challenge ideas observations writing

Defusing Confrontation

It’s Indepence Day in the United States. Historian Heather Cox Richardson has a marvelous newsletter to mark the occasion, one that reminds us to live up to our highest ideals in this country, rather than sink into our lowest manifestations of a society. We haven’t been doing a good job of reaching the ideals of life, liberty, equality, or the pursuit of happiness lately. There’s a sliver of people who would rob the majority of…

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design ideas observations

The Glory of Elastic in Shoes

I have skinny feet. Worse, I have very skinny heels. Almost any type of slip-on shoe, from flats to loafers to canvas tennis shoes, will not stay on my feet because there is too much space between my heels and the backs of shoes, which prevents the friction needed to keep them on. From a fashion point of view, this is annoying to the highest degree. It makes shoe-shopping a frustrating endeavor. I’ve had to…

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ideas projects writing

Writing Nook – Now With Pencils!

When I transformed my book giveaway box into a Writing Nook last month, I struggled with whether to add some sort of writing implement. I’m using the Writing Nook to give away blank notebooks in several sizes, index cards, and books about writing. I mentally went back-and-forth on whether to include pencils or pens. I prefer pens myself, but with our very cold winters (24 below zero was a constant for two weeks this past…

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history ideas pragmatic historian preservation

Preservation Idea for Vintage Light Fixtures & Lamps

Hubby and I are having a couple of rooms in our house rewired, the back porch, which we are making all-season, and an upstairs bedroom that has no outlets. (The house was built in 1894 and when we moved in, there were only 2 outlets in the entire upstairs.) We had an electrician over last week to explain the project to him and get a price on it. As we were talking over our plans…

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action art health ideas

The Environmental Impact of Yarn Bombs

I LOVE yarn bombs! As a fiber artist, I appreciate the attention they bring to fiber arts, especially knitting and crocheting. The textures and colors and message of wrapping something in yarn outdoors, whether a tree or fence or stairs or whatever, makes me happy because yarn bombs are about spreading happiness. I recently saw this tweet from #WOMENSART that shows a massive yarn bomb covering the steps of Helsinki’s Cathedral. That amount of work…

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