WikiWomen's Edit-a-Thon 2 (and my views on gender)

 Been having an on-going conversation with Sarah Stierch from the Wikimedia Foundation Community.  You might remember her from her work at the Smithsonian archives where she had the first WikiWomen's Edit-a-Thon. 

She is having another, this time on the west coast at Wikipedia headquarters in San Francisco.  All the information you need is available at this link.  

I'm unsure if I will be able to attend, I may be out of town that weekend.  But I will be there in spirit if nothing else.  

I've been pretty public that I don't care if the editor is male or female, I just want people on board that do a good job, follow the rules, ask for feedback, accept helpful criticism with a smile, and oh yeah, don't flake.  The quality of their edits is more important than their gender. 

Sarah mostly agrees with me, but raises one really important point.  "I do believe though that if we do want to write the sum of all the world's knowledge we have to do it with all genders participating."

She is exactly right, I'm sure someone will find the percentages pretty quickly for me, but I think only 9% of Wikipedia editors are women.  That's pretty sad.  Women want to be represented as equals yet they aren't stepping up?  I know Wikipedia is concerned with these numbers, and are willing to listen.

Some say that women don't edit Wikipedia because they have been harassed by men.  (citation needed)

The following is my opinion.  I've never been harassed, discouraged or reverted by anyone on Wikipedia because I'm a woman.  It is very possible that it is unknown that I'm a woman unless they go to my user page when they will quickly discover from all the pictures of me that I'm very much female.  

Keep in mind that just because it has not happened to me, does not mean it doesn't happen.  In my experience I can say that this holds true in the skeptic world as well, I've never had any negative experiences with-in our community because of my gender.

I've been giving this a lot of thought and I'm not sure how valuable my opinion is on this subject, but I'm wondering if I have a different threshold of what is harassment and discrimination than younger women?  I'm about to be 50 this summer and have lived through some not so nice times where I was shut up, talked over and worse because I was a woman trying to get my point across.  I attended school where it was required for me to take homemaking (sewing and cooking) classes.  I wanted to take drafting but it was filled with boys and I knew I would have been uncomfortable.  The world I grew up in is NOT the world I'm experiencing now.

I know what sexual harassment feels like.  I have a Harley, I play pool.  Those worlds are still a bit behind, but they have improved a lot.   

Then again, my mother would probably laugh at what I call harassment.  She wasn't even allowed to wear pants, the idea of riding a motorcycle was impossible to her.  What I have gone through was nothing compared to what she went through.  And if we looked back to my grandmothers life she would think my mom was totally liberated compared to what she went through.  So I'm wondering if these on-going discussions about gender might just be a matter of relativity.  

If women are being harassed on Wikipedia because they are female then on a case by case basis that should be dealt with.  As well as in the skeptic universe.  No one should feel uncomfortable at a conference, male or female, but we need to be clear.  Talking behind the backs of our male speakers or attendees does not give the man a chance to clear his name.  If there is a problem, get it out in front and discuss it.  He should be able to defend himself.  Same on Wikipedia, if there seems to be harassment then they should be called on it.  Give them a change to apologize and explain themselves.  Then move on.  If the behavior continues then the discussion and consequences should escalate.

So there is my two-cents for what its worth.  I would love to see more women editors.  I would also love to see more diversity in age, culture, language, people with children and anything else that makes for a well-rounded group of people.  

We need a lot more female Wiki editors.  But even more, we need people who care, who do good work and won't flake.  Please join us today, contact me at susangerbic@yahoo.com. 

How Siegfried's dragon was operated

The image shows a schematic diagram of the dragon slain by Siegfried in Fritz Lang's classic movie.  Eight or nine men are inside or under the model, operating it.  I think it's an impressive achievement for its time (1924).  You can view the result in this video clip (coup de grâce at the 5:09 mark when he stabs it in the eye):

YouTube link.

Via the Old Hollywood tumblr.

