How to make your own - inexpensive screen printing kit
See and follow the tutorial instructions at link Instructables
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Project; make your own screen printing kit
How to make your own - inexpensive screen printing kit
See and follow the tutorial instructions at link Instructables
Project; display card shelf made using a yardstick
An inexpensive and ez card shelf
what you need:
- a yard stick- you should be able to find one at your local hardware store. paint or leave it natural.
- ribbon
- thumbtacks
Cut 3 pieces of ribbon all the same length - about 9 inches long. Fold one ribbon into a circle, overlapping the ends. Put the end pointing up on the inside. Push a thumbtack through both ends from the inside and stick it in the wall. Repeat with the other two ribbons, one for each end of the yard stick and one in the middle. Slide the yard stick through the ribbons. Glue it underneath if you want. voila! you're done.
link
Sunday, January 28, 2007
You Must Be a Military Brat if....
.... when you see vapor trails in the sky, you ASSUME they're from military aircraft.
... when you hear sonic booms, you snap to attention.
...you notice increased military air-traffic prior to or during the escalation of international crisis.
...you feel irritated at civilians who can smile and laugh at everyday events on the day we declare war.
...everyone asks where you're from because they just can't quite peg your accent
...you obsessively return to the dozen places you lived when you were a kid to "see what's changed".
...your wish you could discuss politics in greater detail with your father (or mother), but he/she refuses to tell you what he/she *really* thinks about his/her boss-- the Commander in Chief.
...you are taught being naked is bad but its perfectly alright that the women in naples walked around topless and their children played naked in the gutters
...you hate living in the same place for more than two years, hate packing and cleaning, have your personal effects reduced each year instead of added to because of the moves
...tabula rasa means scrubbing white walls clean
...when you go on vacation you dont have to pay for lodging because you have friends everywhere in the world
...its perfectly acceptable not to write to your friends and still be considered a good friend
...you can adopt any accent, cause you lived everywhere
...kids that were in your 2nd grade class in Ft. Monroe, VA were in your 9th grade class in Heidelberg, Germany
...your significant other is a brat, and you compare posts
...you move or change jobs every two years
...you left your mother in Germany
...your father is still working on the same artillery project for 12 years
...you used to bag groceries at the commissary
...you miss not having an ID card
...if the smell of Brasso makes you homesick.
...when asked how short are you know the correct answer is "short enough to sit on the edge of a dime an dangle your feet," and not that that you're 6ft tall.
...when a movie starts you get ready to stand up waiting for the national anthem to play as well as that little musical ditti that leads into the upcoming features
.... if "duck and cover" reminds you of those worthless 1960's era bomb drills held in base elementary schools, instead of tornado alerts like the civies remember!
... if you still refer to your underwear as "skivies".
....you used left over k-rations when you played pioneer/cowgirl
... you know how to fold a flag, even though you were never in Scouts
... your friends expect you to know the songs for all the branches of the military - and you do
Saturday, January 27, 2007
My wee garden, fighting the slugs and snails
I haven't tried this yet - hmmm, we'll see. Pacific Northwest and slugs are native, I think, so it has become a losing battle for me. My gardening started with no slugs or none that I could see the first couple of years. And in the last three years they have become 'progressive' slugs. So does that mean they are democratic slugs? I don't know, but I do know they can consume in one night more than I can nurture and grow all season. I don't like to kill them, but dang, I am not growing my kitchen produce garden to feed the slugs.
Another good riddance to slugs remedy;
I was told -- and it worked like a charm -- to save my egg shells, dry them out (I throw them in my dehydrator, of if in a bigger hurry, my oven for a few minutes), and run through the food processor. Then scatter them on the yard or garden. The snails and slugs eat them and die as it acts like eating glass on them.
During the 11 years I lived in that home, I did it like clock work
every month and we never had problem again.
Oh, and here's a different take on the egg shell remedy;
Keep your egg shells and fragment them. Don't crush them too fine; each
piece of shell should be about the size of a coin, no smaller than a dime.
Scatter the shells around your vegetable plants. Snails and slugs will
scratch themselves on the shells and die.
(I already do this and my slugs - you know the progressive ones - must be egg shell resistant!)
And my neighbor insists on the beer remedy;
Place containers of beer around perimeter of garden and/or plants. Slugs will be drawn to the beer, fall in and drown.
A complete list of supposedly 'proven' methods to control (or get rid of) slugs
No, I'm not going to put the whole list here - how about a link to Garden Advice though, and go read for yourself.
Read more
Another good riddance to slugs remedy;
I was told -- and it worked like a charm -- to save my egg shells, dry them out (I throw them in my dehydrator, of if in a bigger hurry, my oven for a few minutes), and run through the food processor. Then scatter them on the yard or garden. The snails and slugs eat them and die as it acts like eating glass on them.
During the 11 years I lived in that home, I did it like clock work
every month and we never had problem again.
Oh, and here's a different take on the egg shell remedy;
Keep your egg shells and fragment them. Don't crush them too fine; each
piece of shell should be about the size of a coin, no smaller than a dime.
Scatter the shells around your vegetable plants. Snails and slugs will
scratch themselves on the shells and die.
(I already do this and my slugs - you know the progressive ones - must be egg shell resistant!)
And my neighbor insists on the beer remedy;
Place containers of beer around perimeter of garden and/or plants. Slugs will be drawn to the beer, fall in and drown.
A complete list of supposedly 'proven' methods to control (or get rid of) slugs
No, I'm not going to put the whole list here - how about a link to Garden Advice though, and go read for yourself.
Recipe; Garlic Chicken and Grapes
Garlic Chicken And Grapes
"The potency of garlic is deftly contrasted with the coolness of grapes in this baked chicken. Sesame seeds offer nutty undertones. Serve with Dijon-soy sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared
mustard
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cups seedless green grapes
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine mustard, soy sauce, honey and vinegar. Set sauce aside. 2. In a 9 x 13 inch pan, combine garlic and oil. Place chicken in pan skin side down. 3. If using thighs, bake covered at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 25 minutes. If using breasts, bake covered at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Uncover, and turn chicken pieces over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until no longer pink in center, about 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle grapes over chicken, and bake 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven, and arrange chicken and grapes on platter. Pass sauce when serving.
link - allrecipes.com
Read more
"The potency of garlic is deftly contrasted with the coolness of grapes in this baked chicken. Sesame seeds offer nutty undertones. Serve with Dijon-soy sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared
mustard
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cups seedless green grapes
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine mustard, soy sauce, honey and vinegar. Set sauce aside. 2. In a 9 x 13 inch pan, combine garlic and oil. Place chicken in pan skin side down. 3. If using thighs, bake covered at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 25 minutes. If using breasts, bake covered at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Uncover, and turn chicken pieces over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until no longer pink in center, about 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle grapes over chicken, and bake 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven, and arrange chicken and grapes on platter. Pass sauce when serving.
link - allrecipes.com
Recipe; Mixed Grain Casserole
Mixed Grain Casserole
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 cup fresh mushrooms quartered
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (can use dry pinto beans, soaked overnight)
1 8 3/4 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup veg. broth (can use water)
1/2 pearl barley (can use quick cooking)
1/4 cup bulgur (can substitute long grain rice)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Combine all in 1 1/2 quart casserole. I put two chicken breast halves on top with no seasoning. Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until barley and bulgur are tender. Stirring once halfway through the baking time. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover, let stand 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Read more
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 cup fresh mushrooms quartered
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (can use dry pinto beans, soaked overnight)
1 8 3/4 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup veg. broth (can use water)
1/2 pearl barley (can use quick cooking)
1/4 cup bulgur (can substitute long grain rice)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Combine all in 1 1/2 quart casserole. I put two chicken breast halves on top with no seasoning. Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until barley and bulgur are tender. Stirring once halfway through the baking time. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover, let stand 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Recipe; chicken w/ white wine and pasta
Chicken with White Wine & Pasta
Recipe:
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 C. Chopped Onions
4 Tbsp. Chopped Garlic
Sautee all of the above until onions start to turn a bit brown.
Add all of the following...
1/2 C. White Wine
Let simmer on medium heat for about 5 mins.
Add all of the following...
White Wine into a wine glass, and enjoy for yourself!
Add one of the following...
1 C. canned red sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can chopped tomatoes
4 chopped fresh tomatoes
Let simmer for about 5 mins.
Add one of the following...
4 chicken quarters
4 chicken breasts
Read more
Recipe:
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 C. Chopped Onions
4 Tbsp. Chopped Garlic
Sautee all of the above until onions start to turn a bit brown.
Add all of the following...
1/2 C. White Wine
Let simmer on medium heat for about 5 mins.
Add all of the following...
White Wine into a wine glass, and enjoy for yourself!
Add one of the following...
1 C. canned red sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can chopped tomatoes
4 chopped fresh tomatoes
Let simmer for about 5 mins.
Add one of the following...
4 chicken quarters
4 chicken breasts
Converting back to Vegetarian diet = lifestyle change
We have done the Ornish diet a few years back, which is primarily vegetarian. Not vegan, though - there is a dramatic difference as I learned from my daughter - see her blog Veganville. When we did the conversion to Ornish, I had to completely rework my kitchen pantry, learn to cook in a completely different way, and I came to have an appreciation for the amount of time it can take to prepare food the vegetarian way.
