I Can Craft!

It's been a long time since I've done any serious crafting.  The last item I was working on was back in January when I was working on my first knitted sweater. (Knitted anything, really. At least since I used to knit my Barbie blankets.) 

I was so proud of it.  I was part way through the second sleeve when my wrist gave out. Couldn't knit. Couldn't crochet.  Couldn't even do my job any more.  It didn't seem like it at the time, but I was devastated. I stopped all crafts.  

It was only recently that I made anything and it was out of necessity. I needed more pads. And I don't do disposable, as you probably know.  My supply wasn't lasting.  So I made some more. 

I remembered my love of creating! And the sewing machine doesn't hurt my wrist! So I finished up my bandana-scrap-dog-kennel-mat quilt. My partner says that it's too nice to have a dog shit on it.  I thought that was a pretty good compliment after he couldn't even recognize the pillow box as a birch log. :P

Green Gift Wrapping

Through HOPE Society, I will be doing "green gift wrapping" as a fundraiser at our huge local craft fair that we run every year right before Christmas.  This is my first attempt at this.  Sure I usually reuse old gift bags or wrap my presents with newspaper, but those are for people I know and know me.  Now I get to try to do it in a way that doesn't look... well cheap!

The Serendipity Sale (as it is called) isn't until November 30, but I'm getting in some practice and some prep.  Today, I'm making toilet paper rolls into pillow boxes.  

So I started by cutting the corners off, slightly rounded at the end. Then I painted them white.

A few more details and a gold string to tie it all together (pun intended) and voilá! A pillow box that looks like a birch log! I think it's cute.  Hope everyone else thinks so, too!

Story of Stuff

If you haven't heard of The Story of Stuff Project, I highly recommend you look it up.  (storyofstuff.org) Annie Leonard started the original video, The Story of Stuff, years ago as a way to increase awareness of our over-consumption as a society and the problems that arise from it.  She has since expanded with other videos such as The Story of Bottled Water and others.

I'll admit, I haven't watched them all.  But tonight I did watch The Story of Solutions.  To sum up, it basically expressed the need for us to find solutions that change the way we think about stuff rather than simply make it seem like we're helping.

Her main example was a rewards program for recycling versus petitioning to ban the plastic bag.  The former encourages more consumerism for a minor dent in the garbage that reaches the landfill. The latter stops garbage at its beginning so there is no chance for it to end up in the landfill at all, or on the ground, or in our oceans.

This video sparked up quite the conversation between myself and my husband.  He feels that taking away someone's right to CHOOSE whether or not to take a bag is immoral. And my standpoint is that a person should be educated on the fact that that choice doesn't stop after they put their groceries away.  It affects everyone on the planet.  And not just today but for many many many generations to come.  I feel it would be immoral to make the choice that would harm others.  So why make that choice available? 

It was quite a conversation.  And I believe conversations like this are great! Even if they don't always end in agreement, it gets people thinking about the choices they make.