S U N D AY, N OV E M B E R 1, 2015 • 10am–5pm • Artist Booths ( Arizona Artists) • Children’s Interactive Arts Activities • Demonstrating Artists • Food & Beverage Vendors • Arts & Cultural Organizations • Live Entertainment/Performances • Sculpture Garden Tours • Silent Auction 602.262.4727 | 5005 E Camelback Rd | Phoenix, AZ 85018 | www.shemerar tcenter.org Media Partner: * Shuttle service will be provided for additional parking at Chase Bank – located at 44th Street & Camelback Family Arts Festival AWA R D W I N N I N G N E I G H B O R H O O D N E W S S I N C E 1 9 9 3 Page 28 October 2015 By Lisa Weisenburger “I mean, give me a guitar, give me a piano, give me a broom and string, I wouldn’t get bored anywhere. ” — Keith Richards I am right there with ya, Keith! Recently I’ve been obsessed with string art. A few weeks ago a friend mentioned she was considering a craft project for a group of fourth-graders using stained wood, thread or yarn, and nails with heads to create a design or image. I couldn’t help falling in love with the simplicity of this craft project. I was immediately transported back to my childhood and the memory of black velvet string art hanging on many living room walls. It is believed that string art originated as a tool to make math equations more interesting to children, according to stringartfun.com. The first recorded use of straight lines to form curves was by Englishwoman Mary Everest Boole (1832- 1916). This was called “curve stitching.” In 1909, Boole published a book called Philosophy & Fun of Algebra . I don’t think of string art and algebra in the same thought, but I do remember a lot of intricate string sails on ships and Spirograph-style artwork back in the day. This string art project seems simpler and perhaps has a broader appeal to all age groups depending on the chosen design. Get in the string of things H PUMPKIN STRING ART • line art pumpkin image, printed out or drawn on white paper • 9-inch square piece of stained wood • masking tape • 60-80 nails, 3/4- to 1-inch long with heads • 2 skeins each of two shades of orange embroidery floss • 1 skein of green embroidery floss Print or draw your desired image onto a piece of white paper. Secure the image to the wood board with a piece of masking tape. Hammer the nails along the lines outlining the image, sinking the nails in at least one-quarter inch and placing them at least one-half inch apart. Tear the paper away. Depending on where you start – the pumpkin or the stem – choose orange or green embroidery floss. Tie the thread to first nail with double knot. Start stringing the colored embroidery floss between the nails however you like. Ours was random with no pattern. Continue until you are satisfied with the string coverage. We used two shades of orange to give the pumpkin some interest. The green floss is done the same way for the stem. Keep in mind, you may wish to occasionally knot your string to one of the nails so that if tension is lost, you won’t lose your entire design. KIDS CORNER For younger kids you may want to hammer the nails yourself, choose a simple line art image, and use small or no strand twine or yarn. Spacing the nails out to about 1 inch will also make it easier for little hands. We did a pumpkin because it is appropriate for the season. It will have a happy place on the mantel through Thanksgiving this year. However, I’m already strategizing the green Christmas tree with a gold star on top, or the giant monogram for the newlywed’s gift, or the pretty pink heart for Valentine’s Day. So much fun! We loved this project because including sourcing the wood (which meant having grandpa scrounge through his salvage pile) and the quick shopping trip for embroidery floss, this craft was done in just a few hours.

