Baldies' Blog began originally in the UK by a 26 year old journalist with a blood cancer on a mission to inform the world about bone marrow donation.

He has since died, and I took on the cause of making cancer care more transparent for everybody.

Cancer is a disease that will touch everybody through diagnosis or affiliation: 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed and 1 in 3 woman will hear those words, "You Have Cancer."

I invite you to read how I feel along my journey and
how I am continuing to live a full life alongside my Hodgkin's lymphoma, with me controlling my cancer, not my cancer controlling me.

I hope that "Baldies' Blog" will prepare you to handle whatever life sends you, but especially if it's the message, "You Have Cancer."

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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Poor Girl's Guide to Giving

This Christmas is going to be a little tight on the budget for many of us, but not many are quick to ditch the yuletide tradition of gift giving.
My friends and I have been discussing solutions.
Here are some of our ideas. They are mostly homemade or creative, but still great.
Thrift store styling. Have a special friend in mind? If you know where to shop and have some time, you can whip up a cheap, memorable present in the form of an outfit. Find a coat, scarf, and cocktail ring or a sweater they just need to have. Put it together in a look. You can keep it below $10. Just make sure you dry clean first.
Home dry cleaning kits are available at dept. stores with the detergent.
Again, with the thrift stores or flea markets. Revive used furniture. It’s amazing what can be done with spray paint over some wicker that needs to be reloved. Cut off anything that has come undone, clean, and spray the chair a color complimenting the person’s room. To finish off, buy a pillow. I’ve done this for a total cost of $12.
Linen’s-‘N-Things is closing! You could stencil blank linen napkins to match a friend’s dining décor. This project takes special paint, brushes and stencils of your choice. You can use pencil erasers for holly berries. Craft items can be found at Micheal’s or other craft stores. They can also be found at Walmart.
I take digital pictures of pictures then print them to the size of a cheap store bought frame. I may personalize the frame with sweeps of paint to match the décor of the room.
Buy plain coffee cups and monogram them. I love monograms. I’ve made them for my Christmas cards. This will required templates, found at marthstewart.com, transfer paper, & porcelain pens. Cook the cup when finished so the monogram will not wash off.
You can then fill it with a package of hot chocolate, some mini marshmellows, a shot size bottle of baileys, and a candy cane. That makes one good drink- irish, peppermint hot chocolate, and it’s cheap.
X and I are doing femo clay ornaments. You can find this at Walmart or any other craft store. All we have to do is use our imagination. We can add garnishments like sparkles and ribbon for loops. We’ll connect these to our mugs (sans liquor) for his great teachers.
Got any ideas? Feel free to post them. A quick search of the internet could further inspire you.

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