Fun Hats

I haven't posted much lately because I've been dealing with cancer. I'm still recovering, so I don't expect to blog here very much in the near future; but I wanted to post a link to some adorable and oh-so-comfortable hats from Hippo Hats. I've been wearing this cute bear hat (pictured below) around the house ever since my daughter gave it to me as a gift. It's warm and soft and perfect for a bald head. I even wear it to bed because it keeps my ears so warm at night. These darling animal hats make perfect gifts for anyone who loses their hair to chemo, but they're also perfect for kids or anyone who just loves fun hats. I highly recommend them, and Hippo Hats offers a large selection at bargain prices. Some of the proceeds of Hippo Hat's sales will be used to donate hats to hospitals.

I Went to President Obama's Second Inauguration!

Actually, I went to the first one in 2009, too...so it made sense to go to this one as well. :) (Update: Here is a link to a more detailed summary of our visit.)

I met a Washington Post journalist (John Kelly), pictured here with me, while we were waiting for the inauguration parade in DC on Monday. Mr. Kelly was very nice and we spoke about a lot of things, and I’m absolutely tickled to be included in the WaPo article: “Obama’s Second Act Draws a Smaller But Spirited Crowd”

The portion about me and my husband, Mike, is on page 3. I’ll just paste it here in case you don’t have time to read the whole article; although the entire piece is very good, so I hope you’ll try to get over to the WaPo website and read it.

------- from the Wahington Post --------
Others were just happy to be there.

Monday was Cindy Johns’s 54th birthday.

Two weeks ago Johns was finishing up her final round of chemotherapy. She’d lost her hair and was prone to “chemo brain,” the fuzzy fog that envelops cancer patients, she said.

But she knew exactly where she wanted to be on Jan. 21 — in Washington for the inauguration.

“She got some wigs so she could come out,” said her husband, Mike Johns, 52.

The Johnses live in Ohio. He works in a factory that builds Whirlpool appliances, and she has an online company designing greeting cards.

She said she likes Obama’s approach to solving problems, and his quick mind. “I think he’s going to end up the greatest president this country’s ever had,” she said. “I know an awful lot of people don’t believe that.”

Last Wednesday, Cindy Johns’s doctor said she appears to have beaten her cancer — her second bout in 15 years. The Johnses divided their drive into two, stopping to see their daughter in Pittsburgh.

Cindy Johns is still weak, and she used a cane and a wheelchair that she occasionally sank into at 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW while waiting for the parade.

“Nothing could stop me from being here,” she said.
-------

Zentangle Inspired

I've been going through some extra rough times these past couple weeks and I started looking for a new (portable) hobby to get my mind off the unpleasant stuff and also be able to easily take with me when I go to get treatments. Zentangle (or tangling, as the actual process is called) seems to be the solution! :-)

Here's a pretty cool video that shows some of the extraordinary things you can do with this easy-to-learn artistic technique.

Happy Times at Home Together

The title of this post suggests I'm feeling good. In spite of the current condition of my cancer and the seemingly endless treatments (which unfortunately will need to continue into 2013), for the most part I am feeling good. However, today I'm feeling a little down...so I wanted to post something happy that I can look at from time to time when I feel this way - to cheer myself up. :-)

This picture was taken on one of the happiest days of my life. It was actually just a few weeks ago. I had an idea to take some pictures of my kids and me while they were home from college for a few days. I wanted to make my bald-headedness (from the chemo) something to laugh about and to let other folks (who may be dealing with cancer or some other devastating illness) know that even when you and your family are struggling through the difficulties of the disease/treatment/etc., it's important to take advantage of special happy moments and have fun when you can.

So that's exactly what Megan, Milo, and I did; and we had a LOT of fun that day! I'm not very skilled at making videos; but I think in spite of that, this one turned out pretty good...and I'm proud to share it:

I know it has been forever since I posted, but...

...the gynecological cancer I have turned out to be improperly diagnosed, and then under-treated. :-( I've been having more chemo (since chemo appears to be the only option available to me at the moment) and trying to come to grips with the fact that some of my radiation doctors may have let me down with the incomplete treatments which have put me in such a pickle. :-(

Oh well. Enough about my problems. Be sure and vote on Tuesday, November 6th!! :-) Make me proud! :-)

Update: I'm SO proud of American voters! President Obama was re-elected!! Yay! And so was Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio!

Zazzle Has a New Product Line!

Pacifiers! Aren't they CUTE?! :)

Hush Little Baby, Don't Say a Word-Pink & RedHeart by ilovecuttables
Design custom baby pacifiers online at zazzle.com

Silly Cards
Sexy Cards
100
Silly100
HBDAY

Funny Font Cartoon

I just went through an experience similar to this with a font I was working on, so I think this is particularly funny. The cartoon links to a fun font called Janda Stylish Script created by Kimberly Geswein.

Back to School!

Send your favorite flower-loving student a card that encourages their doodling talents as they head back to school this fall.

Doodling is actually a very productive past-time. Study finds doodling aids in concentration

I'm Back! :)

For the past few months I've been dealing with chemo and radiation treatments as well as the after-effects (pain, fatigue, etc). But my cancer is in remission (YAY!), so I'm finally trying to get back on this blogging horse. Hopefully I won't fall off again.

Anyhow, I also just opened a MySoti store. They sell lampshades, apparel, and artwork. I created my first lampshade today. :) And here it is:
MySoti - ilovecuttables - 'Bold Pointillism Designed, Floral Lampshade'- Lampshade

Update: I found out in September that the cancer wasn't in remission, after all. It had been misdiagnosed and under-treated. :-(

Happy Fourth of July!!!!

I really LOVE today's Google Doodle! It inspires us to work and play together. :)

Happy Father's Day From Google Doodle!

Happy Mother's Day to Moms Everywhere! From Google Doodle!

Three Inkscape Videos by CutTwoPieces

Carolyn shows how to make radial tiled clones in this video (very useful for many projects including the knot designs).

Carolyn shows us the basics of making knot designs in Inkscape.

Carolyn shares more tips on knot designs in this second part of her series.

April is Stress Awareness Month

This short monologue by Ellen DeGeneres does a great job of summarizing April as Stress Awareness month.


And here is a good summary of how to cope with stress.

Zip It!

Very cool Gideon Sundback Google Doodle. Hope you don't miss it, but in case you do...here's a YouTube recording of it.