Once upon a time, not so long ago, I struck up a friendship with a glue gun & before you knew it, a fairey doll was born! Sadly, my grandmother passed around that time. I ended up inheriting a vast collection of costume jewelry, etc... Using my grandmother's style, sense of humor & positive attitude for inspiration, I began incorporating those items into my creations. I was able to make my dolls look just as beautiful & fancy as she looked. That's when I new that I had to share these special little dolls, in hopes that they spread happiness & positivity to all. I named my business "Sugar Cookie Dolls" in honor of my grandma, Margaret Cooke Milam * aka: Cookie *
BREAST CANCER... It happened to me
I was diagnosed with this disease in June, 2005. No amount of advertisements, public announcements or pink ribbons could have ever prepared me for that surprise. After all, I was only 35. My mom doesn't have it & my grandma, Cookie didn't have it. I do have family history of it on my dad's side, but I didn't know that would matter. Fortunately, the cancer was found before it had spread. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. From the moment I was diagnosed, I have had this uncontrollable urge to tell all females to "GET A MAMMOGRAM!" I want to encourage woman to get checked BEFORE you feel a lump. THE MORAL OF THIS STORY : TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH!!! You don't have to wait for your Dr. to tell you to get one. This is called trouble-shooting! I'm a busy mom that used to cringe at the thought of wasting my precious alone time sitting in a doctor's office, but taking a little time for that appointment saved my life. This experience has left me with a new found clairity, as well as a new focus for my creations.
PROJECT REMINDER: I began making breast cancer awareness fairies almost immediately after I was diagnosed. I had so many new creations & not sure what to do with them. So, I was talking with my good friend Karen about it , who happens to be a creative genius, & she said I should pass them out to friends as a mammogram reminder. Thus, this wonderfully-spectacular idea was born! So, I got busy locating interesting boxes & journals, but this project needed something else. I came up with a poem that is from the mammogram reminder fairy & included my story. Tah-Dah!My hope is that I will recieve each journal back with lots of signatures, or if you don't want to write your name, than the location it was in. That will be my pay off; just knowing that it could have possibly encouraged someone to get a mammogram. I'm looking so forward to that!
If you want to start circulating your own reminder box, I can put it together for you & send it to you to circulate in your town. You would be the one that gets the journal back to see how many lives you may have affected. It cost $30.00 to get your own. The money I recieve from box sales will help to expand PROJECT REMINDER. My goal is to have at least 100 of them circulating by this time next year. Right now I'm up to 40 boxes.
On October 2, 2005 my aunt Margaret O'Braitis, AKA:Sissy, lost her battle with cancer. I know that if she had gotten a mammogram early enough, like I did, she would still be with us today. All of my awareness efforts will now be in loving memory of my aunt Sissy.
PRESS:
- The State newspaper 8/04
- Lake Murray magazine 7/05
- WACH fox news 8/05
- WACH fox news 10/05
- The State newspaper 2/06
- Columbia Metropolitan 3/06
- WLTX news 19 10/06
- WLTX news 19 12/07
- First Place winner of the Fire Mountain Gems & Beads 2007 Beading contest in the freeform expression ornaments category.
- 2008 - 2009 Fire Mountain Gems and Beads jewelry maker's comprehensive catalog
- The Big Idea With Donny Deutch 9/08
- Southern Living Magazine Oct. 2008
- WLTX News19 12/19/08
- Featured on Craft For Health 6/5/09
- Featured in Piddlestix Vol.3 Magazine Spring 2009
- Flapperology VOL.1 in 8/09
- Romantic Homes magazine 12/09
- Lexington Woman 12/09
- Skirt Magazine December 2009
- Childstyle Magazine Winter 2010