Crafting with a Crazy Old Woman
Don't forget that this Sunday is National Cinema Day and if you're free, go and grab some of those $4 tickets. I'll be celebrating just a touch early tomorrow. I'm going to the movies with a friend to see Haunted Mansion.
I LOVE going to the movies and should go more often. I always wait to go with someone else, not wanting to go alone. I need to get over that and just go enjoy myself by myself.
Just get over yourself Tonna!
Secondhand Wardrobe Day is coming up on August 25th. Since 2017 the day has encouraged deals and savings each year across the United States. You may find steals in secondhand and consignment stores on gently worn clothing for all ages. Secondhand shopping for your clothing offers numerous benefits beginning with the savings, for a fraction of the price of retail, thrifty shoppers can fill their wardrobe while pocketing the savings. This day benefits the Earth as well! Chances are, you have a clothing item (or 10) in your closet that you don’t wear, haven’t worn since the previous solar eclipse and have no plans to wear here or in a parallel universe. Instead of ending up in a landfill to join the 13 million tons of textiles disposed of each year those items can get another go around while freeing up some of your closet space. So why allow the stigma of wearing used clothing beat the scenario of recycling, reusing, re-purposing. Plus, many local secondhand stores are set up as nonprofits raising additional funds for charitable organizations. Try it! You may even find the experience fun. Thrifting is a treasure hunt where you never know what you'll find.
The purchasing of second-hand clothes has been around since the 17th century. During this time, European secondhand merchants were buying and selling vast amounts of stock, bringing in huge amounts of money, making the venture quite profitable. In Venice for instance, courtesans procured clothing, by buying or renting, from such secondhand sources. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the use of pre-worn clothing was an experience familiar to nearly all classes in society. During World Wars I and II the profitable potential of worn clothing increased.
From there, the nature of the second-hand clothing grew in appreciation, and thus, markets for second-hand clothing grew creating an alternative option for clothing that encourages environmentally-conscious choices and a longer lifeline for clothing. In today’s economy, not only have thrift stores become popular among mainstream culture but online thrift shopping has begun. Companies such as ThredUp and Poshmark give people the opportunity to resell their clothes.
My experience with these stores began when I lost quite a lot of weight. I needed a cost effective way to buy my clothes as my weight went down. After doing this I just couldn't bring myself to buy one blouse for the price I could buy a whole outfit at the thrift store. When I tire of them I just redonate them and grab myself a little something at a bargain price.
Enjoy the day and have fun. You just may find me there looking for a treasure.
This is only the second year for this holiday. National Cinema Day will return this Sunday, August 27, for this second edition, with discounted admissions for all movies at over 3,000 participating theaters and 30,000 screens. Tickets for all tickets, all shows and all formats will be no more than $4. Some great concession discounts will also be offered.
Last year’s event was held Sept. 3, the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Tickets were $3. and 8.1 million people flocked to theaters. It was the highest-attended day for movies in 2022. It is designed to “celebrate the power of movies to bring us all together” to populate multiplexes during the dog days of summer and a way for studios to sell audiences on their fall lineups. A sneak peek of anticipated autumn releases will play before each screening.
World Honey Bee Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in August each year and brings a buzzing celebration for beekeepers, honey lovers, and all blooming things.
The day recognizes both the honey bee and the beekeepers who tend the hives as well as encouraging everyone to enjoy and buy locally grown honey. Another important part of the day includes learning about honey bees and providing them with a supportive environment. When we plant wildflowers, orchards, and other flowering plants, we support pollinators such as honey bees. They depend on the nectar of a variety of plants for their survival. But we depend on honeybees for our survival, too! Without their pollinating abilities, many nutritious plants wouldn’t reproduce. As an added bonus their delicious honey is used in our baking, teas, and confections.
