The Solution For All Those Buttons

A few posts back I talked about the fabric/button collection that was my Nana's. I had no idea what on earth I was going to do with that many buttons. But Design Sponge came to the rescue. *Thanks guys!*

If you haven't already checked out their site, head over there for some awesomeness. Seriously. Awesomeness. Especially the DIY section. There's probably 10 things I bookmarked to try. What you see in these photos was one of them. Download the template. Print on card stock. Attach buttons. Frame. Done. Awesomeness.

I'm planning on swinging by Walmart to pick up some contrasting embroidery thread before work tonight and possibly some frames.

And now, feast your eyes on these...

Has anyone else tried any of the Design Sponge DIY projects?

Memories of Nana

After Nana passed away last month, the family had the task of going through her things and deciding what to keep, donate or throw away. Nana had a large three drawer Rubbermaid cart in her dining room filled with fabric and fabric related items. At first it was suggested that no one wanted it and it should be donated. I said I would take a look through it to see what exactly was in there and I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. A lot of the stuff I left in there. The photos below are the items I snagged.

Buttons! Loads and loads of glorious buttons! Two storage containers and two glass containers full! Most of them still have thread on them and bits of fabric so I'll have to go through them and clean them off.

Pretty much every color and material one could think of, with a big emphasis on white.

I also snagged some pieces of vintage fabric. Seriously, I think some of this stuff is older than I am!

I love {LOVE!} this print above. I've been searching Etsy for some bag/wallet patterns. I think this would make a fab tote bag!

And perhaps a wallet out of this.

And some pillows from this.

Still deciding on this one.

Still doing some research on this Bulpitt's bag.

This fabric is actually a wrap around skirt that Nana had made. I clearly remember her wearing it with a white blouse and sandals when I was little.

I think this fabric would also make a cute pillow or clutch.

Tote!

Sheila Faux Evans

December 27, 1924 - February 13, 2011

You will be missed Nana!

We love you.

A Room With A View: The Trip Home

For those of you who haven't heard, I ended up flying home this past Tuesday for a family emergency. It plays out something like this:

Friday 06:00 - My aunt Sandi sends me a text message while I'm at work saying Nana was taken to the hospital around 01:00 with chest pains and difficulty breathing. She was placed in ICU. She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) and aortic stenosis. She also had a mild heart attack (MI)

Friday 13:30 - Nana was med-flighted up to Tufts in Boston. The doctors had planned on taking her in to do a heart cath to see how extensive the blockage was and to possibly place some stents. She was too unstable for them to try the cath so they were going to put her on some meds to try to stabilize her over the weekend and try to do the cath on Monday.

Friday 23:30 - Nana started having chest pains again so the doctors decided to go ahead with the heart cath. They were unable to place stents so they inserted a balloon pump instead. She was at about 85% blockage.

Saturday (Sometime that morning) - Nana had a mild stroke (TIA) which affects her left side. The doctors came in and told Nana that she would need an aortic valve replacement and bypass surgery. They gave her 24 hours to think over the decision because of the surgery risks: 30% chance she might not survive surgery and they couldn't guarantee that her quality of life would be better afterwards. If she chose not to have surgery they gave her a 75% chance of living 2 years. Nana decided to go ahead with the surgery.

Sunday (Morning) - The doctors informed Nana that she was not a candidate for surgery because of her age, health issues and whatnot. At that point they were going to give her meds to make her comfortable and eventually send her home.

Sunday (Afternoon) - Dr. Weintraub, one of her doctors, explained there was another procedure they could do which could act as a bridge of sorts to help Nana get to the point of being able to have surgery. He offered the option of a valvuloplasty. They literally go in and crack the valve so it stays open. As with any surgery, this one had risks as well: the possibility of dying during the procedure. Nana agreed to the surgery. Mom and I started looking at flights to fly home.

Monday (Afternoon) - We were told that the surgery would take place on Wednesday morning at 10:00. Mom and I booked our flights for the next day. Nana had a CT scan to check the calcification level on her arteries.

Tuesday (Afternoon) - Mom and I flew into Logan and we headed straight to the hospital. We met with Dr. Weintraub and Dr. Jaffe (another one of her doctors) and they informed us that there was extensive calcification and the scan showed she has cirrhosis as well. Because of these two things as well as her general age and health they made the decision that Nana would never be a candidate for surgery and therefore there would be no need to do the valvuloplasty. Nana was moved from ICU to a regular room.

From here on out - The doctors have placed Nana on various cardiac meds to make her comfortable. She was transfered to a rehabilitation center to help regain some more mobility in her leg. I'm not sure if she'll ever be able to live in her apartment unassisted again. And, as if there wasn't enough excitement going on, the ambulance that was transporting her blew a tire on the highway (coincidently) just hours after we had an almost roll-over accident with my aunt and her three kids.

When it rains, it pours. And I couldn't agree more.

All of the above photos were taken around Tufts. It's a beautiful hospital tucked nicely into Chinatown.