Hmmm... entering a giveaway

I have to admit I've entered a few giveaways by responding to a blog post.  Only a few - when the giveaway has really spoken to me - but never have I thought of 'blogging' about one!

First of all...  I've only done ONE blog post before.  Secondly... I have NO followers so - what's the point?  Well, today is different, it feels a bit more personal.  Although this blog is really just a place for me to talk to myself - so to speak - I felt compelled to write my second blog post.

I've been curious about Barbara Lewis's new book "Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry - A Workshop in Painting With Fire" since first reading about it.  Her enameled beads are beautiful and the transformation they go through really intrigues me.  I've been tuning into her virtual book tour when I get a chance and today was Lori Anderson's turn at http://www.prettythingsblog.com (remember I'm new at this so I have no clue how to make those links you click on to "go here").

In any case, Lori's is the first blog I ever came across... and I am forever devoted.  One chilly Sunday morning, with a fire in the fireplace and a cup of coffee by my side, I decided to open my son's laptop and google away looking for new "jewelry ideas", while the rest of the house slept.  I had never done this before when LO AND BEHOLD my first hit was Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party - if you don't know what that is you MUST go to her blog and check it out - I had hit the "jewelry ideas" jackpot!  I spent several hours hopping and drooling over all that I saw, I just couldn't believe all that was being shared through these 'blogs'???  I spent lots of time reading through Lori's posts and well... I just admire her.  She's honest and articulate, LOVES her son to the end of the earth, has travelled and lived across that earth and is a wonderful writer.  There's something about the energy that comes from her writing that just speaks to me... through the computer???  What's up with that?

Well... to make this long story a teeny, tiny bit shorter I will just say Lori has been speaking to me ever since via her blog.  We've never met of course, in fact I just left my first comment on her blog a few weeks ago so I'm sure she really doesn't know I exist... a tangent for another post perhaps, how do bloggers feel about the 'unknown' out there?... I don't expect she remembers me much at all - although... she is the one and only person to have actually seeked out this little blog and left a post ;)  Anyway, Lori is just F - U - N ... you know when you just feel something?  I 'feel' that something with Lori's blog - it makes me smile.  SO, imagine my feeling when I logged in tonight and found Lori was the guest blogger in the virtual book tour AND she has a giveaway!?  You see, today would have been my brother Mike's 56th birthday - yesterday was the 3rd anniversary of losing his cancer battle - needless to say this is always a tough week.  But, thank you Lori Anderson for lifting me up with your post!

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL JOHN!  It rained today and I know you would have like that - wish I had some fireworks to celebrate you!

So I wonder... is it fate that I should feel the pull to not only enter her giveaway with a comment but with my own post?  Who knows... maybe Mike will put some JuJu on that random number calculator and my number will come up...

Enjoy your day ~~T

How Creating Cures was born...

In 2008 my brother Mike lost his battle with throat cancer, 7 months later my father also died - among other things prostate cancer had been a factor, 2009 was a sad year...  I was involved with the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life and decided I needed to find something to raise funds all year long. While some people don't believe in giving to a large organization like ACS I had looked into their practices and do believe they're spending the money well.  ACS is the second largest funder of cancer research, the largest funder is the U.S. Government... and I wonder how much of that actually gets spent on research?!?

In any case, a friend brought me a necklace from her trip to South Africa, it had a simple but very pretty design of glass beads on a double-knotted strand.  As I looked at that necklace I thought... I could do this... and what if I focused on cancer awareness colors?  I showed it to my sister-in-law who had dabbled in jewelry making and with her encouragement and enthusiasm we were off to a bead shop!  Little did I know what I was getting into - the addiction was born :-)

Together we worked on creating jewelry until she and my brother (I have 5 altogether and 1 very special sister) opened a new wine shop.  Every so often I get an email or a phone call from her with a wistful... "How are our beads? I miss them..."

Currently I sell at a few local events but decided somewhere along the way I should come up with a name for this venture... maybe one day I'll launch an Etsy shop... or a blog!  I had better be prepared!  I thought and thought and eventually decided on Creating Cures.  I like the double entendre:  I am Creating Cures by donating the profit to cancer fighting charities and Creating Cures what makes your heart sad.

I make no promises for more blog posts... not quite sure I'm ready to put it all out there just yet but, we'll see!  You never know where this beading addiction may lead!


Enjoy ~~T