Sweet PoTatum Accessories Is Helping Jacob's Fight!

Kristy's profits are going toward Jacob Hill's cancer fund!

100% of Sweet PoTatum Accessories' proceeds are to help Jacob fight Neuroblastoma. 

Kristy is the creator behind Sweet PoTatum Accessories. Sweet PoTatum Accessories are custom handmade accessories using polymer clay. Please visit her Facebook page for more information at: http://www.facebook.com/sweetpotatum.

How Do I Order? You can find most of my bow centers in my shop here. If you are looking for something you do not see there, feel free to email me at: sweetpotatum@gmail.com.

Custom Items: I love creating custom orders. If you are looking for something specific, feel free to contact me. I will then send you a price quote.

How Long Will My Order Take? I work on orders on a first come first serve basis based on payment date. My typical turn around is 7-21 from date of purchase. If you need an item by a particular time, please email me ahead of time. Please note: I DO NOT work on orders unless they are paid for. While I have some items ready to ship, most items are created after payment. Custom items (items I have not created in the past) take the longest to create, so please keep that in mind. 

Shipping Info: All of my US orders are shipped USPS. Bow center shipping is $3.00 for the first item and .10 each additional. Ornaments/Tags are $3.50 for the 1st item and .50 each additional.

Please note: My shipping prices are for shipping AND handling. You are not just paying the cost of shipping alone. Unfortunately, the cost of materials has to be factored in as well. (I do not ship through paypal, I take the package directly to the post office. I have found that works best for me and my packages. AKA, less people handling the packages=less chances of breaking.) International. Any customs duties, taxes, fees, etc that are charged upon delivery are your responsibility and are not reflected in my shipping charges. 

Refunds & Exchanges: I try my best to package all of my items securely to prevent item damage. I package every individually in bubble wrap.

If for some reason the item(s) arrive damaged, please contact me asap via e-mail (sweetpotatum@gmail.com) or my contact tab and I'll gladly find a solution. 

Due to the custom nature of my items, I do not accept returns. 

Please note, I am not responsible for any shipping damages caused by the post office while in transit. (ie...the box looks like it has been stomped on) 

Misc Info: Polymer Clay is very strong, but these are not toys and will break if not handled properly. If you are a bow maker, please make sure you secure them really well to the bow and keep in mind that the post office is not kind to our packages. 

I love the challenge of creating new ideas, please feel free to contact me with yours.

Current turnaround time is 2-3 weeks from payment. 

A note from Jacob...
Hello to all my family, friends and wellwishers. My name is Jacob Hill. I'm 3 years old. I live with my mom and three sisters in Rockwall, Texas. I am a very energetic and curious little boy. I love dinosaurs, playing with my sisters, riding my scooter outside and everything Spiderman. I have a fearless, sweet and loving nature. I am surrounded by tremendous amounts of love and support from... all of my family and friends as I continue my fight against Stage IV High Risk Neuroblastoma.

To follow Jacob's journey and show your support as well as get updates as to how he is doing please visit his Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/JacobHillsJourney

Vietnam Veteran's Needs Help Fulfilling Last Wish!

Vietnam Veteran Delmar Lilly wants to go home!
Posted on Facebook by the Facebook group "Vietnam Veterans" on March 6, 2012.

I think it is important to post this: 

An open letter to ANYONE that can help.

A dear friend to many and a Nitro High Graduate 1967, Nitro, WV, is losing his battle with lung cancer as I write. He and his family live in Shallotte, North Carolina.

He was at Duke University, however, he now is at the Mayo Clinic, in Jacksonville, Florida. There is nothing more that the doctors can do for him, and he wants to go home to die. Returning home in their RV is out of the question. 

They have located an ambulance service that will drive him home for $3,000.00. Jay Rockefeller's office in Washington were asked for help and we were told, the military would airlift him home, HOWEVER, the government would need to be paid $6,000.00 first.

I told everyone that he is a Vietnam Veteran, and the very least our country can do for him as a last ditch effort to thank him for his service, is to get him home to die.

ANY donations would be appreciated by Delmar and his family to get him HOME.

Checks should be made payable to Brenda Lilly

Post Office Box 3288, Shallotte, North Carolina 28459

For more information on how you can help please contact:
Pat Sharp or The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, re: Delmar Lilly.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vietnam-Veterans/107850425917458

A Special Memory Before Daughter Leaves For US Army!

