Rare disease: letting go of guidelines and still wearing a mask

So today in the Netherlands a lot of the guidelines about covid have been let go, like the social distance one. I must say I find it a bit scary but I mean I get it, that also mainly has to do with my situation, my health, my family’s health. But that is why especially on a day like today I wanted to share something. Some of you already know me, a lot of you probably won’t. 

So hi there, I am Poppy, I am chronically ill, I am fully vaccinated, I still keep my distance and I still wear a mask.  when I do need to come in contact with people. Just bear with me a second on why I am writing this and why I think it is important. I have been thinking about writing this post for the past couple of two weeks. I didn’t want to write it at first because I thought it might seem annoyed or something. But I have been thinking and I think it could help some people see some things from a different perspective. 

So this was the case: as some of you may know I am chronically ill with a rare disease. Therefore I have been very careful these past 1,5 years. I have been living a very isolated life, which I am no stranger to but you can read that in another blog post of mine. Even before all this I mostly had my groceries delivered at home. Ever since the pandemic hit the globe I have been careful, no close contact, have been using a mask and asking the deliverance to place the groceries by the door etcetera. I am always a bit down the hall, with a mask and I have the door open so I can say hello. Mostly they ask where to put the groceries since most companies didn’t let their employees deliver inside the house anymore due to the pandemic. Or I sometimes ask them to just leave the groceries on the doorstep or just over it. And if someone does want to place the groceries in the house which I get is just a nice gesture or something that is so wired in their system, I just ask them if they would place them on the doorstep or just over the doorstep because that’s just fine. And mostly their response is a bit of relief like they don’t have to carry all those groceries inside or like are you sure and that it is no problem, which still I get is a nice thing. But sometimes, and in these past years with the pandemic, it just only happens a few times, they are just too quick and already inside the house so I have to ask them to please keep their distance and I say that I am fine with it if they put the groceries over the doorstep. And again most of their reactions are like are you sure it is fine, which is just nice. But recently it was a bit different, still, the delivery person was super nice and just helpful and my guess is it is just a bit different now that most of us are vaccinated and we already knew about the upcoming changes to the policies and guidelines. So this time the delivery person was too quick, already in the house, so I backed up a bit and asked them to place the groceries just there over the doorstep. Since he took another step I said I liked it if we kept our distances. He was kind and laughed it off a bit but then he said a bit condescending and laughing well then I know for sure you are not vaccinated… Like uhm Oke… so I told him with a bit of an annoyed tone well yes I am fully vaccinated, which he again laughed a bit too, and I replied that I am but I still need to be careful because I am very sick. To which he was like oh oh like so. And seriously I get that some might be confused or maybe even like you don’t have the covid or anything right?! And I am fine I someone would just ask. I just say it like it is like that I am fully vaccinated but I am chronically Ill so I have to be extra careful. 

The reason I made this post is that even after today a day where most guidelines have ended I still will be social distancing, still be wearing a mask if I feel I need to, in a public place, at the doctor's, getting my groceries, opening my front door, etc. I really hoped that at the beginning of this pandemic people would start to see things more from a different perspective and have more understanding for people who are (chronically ill) or have disabilities. And that is why I wrote this post to let people see a different side. I do hope people will start to think more inclusive because if people who now feel like an outsider because they have to show a corona app to go to the theater, out to dinner, have lunch with friends. I ask them to try see from a different perspective because we have always been the outsiders even long before this global pandemic hit the globe things weren't inclusive for people with (chronic) illnesses and disabilities. Just imagine how they felt these past years. Loads of their worlds have become so small you can't even imagine and now because some feel they are left ut because they need a pass or an app or such to go places, they are creating a bigger gap again to those who have already been left out.

I could make an even larger post but I just wanted to give my experience as an example as to why some would still wear a mask or still keep their distance and why this would be greatly appreciated if that where to be respected. 

Poppy Makes... a Harry Potter inspired trunk desser

Happy going back to school day! I hope everyone has gotten their owl on time. To spruce up your dorm a bit I have uploaded this video in which I show you how I decorated a dresser to look like a magical trunk dresser. It is more of a video to give you some inspiration on what you can do, how you can do it and what materials you could use. Go to the crafting page to check out my latest video. Also, don't forget to check out any of my other Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts inspired video tutorials on the crafting page and the Harry Potter party page, so you can be totally prepared for a new year.

