Cancer Sucks and a Mug Rug?

 

In late April my family was delivered bad news, not just once but twice in a week!  My grandma was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer and my sweet Aunt Stacy found out that after being in remission for the past 7 years that her cancer had returned and moved to lymph nodes in her back. My grandma is currently receiving chemotherapy treatments at a local cancer center and my aunt is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments 90 minutes away from her home.  She stays near the hospital 5 nights a week and returns home on the weekends. 

Anyone who has been ill or know someone who has been sick knows how illnesses, especially the ones that require lengthy and often expensive treatments, can empty bank accounts to pay for the care of their loved ones.  These two people are no different and they are already feeling the strain in their wallets, especially since money was tight to begin with.  To help them out my family members are working hard to organize several fundraisers to raise money to take away a little bit of the financial stress so my grandma and Aunt Stacy can focus on their health and getting better! 

Obviously I am too far away to help organize and coordinate events in person but I do have some mad computer skillz (you can laugh now) and have been trying to help whenever possible.  I also have a fabulous hobby (or two) that is not only a great creative outlet for me but also one that I can put to good use!  So I have been working hard since last Thursday to put together some things I can donate to be sold during the first fundraiser. 

First up, a Hello Kitty Christmas bundle.  I used my Cricut Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge to make up a set of 6 Christmas cards, 4 gift tags, 2 blank cards and 2 vinyl decals (not pictured).  I made Christmas stockings for my girls nearly 3 years ago and had enough fabric left to make another.  I am so happy with the way it all turned out even if I was frustrated with all the paper piecing that was involved.  I will not be making my own Hello Kitty cards for Christmas this year!

As I was browsing on Pinterest (my newest addiction!) I found a photo of a mug rug and knew I wanted to make one for myself.  As I was trying to think of something else to send off to my mom for these fundraisers I went back through my pins and was inspired to make some mug rugs to add to the Hello Kitty bundle.  I went in search of an easy tutorial and found what I was looking for on Ryan Walsh’s blog. 

I am not a quilter but I have always wanted to learn and this tutorial made it look easy enough for a beginner so I gave it a try.  I have to confess that I love the way it came out, even with the little flaws that I see.  Practice makes perfect and these rug mugs would make a perfect gift!  I see myself keeping several of these on hand for quick and easy gift giving.  Add a Starbucks gift card and you can feel good about giving a little bit of handmade along with a gift card.

I hope that the little bit of effort I have put into these projects will help raise some money to help my family out.  It is the least I can do for them and to let my grandma and Aunt Stacy know just how much I love them!