My sister & niece celebrate leaving for the Army!

It all started a few months ago when my niece Katie decided to join the US Army. After going through all the testing and evaluations she found out she had passed everything and is a Soldier. She leaves for Basic Training this August and my sister Susie has been having trouble with the realization of the fact that her daughter is not only leaving home but is going into the Army, which of course any mother would have these feelings.

Susie is very proud of Katie as we all are, she is an amazing young woman at the age of 19 who knows what she wants to do and is going to give 100% to serving our country and being the best she be. 

Katie is not the first one in our family to join the Army but is the first woman to do so. My father joined the Army in 1964 and served in the Vietnam War as a Platoon Sgt. in Special Forces in 1968 where he received the Bronze Star and many medals for his excellent service.

Katie's father Kenny was also in the Army right around the time Katie was born and served in did a tour in Germany and was deployed to Los Angeles to protect the community and citizens there during the LA Riots.

Today Katie decided to cut her hair so she would have plenty of time to get used to her new "Army" look. Of course she looks beautiful as she always has but what makes her even more beautiful is she and her mother have decided to donate her very long, healthy brown locks to "Locks for Love", what a wonderful way to make a good memory of this life changing event their family is gearing up for.

WHAT IS LOCKS OF LOVE?

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need.

For information on how you can donate to Locks of Love see: http://www.locksoflove.org/

Endometriosis Is Real, Painful & We Need A Cure Now!

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month!

Endometriosis is a disease occurring very frequently in women of reproductive age, its prevalence being higher than breast cancer. It is also the most misdiagnosed disease.

Endometriosis is the abnormal growth of cells (endometrial cells) similar to those that form the inside of the uterus, but in a location outside of the uterus. Endometrial cells are cells that are shed each month during menstruation. The cells of endometriosis attach themselves to tissue outside the uterus and are called endometriosis implants. These implants are most commonly found on the ovaries, the Fallopian tubes, outer surfaces of the uterus or intestines, and on the surface lining of the pelvic cavity. 

They can also be found in the vagina, cervix, and bladder, although less commonly than other locations in the pelvis. Rarely, endometriosis implants can occur outside the pelvis, on the liver, in old surgery scars, and even in or around the lung or brain. Endometrial implants, while they can cause problems, are benign (not cancerous).

Who is affected by endometriosis?
Endometriosis affects women in their reproductive years. The exact prevalence of endometriosis is not known, since many women may have the condition and have no symptoms. Endometriosis is estimated to affect over one million women (estimates range from 3% to 18% of women) in the United States. It is one of the leading causes of pelvic pain and reasons for laparoscopic surgery and hysterectomy in this country. Estimates suggest that between 20% to 50% of women being treated for infertility have endometriosis, and up to 80% of women with chronic pelvic pain may be affected.

While most cases of endometriosis are diagnosed in women aged around 25-35 years, endometriosis has been reported in girls as young as 11 years of age. Endometriosis is rare in postmenopausal women. Endometriosis is more commonly found in white women as compared with African American and Asian women. Studies further suggest that endometriosis is most common in taller, thin women with a low body mass index (BMI). Delaying pregnancy until an older age is also believed to increase the risk of developing endometriosis.

What causes endometriosis?
The cause of endometriosis is unknown. One theory is that the endometrial tissue is deposited in unusual locations by the backing up of menstrual flow into the Fallopian tubes and the pelvic and abdominal cavity during menstruation (termed retrograde menstruation). The cause of retrograde menstruation is not clearly understood. But retrograde menstruation cannot be the sole cause of endometriosis. Many women have retrograde menstruation in varying degrees, yet not all of them develop endometriosis.

Another possibility is that areas lining the pelvic organs possess primitive cells that are able to grow into other forms of tissue, such as endometrial cells. (This process is termed coelomic metaplasia.)

It is also likely that direct transfer of endometrial tissues during surgery may be responsible for the endometriosis implants sometimes seen in surgical scars (for example, episiotomy or Cesarean section scars). Transfer of endometrial cells via the bloodstream or lymphatic system is the most likely explanation for the rare cases of endometriosis that develop in the brain and other organs distant from the pelvis.

Finally, some studies have shown alternations in the immune response in women with endometriosis, which may affect the body’s natural ability to recognize and destroy any misdirected growth of endometrial tissue.

http://blogs.mcgill.ca/gradlife/2012/03/01/endometriosis-awareness/