Have fun!

Poppy Makes... Music - singing and playing - Happy Birthday

 

Today is my birthday, yay me! And I have been meaning to learn to play happy birthday on my ukulele. And this year I finally did and of course I made a Singalong/ Playalong video to go with that. It is a bit of a different video because, it is a fingerpicking song instead of the strum song you might know me to play. Don't forget to check out the rest of my ukulele videos, you can find the videos on my YouTube Channel and here on the ukelele sing-along / play-along page. Have a great weekend!

x Poppy

Poppy Makes... show your support - EURO2020

Hej there!

Tonight the men's Dutch national football team will play their first match against the Ukraine. That is why I thought it would be a good idea to show you a few ideas how you can show your support for your team. Down below I have listed a few of my video tutorials I made over the past few years. Okay the video on how I have learned to play the Dutch national anthem and the carrot cake video is more for the Dutch fans, carrot hence the Orange but the football bracelet and even the flower crown could be for any team. All you have to do for the flower crown for instance in change your colors to the colors of the flags country you are supporting. I hope I gave you a few fun DIY ideas wishing you all a good EURO2020!

 

Happy Mothers day - free printable cards

Upcoming Sunday is Mothers day and that is why I made some new printable cards. All you have to do is click here to download the PDF. Don't forget to check out the crafting page and the colouring pages page to find some more mothers day printable and diy tutorials. Have fun!

Happy pride month

I am a bit late to the party but hej it is still pride month and I have been wanting to make a step by step video on how to make pride inspired bracelets to show support but I just haven’t been feeling up to it. I am so tired because of my chronic illness and this quarantine thing is getting at me. But anyhow I did wanna celebrate pride month because I think it is so important that we support each other, especially in times like these and that we should all be more vocal about the things we support. So I wanted to show you how to make LGBTQIA+ inspired bracelets in rainbow colours and such in a step by step video tutorial. But since I just hadn't gotten round to it I also thought what a shame because I did make the patterns and all, so long story longer... I thought why not at least upload the patterns so here they are. All you have to do is click on the pattern you want to download or print to get the free pattern in PDF.

If you do need some more background on how to make an alpha bracelet or a friendship bracelet I’ll put 2 previous video tutorials I made a little while back down below in which I show step-by-step step how to make those kinds of bracelets. 

Have fun!

x Poppy. 

Poppy Makes... free Mother's Day printable + a list of previous Mother's Day DIY's

So since most of us are in isolation, loads of kids aren't going to school which means no crafted Mothers day gifts. Although they are going back to school over here in the Netherlands on the 11th of May and Motherday's day has then passed already. That is why I thought I would make some new printables which you can download for free including instructions, all you have to do is click here. Plus I have put a list down below on some previous Mother's day tutorials and printables. Have fun!

  

Click on any of the following pictures and it will lead you to the FREE printable or click the video tutorial to start watching. Don't forget that if you liked video to give a thumbs up and to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you'll never miss a thing.

Have fun!

  

 

 

May the fourth be with you 🌑

Happy may the fourth, may the force be with you! Over the past couple of years, you may have noticed I have made a few Star Wars inspired tutorials and that is why today would be a perfect day to share these again with you and to upload a new maze inspired by Star Wars.

So as promised you can click here to download the new Star Wars-inspired maze page. Don't forget to check out my other colouring pages and printables on the colouring pages page.