I'm still enamoured with the 1970's 'Earth Mother' imagery; growing a garden, putting up food, drying herbs and produce, cooking vegetarian, long dresses, getting back and closer to nature. Times have changed since the 70's, and now it is more about sustainable living; organic produce; vegan; intentional living; home-schooling; family values - but it still much resembles much of those efforts of the 1960's into 1970's. No, I never was into the drug culture at any decade of my 55 years, and no I am not a left over hippie by any means. I was a young military wife to a young husband, drafted and sent to Vietnam - I wasn't sure then what to think of the 60's hippies protests and lifestyles. I just knew drugs wasn't part of what I wanted, so I was one who observed from the sidelines, rather then one who lived the lifestyle.
Somehow, I think I wanted to participate in the sanitized version - drug free and in possession of my mental faculties. I look back now at some of those 1970s era cookbooks with the few vegetarian recipes which seem pretty boring now. I'm not new to lifestyle changes. Not sure I can do what my daughter did and go completely vegan = no animal products at all; no dairy, (no eggs, no butter, no milk) and no meats whatsoever. But I took the self-test at RealAge.com and had my husband take the self test too. It measures chronological age against life habits to come up with your 'healthy' age. My husband and I lost years and while our heads knew some of our unhealthy lifestyle habits, a wake up call is helpful. We are over the hill now and losing years is not a welcome concept.
Not without hope though, along with the test results, RealAge also provides a fairly comprehensive personalized regimen of lifestyle changes we can make now to influence having more, not less years. And interestingly, for both of us, our regimen indicated a reduction of red meat to 4 oz. a week. As we convert to that standard, it makes sense to begin overall reduction of meat in our diets(carnivore eating).
Hat's off to my daughter then, for her dedicated effort to completely convert her family to vegan - not easily done when she has a husband who is a serious meat eater.
She took it steps further than I was able to take it and has taught me much about today's standards for animal farming. I tend to think of that image of a farm with a couple of cows for milk, cutter, roasts, and steaks; some chickens for eggs; a pig to butcher for family's winter supply of meat; a farm dog; a produce garden; kids running around; a keeping room; canning preserves and such like images. Nice safe images of yesteryear. My daughter's wake up call is unsettling in that yesteryear is no more with animal farming and husbandry. Steroids, animal cruelty beyond inhumane, killer chickens, exhausted cows dying from producing milk 24/7, slaughterhouses which are far from humane, animal testing.... yes, it's enough to make us flinch from contributing to the misuse of our animal friends.
posted by Lietta Ruger
Read more
I'm still enamoured with the 1970's 'Earth Mother' imagery; growing a garden, putting up food, drying herbs and produce, cooking vegetarian, long dresses, getting back and closer to nature. Times have changed since the 70's, and now it is more about sustainable living; organic produce; vegan; intentional living; home-schooling; family values - but it still much resembles much of those efforts of the 1960's into 1970's. No, I never was into the drug culture at any decade of my 55 years, and no I am not a left over hippie by any means. I was a young military wife to a young husband, drafted and sent to Vietnam - I wasn't sure then what to think of the 60's hippies protests and lifestyles. I just knew drugs wasn't part of what I wanted, so I was one who observed from the sidelines, rather then one who lived the lifestyle.
Somehow, I think I wanted to participate in the sanitized version - drug free and in possession of my mental faculties. I look back now at some of those 1970s era cookbooks with the few vegetarian recipes which seem pretty boring now. I'm not new to lifestyle changes. Not sure I can do what my daughter did and go completely vegan = no animal products at all; no dairy, (no eggs, no butter, no milk) and no meats whatsoever. But I took the self-test at RealAge.com and had my husband take the self test too. It measures chronological age against life habits to come up with your 'healthy' age. My husband and I lost years and while our heads knew some of our unhealthy lifestyle habits, a wake up call is helpful. We are over the hill now and losing years is not a welcome concept.
Not without hope though, along with the test results, RealAge also provides a fairly comprehensive personalized regimen of lifestyle changes we can make now to influence having more, not less years. And interestingly, for both of us, our regimen indicated a reduction of red meat to 4 oz. a week. As we convert to that standard, it makes sense to begin overall reduction of meat in our diets(carnivore eating).
Hat's off to my daughter then, for her dedicated effort to completely convert her family to vegan - not easily done when she has a husband who is a serious meat eater.
She took it steps further than I was able to take it and has taught me much about today's standards for animal farming. I tend to think of that image of a farm with a couple of cows for milk, cutter, roasts, and steaks; some chickens for eggs; a pig to butcher for family's winter supply of meat; a farm dog; a produce garden; kids running around; a keeping room; canning preserves and such like images. Nice safe images of yesteryear. My daughter's wake up call is unsettling in that yesteryear is no more with animal farming and husbandry. Steroids, animal cruelty beyond inhumane, killer chickens, exhausted cows dying from producing milk 24/7, slaughterhouses which are far from humane, animal testing.... yes, it's enough to make us flinch from contributing to the misuse of our animal friends.
posted by Lietta Ruger
Mama to Mama; links vegetarian and vegan recipe sites
My mom is so helpful. When she knows I have an interest in something, she does a bit of online googling and sends me a few links she thinks might be of interest to me. It's been that way every since she got computer savvy - and I'm pleased to say I instructed her through her first basic lessons in getting acquainted with the computer. Who knew my dear 60 something mother would become as savvy, sometimes more savvy with her computer than I am with mine. Now my dear mother is 70 yrs old, and still going - why she even has a myspace to keep up with all her kids, grandchildren, and great grandchildren!
She sent me a link to 'vegetarian recipes' cause she knows I'm converting us in that direction. I could just bookmark it as I have done with some others, but I also want to have it here on the blog now that there is the nifty 'label' to help catalogue posts.
Mama's Health.com - Vegetarian Recipes
Other vegetarian recipes links;
VegWeb.com
Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine - healthy recipes
Vegan Recipes - Vegan Outreach
Vegan Cooking - Vegan Outreach
International Vegetarian
and this site gives you recipes in many languages!
Read more
She sent me a link to 'vegetarian recipes' cause she knows I'm converting us in that direction. I could just bookmark it as I have done with some others, but I also want to have it here on the blog now that there is the nifty 'label' to help catalogue posts.
Mama's Health.com - Vegetarian Recipes
Other vegetarian recipes links;
VegWeb.com
Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine - healthy recipes
Vegan Recipes - Vegan Outreach
Vegan Cooking - Vegan Outreach
International Vegetarian
and this site gives you recipes in many languages!
Converting back to Vegetarian diet = lifestyle change
We have done the Ornish diet a few years back, which is primarily vegetarian. Not vegan, though - there is a dramatic difference as I learned from my daughter - see her blog Veganville. When we did the conversion to Ornish, I had to completely rework my kitchen pantry, learn to cook in a completely different way, and I came to have an appreciation for the amount of time it can take to prepare food the vegetarian way.
I'm still enamoured with the 1970's 'Earth Mother' imagery; growing a garden, putting up food, drying herbs and produce, cooking vegetarian, long dresses, getting back and closer to nature. Times have changed since the 70's, and now it is more about sustainable living; organic produce; vegan; intentional living; home-schooling; family values - but it still much resembles much of those efforts of the 1960's into 1970's. No, I never was into the drug culture at any decade of my 55 years, and no I am not a left over hippie by any means. I was a young military wife to a young husband, drafted and sent to Vietnam - I wasn't sure then what to think of the 60's hippies protests and lifestyles. I just knew drugs wasn't part of what I wanted, so I was one who observed from the sidelines, rather then one who lived the lifestyle.
Somehow, I think I wanted to participate in the sanitized version - drug free and in possession of my mental faculties. I look back now at some of those 1970s era cookbooks with the few vegetarian recipes which seem pretty boring now. I'm not new to lifestyle changes. Not sure I can do what my daughter did and go completely vegan = no animal products at all; no dairy, (no eggs, no butter, no milk) and no meats whatsoever. But I took the self-test at RealAge.com and had my husband take the self test too. It measures chronological age against life habits to come up with your 'healthy' age. My husband and I lost years and while our heads knew some of our unhealthy lifestyle habits, a wake up call is helpful. We are over the hill now and losing years is not a welcome concept.
Not without hope though, along with the test results, RealAge also provides a fairly comprehensive personalized regimen of lifestyle changes we can make now to influence having more, not less years. And interestingly, for both of us, our regimen indicated a reduction of red meat to 4 oz. a week. As we convert to that standard, it makes sense to begin overall reduction of meat in our diets(carnivore eating).
Hat's off to my daughter then, for her dedicated effort to completely convert her family to vegan - not easily done when she has a husband who is a serious meat eater.
She took it steps further than I was able to take it and has taught me much about today's standards for animal farming. I tend to think of that image of a farm with a couple of cows for milk, cutter, roasts, and steaks; some chickens for eggs; a pig to butcher for family's winter supply of meat; a farm dog; a produce garden; kids running around; a keeping room; canning preserves and such like images. Nice safe images of yesteryear. My daughter's wake up call is unsettling in that yesteryear is no more with animal farming and husbandry. Steroids, animal cruelty beyond inhumane, killer chickens, exhausted cows dying from producing milk 24/7, slaughterhouses which are far from humane, animal testing.... yes, it's enough to make us flinch from contributing to the misuse of our animal friends.