Only some ichthyosaurs got the bends

I didn't know you could detect "the bends" in fossils, but apparently evidence of such events is preserved as bony deformities (microinfarcts), as reported in The Economist:

That these Mesozoic marine reptiles, contemporaries of the dinosaurs, got the bends can be seen from their bones. What can also be seen is a curious evolutionary tale—for not all ichthyosaurs succumbed...

It's the latter sentence that leads to the interesting part:

To this end, [Bruce Rothschild of the University of Kansas] and his colleagues travelled the world’s natural-history museums, looking at a total of 116 ichthyosaurs from the Triassic period... and 190 from the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods...

When he started, he assumed that signs of the bends would be rarer in younger fossils, reflecting their gradual evolution of measures to deal with decompression, such as the ability found in many whales to store lots of oxygen in their blood. Instead, he was astonished to discover the reverse. More than 15% of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs had suffered the bends before they died, but not a single Triassic specimen showed evidence of that sort of injury...

As he reports in Naturwissenschaften, he suspects it was evolution in other species that caused the change. Whales that suffer the bends often do so because they have surfaced to escape a predator such as a large shark. One of the features of Jurassic oceans was an abundance of large sharks, and also of huge marine crocodiles, both of which were partial to ichthyosaur lunches. Triassic oceans, by contrast, were (from the ichthyosaur’s point of view) mercifully shark- and crocodile-free. In the Triassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurassic and Cretaceous, they were prey as well as predator—and often had to make a speedy exit as a result.

Fascinating.

Political discourse

YouTube link. 

Details about the topic of this debate (language) in the Ukranian Parliament is offered in Language Log.

Weathercocks

I had never given any thought to the design of weather vanes until encountering this passage while reading my June issue of Smithsonian magazine:

The rooster plays a small but crucial role in the Gospels in helping to fulfill the prophecy that Peter would deny Jesus “before the cock crows.” (In the ninth century, Pope Nicholas I decreed that a figure of a rooster should be placed atop every church as a reminder of the incident—which is why many churches still have cockerel-shaped weather vanes.)

From the Wikipedia entry I found that the word 'vane' comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 'fane' meaning 'flag', which fits in nicely with this observation from an article about the history of weather vanes:

In Britain, Germany, and Normandy lords and noblemen flew banners and flags from castle towers. These flags were not intended to predict the weather, but actually helped archers calculate the direction of the wind when defending the castle. Through the years, the cloth flags were replaced by metal structures. 

So that explains why images of castles often show the battlements festooned with flags; I always thought they were just decorative.  You learn something every day.

Here's a segment of the Bayeaux tapestry which depicts a man installing a weather vane (with a cock) on Westminster Abbey, as the corpse of the king is being carried in:

Now back to the Smithsonian article, which focuses on the history of the chicken rather than the history of weather vanes.  It's full of interesting information, including this thought-provoking observation:

Matthew 23:37 contains a passage in which Jesus likens his care for the people of Jerusalem to a hen caring for her brood. This image, had it caught on, could have completely changed the course of Christian iconography, which has been dominated instead by depictions of the Good Shepherd.

Here's the passage (King James Version):

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

It makes me wonder how my old church - the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church - might otherwise have been named...

Photo ("on the tower of the protestant Church of St.Moritz") from an excellent collection of pix of weather vanes at Dyxum Photographs.

Trimming the bush

This art installation begins with an unruly vine sprawling over an urban wall.  Changing it into a work of art begins with the addition of five lines -

- followed by some judicious pruning:

Photos found at nuart ("an annual international art festival... focused exclusively on the Street and Urban art scene. The Festival is based in Stavanger"), but attributed to Banksy and posted at his site.

Using sewers to heat homes

All the water you flush from your toilet and all the greywater from your shower and sinks leaves your house warm, and it warms the sewer pipes as it travels to the processing facility.  Now the StarTribune reports that a suggestion has been made to recapture that heat:

"There's a significant amount of energy, literally enough to heat hundreds of homes within the streets of the city of Brainerd," Peter Nelson of Hidden Fuels told the Minnesota Public Radio News...

Hidden Fuels would rely on technology already in use. A heat pump will circulate water from which energy can be extracted to heat or cool buildings, similar to how geothermal heating and cooling systems work.

