Making Memories

Happy Halloween

We had a Halloween party at Making Memories. We had yummy pizza, salads, and treats. We even played Halloween bingo and had awards for the best costumes. What a blast. Here are some photos of our fun.

 

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Kim Bush's Story

My name is Kim and I am a breast cancer survivor.  I found a lump in my breast in the spring of 2005.  I thought nothing of it, as it was under my arm and had a cyst there before.  My family has no history of breast cancer, so off I went to have a mammogram with no worries in my heart.  Little did I know my world was about to tip upside down and my journey of breast cancer survival would soon begin.  

The doctor who read my films came out to speak with me, and uttered the dreaded "C" word.  She told me she believed I had cancer.  So the whirlwind began.  As I met with the oncologists and surgeon, I still had hope.  The biopsy might be negative.  I was crossing my fingers.  In May of 2005 I got the news.  I had breast cancer.  I was scared.  I was afraid I was about to die.  I think one of THE hardest things I had to do was tell my daughter I had breast cancer.  She was in college at the time and about to graduate, so kept the secret until she had her special graduation day, as I did not want to spoil this wonderful time in her life. 

I had surgery in June of 2005 and then started chemo in July.  The day I started loosing all my beautiful long hair was the day I said ENOUGH!  This is not about dying it is about living!  I will live!!  I will survive!!  I called my hairdresser and had my head shaved – I cried one last time in self-pity. All my future tears would be tears of joy, tears of love, tears of celebrating! 

I started radiation in October 2005 and finished two days before Christmas.  To celebrate, when the technicians removed my robe for treatment, my "girl" was sporting a Santa hat in celebration.  They cracked up laughing!  It was a wonderful day!  I walked my first survivor walk in the Relay for Life in June 2006.  My first year!!  I could barley make it around the track.  I did not have much strength or stamina.  A fellow survivor linked arms with me and pulled me through it.  I made it!!  I walked my first survivor walk!!  In June of 2007, I walked to celebrate my second year and this time it was I who grabbed one of our weaker sisters, and pulled her through it.  I walk in the Relay for Life every year and will until the day I die, and I plan on living a very, very long time.

Kim Bush 

Glenelg, MD

More Layouts

More eye candy for you to enjoy. Happy Wednesday.

 

Kim Castillon's Story

October is such a special month to me.  I've always loved Halloween – the decorations and the change of seasons.  It’s the time when everyone gets a jump-start doing crafty projects for the holidays.  I think it’s so appropriate that Breast Cancer Awareness month is in October.  Breast cancer (or any cancer, for that matter) is so scary.  And dealing with it can be a jump-start to life changes. 

I was 38 years old when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995.  No family history of breast cancer, not a smoker.  I convinced my primary physician the year before that I needed my first mammogram due to chronic soreness on my left breast from my armpit along the side of the breast area. My mammogram was clean as a whistle.  Never in my life did I do self-examination.

While on a weekend trip, I noticed what looked to be a bruise on the side of my right breast.  At first glance, I wasn't alarmed because I had twisted my ankle and fallen a few days prior.  Then I touched the area.  Yes, there was definitely something there.  I worked as an administrative assistant at a large medical facility.  Monday when I returned to work I had one of our nurse practitioners exam me.  She didn't like what she felt.  She walked me in the back hallway still wearing a paper gown to the general surgery area.  There a physician immediately took a biopsy saying they would call me when the results came back.  I went home that evening and told my dear husband that I was worried but didn't want to jump the gun.

Two days later, the surgeon's nurse called me to say that the doctor wanted to see me before I left the office.  He told me that I had cancer.  He told me that I would be having a total mastectomy in six days, that I needed chemotherapy and radiation, and that’s about it. I had been working with this man for seven years and had total confidence in him. I didn't feel a second opinion was necessary.  I remember feeling like "Alice In Wonderland" shrinking and alone in that examination room.

Somehow I drove home.  Told my husband the news.  Told him we had to go to my mother's house to tell her.  We had just gone through the experience of losing my stepfather to liver cancer two years before.  I dreaded this conversation.  

So began my journey.  My surgery went well.  I recovered at my mother's house.  She needed to be with me as much as possible and my husband was fine with that.  As soon as possible, I saw an oncologist – actually two. Each one had a different plan for me. Both telling me I had a 50/50 chance of survival.  I had a stage III tumor and stage I in my nodes.  Trying to choose the "right" treatment was one of the scariest things I've ever done.  

I chose the more traditional treatment with three rounds of chemo.  I would finish a six-month round and my doctor would say, "You've tolerated this so well, let's just do it again."  I also had radiation treatment five days a week for six weeks.  Radiation was harder on me than chemo.  It totally drains any energy you have.  The burns didn't occur until the very end of treatment.  All in all, I was very fortunate.  I tolerated my treatment with less nausea and discomfort that many. I was able to continue working throughout the whole ordeal with exception to the radiation.  

