Aides de mémoire – A 500-page project.

I have decided to make 25 scrapbook albums (20 pages each, 500 pages in total) to be given to people with dementia who are in, or just about to go into care.  These albums will be their aide-mémoire, a “This is your Life” book.  The reason for this is that while a person with dementia is being cared for within a family, the family is able to make up for many of his or her intellectual losses by taking over the tasks the person can no longer manage.  At the same time, they can remember what that person was like before he or she developed dementia.  Once the person with dementia requires care outside the family, a practical way to help maintain their identity and individuality is to use one of these albums.  This type of album is also useful for reminiscing and conversation regardless of where the person with dementia lives.

These albums will be donated to the families, ready to be filled with photographs and memories of them and their loved ones. To keep me in line, I wil be publishing my progress right here, so scroll further down this page so that you can see what I’ve done and how far I still have to go!

Thanks for taking the time to see what I’m up to and I hope you have time to follow some of the links to find out more about this illness.

Michelle

We came, we saw, we raised funds!

Thank you to every one who came along and crafted away on Sunday 19th (see here for some pictures) ~ the final amount raised was just over $1130.  How exciting!  Here’s one of the tables of crafty ladies ~

It was such a lovely day, with loads of home-baked goodies for morning tea and lunch and loads of prizes won in the afternoon raffle!

This day was held during Alzheimer’s Awareness week, not only raise funds but to raise awareness.  Karen and Diane from the local branches of Alzheimer’s Australia came along and had a chat to the ladies about the work of the Association and also encouraged them to speak to their doctor or call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500 for further information. 

A big thank you and hugs to everyone who came along to CraftAway – I hope you enjoyed yourselves, I certainly did!  Now onto finishing the promised 500 album pages ~ I’ve only got 83 days to go (what happened to the other 400?).

Michelle

PS – Check out the Alzheimer’s Australia website for further information on dementia and memory loss.

CraftAway II is coming!

Plans are well underway for CraftAway II – the Sequel. If you’re going to be in Maffra on September 19, why don’t you come along? $50 gets you your ticket for the day, which includes a great project, lunch, nibbles and a lucky door prize ticket. All proceeds go to the Hazel Hawke Alzheimer’s Research and Care Fund.  Would you like to see a sneak peek of the project?

And that’s just a little taster! Contact me if you’d like to book your place.

Still making pages!

I’ve not been keeping a tally of the pages that I’ve competed lately as there hasn’t been too many, I must confess! Life seems to have got in the way since the CraftAway day, but I am back on track again. I spent a lovely Saturday with my cousins and Aunt, this weekend past, with the premise of getting together to scrap, but more chatting and catching up was done than scrapping I think!  We have decided that we must do it more often so that there will be less chat and more work done.  That’s the theory anyway. 

Another CraftAway Day is planned for September 19 in Mum’s hometown and I am already receiving fantastic support with loads of people already expressing interest in the day.  I think that learned a lot from the first one and this one will be a ‘doddle’. Well, maybe not that easy, just less stressful!

This weekend is earmarked for some serious page-making, so I will get back to you with a tally after the weekend and I am hoping it will be closer to my projected total!

 Till next time,

Michelle

More news on the fun we had . . . .

I’m still buzzing from the great day on the 2nd and have more photos to share.  Here’s  a close up of one of the cards that we made. These little flowers were part of the ‘theme’ for the day and they featured not only on one of the cards, but also on the keepsake box that was made. I estimate that there were over 750 of these flowers stamped and punched out that day. That’s almost enough to open our own florist, don’t you think?  You can also see some of the aforementioned glitter ~ just a touch, not too much (yet).

Close up of "For You" card

Maxine had the production line format down to a fine art – and look, she’s even got the instructions open beside her to follow, step-by-step! My hard work paid off!  

Maxine has it all sorted

 This was the another card that we made – “Embrace Life”. The dotty background could either be stamped or embossed on the Big Shot.  I think most people took the Big Shot option as it was so much fun and so quick to do! 

One of the cards we all made at CraftAway

 It’s at this point I would like to thank Andrea Walford for all her inspiration.  If it wasn’t for her planners I don’t think that I could have organised all the projects or had the confidence that I could pull off a day like that. Now that I have one under my belt, I’m already planning the next one. It will be in Maffra in September(ish).  Stay  tuned! 

Trish & Sharon - Now, which flower goes where?

Thanks for stopping by, 

Michelle

Thank you everyone for a wonderful day!

Yesterday twenty-one lovely ladies headed out to the  Aspendale Gardens Community Centre  .  They spent the day making cards, chatting, laughing and generally getting covered in glitter.  It was all for a good cause – Hazel Hawke’s Research and Care Fund.

Table #1 hard at work

We raised just over $600 and lots of ladies went home with a prize  – all of which were generously donated by Stampin’ Up! demonstrators, Contours gym, friends and of course Stampin’ Up! themselves and their big box of goodies that they sent out.

Look at all those prizes!