Honey bees do sting, but only if they perceive a threat, such as damage to their hive or being swatted at. What they seek is sweet nectar, so sugary drinks and sweets will attract them when flowers are not blooming yet. So, keep your beverages and sweet things covered. If a honey bee comes close, either hold still or move slowly away. The honey bee will fly along to the next sweet thing as long as it doesn’t feel threatened.
As a young girl I remember that a bee landed on my shoulder under the cover of the ruffled sleeve of my favorite dress. I was very scared and I froze which actually helped the situation and after a bit it flew away. I was not as lucky as an adult. Michael was gone so I was out attempting to mow a lawn for the first time and I stepped on one. Even then it would have been fine but this foolish woman was mowing the lawn in bare feet. Bad idea.
Here are some cards I've made with a bee theme. This is a past one
Anyway, enjoy World Honey Bee Day, wear your shoes when mowing a lawn, and don't threaten those bees.
Today is Thrift Shop Day! This is a great one for me. Thrift stores are my department stores. I love to browse there.
If you consider yourself a bit of a bargain hunter, you may love them as well.
This day has been designed to encourage everyone to purchase second-hand items and to visit the thrift stores in their local area and see what treasures you can find!
After all, there is something super satisfying about purchasing something for half the price, isn’t there? You can also use National Thrift Shop Day to revamp your shopping habits, whether this means using coupon codes or using cashback websites.
There are many benefits associated with shopping in thrift stores. Ultimately, though, you are going to be able to get more for your money, and this is something to celebrate! From clothing to books and furniture; you can find a whole host of treasures. You know what they say: “your trash is someone else’s treasure.” You can find all sorts of cool stuff that people have decided to donate, you never know what you are going to come across!
Before thrift shopping became common, people usually repurposed their clothes. During the eighteenth century, many new ways of using old items were created. If one’s clothing became worn, they’d give it to a younger sibling as a hand-me-down and made into clothes for them. Even after the siblings tired of them, the material would be recycled as furniture stuffing. People also often sold their items if they needed the money.
By the late nineteenth century, the United States experienced a massive cultural shift. The Industrial Revolution increased the production of clothes and goods, and the pursuit of the American dream led to heightened immigration. Many moved to urban areas and an unfavorable opinion began surrounding clothes that were once owned by a stranger, as it indicated a lower social status. Christian ministries needed funding for their outreach programs and groups like the Salvation Army changed the narrative. In 1897, the Salvation Army launched the “salvage brigade.” Residents would go around the neighborhood asking for used clothes. In return, they’d receive food and lodging. Then, in Boston in 1902, a Methodist minister created Goodwill that hired poor and disabled people to collect goods and make necessary repairs to them. These shops provided immigrants with a place to find clothes. Thrift shops reflected the department stores of the time in the 1920s. Initial impressions began to change after thrift shops stopped being known as “junk shops.” By 1935 there were nearly 100 Goodwill stores nationwide and they were useful during hard times the nation faced during The Great Depression and World War II. People warmed up to the idea of thrift shops as a way to find vintage items and niche goods, and ever since, the thrift shop has steadily shed its negative image.
So there you go. A bit of the history of thrift stores. I use them and love them, but love them or hate them I think they are here to stay.
I'm even able to sell my cards in one. The Assistance League thrift Shop here in Reno on Vasser Street has a little shop inside called the Senior Sampler. There you can find my cards as well as many other things all made by seniors in the area. Check it out. You may find a treasure either in the thrift shop or the Sampler.
Tomorrow is National Tell a Joke Day.
It's a day meant to be filled with smiles and laughter from morning till night and that sounds like a pretty good day to me!
So....Why did the scarecrow win an award?
Because he was outstanding in his field. Ha Ha Ha!
I love it when I hear a good joke but I'm hopeless at remembering them.
I'd love it if you'd all share a joke with me in the comment section. The one I like the best will win a little prize from me.
Here's one more from me and I'm out.
What do you call a fish without eyes?