1. Chewbacca inspired plushie including a free to download the printable pattern.

2. Star Wars-inspired hand warmers including a free to download the printable pattern.

#BerenJacht #BearHunt - yay or nay or may

So at first when I heard about this #BearHunt #Berenjacht thing that was a big hit in Australia, Belgium and now also here in the Netherlands I didn't really know how to feel about it, wasn't it something that could encourage people to go outside when they weren't allowed to or at least not if it wasn't necessary?! And maybe that is just because I need to be extremely cautious because me and my family don't set a foot outside since we all belong in the group that is at high risk. But I do get it, it is a fun and cute initiative for children in these weird times where they don't get to see their parent(s), friend, teacher, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin etc. and when they do go outside that there is something fun for them to do and see and it is not all scary out there in the big bad world. And no I would be crazy to encourage people to all go outside and go on a #BearHunt #BerenJacht because please do not go outside if it is not necessary and I wouldn't even encourage people to go and take a morning/ an evening stroll but I get that you want to, but if you do go outside and you do need to take your kid somewhere outside with you I get it. I think it is a lovely initiative because it puts their focus on something else and not that they aren't going to school or that they can't play outside with their friends. And I like to think that we are now more than ever need to live in a society where we support each other and take one and other into consideration with our actions and help each other if we are in a position to and if we can. So even if you don't understand something at first or you don't always get what is behind it, doesn't mean you should bash it, as I have seen so many do with this #BearHunt thing. I mean they aren't hunting for real bears he. So with that all in mind, I created 2 printables (free to download in pdf) for these #BearHunts. One a colouring page and one already coloured in.

You can download the printable colouring page here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pculTPNaFjqwMpeeRuhCFsQjYChn0Byq
and you can download the already coloured in printable page here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SenPyoJAteqpK_BztJiAg8_cxEaLgbWA

Plus don't forget if you like colouring pages to check out the colouring pages page where you can find loads more free to download colouring pages but also loads of free to download printables.

*Disclaimer: I am really not encouraging anyone to go outside unnecessarily. But I do get when you must go outside, I get it can work as a distraction for the kids and that I think is a lovely idea.

easy Easter crafts - step by step tutorials and FREE to download colouring pages

Can you believe that next weekend is already Easter weekend?! And with these crazy times, I haven't given it much thought really and maybe you haven't either. And since we all could use a little distraction and/or a fun activity I have made a list of some previous Easter inspired videos and Easter/ Spring inspired colouring pages. I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe at home as much as possible, if possible. As you may have read in previous posts I myself am in isolation, which isn't a stranger to me, since I am chronically ill with a rare disease and therefore at high risk. And by sharing some of my experience with being in isolation and my crafts I hope I can contribute. Even if it is just one person that reads my blogs or sees a video. You are not alone! x Poppy

Click on any of the images down below to download the mandala colouring page of your choosing. All colouring pages are in PDF format and FREE.

Happy Rare Disease Day!

As the title may already have given it away; today is international rare disease day. That is no coincidence of course with it today being February 29. And because of it, I wanted to help raise awareness of why it is important to have a day like today which asks for awareness of rare diseases and conditions plus also to share a little of my story and why this issue hits close to home.

Well, I have a rare disease and have been struggling with it mentally and physically since I have gotten sick 12 years ago, at age 20. In my case, only 1 in 1.000.000 people are affected by the disease and because mine is familial it's even rarer, even fewer people have what I have. I never like to talk about me being sick not even to my close friends and family. And that is actually the reason I started Poppy Makes.

I wanted a place where no one would see me as the sick girl and a place where I could feel more like the "old me". And because it has always been about what I make or bake, I never felt the need to share that part of my life. But in time I have learned that it is so important to speak about it to your loved ones. So it becomes the new normal, I mean define normal but you get where I'm going with this, normal for you so you won't feel the odd one out. And although I think it will always be a process and to learn to deal with all that comes along, I am at a point in life where I would like to share more about me in the hope that others might not feel so alone.

But what is a rare disease and how is a rare disease or condition defined? Although, I am not the person to come up with statistics because statistics don’t say anything about the individual. But that being said and to give you more of an idea. By European standards, a disease or condition is found rare when fewer than 1 in 2.000 people are affected. In the United States, it is considered rare when a disease or condition affects fewer than 200.000 people or 1 in 1.500. In Japan, a disease or condition is found rare when fewer than 50.000 people or 1 in 2.500 are affected. In medical literature it various how they define when a disease is rare from 1 in 1.000 to 1 in 200.000. But just because a disease is rare doesn't mean you may not know someone with a rare disease because there are about 5000-7000 rare diseases known to mankind today. And the estimation is there are 300.000.000 people affected by a rare disease or condition. Because diseases are rare it is also more difficult to research and to develop the right medicine and/or treatment just because there is a lack of market large enough to gain support and resources for discovering the right medicine and/or treatment.

