of rubble in the Kesennuma in Miyagi prefecture on March 20 was projected around the world and became a symbol of the disaster. The photograph shows grey smoke filled skies above a path of destruction, but three months on, much of the debris has been cleared, power lines restored and hope is on the horizon. A car park in a shopping centre, filled with houses and debris in Otsuchi town in Iwate prefecture is also back on its feet and signs of life are returning. Parking spaces are clearly visible where piles of wood, bricks, and vehicles lay strewn just a few weeks ago. A view of earthquake and tsunami-hit Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture on March 15, top, and the same area pictured on June 3 The final image shows local people walking through debris on a street in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture to get water 48 hours after the disaster. The same image on June 3 shows the massive tank which lay in the road has gone and a damaged house on the left side of the street has been cleared and restored. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused the worst crisis in Japan since the Second World War and left almost 28,000 people dead or missing. The clean-up bill is expected to top £184 billion and radiation fears from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant are still growing after four of the reactors were damaged leading to radiation leaks. This week, an earless bunny was born near the reactor in north east Japan raising concerns the radiation could have long-term side effects. Following the blast and initial leaks Japanese officials told people living near the plant to stay indoors and turn of air conditioning and also to not drink tap water. High levels of radiation are known to cause cancer and other health problems but scientists are not yet clear if the defect in the rabbit is linked to the blast. Local residents walking through debris on a street in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, to get water 48 hours after the disaster, top, and the same area on June 3 where a large tank and a damaged house on the left side of the street have been cleared away Japan's economy slipped into recession following the devastation and new data shows it shrank 0.9 percent in the first quarter of this financial year but experts say a recovery later this year as industry kicks into action. Industrial output rose one per cent in April from a record decline in March. Manufacturers are making progress in restoring supply chains and ecnomists are predicting Gross Domestic Project to begin expanding again between July and September. A view of earthquake and tsunami-hit Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture on March 20, left, and the same area after the building and debris was removed on June 3 Australian Red Cross - Japan Earthquake and Tsunami devastation
Developed by Showpony Adelaide to draw attention to the alarming number of bowel cancer related deaths in Australia and to encourage individuals to get themselves tested.
Category: Charities & appeals; Client: Jodi Lee Foundation; Agency: Showpony Advertising; Country: Australia; Creative Director: Parris Mesidis; Art Director: Jonathan Pagano; Copywriter: Parris Mesidis; Photographer: Liam Salt; Illustrator: Shane Bevan; Finished Artist - Manuela Ortiz.
This week I committed to making a quilt for one of the ladies in my homeschool group. She is going through cancer treatments and i wanted to do something for her. I offered, on behalf of all of us in the group, to make a quilt. I did not know what else i could do. The idea was well received, so once i found out her favorite colors were, ironically, pink and purple i got right to work. I was not thrilled with the colors to work with not to mention i don't use them much so there were not many of them in my stash. What it definitely needed was a few other colors to break up and liven up the quilt. This one came together in one day. Not too shabby for a days work!
Here is what i need help with....how can i make the other ladies feel involved so that this is their project as much as mine? Oh wait there are more questions...should i use fabric pens or sharpies or should we hand embroider whatever messages or scriptures we want to put on it??? Does anyone have other ideas for personalizing the quilt for her??
I want to get this project done fast. I don't want any of this silly indecisive stuff to slow things down, so i hope you all can help me out. I can not wait to read all of your great suggestions!