CODEPINK White House Banner = Done!

Almost a month ago, I wrote about CODEPINK’S call for crochet and knit squares for a Mother’s Day day banner they were going to display in front of the White House.

Below are some of the resulting photos from all those squares sent (I wonder if my squares made it in?), and you can see all of them over here on Flickr. Clicking on each photo below will take you directly to the Flickr set, too.

Job well done, CODEPINK and all of you who sent in squares!





Also keeping me happy lately:
*Rediscovering Jawbreaker
*Cultcase.com’s post on Israeli graffiti
*Learning more about living green with The Guide Girls
*Bang on instructions on how to make cold press iced coffee!
*If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There’d Be a Lot of Dead Copycats
*The refreshing honesty of Havi Brooks and Naomi Dunford (Ittybiz.com)
*Jennifer Worick’s always hilarious blog Things I Want to Punch in the Face
*Kayte Terry’s Craft Stylish post on how to make a beautiful scarf from scraps

decorating DIY.

This is what greeted me as I was going to get some coffee the other day:

homeland.jpg

There’s something similar about the state of the car and the state of the union. Rusty. Patchy. Old-fashioned.

But it seems that the political tide is somewhere betwixt and between right now, like the boot of the car. Mixed. Both colors (parties) fighting to take over the whole of the trunk.

Photos from Massive Knit’s event Tuesday.

I like the small things.

My favorite sight today was the man I passed during the inauguration speech with the handheld battery-operated radio. He was walking down the street with the radio tucked under his arm like a book, listening to the President take an oath to office.

There was a lot of anger and frustration expressed at today’s events. There were people on the internet vehemently posting about Not One Damn Dime Day as well other pieces denoting its uselessness. In particular, I found this to be the most insightful take on the ‘protest,’ which I first thought to be a good idea. Then I started to realise just whose businesses it would really be hurting.

While I agree that it’s okay to get angry, I just don’t have that kind of energy anymore. I’d rather make things and send them to people who really need them because it’s cold out and they’re homeless or they’re sick and need a little cheer. It may not be showing my political dissent, but it does show that I am using energy formerly put forth in anger in more positive ways. And there are myriad different ‘positive ways’ to choose from, this is just what I’ve chosen.

I still believe that by crafting in general, you are demonstrating against the status quo and consumer culture. By choosing what to make when and constructing things with your own hands you are being political.

With that in mind, two links for today both sent to me by my always thoughtful friend Karen:

made with love by a liberal: because the world is bigger than you alone.

buy blue: because even the little choices add up.

Lately it’s the small things that have provided me the most solace and beauty and wonder. It’s funny how often we forget the small things, which are usually the most important.

In case you missed the guy with the handheld radio, you can read the transcript of Dubya’s speech here.

my one and only post about the 2004 u.s. presidential election…

i’m not big on bringing up the topic of politics because in this current race for u.s. president, my family is on one side and my friends (and myself) are on the other.

i hate the distance caused by differences in political positions.

but if you are going to bring it up, two rules:
1. know why you’re voting for your candidate of choice
2. don’t yell at me about your choice if you don’t agree with me

if you’re like me and live overseas, it’s not too late to get an absentee ballot.

if you think that it’s too late and there’s no use for fighting, please read this.

if you don’t agree with me, that’s your business.

just mark your calendars to go vote already, okay?

on a somewhat unrelated happier note, here’s evidence that we can all get along:

deer me. .jpg

my aunt sent me this pic along with a story of family near her who found this fawn on their doorstep one morning, they’re assuming her mother was killed in car accident. they named her bella and their dog hogan is keeping an eye on her recuperation. as soon as she regains her strength, she’s going to live with a friend of the family’s who has already reintroduced two other orphaned fawns into the wild.

go, bella!