I've had a bit of a break from Ditsy Bird for the past couple of months...it was a conscious decision due to problems I'd been having with my right arm. It seemed sensible to cut right back on the sewing, cutting, drawing and painting until it was better, as doing any of the aforementioned delights definitely made it worse. *sad face*
Whilst I was on my sabbatical I had a good long think about the future of Ditsy Bird Designs.
It was becoming startlingly clear that I couldn't, and would never be able to, run the business as a full time affair - simply because, the act of creating large numbers of designs for bulk/wholesale orders would cause me all sorts of RSI related issues. *sob*
Nope. That would not do. Not at all.
So...another long think later plus the interjection of the idea-at-the-back-of-my-mind-that-wants-to-be-heard and I finally came to a decision.
I would continue Ditsy Bird Designs for my pleasure, for a bit of money and in order to help. "Help?", I hear you ask. "How so?". By donating 20% of all my takings to charity is how.
In December 2010, my lovely mum got some truly shitty news. She was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a terminal form of cancer in the internal chest wall (for Mum...it can appear elsewhere), usually caused by exposure to asbestos. See...shitty! There then followed tests, a couple of operations to slow down the bugger's growth and a course of chemotherapy. All of this knocked the stuffing out of my lovely mum for a good few months. But by the end of the year, things were looking up. A cruise with her sisters starting the happy times off perfectly! Then she regained her strength, started to put weight back on and had pink cheeks for the first time in nearly 18 months...yay! Since then, Mum has continued to improve and as of today is looking & feeling tickityboo, with each consultation with the oncologists concluding with 'stable no growth'. Fantastic. *delighted sob* The latest appointment, two weeks ago had Mum coming away with an appointment not for 2 or 3 months later but 6 months. Hoo-bloody-rah-yay!!! *happy dance*
It's been a really tough sixteen months for all concerned (and wow,how far those ripples spread!) but weirdly it's also been a wonderful one. We've been reminded of just how supremely amazing our large and bonkers family is, and just how many fantastic friends we have. But it isn't over and it won't go away. And this is the thing with Mesothelioma...there simply is no cure. It's for that reason amongst many others that I've decided to try and raise money for the Mesothelioma UK Charitable Trust - to raise awareness (we'd never heard of it until the diagnosis!), to support the amazing work they do and to give something back for the fabulous care Mum has had, and will need in the future.
I couldn't find a super-fabby way of doing it so...I will be totting up any takings at the end of each month and, if there are any, I will be paying 20% of it into my Just Giving account.
Ditsy Bird is very much still up and running but with a different agenda and at a different pace.
Thankfully, me being me and stockpiling products as I do, I have lots of stock ready made to add to my shop - I will be slowly working my way through brooches, hair clip, gift tags, cards, masks, necklaces, rings, embroidered hoops, paintings and whatever else I can find...adding them as I go.
Why the lambs and daffs then? Well, that's because I love Spring (even if it is so terrifically wet) and wanted to share the love with a discount on my wares! If you enter the code LAMBSANDDAFFS at checkout on the website or in my Etsy shop, you will get 20% off your order.
Well I'd best get back to the listing before the call of the sofa and Fringe gets too strong! Have a lovely weekend.
Thanks for popping by...cheerio for now!
x
UPDATE: I forgot to say that I when to see the doctor today (finally) about my arm, she told me that I have tennis elbow. Hmph. Could be worse tho ;)
