Mother Earth is miffed at the apparel industry. It is the second largest polluter in the world, after the oil industry. Americans throw out an average of 80 pounds of clothing per year. Two River Times
You know Cowboy Kimono is all about upcycling denim jackets, but did you know that Cotton’s Blue Jean’s Go Program gives you a discount if you turn in an old pair of jeans before buying a new one? Participating companies partner with Cotton to make it easy for you to recycle your denim.
Another trendy way to bring your jeans back from the dead is Boro. Patch the jeans you have using this bold stitching technique and fabric scraps. “Central to Boro is the concept of finding beauty in mending—that nothing should ever be wasted, and that imperfections have their own subtle and simple appeal.” Indigoniche.com
Breathing life into someone else’s castoff doesn’t always mean a trip to the thrift store or dumpster diving. Online second-hand stores like ThredUP or Patagonia’s Worn Wear line (clothing made from recycled garments) let you shop without leaving home.
Trade your jeans locally with trading groups.Share creatively and tread lightly on the planet by trading your jeans for something else in a local BuyNothing group.Rojos Brazos painted denim jacket by Cowboy Kimono
Cowboy Kimono’s favorite way to extend the life of denim is to purchase recrafted or upcycled clothing and accessories. Most of my hand painted denim jackets start as thrift store purchases! Check out Patagonia’s Worn Wear selection of recycled denim Worn Wear by Patagonia
An irresistible paper craft originally created to celebrate the Year of the Ox, 2021. Simple instructions follow – but first a brief history of the Lunar New Year from Pinterest:
Celebration of Luck, Health, and Togetherness
“Marking the first new moon of calendars traditional to many East Asian countries, Lunar New Year is a multi-day celebration of luck, health and togetherness celebrated by billions of people around the world. February 12 marks this year’s festivities, beckoning in the Year of the Ox according to the Chinese zodiac. And while this year’s celebrations may be at home this year, the rich traditions of this holiday aren’t going anywhere.“
How Lunar New Year Came To Be
“The legends behind the Lunar New Year date back thousands of years. The tale goes that at the beginning of each new year, there was a monster that attacked a village. The monster was afraid of loud noise, bright lights and the color red, so the villagers banded together to scare it off by hosting loud celebrations and wearing red. Each year is represented by a different animal, the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, with this year represented by the ox, which symbolizes patience and cheerfulness. The Chinese zodiac has been adopted by many countries throughout Asia. Lunar New Year is celebrated in a variety of ways across different Asian cultures. For example, in China, the celebration is often called the Spring Festival, in Tibet it’s known as Losar, and in Vietnam, it’s called Tết. It’s widely celebrated amongst the Asian diaspora all over the world, making it a truly global holiday.” https://www.pinterest.com/today/article/how-to-celebrate-lunar-new-year-2021/64041/
Print template’s front square, flip paper and print back on same page.
Cut out red square from the printed page.
Fold origami bookmark using photo guide or YouTube video link
Cut out nose, ears, head flower, nose ring, horns and tassel strips.
Clip tassel strips as shown in photo (below).
Glue nose beneath eyes, making sure not to glue the pocket opening. Glue the nose ring to the nostrils.
Gently pinch each ear on the tip and glue to the back side of the head.
Glue the horns slightly above the ears.
Glue the head flower over the printed flower.
Make the tassels by putting a dot of glue on the left and right, unclipped edge of each strip. Place the tip of a 3-inch piece of yarn or thin ribbon in the glue with the remaining length going up and away from the unclipped edge. Repeat for the second strip. Tightly roll each strip lengthwise. Pinch for a few seconds to allow the glue to take hold. Put a dot of glue on the top, unclipped part of the tassel and wrap with a 2-inch piece of yarn or thin ribbon. Glue the end and repeat for the second tassel. Tie the tassels together at the top and glue the knot to the back side, center of the head.
Another holiday season – I’m short on time and short on funds. This year’s challenge: create quick gifts that cost absolutely zero dollars (not even the price of a postage stamp). Ready to savor the spirit of giving?
Wrap Your Skills. Web Skills? Build a free blog, construct an engaging Facebook Page, or share a great video backdrop image. Photographer? Stylist? Coordinate a digital photoshoot. Artist? Give a pet sketch.
Choreograph A Tour. Collect addresses of neighbors with spectacular holiday lights and decor and map out a tour. Find addresses by checking out NextDoor App’s Holiday Cheer Map or Facebook Groups. Prepare a GPS route or try Christmasprism (an app developed by a Dad to find the best decorated holiday homes).