I became very active with the local chapter of the Susan G. Komen foundation.  I wanted to preach the importance of self-examination to as many women as I could.  I joined the speaker’s bureau and told my story.  I was also asked to serve on the Survivors' committee for our local Race for the Cure, which I did for three years. My friends and coworkers have enlisted me to talk to patients about treatment as a means of words of encouragement and hope.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story.  And I want to thank Making Memories with all of my heart for supporting this very personal war.   I am a Pink Warrior and will always be for many years to come.

Kim Castillon
Fort Worth, TX

Halloween Layouts

Halloween is this Saturday. Hopefully you have your costume already picked out and you are excited for some fun parties. Make sure to take a lot of photos. When you are ready to start scrapbooking your photos, here are some layouts to use as your inspiration.

These projects were created using Making Memories' Spook Alley collection.

Guest Designer Jennifer Hansen

Jennifer Hansen sent me an email with this cute card idea and I wanted to share it with you. 

Jennifer loves using the packaging that comes with Making Memories' stickers and embellishments. Make sure to save your packaging so you can use it on your projects just like she did. Jennifer also used the following supplies on her card:

Green polka dotted paper (from Making Memories' felt alpha sticker package), spider web paper (from Spellbound sticker package), and
Mini Alpha stickers: Making Memories

Cardstock, paper, frame, jewels: Other

Here are the instructions to create this card:

1. Create card from cardstock.
2. Cut piece of orange patterned paper slightly smaller than card and adhere.
3. Cut the green polka dot packaging to the same size as the die cut frame and adhere both items to the card.
4. Affix stickers to spell sentiment.
5. Add jewels on both sides of sentiment and under "spooky" on the die cut frame.
6. Cut scalloped web from packaging and adhere to right side of the card.

Thanks Jennifer for sharing this project with us. 

Karin's Story

My mom is now 62 (I'm 26) and she got breast cancer four years ago in May. It started without a lump. She was told it was just a bruise but I encouraged her to get it checked out at the hospital. Deep down inside, I knew it was not just a bruise. She went. We were in the hospital for over three hours. It started with mammography, echo and ending with a biopsy.

After less than a week she has to go back for the results. After the big words "You've got cancer ma’am'", she had some tests, and within a week she had her first surgery to remove her left breast. After one week the scary words, “The cancer is spreading” came. A week later she had her second surgery. Another week went by and she went home. She did not want to talk about it, not the tests, medication, results – nothing.

She started chemo shortly thereafter. She had a very aggressive type of breast cancer and they did not know if there was any cancer left in her. She was scared to death. She had chemo six times, which made her lose a lot of weight so she started a feeding tube. Currently she is on anti-hormonal medication treatments which are very intense for her.

Ever since my mom had breast cancer, I have made cards for cancer patients as a way to cheer them up. A few months ago I found out that I have the BRCA2 gene, which means that I am genetically prone to getting the same breast cancer that my mom had. I will undergo surgery to remove the breast tissue in advance of getting the disease. I still do everything that I can for various cancer foundations. Anything that I can do to help others is worth my time.

Karin

The Netherlands

 

Halloween Cards

It is not too late to make some fun Halloween cards to give with your yummy Halloween treats. These cards were made with Making Memories Spook Alley collection and the Slice Cordless Digital Designer.

Enjoy the eye candy.

Trick or Treat Bag

Create your own Halloween treat bag using Making Memories' Spook Alley embellishments. Making Memories' designer - Keisha Campbell - created this bag. She found a pattern on the Internet and used some black fabric that she already had. To embellish the bag, she used Making Memories' Trims and Treats from the Spook Alley collection. She stapled the embellishments on the bag and gathered a black trim to create a flower on the handle.

 

We had a great event at Lasting Memories in Lynnwood, Washington this past weekend! Jennifer, the store owner, has a wonderful – and huge – store adorned with her favorite color … PINK.  We hosted two make ‘n take sessions using all the products from the Think Pink line.  The shoppers loved creating the fun and easy pink tag using the SLICE Cordless Digital Designer.  On Saturday, we hosted 2 classes loaded with new and creative techniques using the SLICE.  The Halloween Cards class was definitely intense, but those ladies stuck in there with us and walked away with some beautiful cards, knowledge of new SLICE techniques, and leftover products to go home and scrap some more!  The wonderful Seattle scrappers came both Friday and Saturday and cropped all night long – these ladies were die-hards!  Not only did we hang with them, but we couldn’t leave without giving away some serious prizes … Making Memories style! Congrats to those who won the SLICE!

 

 
 

We can’t wait to see you again next year when we come back to host another event in conjunction with Lasting Memories.  Keep checking our websites for details.
 
We love and miss you already,
Marianne and Jen