Fsh. He He He
Tomorrow is Play in the Sand Day which rolls around on August 11 of every year. It doesn't matter where you play, a river, lake, beach or sand box. The idea is to play in the sand. Whether you want to build a sandcastle, bury a friend, write in it, or simply wiggle your toes in it, today is the perfect day for it.
The creator or founder of Play in the Sand Day is unknown. Initially, it was about making artistic sandcastles and soft sculptures out of sand and water, but now it embraces anything you can do in the sand.
Unfortunately for me the closest I'm going to get to celebrate playing in the sand is to share this picture of one of the cards we made last night in Paper Pumpkin Club. Oh well....
Tomorrow is National Book Lovers Day.
I'm keeping it brief today so I'm just popping to share this birthday card that I made for the book lover in my life.
Oh my gosh!
I forgot to take a picture of it and I already gave it to her. Way to go Tonna.
If I can get her to send me a picture, I will add it.
Today is National Sunflower Day. Sunflowers are said to be a symbol of adoration, loyalty, and longevity and I love them. Their bright yellow color is a sign of happiness, friendship, and intelligence. National Sunflower Day is held each year on the first Saturday in August and reminds us to show our inner sunshine.
These big, beautiful flowers have been around since about 1000 BC. Native Americans used sunflowers as a food source, oil, paint, textile, and during ceremonies. Interestingly, some archaeologists believe sunflowers may have been cultivated before corn. Today, they are still being used as a source of food, as well as for oils, and beauty treatments. The U.S. is a massive producer of sunflowers. It is a major crop in both North and South Dakota. In 2022, North Dakota produced 762 billion pounds of sunflowers! With the average height of a sunflower being five to six feet tall, a sunflower head can grow bigger than a human head. As the weight of the sunflower head becomes heavy, it begins to fall forward causing the petals to fall off. After the petals fall off and the heads freeze, harvest begins on the sunflower. On average, one sunflower can produce up to 2,000 sunflower seeds per head. Wow! I had no idea! During early mornings, sunflowers can be seen in a sort of sleep position with the head slightly bent downwards. However, as the sun begins to shine, they slowly find the bright sun. They tend to face east. August is considered the peak season for seeing blooming sunflowers.
As I said, I love them and here's what happened to me today. I was coming home driving down my street and came upon a yard sale just one block up. So I parked my car at home and walked up to check it out. They were very friendly and had huge beautiful sunflowers growing all along one side of their yard. I admired them and they ended up cutting me some to take with me.....on Sunflower Day!
Here they are. Aren't they so pretty.
Today is National Watermelon Day. Here's a card I made.
It's so easy to do. You need only pick the right paper, cut concentric circles, glue them together, cut the results in half and WALLA! you have not one but two slices of watermelon for a card.
It's a great way of keeping the body hydrated, which is extremely beneficial for those of us out there who don't like drinking water. The high water content in watermelons means you’re going to get a good dose of water every time that you consume this fruit. I love watermelon so this is great news for me. I wish I could get a good watermelon all year long. It would sure help with my water intake. What’s even better is that a high water content helps you to feel full. Therefore, you can eat watermelon and you won’t feel hungry afterwards. The combination of fiber and water in this fruit means you get a good volume of food without a lot of calories at all. Sadly, there's also the fact that I can never pick out a good one. I solve that problem by heading to the farmer's market and just asking them to pick me to pick one for me. I got a great one a couple of weeks ago and I'm heading there Saturday to snag another.
It's said that cultivation began in the Nile Valley as early as the second millennium B.C. Watermelon seeds were even found in King Tut's tomb and on August 3, each year we celebrate this ancient berry in a feast of juicy deliciousness.
With proper growing conditions, watermelons can grow to enormous sizes. Around the world, competitions award prizes each year for the largest one. The Guinness Book of World Records states that the heaviest watermelon weighed 262 pounds.
In my research I found several other benefits to eating the fruit. I could go on and on but I have some some of my watermelon left and I'm going to stop and go devour some.
