The Blue Ribbon Campaign

I have ALWAYS honored and respected the ribbon campaign, thee is several but the most recognized ribbon is the PINK ribbon for breast cancer.
After yesterdays post and now related to me is the BLUE ribbon. I'd like to let my readers know about the BLUE ribbon and what it means.
The most used BLUE ribbon known to us all are the first place award for the best. The best quilt, the best pie, the best grown veggies and best in show. I believe everyone in one way or another has had a blue ribbon awarded in their family with much excitement.
Thanks to the ribbon awareness campaign, BLUE and other colors have become so much more.
If you want more information on the campaign go to Craft 'n Scraps.

BLUE; Child abuse prevention, arthritis, gout, free speech, crime victim rights, water quality, colon cancer, Dysautonomia, hystiocytosis, histiocytosis, Erbs' palsy, Ankylosing Spondylitis, domestic violence, water safety (flooding, drowning and accidents), Acute Respiratory distress (ARD), second hand smoke, dystonia, interstitial cystitis, bracial plexus injury, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), chronic fatigue syndrome, myalgic encephalomyetitis (ME), alopecia, Reyes syndrome, Education, Steven Johnson syndrome, short bowel syndrome, myositis, leukodystrophy, hurricane support, Huntington disease, Police officer lost in the line of duty (AKA, The thin blue line), Malaria, syringomyelia, neurofibromatosis, Sex trafficking and slavery, Cri du chat syndrome, cyclic vomiting syndrome, polio awareness, Primary Immunodeficiency disease, sensory processing disorder (reflux blue shade), Angelman syndrome, Von Hippel-Lindau.

C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

On that Gut Feeling

Wikipedia has the definition of "guy feeling" as a "visceral emotional reaction to something, and often one of uneasiness". I figure it's time to post about my health.


"Sensitive" sculpture by Miquel Blay, 1910.

I've shied away from blogging about something so personal because I fear making readers uncomfortable so I will be very non-graphic about my thoughts.


My colon tumor biopsy returned as adenocarcinoma, colon cancer.
My course of treatment has been swift, I've had a CT scan with both ingested iodine dye and intravenous dye, to which I found the machine to be scary.

So far....CT scan of the abdomen shows no metastases to the liver or lung (what lung that could be seen), ruling out stage 4.


Oh, I love you, I love, love you machine!


I am informed that there will be more CT Scans before I'm done.


I'm going to be in surgery soon, the whole right side of my colon will be removed and the lymph nodes will be biopsied, if one shows the spread of the tumor than it means chemotherapy. I'm alright with that considering it is a relief not to have stage 4 cancer.


I'm uncomfortable and fatigued most of the time and was sick Saturday night, a combination of bad roasted peppers, nerves and a heavy gut feeling. This is a living thing inside, waiting to come out and die.


Wikipedia describes ''gut feeling" as "may also be used as a short handed term for a individuals "common sense", what is considered the "right thing to do."


My CT scan showed a 5 centimeter sized cyst on my left ovary a adenobenign cyst and 5 centimeters is the surgical size for this kind of cyst. It will not shrink on it's own. The right ovary may be involve in the "mass". The "gut feeling" thing to do...is...removal of both, the names are too close for my desire. The possible issue in the future could be, scar tissue might interfere with....as in another surgery and chemo will destroy anyway.


Menopause...here I come!


And on that scar tissue......


Wikipedia says "Gut feeling, like all reflective unconscious comparisons, can be reprogrammed by practice and experiences."

I can live with that, signed ; (semi-colon) C&G Design


GUT FEELING BY DEVO, November 1988
From the Devo album, "Are we not men, we are D-E-V-O"

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

Senior Season

Yesterday we went to the exhibition game that will start the high school football season (that's my son on the ground on the left, it's a rarity he goes down). They won! Generally the exhibition sets the tone for the rest of the season but not necessarily a "facto". because sometimes winning the exhibition game is a fluke. All the players are just getting the swing of the game after 10 months off.



I hope, I hope. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

Happy Birthday

Happy, happy, birthday my sweet little girl. At your request....another musical instrument....asking grandpa to teach you with this one might be better since you do band in school and have private piano lessons.

But you've already given yourself a headstart on my ole' beat-up guitar.

Love ya. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

Dragon's Boat-Part one

I'm forever looking for a cool and interesting Christmas tree ornament to make, right now I'm on a thread "kick" as you can tell by my Temari ball post from a few days ago. This is something different....I found a nice tutorial at Craftsanity, she refers to them as "Dragon Boats" although nothing is available about the history on them. They are so simple as a piece of card stock.

Some folding and some tape....

And a special way of winding embroidery thread. I started mine a little different then what the tutorial showed. She had the hanger and bottom tassel already placed but since this is my first....I'm starting without them.

I had to unwind my first attempt because I started upside down and couldn't turn the boat counter clock wise like directed.

The color changing went smooth so hold on for the finished ornament! C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

A Birthday Gift

I need to show you what book (s, eventually!) my husband got me for my birthday. This is a long time publication from 1918, 1947 and my copy, 1977 under Bob Merrill, inc.

The stories that are in this book is mostly what I have posted already, a few are new and we will get to them in time.

Gotta love a good Ann book. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

Japanese Temari

Temari balls are a ancient art stemming back to China, more than 6 hundred years ago it was brought to Japan.
They was started to amuse children (what isn't?). It is said the balls were made from tightly wrapped silk left over from kimono making. (some were said to actually bounce!) and the extra colored threading was wrapped over that for a decorative touch.

Throughout the years the meaning of the Temari (handball) has been enhanced to be offered as gifts in present day time. To be given a fancy Temari at a wedding or birth is a honor. Lots of craft people make the Temari as Christmas ornaments.