Read more
I'm still enamoured with the 1970's 'Earth Mother' imagery; growing a garden, putting up food, drying herbs and produce, cooking vegetarian, long dresses, getting back and closer to nature. Times have changed since the 70's, and now it is more about sustainable living; organic produce; vegan; intentional living; home-schooling; family values - but it still much resembles much of those efforts of the 1960's into 1970's. No, I never was into the drug culture at any decade of my 55 years, and no I am not a left over hippie by any means. I was a young military wife to a young husband, drafted and sent to Vietnam - I wasn't sure then what to think of the 60's hippies protests and lifestyles. I just knew drugs wasn't part of what I wanted, so I was one who observed from the sidelines, rather then one who lived the lifestyle.
Somehow, I think I wanted to participate in the sanitized version - drug free and in possession of my mental faculties. I look back now at some of those 1970s era cookbooks with the few vegetarian recipes which seem pretty boring now. I'm not new to lifestyle changes. Not sure I can do what my daughter did and go completely vegan = no animal products at all; no dairy, (no eggs, no butter, no milk) and no meats whatsoever. But I took the self-test at RealAge.com and had my husband take the self test too. It measures chronological age against life habits to come up with your 'healthy' age. My husband and I lost years and while our heads knew some of our unhealthy lifestyle habits, a wake up call is helpful. We are over the hill now and losing years is not a welcome concept.
Not without hope though, along with the test results, RealAge also provides a fairly comprehensive personalized regimen of lifestyle changes we can make now to influence having more, not less years. And interestingly, for both of us, our regimen indicated a reduction of red meat to 4 oz. a week. As we convert to that standard, it makes sense to begin overall reduction of meat in our diets(carnivore eating).
Hat's off to my daughter then, for her dedicated effort to completely convert her family to vegan - not easily done when she has a husband who is a serious meat eater.
She took it steps further than I was able to take it and has taught me much about today's standards for animal farming. I tend to think of that image of a farm with a couple of cows for milk, cutter, roasts, and steaks; some chickens for eggs; a pig to butcher for family's winter supply of meat; a farm dog; a produce garden; kids running around; a keeping room; canning preserves and such like images. Nice safe images of yesteryear. My daughter's wake up call is unsettling in that yesteryear is no more with animal farming and husbandry. Steroids, animal cruelty beyond inhumane, killer chickens, exhausted cows dying from producing milk 24/7, slaughterhouses which are far from humane, animal testing.... yes, it's enough to make us flinch from contributing to the misuse of our animal friends.
Tying it all together
I've been blogging for about 3 years now, learning some of the ins and outs as blogging has grown in popularity, along with more sophisticated formatting. For clarity, I'm a blogger user - using others' formatting and designs. I've played around with templates, learned more about html and css and so on and so on. Somehow along the way, I managed to create themed blogs that rather compartmentalized aspects of my life as separate one from the other.
You'd think I wouldn't have come to have ownership over some of the blogs I created that are really more stubs of intention than fully grown blogs. Yet each does speak to an aspect of my life and I continue to be reluctant to let go of them or delete them. Perhaps with this blog, I can tie the elements together to create a more full album of the many aspects of my life.
Read more
You'd think I wouldn't have come to have ownership over some of the blogs I created that are really more stubs of intention than fully grown blogs. Yet each does speak to an aspect of my life and I continue to be reluctant to let go of them or delete them. Perhaps with this blog, I can tie the elements together to create a more full album of the many aspects of my life.
Anniversary Weekend
I took Friday off and today we're in day two of "just us" for the weekend.
Sunday will mark 11 years and it hardly seems that long. Often in earlier years we would journey back up to Skagit County where we were married and drive out to the water where we were married by a Christian Native-American Shaman in his home.
We will view a VHS recording of our wedding tomorrow and celebrate with a wedding dinner out at the Tokeland Hotel.
It's a quiet time for us - an interlude almost from the past and what lies in store in the future. Political activism has been a dominant theme in our home now since the start of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Resistance on our part has continued without let up and what with speaking at rallies, workshops and most recently the Citizens Hearing on the Illegality of the War, we see no end in sight to at least some activism-related travel and speaking as well as our primary staple of online blogging.
As I write this, we're listening to a CD entitled A Walk in the Deep Woods with it's quiet morning slumbering melody augmented by the occasional light calls of birds. Our home in Bay Center possesses these elements as the area is so thinly populated that it is perpetual silence of remoteness from the urban that get's interrupted occasionally by city noise.
Like yesterday when I was power walking, I heard an ambulance or police siren - something I have not heard here since we moved in in 2002 but perhaps 3-4 times.
So our anniversary weekend moves on and we sit silently at separate computers but a mere 10 feet apart - saying little but loving each other a lot.
Read more
Sunday will mark 11 years and it hardly seems that long. Often in earlier years we would journey back up to Skagit County where we were married and drive out to the water where we were married by a Christian Native-American Shaman in his home.We will view a VHS recording of our wedding tomorrow and celebrate with a wedding dinner out at the Tokeland Hotel.
It's a quiet time for us - an interlude almost from the past and what lies in store in the future. Political activism has been a dominant theme in our home now since the start of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Resistance on our part has continued without let up and what with speaking at rallies, workshops and most recently the Citizens Hearing on the Illegality of the War, we see no end in sight to at least some activism-related travel and speaking as well as our primary staple of online blogging.
As I write this, we're listening to a CD entitled A Walk in the Deep Woods with it's quiet morning slumbering melody augmented by the occasional light calls of birds. Our home in Bay Center possesses these elements as the area is so thinly populated that it is perpetual silence of remoteness from the urban that get's interrupted occasionally by city noise.Like yesterday when I was power walking, I heard an ambulance or police siren - something I have not heard here since we moved in in 2002 but perhaps 3-4 times.
So our anniversary weekend moves on and we sit silently at separate computers but a mere 10 feet apart - saying little but loving each other a lot.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Project; Refashion skirts from old trousers
Refashioned Skirts from old trousers
Call me odd (it's okay - my kids do), but I think these refashioned skirts are just too cute.
Refashioning a couple of pairs in into maxi skirts. The original idea is from a skirt belonging to Babylonglegs.
The first is from chocolate needlecord bootlegs, with added godets (inserts) from William Morris curtain material and waxed cotton wide trim on the bottom.
The other skirt*photo below) is made from honey beige brushed cotton twill trousers and more William Morris godets. It isn't quite finished (and needs an iron!) but it will have cotton curtain trimming, which I have tea-dyed, added on the bottom .
(posted to Wardrobe Refashion blog by Annie - there was not a link back to Annie's blog, so linking to her show and tell at Wardrobe Refashion. Why not take the pledge?)
Projects; Not just for Holidays
These kinds of ideas really belong more to my Skinflint Curmudgeon website and blog, and as I find the time to refocus my energies, I will loop Skinflint Curmdugeon, Everything Old is New Again, Wonderwander, our Bay Tower House at houseblogs, Wee Garden, and I will need to make a new blog for converting to Vegetarian. I think Skinflint will be good place to proffer 'green living' along with thrifty, frugal tips.
Holidays - why not all winter long!
-- from The Homespun Heart blog
Use one pint size canning jar (not the wide mouth) and one glass votive holder . The votive holder should be shaped like a flower pot or have enough of a lip to sit on the top of the canning jar steadily.
Place sprigs of evergreen in the jar. Fill about 3/4 with water. Top with fresh cranberries.
Place votive holder with candle in the top! So pretty and festive.
A clever garland - not just for holidays!
wooden beads, spools, calico ribbon, wire hangers
Spray paint one package of small wooden beads red. How I did this was to unwind a wire coat hanger, thread all the beads on and poke one end of the hanger into the ground outside - then just walk around and spray. Very easy.
Glue homespun/calico fabrics around wooden spools. I also decided to wrap twine around some.
Thread beads and spools onto twine into desired length. Tie bows in between to stretch the wooden items. Hang!
Note: two packages of spools and one package of beads made this length, plus two smaller ones that would equal this much again.
Not just for Autumn!
Stand a bunch of ears of corn that are tied together in a wide-mouth canning jar. Raffia is a natural choice for tying them together as it blends in with the husks so well and looks very appropriate for Fall.
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Holidays - why not all winter long!
-- from The Homespun Heart blog
Use one pint size canning jar (not the wide mouth) and one glass votive holder . The votive holder should be shaped like a flower pot or have enough of a lip to sit on the top of the canning jar steadily.
Place sprigs of evergreen in the jar. Fill about 3/4 with water. Top with fresh cranberries.
Place votive holder with candle in the top! So pretty and festive.
A clever garland - not just for holidays!
wooden beads, spools, calico ribbon, wire hangers
Spray paint one package of small wooden beads red. How I did this was to unwind a wire coat hanger, thread all the beads on and poke one end of the hanger into the ground outside - then just walk around and spray. Very easy.
Glue homespun/calico fabrics around wooden spools. I also decided to wrap twine around some.
Thread beads and spools onto twine into desired length. Tie bows in between to stretch the wooden items. Hang!
Note: two packages of spools and one package of beads made this length, plus two smaller ones that would equal this much again.
Not just for Autumn!
Stand a bunch of ears of corn that are tied together in a wide-mouth canning jar. Raffia is a natural choice for tying them together as it blends in with the husks so well and looks very appropriate for Fall.