Officials in Canada used a similar system during the Vancouver winter Olympics. But it didn't have the challenges of using an existing sewer. What Nelson and others want to do in Brainerd is new because the water's full of waste...

Earl Wolleat, director of buildings and grounds for the school district, said he's confident Hidden Fuels can pull it off, but it will take years before it's cost effective.

This is Leuser

Leuser, a blind Sumatran orangutan has survived poachers, air rifles, and deforestation during his 13 years of life. Leuser has been saved twice by the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP), but now resides in captivity at their quarantine centre in Medan, Sumatra, after being shot 62 times by villagers seeking entertainment.

These are his skull xrays:

And this is what is happening to his home:

More details and photos in a photoessay in The Guardian.

An interesting ancient Egyptian jug

4th - 7th century, made in Kharga Oasis, Byzantine Egypt.  From the collections of the Metropolitcan Museum of Art.

Via Uncertain Times.

Addendum: A hat tip to Skipweasel for identifying this as probably a "bes jar, " described at The Scribe as follows:

One of the most common depictions of Bes were jars decorated with his face. If a child were ill, milk would be given to them in one of these Bes jars. It was believed that the milk would turn to medicine and protect the child. If the child didn’t get well though, of course a doctor would be called. It was then not uncommon for the physician to offer medicine out of a Bes jar. The final form of Bes jars came during the Roman period. Bes jars were no longer delegated to only children. Soldiers, believing that they were vulnerable, just like a child, often drank their beer rations out of Bes jars in hopes of protection from attacks.

With pix at the link and more with a Google Image search.

The Westermarck Effect minimizes the risk of incest

Some interesting observations and theory, summarized at Damn Interesting:

One of the most common taboos across human societies of the past and present has been incest. Virtually every known culture has considered it repulsive, especially when involving siblings or a parent and child. The leading behavioural theory that has been proposed to account for the ubiquity of this aversion is known as the Westermarck effect, after Finnish scholar Edvard Westermarck, who proposed it in his 1891 book The History of Human Marriage. The idea of the Westermarck effect is that young children will become sexually/romantically desensitised to anyone they live in close contact with over the course of the first few years of their lives...

Note that crucially, the connection does not have to be biological; according to the theory, it applies just as readily to children adopted at a young age as to those raised by their birth parents... However, when a child is separated from biological family at an early age, there is no chance for the Westermarck effect to take hold; reunions between biological relatives who were separated much earlier sometimes lead into unforeseen emotional territory. ...

The Westermarck effect is a hypothesis, but there is evidence to support it... A study by American cultural anthropologist Melford Spiro that examined 3,000 marriages within the kibbutz system found that only about 15 weddings involved pairs of people who were raised in the same group of children. Furthermore, none of these pairs had been raised with their partners before the age of six...

Another source of evidence for the Westermarck effect comes from what happens when it is noticeably absent. Genetically related individuals who are not raised together often fail to be sexually and romantically blind to each other....Genes ensure that the two have a lot in common, and the absence of the Westermarck effect sometimes makes them difficult for one another to resist. This is a converse theory known as genetic sexual attraction (GSA)....

Freud did not think much of Westermarck’s ideas, and he himself actively recalled having once had a fairly noticeable physical reaction to his naked mother getting dressed. But, says cognitive scientist Steven Pinker in his book How the Mind Works, it is Westermarck who may have the last word. Pinker speculates that the reason why Freud was able to have such a dramatic response to the sight of his own mother putting her clothes on was that as a baby, Sigmund had been cared for by a wet nurse. Perhaps it was this nurse, and not his mother, to whom Sigmund became desensitised; in other words, the Westermarck effect was not fully activated between the young Freud and his biological mother. “The Westermarck theory,” Pinker says in summary, “has out-Freuded Freud.”... 

More at the Damn Interesting, via Neatorama.

"Sex Madness" (1938)

Sex Madness (1938) is an exploitation film directed by Dwain Esper, along the lines of Reefer Madness, supposedly to warn teenagers and young adults of the dangers of venereal diseases, specifically syphilis. Wild parties, lesbianism, and premarital sex are some of the forms of 'madness' portrayed. The educational aspect of the film allowed it to portray a taboo subject which was otherwise forbidden by the Production Code of 1930, and its stricter version imposed by Hollywood studios in July 1934.