So to give you an example and idea of a rare disease; you may have heard of ALS which got more publicity over the last few years. Just to be clear I myself do not have ALS I only took this as an example of what it means for a rare disease to get more awareness. So as I said you may have heard the disease ALS, it even went viral in the summer of 2014 because of the Ice Bucket Challenge. It has been estimated that there are about 16.000 ALS patients in America at any given time, although that of course fluctuates. ALS is one of the many rare diseases that exist and probably most of the rest of the rare diseases or conditions you and I have never heard of. That is why it is important to have days like these and get more publicity about rare diseases and conditions in general. Because diseases and conditions are rare so is the information, education, support, treatment, medication, understanding. And although maybe not everyone who participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge did make a donation the estimate says every 1 in 6 did. And because of that a $115.000.000 were raised in 2014 and since The ALS Association has been able to commit $131.000.000 towards their mission, including over $89.000.000 specific to global research collaborations. So my point being is it; that it is so important to raise awareness for rare diseases and/or conditions because although it may not affect a lot of people, many are affected by it. And more awareness does make a difference.

So you may ask yourself, I could have just googled most of it, right?! Uhm yes and yes I did as well, duh. But you may not have googled it yourself if you weren't told that today is international rare disease day and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to tell you a little more about myself. So I guess I just wanted to share this a bit with you and if you want to see what you can do near your hometown there are all kinds of events worldwide which you can find on raredisease.org or maybe you know someone with a rare disease or condition you might want to read more into that. You could of course just ask them about it (depending on your relationship to the person and the person itself I guess) or google it beforehand make them feel understood and not alone. Or google rare disease and/or condition and find something you want to invest a little of your time in. I mean there are a million things you can do to contribute and create awareness. You don't have to do something big to make an impact. And even that you have just read this and may have learned a little something which makes you understand rare diseases and conditions a bit more, is a win.

A disease can make you feel very lonely even with all the love and support from your loved ones because, in the end, no one really wants to be the odd one out. That is why I wanted to start to share a little bit of my story so even if maybe you are the only person that reads this I want to say:

you are not alone!

love Poppy

sources: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_disease
https://www.rarediseaseday.org
http://www.alsa.org/

*Disclaimer: I have gathered this information from the various website as shown above and from my own experience. I do not have any medical knowledge as in I am not trained in the medical field. I have taken Rare Disease Day as an inspiration to write this blog. It is just a view of my experiences and to create awareness for rare diseases and conditions. With these provisos, I have written this blog,

Hi I am Poppy

Hi there, maybe you have been following me here for a while or maybe it is the first time you have visited my blog. But since I haven't posted for a while I thought it would be a nice opportunity to kind of reintroduce myself. So I created Poppy Makes when I was 21 and I have always liked to crafting and baking. I like to be creative sounds so vague but it basically comes to that. I make video tutorials in which I show you how I make or bake something, which tools I have used, which tricks I have picked up along the way and these videos sometimes also include free printable patterns which I made myself. But I also make other kinds of printables like cards, calendars, mandala colouring pages etcetera and they are always free to download in PDF format. Of course, I like to scroll through all the pages of Pinterest, Instagram, just the web to find some inspiration and try to make or bake it myself. In the past two years I have picked up a new hobby and I have been learning how to play the ukelele. It has always been a dream of mine to learn to play an instrument. Although I can't say I am absolutely nailing this ukelele thing I have posted since then a couple of ukelele videos on my YouTube channel where you can follow my progress but also I show you in the videos which chords I use and strumming patterns. I am always open to new suggestions and ideas for a new video so don't be shy and come and follow me on any of my other social media channels or leave a comment down below.

love Poppy

 

Poppy Makes... Music - the lion sleeps tonight from the movie the lion king

Hej everyone,

Nope I didn't stop playing my uku just took me a while to share a new song that I've learned. On the ukelele sing-along / play-along page you can check out the video .
 

x Poppy

10 DIY Christmas ideas

Below I will show you a top 10 of previous video tutorials. These tutorials, that I have chosen, you could use to make a DIY Christmas gift or as a decoration. If you want to watch the video all you need to do is click on its title and it will lead you to the step by step tutorial.

1. Harry Potter rememberall
   
   
   In this Harry Potter inspired video tutorial I will show you how you can make a Harry Potter Rememberall. I will show you two versions, 1 is where you can use it as decoration and 2 is where you can give it away as a party favour. Don't forget to check out my other (Harry Potter) video tutorials.
   
