Do it now.....no, really.....

So for some reason I feel compelled to write this post today....so maybe one or two of you will make your mammogram appointments.

There is so much coverage to BC Awareness Month now that I almost feel like it gets a little lost in the everyday chaos, kind of feels like white noise almost.

In Feb. 2012 I went in for my yearly mammogram, not thinking a think about it and expecting my "all clear" letter to arrive in about 2 weeks like it always did.

But this time I got a phone call instead...a day later. (Anyone who works in health care knows it's not good news when you get immediate follow up.)

So most of you know my story.....a few tests later and a big surgery following, and I was now the proud owner of a set of fake boobs, thanks to a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction.

Just to put it in perspective, here are the approximate sizes of the "offending cells", one 3 mm, the other 4 mm. One was already Stage 1, meaning it was already spreading.

The doctor said they were small enough and deep enough that I would have likely not felt them as "lumps" for years....YEARS! Yikes. Lucky for me that routine yearly mammo saved my life.

Since 2012, I've had many friends get that "scare", and for several that "scare" turned out to be real, and they have joined the ranks of BC survivor.

So don't put it off......make your appointment now! It's so much easier to blow off when it's not actually in the calendar.

So that's my PSA for October....... :)

Tracy

New "rustic" silver section.....

small rustic beaded hoops

I get lots of people looking for something a little more "rustic" than my normal style, but still fairly modern looking.

So I decided to offer some new things with a little bit of an antiqued finish, otherwise known as oxidized or blackened. They can be easily found in my new rustic section.

Oxidizing is the tarnishing process where silver turns a grayish color and loses its bright sheen. It occurs naturally when sterling silver is exposed to the air and humidity, as the non-silver part of the metal tarnishes. (Sterling silver is 92.5% silver, 7.5% other metals, hence the 925 mark you often see it marked with.)

You can let sterling do its tarnishing naturally, or you can help it along by using products like Liver of Sulfur Gel or Silver Black, that give silver that "blackened rustic" patina without having to wait.

Enjoy!

tiny rustic knot earrings

Organic modern + sentimental = not going to Goodwill

oxidized sterling silver bar earrings

I'm pretty much a minimalist in decor, following the less is more rule.

Much to my mother's chagrin, I'm not very sentimental about "stuff". Goodwill knows me well, as nothing feels better than dropping off a bag of things to them.

My husband is the same way...I always say if it's not nailed down or been used in the last 3 days, he will somehow try and get rid of it.

But there are a few things in my house that meet my modern organic vibe and are sentimental. And one of them is a set of 2 vases my brother made for me in college. He is an architect now and got to take some cool "artsy" classes.

I used one of the vases for a new prop of some things I just put in my shop. It is the perfect blend of the organic modern feel I am going for.

Enjoy!

long sterling silver teardrops

Tiny silver letters are now here.....

 Happy Summer!

I love a delicate necklace this time of year, great for layering too. Thought these tiny cursive letters were the perfect fit! Everything is solid sterling silver.

The entire alphabet is now available! Personalized letter necklace.....

Silver state necklaces....

California state necklace

 

So it's about this time of year that I'm a little tired of the cold and snow. I was born in CA and lived a fair amount of years there before relocating to CO. I love CO, but just miss the beach!

The biggest news a CA transplant can hear....Trader Joe's is coming soon! I have been waiting almost 8 years for that bit of information!

A cool trend I've seen a lot are the state necklaces....so I thought I'd offer a few....hoping to add more states soon!

New York

Florida

Texas

Enjoy all my new things!