Thursday, February 27, 2014

Captivity, Entertainment and Connectivity

Maybe it's because the weather has been crummy these days, but movie-watching has been our favorite pastime as of late. There are some movies and documentaries that are powerful and cause some type of effect on your life. Then there are other movies and documentaries that are just filler material.

We watched a documentary that had me in tears toward the end. It was definitely the former of the two categories of documentaries. It was so profound, I want to profess how everyone must see it.
If you have ever questioned the integrity and ethical business dealings of Sea World and most zoos, this documentary will affect you. If you love going to Sea World for some good old fashioned barbaric entertainment, this documentary will turn your world around.
Animals on this earth do not have a voice. If one wants to learn about and see the wild up close and personal, take a trip to see them in person! No money or time? You can read about them or watch nature shows that document them in their natural habitat. Do not support these greedy corporate entities that exploit the voiceless animals of our world.

http://blackfishmovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BlackfishFilm

Of course, Sea World has plenty of articles and interviews that combat the material presented in Blackfish, stating that they interviewees were "mislead" and that the documentary was one-sided.

http://seaworldparks.com/corporatesites/truth/home/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=PaidSearch&utm_term=text&utm_campaign=SW14Blackfish

If you were separated from your family and held in captivity your whole life, wouldn't you be pretty enraged? We have to realize that many animals have feelings and connections similar to ours. How disconnected from the world have we become where we need to throw wild animals in captivity and pay a fee to see them dance before us?

Watch the documentary and make your own deductions. I'd like to hear what you think.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Wear Your Heart on Your Door

Are you and your sweetie a couple that is a little bit country, and a little bit rock-n-roll? Display your love to the world by making this St. Valentine heart a"door"nment! (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)
This colorblocked heart was created with materials that I had sitting at home. As you may conclude, this is another Cheapskate Tip, guys and gals!

Materials:
- Cardboard box (the one I used had a cool polka dot print)
- Permanent marker
- Ruler
- Hole punch
- Acrylic paint
- Drafting tape
- Hot glue
- Washi tape
- Raffia or ribbon
- Silk flower
Find the flattest and most solid side of your cardboard box as your base. 
Begin to draft up the heart shape on the backside of the box. Use a bowl to outline the rounded upper portion of the heart.
Use a ruler to line up the point of the heart with the middle. 
Continue using ruler to meet up with rounded portion of the heart. Then, freehand the sides of the heart so that it is rounded and full. 

Cut along the lines and flip over. 

Punch holes on left and right top sides of the heart. These holes will be where the ribbon or material of choice will be strung through for hanging. 

Grab your drafting tape and firmly press on the dividing line with how you'd prefer to colorblock your heart. I went diagonal. 

Paint one side with color of choice acrylic paint and allow enough time to dry before pulling off the drafting tape. 

If you goofed such as I did--by watering down the paint too much--fear not. Bleed-thru is fixable. Enter Washi tape. I also used Washi tape to finish out the rough edges. 


Punch another hole and hot glue your flower and partial stem to the heart in the location of your choice. 

Dig around in your craft supply bucket to find the perfect material to hang your heart with. I had natural raffia collecting dust so I cut the desired length and began to untwist. 

Slide the ribbon, string, or raffia through the holes on each site. Glue or tie a knot to the backside of the heart to secure in place. Your course of action will depend on the material you use. The raffia was so dense that I had to glue it. 

Finito! Wear your heart proudly on your door. Proud...because you made it and you didn't spend a dime on it!

Happy Valentine's Day to all~