About Me and White and Seal Designs

My Mum and Grandmother were always sewing, knitting or making something and I guess it rubbed off. I wanted to learn for myself. Nan tried teaching me how to knit, but I just couldn't pick it up. It wasn't until I realised Nan was left handed and I was right handed, so mum taught me.  I fell in love with Patchwork Quilting in my 20's and scrap-booking to keep a record of all the quilts made and gifted away.  As often is the case, life gets in the way and projects get put away and forgotten in moving boxes. 

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I moved to the Mid North Coast in 2011 and fell in love with Wauchope. At the start 2013 I had a beautiful puppy, Alonso, a job I enjoyed and the overseas holiday of a lifetime booked for later in the year. Things were going great. One February morning I woke with a pain in my leg, and didn't think anything of it. By midday I could barely stand the pain and was heavily medicated in the Emergency Room by the end of the day. Months of pain, tests, Doctors, Specialists, more tests and hospital visits got me no closer to an answer. 

Weeks away from my holiday departure date, I was told that I had Fibromyalgia, I was given a script for a medication and told to learn to live with it. There is no treatment, no cure, no one is sure how you get it or why, some doctors do not even believe that it is even a real condition. Having previously being diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) which is also questioned by the medical profession.. I was feeling a little deflated.. Now I have 2 conditions that doctors don't think are real..I'm not even 30 yet and I can barely walk. 

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Without the support of my mother during all of this, I do not know how I would have gotten through it all. Alonso, as many dogs are, was very clued on to how I was feeling and he also provided plenty of support. He gave me a reason to get up every morning, he would certainly let me know it was breakfast time.

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Five years on I am still in pain everyday. I cannot remember what it feels like not to have pain. I've tried varied treatments, different Doctors and plenty more tests and currently am doing ok. Medication combined with meditation, relaxation, distraction therapy and Iggy cuddles are what get me through each day.

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I started painting as a distraction therapy. I instantly fell in love with fluid art. It was so messy and unpredictable. The jewellery came from the painting at first and has taken priority now. White and Seal is the colour of my Italian Greyhounds, Alonso and Idirs, and felt right as my name...

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