Project: Shredded magazine strips to wallpaper
Interesting recycling use of old, saved magazines. Expand on the idea using recycled newspapers, old greeting cards, wrapping paper, colorful junkmail, past IKEA catalogs, maps. Think up your own creative way to reuse/recycle colorful articles which would otherwise be headed to the trash bin.
instructions posted at decor8 (fresh finds for hip spaces - and a new link I'm adding to my blog)
Shredded Bliss How To: Grab all the magazines you'd like to incorporate into this project, issues you won't mind sending to the shredder, that is. Find a shredder that creates strips (try Staples where you can find them for around $20) and feed your colorful pages through it. Collect the strips that appeal to you the most, that work within your desired palette and the 'look' that you're going for. Grab a narrow paintbrush and apply a craft glue to the back of each strip (Budget Living suggests Delta Sobo from Dick Blick. Locals: There's a Blick across from the new West Elm over by Fenway Park, they have it.).
Place the strips in a pattern on a dry, clean, smooth wall and allow them to set overnight. The next day, brush on an even coat of clear sealant. Let that dry overnight and viola! You've just given your walls a facelift for less than the cost of one roll of wallpaper. Budget Living shows it in a bathroom, but with the moisture factor to consider, I'd suggest this project for a small office space, entry way, guest bathroom (no shower/tub), or just for one wall - behind the bed or your work area, for instance. If you have a galley kitchen, this would look great on the back wall. By the way, Home Cheap Home is loaded with excellent projects, the focus being on use what you have vs. constant spending, so highly suggest picking up a copy.
And another clever idea ....
And here's another cool project that is totally animal friendly and easy to create in an afternoon. Use white linoleum, cut it into the shape of a zebra rug, and paint the black stripes yourself.
So, guess will need a plug for the book then - Budget Living: Home Cheap Home
Recipe - no knead bread
Recipe: No-Knead Bread
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.
thank you link Path to Freedom
Project; the quilt I never made - not too late!
It was always my intention to make a heritage quilt out of the clothing my children outgrew as they got older. So I saved the clothing for decades (can you guess that my children are full grown adults now with children of their own!). Alas, after all those years, a mistake in storage and the saved treasures were ruined with dampness and mold. That project that I yearned to do won't be happening quite the way I envisioned, with squares of fabric from well loved children's clothing. And I never quite did manage to teach myself how to quilt. Great Grandma's sunbonnet hand sewn quilt, which was my inheritance, still needs to be quilted with a backing. I have some lifetime left, so I still think I may get around to completing this project.
But - there are the grandchildren, and if I can convince my daughters to save their children's clothing, perhaps there can still be a heritage quilt - or bedspread.
For now though, it might be fun to do what this lady at Sew and So did in making a jean bedspread - squares of jean-denim material. I think I'll need much more jeans/denim than I have, but again, can turn to daughters and ask them to send along old and outgrown jeans.
How about some more denim projects? Denim placemats (use pocket to hold silverware); denim hotpack (from pants leg); denim pocket fridge magnet; denim winebags (from pants leg); denim pot holders (use old sweatshirts for batting)..... see these projects at AllFreeCrafts.com
Read more
But - there are the grandchildren, and if I can convince my daughters to save their children's clothing, perhaps there can still be a heritage quilt - or bedspread.
For now though, it might be fun to do what this lady at Sew and So did in making a jean bedspread - squares of jean-denim material. I think I'll need much more jeans/denim than I have, but again, can turn to daughters and ask them to send along old and outgrown jeans.
How about some more denim projects? Denim placemats (use pocket to hold silverware); denim hotpack (from pants leg); denim pocket fridge magnet; denim winebags (from pants leg); denim pot holders (use old sweatshirts for batting)..... see these projects at AllFreeCrafts.com
Two projects - tea towels n buttons make vintage curtains; crochet wire and beads into fashionable jewelry
Crochet with wire and beads - Interesting project for new to crocheting and experienced crochet affectionatos. A great tutorial here!
Another 'how to' tutorial to whipping up some cute kitchen curtains, using tea towels and great button finds. Photos show retro flower design, and why not let imaginative creativity take you in many directions - - new way to look at tea towels and buttons and a quick way to give your kitchen curtains a new lift. link - vintage button curtains.
Read more
Another 'how to' tutorial to whipping up some cute kitchen curtains, using tea towels and great button finds. Photos show retro flower design, and why not let imaginative creativity take you in many directions - - new way to look at tea towels and buttons and a quick way to give your kitchen curtains a new lift. link - vintage button curtains.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Jim Webb; tradition of military; SOTU response to AWOL President George W. Bush
Jan 2007. A multi-generational military family speaks - Truth to Power. Jim Webb's son - a marine deployed in Iraq now; Jim Webb - a mar Viet Webb's brota marine in Vietnam; Jim Webb's father - an Air Force Captain in WW ll. George W. Bush - awol then and now.
Transcript of Jim Webb response to President Bush SOTU - January 2007
Read more
Transcript of Jim Webb response to President Bush SOTU - January 2007
Good evening.
I'm Senator Jim Webb, from Virginia, where this year we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown - an event that marked the first step in the long journey that has made us the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth.
It would not be possible in this short amount of time to actually rebut the President's message, nor would it be useful. Let me simply say that we in the Democratic Party hope that this administration is serious about improving education and healthcare for all Americans, and addressing such domestic priorities as restoring the vitality of New Orleans.
Further, this is the seventh time the President has mentioned energy independence in his state of the union message, but for the first time this exchange is taking place in a Congress led by the Democratic Party. We are looking for affirmative solutions that will strengthen our nation by freeing us from our dependence on foreign oil, and spurring a wave of entrepreneurial growth in the form of alternate energy programs. We look forward to working with the President and his party to bring about these changes.
There are two areas where our respective parties have largely stood in contradiction, and I want to take a few minutes to address them tonight. The first relates to how we see the health of our economy - how we measure it, and how we ensure that its benefits are properly shared among all Americans. The second regards our foreign policy - how we might bring the war in Iraq to a proper conclusion that will also allow us to continue to fight the war against international terrorism, and to address other strategic concerns that our country faces around the world.
When one looks at the health of our economy, it's almost as if we are living in two different countries. Some say that things have never been better. The stock market is at an all-time high, and so are corporate profits. But these benefits are not being fairly shared. When I graduated from college, the average corporate CEO made 20 times what the average worker did; today, it's nearly 400 times. In other words, it takes the average worker more than a year to make the money that his or her boss makes in one day.
Wages and salaries for our workers are at all-time lows as a percentage of national wealth, even though the productivity of American workers is the highest in the world. Medical costs have skyrocketed. College tuition rates are off the charts. Our manufacturing base is being dismantled and sent overseas. Good American jobs are being sent along with them.
In short, the middle class of this country, our historic backbone and our best hope for a strong society in the future, is losing its place at the table. Our workers know this, through painful experience. Our white-collar professionals are beginning to understand it, as their jobs start disappearing also. And they expect, rightly, that in this age of globalization, their government has a duty to insist that their concerns be dealt with fairly in the international marketplace.
In the early days of our republic, President Andrew Jackson established an important principle of American-style democracy - that we should measure the health of our society not at its apex, but at its base. Not with the numbers that come out of Wall Street, but with the living conditions that exist on Main Street. We must recapture that spirit today.
And under the leadership of the new Democratic Congress, we are on our way to doing so. The House just passed a minimum wage increase, the first in ten years, and the Senate will soon follow. We've introduced a broad legislative package designed to regain the trust of the American people. We've established a tone of cooperation and consensus that extends beyond party lines. We're working to get the right things done, for the right people and for the right reasons.
With respect to foreign policy, this country has patiently endured a mismanaged war for nearly four years. Many, including myself, warned even before the war began that it was unnecessary, that it would take our energy and attention away from the larger war against terrorism, and that invading and occupying Iraq would leave us strategically vulnerable in the most violent and turbulent corner of the world.
I want to share with all of you a picture that I have carried with me for more than 50 years. This is my father, when he was a young Air Force captain, flying cargo planes during the Berlin Airlift. He sent us the picture from Germany, as we waited for him, back here at home. When I was a small boy, I used to take the picture to bed with me every night, because for more than three years my father was deployed, unable to live with us full-time, serving overseas or in bases where there was no family housing. I still keep it, to remind me of the sacrifices that my mother and others had to make, over and over again, as my father gladly served our country. I was proud to follow in his footsteps, serving as a Marine in Vietnam. My brother did as well, serving as a Marine helicopter pilot. My son has joined the tradition, now serving as an infantry Marine in Iraq.
Like so many other Americans, today and throughout our history, we serve and have served, not for political reasons, but because we love our country. On the political issues - those matters of war and peace, and in some cases of life and death - we trusted the judgment of our national leaders. We hoped that they would be right, that they would measure with accuracy the value of our lives against the enormity of the national interest that might call upon us to go into harm's way.
We owed them our loyalty, as Americans, and we gave it. But they owed us - sound judgment, clear thinking, concern for our welfare, a guarantee that the threat to our country was equal to the price we might be called upon to pay in defending it.
The President took us into this war recklessly. He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs. We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable - and predicted - disarray that has followed.
The war's costs to our nation have been staggering.
Financially.
The damage to our reputation around the world.
The lost opportunities to defeat the forces of international terrorism.
And especially the precious blood of our citizens who have stepped forward to serve.
The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military. We need a new direction. Not one step back from the war against international terrorism. Not a precipitous withdrawal that ignores the possibility of further chaos. But an immediate shift toward strong regionally-based diplomacy, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq's cities, and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq.
On both of these vital issues, our economy and our national security, it falls upon those of us in elected office to take action.
