Tag Archives: holidays

Just me

A little help from a friend…

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The sock cats.

They’ve taken over. They are all I think and dream and do. Each one is it’s own unique little critter. Each one is waiting for it’s own home. I have a website, I have adoption certificates, I have a plan.

I also have a bunch of neighbors on my Denver Mutual Aid site that can’t afford to get their kids anything for the holidays.

So this season I am making cats, putting cats with cards and gift certificates into lovely little boxes, putting golden paw print stickers on them, and giving them away to adopters who need them most.

Because in a time when our leaders are showing us what a masterclass in selfishness looks like we need a village more than ever.

In a time when our government is tearing apart families because of the color of their skin and prosecuting people because of the political party they belong to, we need to hold each other close and build community.

Because now more than ever we all need a little help from a friend.

If you have the ability to help your neighbors, find a mutual aid group in your area and join it. Sometimes the asks are as simple as a jacket and blouse for an interview, or $10 for gas, or a handmade gift for the holidays, or help with a child’s birthday cake.

We don’t have to be billionaires to make this country a better place, we can make it better in small, substantial, life changing ways, every single day.

crafts, holidays

Handmade Holidays

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I’ve fallen into the trash panda handmade holidays.

If I can’t use it for it’s original purpose anymore but I can keep it out of a landfill I’m making decorations or gifts out of it.

All of these involved hot glue, bamboo toilet paper tubes (they are nicer than regular ones) and fabric scraps, broken ornament scraps, or cardboard scraps. I even used some parfait jars!

These use clean socks missing their mates, clean extra filling from a pillow, and thread.

I’m also using my quilling supplies to make ornaments:

All in all I’m spending the day surrounded by craft supplies and animals, driving coffee and making little things out of forgotten stuff.

It’s putting the joy back into my holidays.

Just me

Handmade, Thrifted, or Small Business Holiday

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I’m done with being treated like no matter what they do we will suck it up and buy their crap because we have to. We don’t.

This year I am not putting a single dollar into a billionaire’s pocket. Not one.

I’ve already found stunning and unusual earrings for a friend of mine, made by an artist on Etsy, and they were under $10. Best of all, they inspired me to try my hand at some quilled snowflakes.

I found another seller making adorable catnip cat toys. They make catnip Purramids and the proceeds go to support stray cat fixing and feeding. How awesome is that?

I’ve got a really great tutorial on turning toilet paper tubes into tree ornaments and I can tell you it’s crazy fun. A glue gun, scissors, cardboard tubes that would otherwise be trash, and a few hours and you’ve got gorgeous ornaments! You can look that up in reels and get more and more elaborate styles and ideas. I even made a wreath for the front door. I used some gold sharpie on the edges to make it a bit more glam.

I’ve also been visiting my Little Free Libraries. Bringing books from my house and filling them up, picking out interesting ones to bring home with me and it occurred to me I could do a “Blind date with a book” gift for people. There are websites where you can order them, you can find them on Etsy, or you can make them yourselves. I plan on choosing books in great condition that are a great read, writing up a short and intriguing blurb about them (nothing that gives a lot away but something that indicates Fiction, Strong female lead, supernatural, etc.), and then wrap them up prettily with some cocoa, stickers, and a bookmark. Here’s a great wrapping tutorial.

I think I will even pepper my Little Free Libraries with the Blind Date Gifts so my neighbors can find surprises and get a little joy this season.

This narrative that we have to kill ourselves to buy increasingly expensive gifts each year, to show that we have more and more and go into debt so we can appear successful while working three jobs and barely making it so that the 1% can buy yachts for their yachts, third and fourth homes, travel wherever and whenever they wish. It’s absurd.

We’ve been lied to. We’ve been taught success is our goal when it should be building a village. Spending time together. Sharing in crafting joyous holiday memories instead of stampeding each other for Black Friday Deals.

This year let’s prove we don’t need them. Make it, Thrift it, or support a small business. The QR codes in the first image will take you to Denver resources for all those options.

We don’t have to keep living this way.