Sunday, September 30, 2012

Tattoo & All That Scraps - Anything Goes

Happy Sunday!  I am SUPER psyched to share the pic of my new tattoo this morning!  It only took about an hour last night - the guy who did it (Ian) was super cool.  He designed this for me, I'll show you the pic and then tell you the story (it's on my left wrist):
 Cancer has affected my life for years, I've known far too many people who have fought with it.  Some have won their battle, others did not.  As most of you know, I've been a Chemo Angel for a long time (click to read about Chemo Angels).  Several years ago, a friend of mine told me about a guy he worked with whose daughter had cancer.  He asked if I would be her unofficial Chemo Angel and send her some cards.  Her name was Meg, and she lived about an hour away from me.  I started sending her cards and little gifts in the mail, and she wrote back to me.  Her mom, Teresa, wrote to me, and we became friends.  During the Christmas season in 2007, Teresa drove Meg to my house to meet me and exchange gifts.  They had assembled a beautiful basket for me, and Meg had made me a fleece blanket with kitties all over it (she knew I had/love kitties, the little sweetie).  I can't even put into words how much this meant to me, knowing she was sick and made the effort to do something for me.  Knowing her mom's heart was breaking as she watched her baby fight this awful beast, yet she took the time to drive over an hour each way to spend a few minutes with me.  I will never forget it.  Meg passed away 6 months later - June 5, 2008.  Meg's parents called her their Brave Little Bumblebee, so the bumblebee on my tattoo is for Meg.

I grew up with a guy named Kevin, and he had a little sister named Melanie.  Mel was several years younger than me, and she was so darn cute as a child.  Tall and skinny, she became a graceful dancer.  When I was in high school, she was in middle school and used to tell people not to mess with her, because the "Blakeney girls" (my sister and I) would get them.  hee hee  I never even knew that until we were adults.  LOL  Mel got married, had 3 babies - and got cancer.  Ass cancer, she called it.  LOL  I loved this girl.  Colon cancer, and it's not supposed to happen to young, healthy, athletic girls.  But it did.  She didn't want people to walk on eggshells around her or always be crying, so she fought like crazy and always had a smile on her face.  Her ring tone on her phone was Journey's song, Don't Stop Believin'.  Many people didn't even know she was sick.  But she was very sick and in a lot of pain, and she finally got her Angel wings on May 21, 2010. The day of her funeral was absolutely gorgeous -  the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky.  As a bunch of us were getting ready to leave, a yellow butterfly came and flitted amongst us.  It kept happening that day and when I mentioned it at the cemetery, a bunch of Mel's good friends said the same thing happened to them.  I get goosebumps just talking about it... since then, I can't tell you how many times I've seen yellow butterflies when I need them.  Or hear Don't Stop Believin' on the radio, or in a waiting room somewhere... and I know it's Mel.  So now you know the reason for the rest of my tattoo.  I just love it.
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Now - my card for today is for the:


I used Eyeball Birgitta, just altering her eyebrows a bit so she'd look less cute, more mean.  hee hee  I used some DP from Recollections, fussy-cut a ghost from another paper and popped him out next to her (the big one with his mouth open), then used a circle sentiment from Sassy Studio, also popped up.  Peace.

11 comments:

  1. Jenn this is so cute!! Love the "haunted house" in the background and the ghosts are spooky LOL!!!

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  2. Jenn this is so cute!! Love the "haunted house" in the background and the ghosts are spooky LOL!!!

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  3. Your Tattoo is Beautiful! and what a wonderful organization to belong to <3
    My Darling sister lost her battle earlier this year and my son died in 1990 aged three from Leukemia . xxx

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  4. Super cute Halloween card, Jenn!! Thanks so much for playing along with us at ATS!!

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  5. Jenn, you are such an angel in the truest sense of the word. Your stories have touched me and even made this creepy bitch cry. Your tattoo is a beautiful reminder of the lives you have touched and lives that have touched you.

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  6. Back again to comment on that gorgeous tattoo - beautiful wording & I love the butterfly & bumble bee - just stunning Jenn & a great memorial!!

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  7. OMGosh I have tears just reading about the meaning behind your tat. Go chemo Angel, Go! What a wonderful gift you have.

    Secondly I love this cute card and the dp you used is fabulous! Love the eyebrows you added, she does look mean carrying her eyeball around, lol. Thanks for playing with us over at ATS!!!

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  8. Thank you for sharing your angel stories and for sharing the info on chemo angels. It is something I am going to think over very carefully. I lost my mom to cancer last Oct. 4th. I was able to quit work and help take care of her for her last 1 1/2"> It was a special blessing and a torture.


    Your card is super. I love the darkness of the haunted house and the way the main image is colored.

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  9. looks great with the ghosts
    thanks for playing with the aTSchallenge

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  10. Hi Jenn, now you've made me cry. What a great inspiration Mel was and still continues to be. Thank you for sharing this heartbreaking story.

    xxx
    Wendy

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  11. your tattoo is as beautiful as the reason behind it -my son has a tattoo studio and is always telling people the tattoo's they have should mean something to them as all of yours does not just because someone else has one.Butterflies have a very spiritual meaning as you have found out
    Carol x

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