Regarding the economic imbalance in our country, I am reminded of the situation President Theodore Roosevelt faced in the early days of the 20th century. America was then, as now, drifting apart along class lines. The so-called robber barons were unapologetically raking in a huge percentage of the national wealth. The dispossessed workers at the bottom were threatening revolt.
Roosevelt spoke strongly against these divisions. He told his fellow Republicans that they must set themselves "as resolutely against improper corporate influence on the one hand as against demagogy and mob rule on the other." And he did something about it.
As I look at Iraq, I recall the words of former general and soon-to-be President Dwight Eisenhower during the dark days of the Korean War, which had fallen into a bloody stalemate. "When comes the end?" asked the General who had commanded our forces in Europe during World War Two. And as soon as he became President, he brought the Korean War to an end.
These Presidents took the right kind of action, for the benefit of the American people and for the health of our relations around the world.
Tonight we are calling on this President to take similar action, in both areas. If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way.
Thank you for listening. And God bless America.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Compare excellent blog report at Washblog to 'traditional' media reports Citizens' Hearing tribunal Tacoma, WA
Washblog reporting compared to traditional media reporting on the tribunal this weekend putting Iraq war on trial. Compare it for yourself and I think you 'll agree that the first reports at Washblog far exceeded the reporting that came from 'traditional media'. Reporter account at Washblog are more informative and less opined - actual factual reporting.
An example of excellent Courageous Citizen Reporters at work at the
CITIZENS' HEARING ON THE
LEGALITY OF U.S. ACTIONS IN IRAQ:
The Case of Lt. Ehren Watada
Evergreen Tacoma, Jan. 20-21, 2007
Tacoma Weekly
http://www.tacomaweekly.com/article/145/1
Read more
An example of excellent Courageous Citizen Reporters at work at the
CITIZENS' HEARING ON THE
LEGALITY OF U.S. ACTIONS IN IRAQ:
The Case of Lt. Ehren Watada
Evergreen Tacoma, Jan. 20-21, 2007
LIVE BLOG at Washblog from the Citizens' Hearing
http://www.washblog.com/story/2007/1/20/134540/099
VIDEO/AUDIO CLIPS FROM THE TRIBUNAL
http://www.wartribunal.org/testimony.htm
ARTICLES, RADIO & RELEASES below and at
http://www.wartribunal.org/press.htm
NEWSPAPERS:
(updated)
WAR ON TRIALTacoma Weekly
http://www.tacomaweekly.com/article/145/1
400 attend forum on Iraq War
Tacoma News Tribune/AP, Jan. 20, 2007
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/updates/story/6332946p-5519762c.html
Antiwar activists hold hearing
Seattle Times, Jan. 21, 2007
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003534204_citizenhearin
g21m.htmlPanel explores Watada debate
Panel explores Watada debate
The Olympian
http://www.theolympian.com/112/story/61644.html
Upcoming Watada trial drew Army deserter to Northwest
Seattle Times, Jan. 20, 2007
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/d
isplay?slug=anderson19m&date=20070120
Faux tribunal contends war in Iraq is illegal
Seattle PI, Jan. 22, 2007
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/300639_watada22.html
Related:
COVERAGE ON DEMOCRACY NOW! TUESDAY, Jan 23
of Ehren Watada and Bert Sacks
9:00 am at KAOS 89.3 fm and at
http://www.democracynow.org
CBS EVENING NEWS possible coverage on Wednesday, Jan24
(updated) Accounts with Photos at Indymedia:
Seattle Indymedia http://www.seattle.indymedia.org/en/2007/01/257317.shtml
Portland Indymedia http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/01/352577.shtml
Bay area Indymedia http://indybay.org/newsitems
Monday, January 22, 2007
Daniel Ellsberg and other testifiers give poignant testimonies at citizens' tribunal putting Iraq war on trial - Tacoma, WA
photo of Daniel Ellsbert and Lt. Ehren Watada. Daniel was among those who came to give expert testimony at Citizens' Hearing. Ehren stopped by briefly to thank supporters.(photo by Lori Hurlebas)
Citizens' Hearing on Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq
Tacoma, WA, Jan 20-21, 2007
Live Blogging Coverage at Washblog.com - almost verbatim reporting of the testimonies from Daniel Ellsberg, Ann Wright, Iraq veterans; former JAG and Arabic linquist Lt Harvey Tharp, non-commissioned officer Geoffrey Millard, Richard Falk,Benjamin Davis, Denis Halliday.
see more blogger reports of other testimonies at Washblog.com
also visit Citizens' Hearing on Legalility of U.S. Actions in Iraq website for continually updated reports and audio of the 2 days of testimony. You won't want to miss any of these poignant and powerful testimonies.
http://www.wartribunal.org
We intend for the Citizens' Hearing to heighten the discussion of the Iraq invasion and occupation in the public--and within the military itself--as similar tribunals did during the Vietnam War. We are inviting testimony by Iraq War witnesses and experts. Your donation will be used to bring the testifiers and panelists to Tacoma and to record the event so everyone can benefit from the testimony.
The hearing will present the case that Lt. Watada would, if allowed, make at his court martial. His defense attorneys maintain that the war on Iraq is illegal under international treaties and under Article Six of the U.S. Constitution. Further, Lt. Watada’s defense argues that the Nuremberg Principles and U.S. military regulations require soldiers to follow only "lawful orders." In Lt. Watada's view, deployment to Iraq would have made him party to the crimes that permeate the structure and conduct of military operations there.
The format of the Citizens' Hearing will resemble that of a congressional committee, employing a dignified approach to gathering information. Testimony will be offered by Iraq War veterans, experts in international law and war crimes, and human rights advocates. Your gift of funds (or frequent flyer miles) will enable more of these clear voices to be heard by people around the country and the world. Among the figures that have committed to testify are:
*Daniel Ellsberg, military analyst who released the Pentagon Papers in the Vietnam War;
*Denis Halliday, Former UN Assistant Secretary General, coordinated Iraq humanitarian aid;
*Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University;
*Harvey Tharp, former U.S. Navy Lieutenant. Arabic linquist and JAG stationed in Iraq;
*Ann Wright, Retired Army Colonel and State Department official;
*Stacy Bannerman Military Families Speak Out; author of "When the War Came Home"
*Antonia Juhasz, policy-analyst and author on U.S. economic policies in Iraq;
*John Burroughs, Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy executive director;
*Benjamin G. Davis, Assoc. Law Prof., Univ. of Toledo; expert on law of war;
*Eman Khammas, Iraqi human rights advocate (via video).
*Geoffrey Millard, 8 years in NY Army National Guard; stationed in Ground Zero, Kuwait, Iraq.
*Darrell Anderson, Army 1st Armored Division in Baghdad & Najaf; awarded Purple Heart
*Dennis Kyne, 15 years as Army medic & drill sergeant; trained in NBC warfare; Gulf War I.
*Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law at University of Illinois (video testimony)
*Chanan Suarez-Diaz, Former Navy hospital corpsman; awarded Purple Heart & Commendation with Valor.
*Denis Halliday, Former UN Assistant Secretary General, coordinated Iraq humanitarian aid;
*Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University;
*Harvey Tharp, former U.S. Navy Lieutenant. Arabic linquist and JAG stationed in Iraq;
*Ann Wright, Retired Army Colonel and State Department official;
*Stacy Bannerman Military Families Speak Out; author of "When the War Came Home"
*Antonia Juhasz, policy-analyst and author on U.S. economic policies in Iraq;
*John Burroughs, Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy executive director;
*Benjamin G. Davis, Assoc. Law Prof., Univ. of Toledo; expert on law of war;
*Eman Khammas, Iraqi human rights advocate (via video).
*Geoffrey Millard, 8 years in NY Army National Guard; stationed in Ground Zero, Kuwait, Iraq.
*Darrell Anderson, Army 1st Armored Division in Baghdad & Najaf; awarded Purple Heart
*Dennis Kyne, 15 years as Army medic & drill sergeant; trained in NBC warfare; Gulf War I.
*Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law at University of Illinois (video testimony)
*Chanan Suarez-Diaz, Former Navy hospital corpsman; awarded Purple Heart & Commendation with Valor.
A panel of citizens will hear the testimony, examine witnesses, and issue a fact-finding report. The panel will be comprised of veterans, members of military families, high school students, union members, and representatives of local governments, academia, and religious organizations. David Krieger, Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Former Army 2nd Lieutenant stationed in Hawaii during the Vietnam War, and a member of the Jury of Conscience at the 2005 World Tribunal on Iraq (in Istanbul) will serve as panel chair.
read more at website - Citizens' Hearing on Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq - www.wartribunal.org
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Eleven Bills in 110th Congress to de-escalate Iraq war
Found in my morning reads a list of bills being introduced to influence the course of Iraq war (occupation); efforts to avoid the escalation already underway by the President and Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush. (While I continue to respect the office, thus the official decorum in naming this man who occupies the office).
List of Bills being introduced;
S. 121, introduced on January 4th by Sen. Russ Feingold. The bill would give the Pentagon and State Dept. jointly 60 days to submit a plan for redeployment from Iraq, within 180 days from enactment. Cosponsors: Boxer.
S. 233, introduced on January 9th by Sen. Ted Kennedy. The bill would prohibit funds for any U.S. forces above the number of forces already there as of January 9, 2007, without a specific Congressional authorization for such increase. Cosponsors: Boxer, Brown, Harkin, Kerry, Leahy, Menendez, Sanders.