I can’t go any further without thanking mum for her tireless work in the kitchen all day and making sure we were all fed and watered. She’ d also made a heap of her yummy slices and her friend Meg had sent up some gorgeous mini quiches and sausage rolls, which were the hit of the day!  She had two enthusiastic helpers in Ellie and Briannan who ran many messages to the nearby supermarket to get anything that we may have run short on (tomato sauce, anyone?).

Look what we made!

Everyone  made twelve cards and a box to keep them in. After settling into the projects, everyone was putting their own twist onto their cards to make them truly their own. I’d put an area aside down the back for glittering to try and contain it to one area, but we all know what glitter is like and everyone was suitably covered by the end of the day!

Forging a friendship at the glitter table

I love this photo of Veronica and Amy.  These two lovely ladies met for the first time on Sunday and when I came to glitter the table, they were chatting as if they had been friends for years!

I can’t thank everyone enough for all their love and support yesterday. I have been amazed, humbled and I am truly grateful for all the enthusiasm that was shown for the projects and cause yesterday.  I have more photos of the day and pictures of all the projects to share also. But they will have to wait, as tonight is going to be an early one for me as I don’t have anything more to organise/pack /write up!

Big, thankful hugs,

Michelle

4 more sleeps!

It’s only four more sleeps until CraftAway ~ I can’t wait! But I know I will have to. I’m very happy to say that the day is fully booked, and I have the biggest box full of prizes, just waiting to be given away. Everyone coming along on Sunday will get one and inside is a lucky ticket. “What can they win?” I hear you ask.  Loads. That’s what! Some of the lucky holders of these envelopes will be going home with smiles on their faces and a fantastic addition to their craft stash!

The raffle prizes and giveaways have been donated by Stampin’ Up!, some fantastic and generous fellow Stampin’ Up! demonstrators, Contours Gym & Georgina (Professional Nail & Make up Gift Voucher). Here’s hoping we can raise enough to do a large novelty cheque proud!

Here’s another sneaky peek at one of the projects we will be making . . .

Oh yes, there will be glitter. I don’t expect that anyone will leave unadorned by the all-powerful glitter.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some people in surrounding buildings are glittered by the end of the day!

I’ll be back with more news soon!

Michelle

What a great stash!

Stampin’ Up have sent me a donation box of goodies to raffle off at CraftAway. Oh my giddy aunt! Look at all the goodies in there!  If you come along, all this could be yours . . well some of it, anyway.  I’m breaking it up into several prizes so that the love can be shared around!

And that’s not all, there’s a whole heap of stuff that I had to take out so that I could look at all these goodies!

Have you booked in yet? Why not? There’s only a few spots left!

Hope to see you on May 2nd,

Michelle

Okay – so there’s no pages this week . .

That’s because I’ve been making the samples for the CraftAway Day on May 2nd. You are coming, aren’t you? Just  make sure you drop me a line  so that I can book you in!  On the day, you will get to make 12 all-occasion cards plus a custom designed box. Lunch and snacks are included, plus loads of great prizes and a goodie bag.  So why haven’t you booked yet? Here’s a sneak peek at one of the cards ~

 I love a bit of bling, and I hope you will too. We will be using some of the new products from the Stampin’ Up! Autumn/Winter Mini catalogue, and I can’t wait to get my hands on them! I’m sure you’ll love them too!

I will be getting a chance to work on some more pages this weekend, so will be able to have another ‘number’ for you in my next post.

So till next time ~

Michelle

Caregiver Guilt

Are you a carer? Here’s an article written by Dortothy Womack that I found at website full of essays from people who are affected by Alzhiemer’s and dementia in many different ways.  I thought that essay was particularly true for all carers, not just those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.  I think that if you are a carer,  you will be able to relate to at least some of this.

“The role of a caregiver at home is usually followed by varying degrees of guilt. This happens irregardless of our effectiveness, as it seems to be virtually impossible to care for one’s loved ones and simultaneously face the realities that we will inevitably lose them. Most of us eventually confront not only the loss of our loved ones, but the guilt that we could have done more, should have known better, would have done differently in retrospect. This increases not only our guilt, but our grief as well. We long to spare our loved ones from the ongoing progression of disease and death – but we cannot save or rescue them. We are helpless in the face of the inevitable – Life in the body ceases to function and life in the spirit begins. Our loved ones depart houses no longer adequate to hold them and move onto a new dimension, while we remain behind – often shattered by our grief and shackled by our guilt. We only compound our grief when we weigh ourselves down with guilt. We take on a task which requires Herculean effort – and despite our best intentions, there is an end which we anticipate, but seek desperately to avoid. At the end of human life exists a new beginning – not just for our loved ones but for ourselves as well.