This was released two years after "Reefer Madness," and has the same producer and style.  Those interested can view the entire movie at this link [Warning: boring].

Via Sloth Unleashed.

Judge Quentin Corley

Quentin Durward Corley, Sr. (January 21, 1884 - April 22, 1980) was a Texas circuit judge. On September 18, 1905 in Utica, New York he was in a railroad accident and lost both hands and one arm and shoulder. Within two years he invented and patented an artificial limb.

Info from Wikipedia, via Vintage Photography.

Mecoptera ("scorpionflies")

A new group of insects for me.  And a very impressive-looking one - note the scorpion-like tail.  According to Myrmecos, "Mecoptera is an order of holometabolous insects containing a number of unusual taxa, including scorpionflies, hangingflies, and snow fleas."  And from Wikipedia this interesting, if obscure, bit of evolutionary trivia-

Mecoptera have special importance in evolution of Insecta. Two of the most important insect orders, Lepidoptera and Diptera, along with Trichoptera, probably evolved from ancestors belonging to, or strictly related to, the Mecoptera.

The Lepidoptera, of course, include the butterflies I like to blog.

Photo credit irenwulv, who saw the critter in Japan and posted it at Reddit.

Security breach in Swedish prison

I can't confirm the year (or even the veracity) of the incident; a Google image search took me to a Swedish blog, where I can't find it.  But I'd like to think it's true.

Addendum:  The tradition continues of readers quickly finding answers to puzzles I can't solve.  Within minutes of my posting it, Arenamontanus found the story in Aftonbladet, and MICHAEL found a report of the incident in 2002.  Thank you, guys.

Red-spotted Purple

A beautiful butterfly saddled with the dreadful scientific name Limenitis arthemis astyana. It's reasonably common because it is able to utilize a wide variety of trees (cherry, willow, aspen, poplar, birch, juneberry, basswood, hawthorn, apple) as host plants for its caterpillars.  It looks a bit like a Black Swallowtail or Pipevine Swallowtail, but of course lacks the "tail" that defines the swallowtails.

The "red-spottedness" is barely visible on the wingtips from above, but is much more apparent on the undersurface of the wings, which I was not able to photograph.  This fellow (?lady) was basking on fresh oak leaves at the Gotham Jack Pine Barrens State Natural Area last weekend (hiking path plotted on Pedometer).

I've never been successful in locating any eggs or caterpillars.  I would love to raise some because I would like to see one emerge fresh from a chrysalis.  Those wings are truly iridescent and frankly awesome in real life.  The photo enlarges with a click (and I'm currently using it for my wallpaper).

"Stag farts" - a traditional sign of summer

In the United States, summer unofficially begins well before the solstice - typically after the Memorial Day holiday at the end of May (coinciding with the meteorological "summer"  months of June, July, and August).  That's a good-enough excuse to post about "Sumer Is Icumen In."  Wikipedia provides an extensive review of the piece, including the Middle English text -

Sumer is icumen in,
Lhude sing cuccu!
Groweþ sed and bloweþ med
And springþ þe wde nu,
Sing cuccu!
Awe bleteþ after lomb,
Lhouþ after calue cu.
Bulluc sterteþ, bucke uerteþ,
Murie sing cuccu!...

- and the Modern English equivalent -

Summer has arrived,
Loudly sing, Cuckoo!
The seed grows and the meadow blooms
And the wood springs anew,
Sing, Cuckoo!
The ewe bleats after the lamb
The cow lows after the calf.
The bullock stirs, the stag farts,
Merrily sing, Cuckoo...

- and this clarification:

The translation of "bucke uerteþ" is uncertain. Some translate as "the buck-goat turns", but the current critical consensus is that the line is "the stag farts", a gesture of virility indicating the stag's potential for creating new life, echoing the rebirth of Nature from the barren period of winter.