H.R. 353, introduced on January 9th by Rep. Ed Markey. This is the House counterpart to Kennedy's bill. Cosponsors: Abercrombie, Conyers, DeFazio, Delahunt, DeLauro, Grijalva, Hinchey, Maloney, McDermott, McGovern, Meehan, Olver, Schakowsky, Mike Thompson, Tierney.
H. Res. 41, intruduced on January 9th by Rep. Marty Meehan. A non-binding resolution rejecting the escalation as "the wrong course of action and should not be done without an express authorization for the increase in an Act of Congress." Cosponsors: Abercrombie, Allen, Baldwin, Blumenauer, Capps, Capuano, Conyers, Cummings, DeFazio, Fattah, Frank, Grijalva, Harman, Hinchey, Hirono, Honda, Inslee, Jackson-Lee, Kaptur, Kennedy, Lee, Lewis, Lynch, Markey, McCollum, McGovern, Moran, Neal, Olver, Payne, Rothman, Schakowsky, Smith, Solis, Stark, Tauscher, Watson, Woolsey, Wu.
H. Con. Res. 23, introduced on January 10th by Rep. Dennis Kucinich. A non-binding concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress (both Houses) that the President should not order an escalation in Iraq. Cosponsors: Capuano, Carson, Clay, Cohen, Conyers, Cummings, Danny Davis, DeFazio, Doyle, Fattah, Grijalva, Hirono, Holt, Honda, Jackson, Hank Johnson, Kilpatrick, Lee, Lynch, Moore, Nadler, Payne, Rothman, Schakowsky, Serrano, Solis, Stark, Watson, Woolsey, Wu.
H.R. 455, introduced on January 12th by Rep. Jerry Nadler. The bill would require that all DoD funds spent in Iraq within 30 days of enactment, be spent only for the purposes of a safe and orderly withdrawal, to be completed by the end of 2007. Cosponsors: Hinchey.
H.R. 413, introduced on January 11th by Rep. Sam Farr. Repeals the Iraq war resolution of 2002, and requires the President to provide for the withdrawal of troops. Cosponsors: None.
H.R. 438, introduced on January 12th by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Prohibits the use of DoD funds to increase the number of troops in Iraq beyond the number already there as of January 1, 2007, without specific authorization from Congress. Cosponsors: Lee.
H. Con. Res. 33, introduced on January 16th by Rep. Peter DeFazio. A non-binding resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the President should not initiate military action against Iran without first obtaining authorization from Congress. The resolution rejects the notion that either the AUMF of 2001 or the Iraq war resolution of 2002 authorize military action against Iran, and affirms that explicit authorization for military action is not discretionary, but a legal and constitutional requirement. Cosponsors: Blumenauer, Corrine Brown, Capuano, Conyers, Cummings, Doggett, Farr, Holt, Hooley, Kucinich, Lee, McCollum, McGovern, Murtha, Payne, Rothman, Stark, Mike Thompson, Woolsey.
H.J. Res. 14, introduced on January 12th by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC). A binding resolution that rejects the suggestion that any prior provision of law authorizes an attack against Iran, and provides that absent an or a demonstrably imminent attack by Iran, any use of force against Iran would require Congressional authorization. Cosponsors: Abercrombie, DeFazio, Duncan (R-TN), Gilchrest (R-MD), Kucinich, Larson, Meehan, Murtha, Neal, Paul (R-TX), Taylor.
HR508, introduced Jan 17, by Reps. Woolsey, Lee, and Waters' "Bring Our Troops Home and Sovereignty of Iraq Restoration Act.
(here is the link, if it is not accessible, the list is posted at Daily Kos)
Read more
List of Bills being introduced;
S. 121, introduced on January 4th by Sen. Russ Feingold. The bill would give the Pentagon and State Dept. jointly 60 days to submit a plan for redeployment from Iraq, within 180 days from enactment. Cosponsors: Boxer.
S. 233, introduced on January 9th by Sen. Ted Kennedy. The bill would prohibit funds for any U.S. forces above the number of forces already there as of January 9, 2007, without a specific Congressional authorization for such increase. Cosponsors: Boxer, Brown, Harkin, Kerry, Leahy, Menendez, Sanders.
H.R. 353, introduced on January 9th by Rep. Ed Markey. This is the House counterpart to Kennedy's bill. Cosponsors: Abercrombie, Conyers, DeFazio, Delahunt, DeLauro, Grijalva, Hinchey, Maloney, McDermott, McGovern, Meehan, Olver, Schakowsky, Mike Thompson, Tierney.
H. Res. 41, intruduced on January 9th by Rep. Marty Meehan. A non-binding resolution rejecting the escalation as "the wrong course of action and should not be done without an express authorization for the increase in an Act of Congress." Cosponsors: Abercrombie, Allen, Baldwin, Blumenauer, Capps, Capuano, Conyers, Cummings, DeFazio, Fattah, Frank, Grijalva, Harman, Hinchey, Hirono, Honda, Inslee, Jackson-Lee, Kaptur, Kennedy, Lee, Lewis, Lynch, Markey, McCollum, McGovern, Moran, Neal, Olver, Payne, Rothman, Schakowsky, Smith, Solis, Stark, Tauscher, Watson, Woolsey, Wu.
H. Con. Res. 23, introduced on January 10th by Rep. Dennis Kucinich. A non-binding concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress (both Houses) that the President should not order an escalation in Iraq. Cosponsors: Capuano, Carson, Clay, Cohen, Conyers, Cummings, Danny Davis, DeFazio, Doyle, Fattah, Grijalva, Hirono, Holt, Honda, Jackson, Hank Johnson, Kilpatrick, Lee, Lynch, Moore, Nadler, Payne, Rothman, Schakowsky, Serrano, Solis, Stark, Watson, Woolsey, Wu.
H.R. 455, introduced on January 12th by Rep. Jerry Nadler. The bill would require that all DoD funds spent in Iraq within 30 days of enactment, be spent only for the purposes of a safe and orderly withdrawal, to be completed by the end of 2007. Cosponsors: Hinchey.
H.R. 413, introduced on January 11th by Rep. Sam Farr. Repeals the Iraq war resolution of 2002, and requires the President to provide for the withdrawal of troops. Cosponsors: None.
H.R. 438, introduced on January 12th by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Prohibits the use of DoD funds to increase the number of troops in Iraq beyond the number already there as of January 1, 2007, without specific authorization from Congress. Cosponsors: Lee.
H. Con. Res. 33, introduced on January 16th by Rep. Peter DeFazio. A non-binding resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the President should not initiate military action against Iran without first obtaining authorization from Congress. The resolution rejects the notion that either the AUMF of 2001 or the Iraq war resolution of 2002 authorize military action against Iran, and affirms that explicit authorization for military action is not discretionary, but a legal and constitutional requirement. Cosponsors: Blumenauer, Corrine Brown, Capuano, Conyers, Cummings, Doggett, Farr, Holt, Hooley, Kucinich, Lee, McCollum, McGovern, Murtha, Payne, Rothman, Stark, Mike Thompson, Woolsey.
H.J. Res. 14, introduced on January 12th by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC). A binding resolution that rejects the suggestion that any prior provision of law authorizes an attack against Iran, and provides that absent an or a demonstrably imminent attack by Iran, any use of force against Iran would require Congressional authorization. Cosponsors: Abercrombie, DeFazio, Duncan (R-TN), Gilchrest (R-MD), Kucinich, Larson, Meehan, Murtha, Neal, Paul (R-TX), Taylor.
HR508, introduced Jan 17, by Reps. Woolsey, Lee, and Waters' "Bring Our Troops Home and Sovereignty of Iraq Restoration Act.
(here is the link, if it is not accessible, the list is posted at Daily Kos)
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Watada court martial - Invitation to Citizen's Hearing to put Iraq war on Trial - Jan 20 -21
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All the more significant to conduct a public dialogue Citizen's Hearing in light of Army Judge's ruling;
Inviting public, military families, troops, veterans, any and all to
Citizen's Hearing to put Iraq war on trial;
the case of Lt. Ehren Watada
www.wartribunal.org
January 20-21, 2007
(10 am-4 pm)
1210 6th Ave (map)
Tacoma, Washington, USA
The Evergreen State College Tacoma Campus
Read articles in Washington newspapers; google Lt. Ehren Watada - news to see the reports across the country.
Seattle Times article; Jan 17, 2007; Watada can't base defense on war's legality, judge says
Tacoma News Tribune, Jan 17, 2007; Judge rejects Watada motions
Michael Gilbert, The News Tribune, Jan 17, 2006
An Army judge sided with government prosecutors Tuesday and rejected Lt. Ehren Watada’s defense that he refused to deploy to Iraq because he believed the war is illegal.
The judge, Lt. Col. John Head, also denied Watada’s motion to dismiss four of the five charges against him on the grounds that he was exercising his right to free speech.
Watada’s lawyer said he was “disgusted” at the rulings and said they leave little room for argument when the former Stryker artillery officer’s court-martial begins Feb. 5 at Fort Lewis.
“I’m appalled, but not surprised,” defense attorney Eric Seitz said. “We’ll have a hearing, a couple people will testify, the government will make their argument, and everybody will fall in line, because that’s what happens in military cases.”
Watada, 28, faces up to six years in prison if convicted of one count of missing movement and four counts of conduct unbecoming an officer.