Here I am making the north and south pole. You wrap a thin piece of paper around the Temari evenly and pin opposite side. Before placing the paper, you fold the strip in quarters and this will give you the equator. Some Temari balls are marked with invisible thread and some are marked with the same color as the wrap.

I picked the simplest pattern I could see and used a metallic thread for easy visibilities. This is a dragonfly pattern based on a common 8 (C8). A division of 8, 4 threads down and 3 across. I used a beaded pin to keep me oriented to the north.

The basic design is to follow the dissecting lines. I'm still a little baffled about the interlocking cubes and star patterns but I'm reading and learning more each day.

These Temari balls are also done with embroidery floss.

I'd really like to be able to make a chrysanthemum pattern and I will try it because they are very pretty.

There is a lot of technical language that accompanies the Temari balls, I was rather confused reading about the Obi (midsection, just as part of the kimono). I kept thing "How can that be when I made the equator?" The Obi is the midsection design that is no bigger that 1/3 of you Mari (the ball).

I completed my dragon fly the same day I started them. They aren't very pretty of linear flies but it's a start.

Not bad. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

The Village-House

This is my last structure of the village and it is the cutest, well they are all pretty cute. I'm having one of those moments where I look at my work and think....where did I come up with all those ideas?

Flowers, lace and free flow curtains add to the sparkling roof.

The chimney is a sweet idea, cute, huh? (Forgive the sun in the photo).

Can't you see a fairy living here? C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

What's left of my Garden

Even though I'm in the midst of a health issue, I am still going to keep posting on my blog. I may not even mention my health on some days while others, you might get more than enough information than you really need, TMI!
Anyway, I love flowers, these we finally pinched off my begonia and discarded but I JUST had to photograph them first. Well, my garden is still hanging on, we have all but given up on it, allowing things to grow amuck. The zucchini is coming along.

And....and... I thought this was squash but upon closer inspection.....me thinks it's cantaloupe or watermelon, check out the leaf. I have not one.....

but two......

and three.....

finally four! They are all the size of a apple or bigger.

What did my husband plant?!?

And why this year when I gave up on the long season fruit?!?

All of my tomatoes have grown and creased over, it's our fault though, we fertilized too late. They are still bearing fruit although nothing like the normal.

I've never made it to a growth season with peppers either....

but, by goodness! They have done superb this year.

I have already eaten several and the only complaint I had was the first pepper had a thin wall and very little flavor. The rest are yummmy!

I have been having baby onions as they are still growing along with the carrots, which I never did thin. Should have some interesting shapes this year.

So far, one lone pumpkin. I suspect more are hiding.

The potato's are not doing well except the ones in the tipsy buckets. Time will tell on those.
The beans have all been eaten.

Should I even mention my 2 foot high corn?

Ha! We might get some ears for stir fry, you know...the baby corn.

Bring it on my rouge raccoon with taste buds for kernels! C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

Birthday Wishes

Although I'm a day early (I don't post on Saturday) I'd like to wish my mother and niece happy birthday! On a post script, my colonoscopy has resulted with a tumor, we don't know the pathology of it yet so we are waiting on biopsy. Either way that part of the colon will need to be removed. I will keep my readers posted.
Thank you in advance for all your kind words. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

An inside job

O-kay...so I'm beyond the age of 40, the era when your warranty seems to expire. Since than it has been one thing or another, if it is not the achy knees it's the blurred vision.
My husbands warranty is pro-rated though, I believe that some of his health is still guaranteed, he acts better than all of us!
Anyway, I had my annual check-up and everything is fine except for being anemic, again. A repeat thing from last year. Well in the seven months since my last blood test, my red blood cells dropped to the stage of needing a transfusion, can ya figure out why I've had a hard time with stairs! So!....In that small amount of time the doctors have decided there is bleeding going on inside my stomach or colon. Ahhh, I can't really pinpoint any changes other than what is normal for me. (Geez, what do I know, I should of passed out on the roller coaster at six flags!)
Anyway, that's what I'm doing today, having two out patient procedures at the local hospital and I should know something by the end of the day.

Excuse me if my posts are short until I get back in the swing of things. C&G Design


Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

Little Ann

Aren't these adorable!? I forgot where I got the photo from, I think maybe Etsy, you can see that Ann is crocheted....and tiny! I'd like to have one of these for a garment brooch, or maybe a pair of earrings!

Imagine how tiny the crochet hook must be. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

The Last Presents

For those of you who guess orange and purple you were right. I think my sister came closest. The bummer about it all is that I have orange and purple sequins but they are the large size so I opted for the gold on both presents. I have black and white small sequins but I did not think the black would look good on purple and I thought it would look too much like Halloween on the orange. Amazing, I don't have silver (making notes about that).

I kept thinking while doing these two presents.....the colors are yummy, they remind me of the freeze pops you can buy, especially the orange.

My next ornament set requires reading and following instructions. I've never made them before.

I've always wanted too. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

Princess Grace Dolls

Well, my printer/scanner has been acting up lately. At one point recently, we added a wireless connection for all the other computers in the house and that's when things went awry. My husband is trying to put it back to just the "big" dinosaur computer but it will take 2 hours to reload all the missing components. Argh.
Anyway "Maddie Mod" was in storage with my blogger account, so here she goes. Maddie mod is a doll made by the Princess Grace, inc. She is Named after Madeline Abrams, first lady of Tennessee I believe.

Not much information is available about Princess Grace dolls or about Madeline Abrams and I can say.....this particular doll (11 inches like Barbie) is known for the doll with the bad haircut.

I have a Maddie, she was found when I purchased one of my vintage Barbie doll cases, she was inside keeping Ken company. I'm thinking....hum...I might want to go through those old clothes that were in the case also and see if I can find a appropriate outfit for my Maddie Mod.

I almost discarded her due the her bad hair. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.