Rustle Up A Field Trip. Work at an exciting place? A zoo, historical building, baseball stadium? Offer a look-see!
Give Sentimental. Record a family recipe how-to on video. Collect stories about your family’s holiday traditions, pranks and/or hacks, and share in an email.
Nurture Talent. Hook-up a budding writer by uploading their book to Kindle Direct Publishing. Encourage an artist or entrepreneur by writing a positive review, following them on social media, giving a shout-out online, and engaging with their posts (@coachjojo).
You can catch a rare celestial event the evening of December 21, 2020 when the two largest planets in our solar system – Jupiter and Saturn – nearly overlap to form a “double planet.” This cosmic conjunction will occur on Winter Solstice marking the shortest day and longest night of the year. How rare is this occurrence? The last time a close conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurred was about 800 years ago and isn’t expected to happen again until 2080!
Want to warn would be trick-or-treaters with scary silhouettes? Create this big foreboding sign on a window or glass door with ease using large, inexpensive black and white prints. Glass with lights, light-colored shades, or a light-colored door behind them provide the best contrast for these dark silhouettes. In just a few hours. I’m able to upload files online, have 18″x 24″ black and white blueprints made, and pick them up at my local Staples. Click the button below for details and pricing on Staples Blueprints.
Start by printing the ghoul, cat, spider, and/or phrase to fit in a window or storm door. Click for 18″ x 24″ templates. I printed them to fit on a storm door, arranged the prints behind the glass and drew on the front of the glass with black Uni-Posca markers (extra broad, broad and medium). I have used these paint markers on glass before and was confident that I could clean the paint off without damaging the storm door. Make sure to test a small area of your surface with the paint markers before drawing/painting silhouettes. If you cannot easily clean off the dried paint marker, try the cut paper method.
Silhouettes painted on a glass screen door
Cut Paper Method
Start by printing the ghoul, cat, spider, and/or phrase to fit in a window or storm door. Trim the characters and letters, removing the white paper sections. Place the prints behind the glass window or door and tape with scotch tape or double stick tape.
“…nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”
The events and pitfalls of 2020 may fully qualify as “gloom of night.” In addition to the looming holiday crush season, USPS workers are facing a barrage of election mail heaped with homebound and remote worker’s increasing needs. My reliance on the carrier that brings essential communication and products to my door has grown, big time. I think it is time to let my mail carrier know how much I appreciate the dedication, doggedness, drive, and grit that is required to do the job. Here is the project I created just for that purpose:
Print the eagle envelope template and thank you page.
Trim the template along the artwork’s border to fit a standard #10 envelope.
Using two small pieces of masking tape, gently tape the paper template to your envelope. Tuck a piece of transfer paper between the paper and the envelope. Test to make sure the transfer paper is imprinting onto the envelope (not the back of the template).
Trace the image with a ballpoint pen to transfer it to the envelope.
Carefully remove the masking tape and template.
Color the eagle, banner and message with markers.
To create a tri-fold, fold the thank you page along the dotted line, then the top of the page to the dashed line.
Cut along the vertical dashed lines to the horizontal dotted line (your first fold). This will make your pull-apart/pull-off thingy’s.
Finish by folding the pull-apart/pull-off thingy’s under the top flap and place into your hand decorated envelope.
Creating a Labor Day craft stumped me for a bit. So, I looked up the holiday’s origins and the real reason for its existence:” Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers ” (www.history.com)
Although this craft does not bid summer adieu, it does focus on the contributions and achievements of workers. Labor Day – What a great opportunity to thank the many workers who have met this year’s challenges with gusto!
Simply print the Thank You flyer, clip along the dashed lines, and deliver to the hard workers you’ve come to appreciate more than ever.
My list of hard workers begins with: Mail Carriers, Utility Workers, Grocery Stockers, Cashiers, Security Guards, Veterinarians, Health Care Workers, Truck Drivers, Census Takers, etc….!
Give Dad the gift of sleeping in on Father’s Day by whipping up a batch of apple muffins the night before (feel free to bang the pots and pans until bedtime). Once the white of his eyes are visible, dash in with a pyramid of apple muffins topped with this funny, yet loving, sentiment. Crumbs between the sheets may be the only downside to this breakfast in bed.
Social distancing keeping you close to home this Memorial Day? Taking daily walks to to stay fit (and sane)? Celebrate Memorial Day during Covid-19 with a game that combines walking with a scavenger hunt. Locate patriotic symbols in your neighborhood and, at the same time, honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Simply view the checklist below on your phone and play! Play it solo or as a competition between friends, family members, or neighbors.
Did you know? Each year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time.