The Army filed the charges after Watada publicly refused to go to Iraq in June with his unit from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. The 4,000-soldier brigade is currently operating in Baghdad.
The Army issued a brief press release Tuesday evening announcing Head’s decisions, reached after a daylong hearing Jan. 4. A Fort Lewis spokesman said prosecutors would not comment.
Seitz released copies of Head’s two three-page orders. (To read them, see FOB Tacoma at blogs.thenewstribune.com/military)
Seitz had hoped the judge would allow him to present a “Nuremberg defense,” derived from the post-World War II tribunals that established a soldier has an obligation to disobey an unlawful order.
But Head wrote that the legality of the Iraq war is a political question and not one for the courts.
And past cases have established that a soldier’s motives are irrelevant when he or she is charged with missing movement, the judge ruled.
Seitz had argued for dismissal of the conduct unbecoming charges on the grounds that the statements were protected by Watada’s First Amendment rights.
At a press conference, in interviews and in a speech at a Veterans for Peace convention in Seattle, Watada condemned the Bush administration for what he called “a betrayal of the trust of the American people.”
“And these lies were a betrayal of the trust of the military and the soldiers,” he said.
Head cited previous cases in the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces that held service members’ free-speech rights are limited.
1,000 Servicemen signed Appeal for Redress petition - delivered and read into Congressional Record
More than 1,000 active-duty U.S. military personnel are said to have signed a petition calling for a full U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
Some 50 active-duty officers and other troops, including veterans of the current Iraq war, announced Tuesday that they would hand-deliver their petition, entitled an "Appeal for Redress," to Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and other members of Congress, AppealforRedress.org said in a statement Tuesday.
"Rather than escalating troop levels, the appeal calls on Congress to put an end to the war and bring the troops home," the statement said.
"With the recent call for an escalation of troops in Iraq, Congress should listen to those of us who have been there and who will be directly affected by this policy change," said Seaman Jonathan Hutto, co-founder of the Appeal for Redress group.
"Any troop increase over here will just produce more sitting ducks, more targets," said Sgt. Ronn Cantu who is on active service in Iraq and was quoted in the group's statement.
"Under the Military Whistleblower Protection Act (DOD Directive 7050.6) active-duty military, National Guard, and Reservists can file and send a protected communication to a Member of Congress, while off-duty and out of uniform, regarding any subject without fear of reprisal," the statement said.article at WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (UPI) --
Photos below from my friend, a Vietnam Veteran, on the East Coast;
Historic "Appeal for Redress", signed by more than 1,000 Active Duty G.I.'s
"As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq . Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home. "
Sgt Liam Madden presents Dennis Kucinich with over 1,000 Active Duty G.I. signatures,demanding we support our troops by taking the target off their backs, in the Iraq Civil War, and Bring the Troops Home Now, and take care of them when they return.
More than 50 Officers, and 1,000 Enlisted Personnel jeopardized their careers by
courageously demanding "END THE OCCUPATION" !
Liam Madden, Kent Gneiting, Del Val Vet Bill Perry, GILDA CARBONARO, MD * Gilda's son, Sgt Alex Carbonaro , 28, died May 10, 2006, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, from wounds received while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on May 1, 2006. Nancy Lessin & Charley Richardson, of Military Families Speak Out, Eliot Adams, & Sam Adams
Kelly Dougherty, Executive Director of IVAW and former MP,
with active duty vet, KG.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Wastin away ... out here in Veganville
Lookin for my lost table salt ....
some people say that there's a woooommmaannn to blame ,
but I know ..... it's my own damn fault.
If you lack courage don't go to RealAge.com
You'll be sorry ... but maybe healthier.
Lietta found it and told me.
I went there, completed the questionnaire,
and found out I'm a lot older than my calendar says I am.
So tomorrow's the first day of the rest of my life eating 4 oz or less red meat.
Last month it was my teeth.
This month it's dang near all my red meat.
Next month?
Who knows?
some people say that there's a woooommmaannn to blame ,
but I know ..... it's my own damn fault.
If you lack courage don't go to RealAge.com
You'll be sorry ... but maybe healthier.
Lietta found it and told me.
I went there, completed the questionnaire,
and found out I'm a lot older than my calendar says I am.
So tomorrow's the first day of the rest of my life eating 4 oz or less red meat.
Last month it was my teeth.
This month it's dang near all my red meat.
Next month?
Who knows?
Thursday, January 11, 2007
21,000 more troops means longer tours, extensions, Natl Guard troops deploy again
Washington one of the states that will be sending in troops as part of the 21,000 surge (translation = acceleration of war in Middle East).
excerpt from AP article at yahoo
excerpt from AP article yahoo news;
read more AP yahoo news Jan 10, 2007
Read more
excerpt from AP article at yahoo
Affected will be units based in Minnesota, Kansas, Georgia and Washington.
According to the military official, who provided no dates,
_The 1st Brigade, 34th Infantry Division, National Guard Unit based in Minnesota, will stay longer than planned in Iraq;
_The 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kansas, will deploy to Iraq earlier than planned;
_The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis, Wash., will deploy early;
• The 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, Ga., will deploy early;
• And the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Benning, Ga., will deploy early.
excerpt from AP article yahoo news;
Some units will have less time at home for rest and retraining between tours than their commanders would like. And the faster pace of deployments could force the Pentagon to call on National Guard and Reserve units more frequently — possibly to remobilize some that already have served in Iraq.
read more AP yahoo news Jan 10, 2007
US forces storm Iranian consulate
Iran? What does this bit of news mean in relation to troop increases = acceleration of war in Middle East.
US forces have stormed an Iranian consulate in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil and seized six members of staff.
The troops raided the building at about 0300 (0001GMT), taking away computers and papers, according to Kurdish media and senior local officials.
The US military would only confirm the detention of six people around Irbil.
Tehran said the attack violated all international conventions. It has summoned ambassadors from Switzerland, representing US interests, and Iraq.
A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry described the raid as an attempt to sabotage Tehran's relations with Iraq. One Iranian MP said it showed America's cruelty and meanness.
The raid comes amid high Iran-US tension.
read more at BBC News Jan 11, 2007
Read more
US forces have stormed an Iranian consulate in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil and seized six members of staff.
The troops raided the building at about 0300 (0001GMT), taking away computers and papers, according to Kurdish media and senior local officials.
The US military would only confirm the detention of six people around Irbil.
Tehran said the attack violated all international conventions. It has summoned ambassadors from Switzerland, representing US interests, and Iraq.
A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry described the raid as an attempt to sabotage Tehran's relations with Iraq. One Iranian MP said it showed America's cruelty and meanness.
The raid comes amid high Iran-US tension.
read more at BBC News Jan 11, 2007
Defense Secretary Gates to urge boosting military by 92,000 - temporary surge? Not likely
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today it is unclear how long the "temporary" addition of U.S. troops to Iraq will last, and he announced both a 92,000-service-member increase in the permanent size of the U.S. military and a reshuffling of deployment rules for the National Guard and reserves in order to accommodate the ongoing conflict.
read more at Washington Post, Jan 11, 2007
Read more
read more at Washington Post, Jan 11, 2007
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Project - little girl's adorable skirt from jeans, lace and whatever
I couldn't resist, had to post one more 'so sweet' little girl's refashioned new skirt.
Since I have a sweetheart little granddaughter who it still toddlerish, this would be an adorable skirt for me to make for her.
Hey Mom (Lica) - I think I need her sizes, or you need to send me a pair of old jeans in her size!
I wonder if this would also be a good project for Ems? Hey Bree, what do you think?
and
oh, and if I'm going to link Chloe's post and photos at Wardrobe Refashion, then it's courteous for me to also post the link she included to her online baby store, where she sells some of her refashioned items.
Read more
Since I have a sweetheart little granddaughter who it still toddlerish, this would be an adorable skirt for me to make for her.
Hey Mom (Lica) - I think I need her sizes, or you need to send me a pair of old jeans in her size!
I wonder if this would also be a good project for Ems? Hey Bree, what do you think?
and
oh, and if I'm going to link Chloe's post and photos at Wardrobe Refashion, then it's courteous for me to also post the link she included to her online baby store, where she sells some of her refashioned items.
Project - Woman's blouse into little girl's sweet dress
I just loved how sweet this little girl looks in her new 'dress' made from a woman's blouse. See it at rostichery blog I love that linen style blouse and won't these now vintage blouses make adorable children's dresses? I have a granddaughter that is young enough that I can make this project. I'm looking forward to making up several projects for my grandchildren!
Read more
Project; From t-shirt sleeves to baby 's pants
The sleeves of a generous-sized, stretch-knit T-shirt can be made into a pair of baby cropped trousers very easily and quickly. See her first-time I made this project tutorial from one of the contributors, Katherine, at Wardrobe Refashion.
Read more
Project; Blanket Coat or Shawl
Look what I found in the archives of Craftzine. A page of refashion projects. Take a look for yourselves.
One of the projects shown on their archive page is a blanket coat or blanket shawl. I have a blanket, and think it would be a great idea to fashion it into a coat or shawl...well great for someone else that still has a waistline. Me and belts just aren't what we used to be....we don't go together so well anymore.
Read more
One of the projects shown on their archive page is a blanket coat or blanket shawl. I have a blanket, and think it would be a great idea to fashion it into a coat or shawl...well great for someone else that still has a waistline. Me and belts just aren't what we used to be....we don't go together so well anymore.