TASTEFUL, in every sense. 602.808.0766 TCooksPhoenix.com Page 29 October 2015 By Amanda Goossen “Life doesn’t have a script for you,” said Lucia Schnitzer, owner of Luci’s Healthy Marketplace. “It’s what you make of it.” Speaking from personal experience of triumph over tragedy, Lucia talked of her path to opening her wildly successful Phoenix market and coffee shop with passion as well as heartache. “I was nursing my baby and I felt pain,” said this now mother of four. “Aviva was my first baby and I thought it was a clogged milk duct.” While her first child was just six months old, Lucia was enjoying the time as a first time mom. She was unaware however, that Stage 2, triple-negative breast cancer was growing inside her body. Triple-negative breast cancer occurs in about 10-20% of diagnosed breast cancers, is more diffi cult to treat and more likely to spread. Stage 2 means the cancer has spread to the body’s lymph system. “I didn’t see a lump for awhile, but three months after feeling initial pain, I did see something. I immediately showed my husband.” Ken Schnitzer, Lucia’s husband of just 17 months, jumped to action. “He completely freaked out,” said Lucia. “He took me to the doctor the very next day.” The first doctor appointment led to an eventual diagnosis: an aggressive and rapidly growing form of cancer. The initial pain was ductal carcinoma, which is the presence of abnormal cells inside the milk duct of the breast. This type of cancer forms in the lining of a milk duct within your breast. Surgery to remove the cancer was done immediately. Chemotherapy and radiation filled the Schnitzers’ lives for the next six months. “I was heartbroken because I was suddenly forced to quit breast feeding cold turkey,” whispered Lucia, through tears. “I had to sit down and talk with her, as I held her in my arms. I told her I was sorry but I had to get better.” According to Lucia, Aviva never again even motioned to nurse. She took a bottle with ease. For both mother and child, it was an emotional, yet bonding experience. “She is my special girl. She just understood and although the next six months was a complete blur, it also made us incredibly close.” While battling the fight of her life, Lucia credits her husband with being her biggest cheerleader. “He was so supportive and since then we’ve been able to build such a beautiful life.” It was her cheerleader, Ken, who dreamed up the business that now proudly holds her name. “I was sitting one morning in the hospital, getting my [chemo] cocktail and Ken walked in and said, ‘What do you think about opening a market and coffee shop?’” Obviously dumbfounded at the timing, Ken kept talking to his wife, who sat in shock. Ken explained that he couldn’t stop thinking about why his healthy, beautiful, 36-year-old wife had cancer. He wanted to know how it was possible. His research had led to the food people ate and the products people use. “He was dreaming of a place that would offer good food, chips, even deodorant…that could be trusted,” said Lucia. “Things made from whole foods, natural ingredients.” Ken was passionate. His wife promised they would revisit the idea as soon as she finished her treatments. “The day after I finished my last chemotherapy treatment, he said, ‘So, are we gonna do this?’” Lucia laughed. With family support – especially from Ken’s mother, who had battled cancer herself, as well as opened a small business with her own husband when they were newlyweds – Lucia agreed to giving it a chance. “My mother-in-law is amazing. She has given us great advice.” Such advice includes knowing who is boss. As Lucia admits, Ken is the boss at work. She is the boss at home with the house and the kids. And in each case, they are a united team. Now in remission, with four children between the ages of 9 and 2, Lucia is proud of what they’ve been able to create since Luci’s Healthy Marketplace opened six years ago. As the crowds flow through the door of Luci’s, the family’s connection to the neighborhood is apparent. Guests greet Ken and Lucia more like family than as the owners of a market. On multiple occasions chitchat between Lucia and restaurant patrons regarding recent vacations or even customer’s health problems can be overheard. To Lucia, these connections are the benefit of having a business in your own backyard. A place you love and a community you are a part of. “People ask me how I did it,” said Lucia, smiling through tears. “I tell them, ‘We all have the strength within us. It’s how we tap into that strength.’” She continued, “All I know is I kept asking God, ‘Why? Why? Why me?’ And the moment I stopped asking why, it was a mind shift. I knew I could get through it.” To Lucia, cancer was her stepping-stone. “This is our business. But it is also our community,” said Lucia. “This all goes so much deeper.” Healthy market inspired by owner’s breast cancer fight LUCI’S HEALTHY MARKETPLACE 1590 Bethany Home Road lucishealthymarketplace.com Lucia Schnitzer