Guilt is destructive – It impedes our progress and inhibits our own destinies in this life. We spend our time berating ourselves for where we perceive failure rather than focusing on all the good we achieved, the quality of life we brought to our loved ones and the character development that ensued as a result. The best knowledge we can possess is that our efforts made a difference in the last days of our loved ones. It takes discipline to focus on the attainment of a higher level of living for all of us as the mortal bonds are broken – However, our loved ones live on in our hearts forever and those eternal bonds remain. Guilt merely clouds our vision and torments our minds – Peace comes as we realize and acknowledge that there was purpose to all we shared – The lessons learned change us and equip us to better empathize with those who follow after along our paths of experience. Release the guilt you carry and listen with your heart – You will truly find your loved ones not only dwell in peace, but wish the same for you as well…..”

March 6th – 70/430

Well, I managed to get a few more pages done this week and I am hoping with the long weekend I will get a chance to do a few more. Some more goodies by the way of cardstock arrived this week from Kari Hughes – Thank you Kari!  – and they have been put to good use already.

The thunderstorms are currently rolling across Melbourne and we are all hunkered down inside sheltering from the inclement weather. I don’t think  I want to race outside to get some more papers to work on ~ It looks like I may need a board to surf out to my workroom! Instead, I have been doing some surfing on the ‘net and doing some more reading about Alzheimer’s.  Here is an interesting story I read on the Better Health Channel (here), that you may find interesting, especially if you are a carer, or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

	Alzheimer’s disease – Jan’s story
	Jan’s husband, a doctor and partner in a suburban practice, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in his early 50s. What’s it like caring for a person with Alzheimer’s? It’s difficult. It’s really sad watching your best friend and the person you’ve been closest to just disappear. I suppose that’s the hardest thing – watching him every day just go, so that now he’s nothing like the man I knew. He’s like a stranger. You are just looking after a different person. He’s totally dependent. I’m the centre of his life. He’s got no initiative, no way to fill his hours. It’s awful. It really is awful. But then, I think it’s made us stronger as a family. It’s made us closer. The positives are that it’s given me lots of strengths that I don’t think I would have had. I don’t think I would have been as independent as I am. I was very comfortable being totally dependent on Jamie. Not totally dependent, but I was very comfortable having him make decisions – and that’s all changed. Do you get lonely? It’s lonely. It’s lonely because he’s gone and you no longer have relationships as a couple, and most of our relationships were with couples. That’s all gone. I shouldn’t say all gone, but most of it’s gone. I still have lots of my friends and I have maintained those friendships, but we can’t really do much as a couple. Jamie says we go to movies, but we only occasionally go to a movie because he can’t really understand movies anymore. We go to concerts and we go to the opera; we meet friends there and it’s a way that he can mix with people. How has your life changed? It’s almost like your life’s on hold. The whole day is just geared to filling Jamie’s hours and keeping him happy. I do as much as I can on my own. I do some embroidery and so on, but it just feels like my life’s on hold for the time being. I keep thinking there’s a life after Alzheimer’s and, for the time we’re together, we’ll just take it day by day. If you’re looking to the future, it’s horrifying. The next step always seems frightening, but once you get into it, it’s like, ‘Well, so what?’ And the next step after that seems difficult. It seems slow. It seems very slow. How has it affected your relationships with family and friends? If I look at it from the positive side, it sounds like it’s awful, and it’s not. There are lots of really nice things that happen. In amongst it all, your close friends become closer. For us, our family’s become much closer. My relationship with my mother – which was always fraught with tensions, as relationships with mothers often are – has become just wonderful. She’s 89 and she’s been the most wonderful friend and support through it. It’s made a difference to her too. She’s changed in lots of ways too. She’s less demanding and less inward looking, I think. For all of us as a family it’s made a huge difference. Jamie’s two brothers have become very close. They really have been wonderful. I think it’s changed, in lots of ways, the closeness of our friendship with them; on the other hand, it’s been hard for them too because there’s the worry all the time of whether it’s hereditary. You can’t worry about everything all the time; it’s a concern, but it’s not something we’re obsessed with, let’s put it that way. The positives are that it means you know how much time you’ve got left together. It means that you make an effort, that you put time into doing things with each other now, rather than putting them off. So we’ve done lots of things together, we’ve done lots of things as a family, and the children and I have talked about lots of relationships within the family and what’s happened. I think they are things we probably wouldn’t have talked about if Alzheimer’s hadn’t happened. I think we would have all gone about our busy ways. So that’s been good, but it’s not so wonderful that you’d want Alzheimer’s so you’d have all that! How are you coping with your changed role in your relationship with Jamie? Well, now Jamie loves everything I do. So, rather than there being conflict between what he wanted to do and what I wanted to do, we now just do what I want to do because he thinks that’s wonderful. Whatever I do is wonderful, whatever I say is wonderful; he thinks I’m absolutely wonderful and so I guess I lead a different sort of life. The best thing I did was organise the finances straight away, so that it was easy for me to manage and change house, and we got rid of things that we otherwise would have hung on to. What would you like to say to someone who is caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s? I don’t know whether it’s moving on, reassessing priorities or what. It changes your approach, your attitude, your outlook on life. And it’s not all bad. That’s what’s so odd about it. You feel as though it should be all bad, but it’s not.