Project - Sweatshirt to Sweetshirt
Refashioning from your valued 'stash' - not a rag bag anymore!
Still in my early enthusiasm phase, after looking over all the archives and posts at Wardrobe Refashion blog, I found so many ideas that will work for my 'stash' - all those bags of clothing I have saved. But even more than the ideas, I feel so validated that I am not alone in saving clothing and accessories because they catch my eye, the texture, the pattern, unusual, vintage and any other assorted reason why I 'just can't get rid of it yet'.
Some people actually have an entire room of these wonderous 'saves' and 'treasures'. So, I'm excited about my renewed appreciation for my own pack rat characteristics and I regret having given away so much of the 'saves' I kept for years and years. Over the years I've had my stash stored away in plastic bags in basements, garage, storage closets but I continue to move it around with us when we move from one location to another. Now that we are in our own home and have been for 4 years, my 'stash' has been in the basement. It's time to bring the treasure out of storage and the basement and create a 'treasure room' and get busy with refashioning!
I just knew I was saving it all for projects - I just couldn't quite see the whole vision of what projects. Gotta love those creative people who think up clever new ideas and what I like best is that it is 'recycling, sustainable living, green living, frugal and thrifty'. There are people out there who have created small business enterprises out of refashionng old clothing into something individually unique and exclusive! What a fun way to generate some income. I'm no seamstress - makes me wish I was though.
Projects to explore using my 'stash';
- men's shirts - reconstructed and using men's deconstructed shirts to reconstruct new items.
- dresses - reconstruct into skirts, halter tops
- pants - reconstruct into skirts
- jeans - reconstruct into skirts and bags
- bibbed overalls - reconstruct into dress
- sheets and pillowcases - reconstruct into tops, skirts, curtains
- t-shirts - reconstruct into exclusively fashionable and personalized closer fitting t-shirts. Based on a popular selling book 'Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt'
- table cloths - reconstruct into circle skirts
- napkins, handkerchiefs, scarves, placemats - use to make halter tops, add onto top in layers to form bottom skirt, add as hemline motifs
- lace from doilies, napkins, pillowcases, dresses can be used as motifs in reconstructed clothing, ie, t-shirts, tops, skirts.
- clothing remnants - refashion into bags, journals, gift wrap, wrap a box for use as stationary box.
Read more
Some people actually have an entire room of these wonderous 'saves' and 'treasures'. So, I'm excited about my renewed appreciation for my own pack rat characteristics and I regret having given away so much of the 'saves' I kept for years and years. Over the years I've had my stash stored away in plastic bags in basements, garage, storage closets but I continue to move it around with us when we move from one location to another. Now that we are in our own home and have been for 4 years, my 'stash' has been in the basement. It's time to bring the treasure out of storage and the basement and create a 'treasure room' and get busy with refashioning!
I just knew I was saving it all for projects - I just couldn't quite see the whole vision of what projects. Gotta love those creative people who think up clever new ideas and what I like best is that it is 'recycling, sustainable living, green living, frugal and thrifty'. There are people out there who have created small business enterprises out of refashionng old clothing into something individually unique and exclusive! What a fun way to generate some income. I'm no seamstress - makes me wish I was though.
Projects to explore using my 'stash';
- men's shirts - reconstructed and using men's deconstructed shirts to reconstruct new items.
- dresses - reconstruct into skirts, halter tops
- pants - reconstruct into skirts
- jeans - reconstruct into skirts and bags
- bibbed overalls - reconstruct into dress
- sheets and pillowcases - reconstruct into tops, skirts, curtains
- t-shirts - reconstruct into exclusively fashionable and personalized closer fitting t-shirts. Based on a popular selling book 'Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt'
- table cloths - reconstruct into circle skirts
- napkins, handkerchiefs, scarves, placemats - use to make halter tops, add onto top in layers to form bottom skirt, add as hemline motifs
- lace from doilies, napkins, pillowcases, dresses can be used as motifs in reconstructed clothing, ie, t-shirts, tops, skirts.
- clothing remnants - refashion into bags, journals, gift wrap, wrap a box for use as stationary box.
Project; t-shirt refashion - halter from crew neck t-shirt
from Make magazine
Nobody just wears a t-shirt these days. You've got to "mod" them. To get you started on your first t-shirt for the summer, artist Karyl Newman took a regular looking large crew neck t-shirt and created this cute halter tee. The complete step-by-step is up on Instructables. Link.
get instructions here;
Read more
Nobody just wears a t-shirt these days. You've got to "mod" them. To get you started on your first t-shirt for the summer, artist Karyl Newman took a regular looking large crew neck t-shirt and created this cute halter tee. The complete step-by-step is up on Instructables. Link.
get instructions here;
Project - 5-minute t-shirt jacket
So okay then, Blogger help shows me there is indeed an as yet unfixed problem with the Blog This button in the newest blogger upgrade. Sigh. For now, then, I'm back to the 'old fashioned' way of blogging, but actually opening 'create a post' and doing the typing (instead of the copy/paste of Blog This).
Refashioning your t-shirts seems to be a big thing right now. And I have a lot of t-shirts from over the years, but I've gotten too big for many of those sized medium t-shirts. Well, gives me incentive though to shop for t-shirts again in the thrift shops. I'll be posting various refashion t-shirt ideas as I come across them.
Found this at mediathinker.com
“wardrobe refashioning,” taking an item of ready-made clothing and turning it into something else
How to instructions;
Finished jacket (recommend pinking shears to cut or hem the edges, get creative and hem edges with edging, piping, lace)
Read more
Refashioning your t-shirts seems to be a big thing right now. And I have a lot of t-shirts from over the years, but I've gotten too big for many of those sized medium t-shirts. Well, gives me incentive though to shop for t-shirts again in the thrift shops. I'll be posting various refashion t-shirt ideas as I come across them.
Found this at mediathinker.com
“wardrobe refashioning,” taking an item of ready-made clothing and turning it into something else
How to instructions;
Finished jacket (recommend pinking shears to cut or hem the edges, get creative and hem edges with edging, piping, lace)
Blogger upgraded and now my blogger tool isn't working
I'm not pleased to discover that with blogger's new upgrades I may have lost some reliable old functions. I've been blogging with blogger since 2004, so I've seen it in it's early stages of development. The upgrades over the years have made blogger more functional and user friendly. Recently blogger did an overall upgrade in conjunction with google. Well, some of it is good and some not so good.
Mostly, I'm disappointed that my ability to use my blogger button on my toolbar to do copy/paste blogging (clip it kind of thing) does not seem to work with this new blogger upgrade. It still works on my older blogs which I didn't 'upgrade' but it doesn't work with this new blog I created in blogger upgrades.
So, unless it is a glitch that will be fixed, I'm not too sure if this blog will continue. There is my very first blog at blogger - Wonderwander - and I'm still fond of that blog, nostalgic about it even, since it was my first blog. I may have to convert the intended theme of this blog over to Wonderwander. I've already posted a couple of new posts to Wonderwander that were intended for this blog. See Make T-Shirt Stencils from Freezer Paper and Independent America entries at my Wonderwander blog.
Read more
Mostly, I'm disappointed that my ability to use my blogger button on my toolbar to do copy/paste blogging (clip it kind of thing) does not seem to work with this new blogger upgrade. It still works on my older blogs which I didn't 'upgrade' but it doesn't work with this new blog I created in blogger upgrades.
So, unless it is a glitch that will be fixed, I'm not too sure if this blog will continue. There is my very first blog at blogger - Wonderwander - and I'm still fond of that blog, nostalgic about it even, since it was my first blog. I may have to convert the intended theme of this blog over to Wonderwander. I've already posted a couple of new posts to Wonderwander that were intended for this blog. See Make T-Shirt Stencils from Freezer Paper and Independent America entries at my Wonderwander blog.
Independent America: November 2006
Independent America: November 2006:
"We're two former network news journalists who have just finished production on our own road movie across the United States. More than ever it seems like it's Independent America vs. Corporate Chain store America. We searched for those pressure points along with our Black lab Miles in some of the most scenic, least traveled corners of the country. We endeavored to make our 55-day trip without setting one tire on an interstate highway – without setting one foot inside a corporate chain restaurant, motel or store." view trailer here
I am so impressed with the concept of two journalists crossing the backroads of America, finding what remains of the Mom and Pop stores in communities who have permitted the 'big box' stores to come into their communities. I haven't seen the dvd, but there are clips available and it looks like a dvd worth owning.
Independent America featured in Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone with five clips from the dvd;
clip part one
clip part two
clip part three
clip part four
clip part five
MAKE: Blog: Make T-Shirt Stencils from Freezer Paper
Make T-Shirt Stencils from Freezer Paper
project photos 
Angry Chicken posted up a great tutorial on how to make stencils for t-shirts from freezer paper. Originally found off Craftster.org, this technique is so quick and amazing, you'll be ready to emblazon your designs on all your shirts, bags, you name it! If you can't draw, don't worry, freezer paper must be like magic because you can even run it through an inkjet printer (just make sure it prints on the matte surface not the plastic side). Link.
Read more
project photos Angry Chicken posted up a great tutorial on how to make stencils for t-shirts from freezer paper. Originally found off Craftster.org, this technique is so quick and amazing, you'll be ready to emblazon your designs on all your shirts, bags, you name it! If you can't draw, don't worry, freezer paper must be like magic because you can even run it through an inkjet printer (just make sure it prints on the matte surface not the plastic side). Link.
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