2. Harry Potter Potion Necklace
   In this Harry Potter inspired video tutorial I will show you how you can make a Harry Potter potion necklace. You can download the printable for the potion labels in PDF format.
   Click here to download the FREE potion label printable.
   Don't forget to check out my other (Harry Potter) video tutorials.
3. Star Wars hand warmers
   In this video tutorial, I am going to show you how to make a Star Wars inspired hand warmer. There are 7 different patterns to choose from so that means 7 different characters you could make. BB-8, Darth Vader, Leia, Luke, an Ewok, Yoda and Rey. The Printable pattern is, of course, FREE for you to download. Click here to download the FREE printable patterns.
   This hand warmer would make a cool (yep I like this pun) DIY gift for like Christmas or as a Stocking Stuffer. May the crafting force b with you & have fun!
    
4. Christmas cards
   I am always late with sending my Christmas card and sometimes I do end up with just sending a text. So to help myself and you I have made a few last minute Christmas cards. I ended up with so much footage I thought it would be easier to split it up. So please don't forget to watch both videos. The link to the second will be in the video's description box.
   
5. Hogwarts inspired beanie hat
   
   In this video tutorial, I will show you how to make a Hogwarts House beanie. You might remember that I have made a Hogwarts House scarf. To be specific I made a Hufflepuff House scarf because of the movie Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them. In which Newt Scamander is the main character and is a Hufflepuff. So to make the set complete I thought it would be a fun idea to show you how you can make a beanie on a round loom board. In this tutorial, I will show you step by step how to set up the loom board, how to make a brim, how to finish the beanie and how to make a pompom. I hope you enjoy the video, don't forget to watch the video tutorial on how to make the House scarf, you'll find a link to that video in the description box.
   
6. Logan pins
   
   In this video tutorial, I will show how you can make Logan inspired pins. You have probably seen all these 90's inspired enamel and plastic pins. I thought it would be fun making them myself and saw all of these cool tutorials with shrink plastic. But, I really had trouble finding shrink plastic over here in Holland without any print on it. So I searched and searched and found another way of making these cool pins. All you need is a laminating machine (SORRY I KNOW I AM SAYING IT WRONG IN THE VIDEO) and the FREE printable Logan inspired pins.
   Click here to download the FREE Logan inspired pins printable. Let me know on any on my social media how yours turned.
   
7. Coco headband
   
   In this tutorial, I will show you how to make Coco inspired hair accessories.
   Click here to download the FREE Coco inspired pattern printable.
   
   
8. Star Wars Chewbacca plushie
   In this video tutorial, I will show you how to make a Star Wars Chewbacca inspired plushie. It is super fun and easy to make DIY. So you can make your very own Chewie for yourself or give away as a gift!
   Click here to download the FREE Chewbacca inspired plushie pattern printable.
   
9. OUAT jewellery
   
   * I'll tell you no real serious spoilers in this video but I am gonna show you how to make jewellery inspired by some of the series couples.*
   
   **Plus please don't tell me any spoilers either still got quite some episodes to watch.**
   
   So after these disclaimers or something... 😂 In this video, I will show you how to make 4 different types of jewellery. And because Valentine's day is just around the corner I wanted it to scream love and to me, that must be Once Upon A Time. I really love the show and all its characters and since the show is a lot about love in any way shape or form I thought this would make a perfect inspiration source. Also, I've been wanting to do an OUAT related video for quite some time now. But even if you don’t like OUAT or Valentine it is still a fun video about jewellery making.
   
10. Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts inspired potion light string
    
    In this video, I will show you how to make a Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts inspired DIY potion bottles light string. In the video, I am using a FREE to download printable which I have used for another DIY of mine.
    Click here to download the FREE potion label printable.I had so much fun making these lights and have them now in my room with some of my other Harry Potter memorabilia. It would also make an awesome gift for that one Harry Potter/ Fantastic Beasts family member, friend, colleague etc.
    
    
    I hope you enjoy these videos if you did please give a thumbs up, comment the video, subscribe to my channel and/or hit the notification bell so you'll never miss a thing. You can also follow me on all the socials, all the links are down below. Have fun!
    
    FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter & Pinterest