A hat tip to Adrian for finding an mp3 of the round that you can listen to.

Advice for budding photographers

‘Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.’ –Henri Cartier-Bresson 

Via The New Shelton 'wet/dry.

Eric Clapton - "Tears in Heaven"

YouTube link. 

This song is familiar to most people because it topped the charts for weeks in the early 90s.

What is not generally recognized is that the subject of the song is the death of Clapton's four-year old son, Conor, who accidentally fell from a 53rd-story window in New York.  That knowledge may allow you to listen to the piece with renewed appreciation...

Reposted from 2008 because I like the song.

Texas honor student jailed for truancy

Diane Tran, an honor student in Texas, was thrown in jail by a Judge Moriarty (!) after she missed too many classes at her high school.

Tran said she works both full-time and part-time jobs, in addition to taking advanced and college level courses. But the judge said Tran's case was bigger than the individual situation of one student. "If you let one run loose, what are you gonna' do with the rest of 'em?," said Judge Lanny Moriarty. "Let them go too? A little stay in the jail for one night is not a death sentence."

But Tran's classmates said she had a lot more to juggle than the average teen. "She goes from job to job from school. She stays up until 7 a.m. in the morning doing her homework," said Devin Hill, a classmate and co-worker.

On top of that, Tran said her parents spilt up and moved away, leaving her to support her younger sister. The judge admitted that he wanted to make an example of the teen. Tran had to spend 24 hours in jail and had to pay a $100 fine. 

Text from CBSAtlanta.com staff; photo via TNT Magazine, where it is noted that "under Texan law any student skipping classes for more than 10 days in a six month period faces jail time and a fine," but...

News of Diane’s plight has spread online, with a petition at change.org and a helpdianetran.com.

Painted Puzzle Free Tutorial by Alisa Burke

Alisa Burke always comes up with the most wonderful and colorful ideas.  If you LOVE puzzles and want to create a truly unique painted puzzle then you'll want to check out her Painted Puzzle Tutorial.  Have fun!

painted puzzle tutorial

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Alisa Burke of Alisa Burke

Here's what Alisa had to say about her tutorial: Recently I gathered some fun things for a birthday package that I was putting together to send off to my friend's little girl. While doing my weekly browsing at Target's dollar bin, I came across a puzzle for $1 and suddenly had the idea to paint over it to make a brand new colorful kids puzzle to include in the package. This puzzle was super easy and would actually make a great project create with kids!

Please respect Alisa's TERMS OF USE:  I work really hard to come up with my art, tutorials, ideas, classes, inspiration and more. Please understand that everything I post on my blog is for your personal use only - not for resale or redistribution. Please contact me if you are interested in using anything that I share online-thank you!!!

For more information on Alisa's Terms of Use please CLICK HERE.

Alisa's Bio: Alisa Burke is a freelance painter and mixed media artist who studied fine art at Portland State University. With a background in painting and printmaking, a desire to explore and push materials, Alisa is always looking for new ways to break the rules and redefine art. She draws inspiration from street art, graffiti, art history and fashion and it is not uncommon to find her digging through the trash in hopes of recycling something unique use in her artwork.

Alisa’s paintings have been exhibited in a variety of galleries and her handmade, painted accessories are carried in a number of boutiques across the country. Her artwork has been featured in publications such as Cloth Paper Scissors, Quilting Arts, Where Women Create, Somerset Studios’ Haute Handbags, Art Doll Quarterly, and the University of San Diego Magazine. In addition to making art, Alisa teaches a variety of workshops nation wide. Alisa appeared as a guest artist on the DIY Network show Craft Lab and book Canvas Remix was released in spring 2008.

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Alisa Burke of Alisa Burke.

Please visit her Alisa Burke website at http://www.alisaburke.com and her Alisa Burke - Redefine Creativity blog at http://www.alisaburke.blogspot.com. Her Alisa Burke Etsy shop is at http://alisaburke.etsy.com.

Jam Jar Cozy Free Crochet Tutorial by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog

One of these days I am going to learn how to crochet.  When I do I think I'll make Carina's Jam Jar Cozy in blue.  What an adorable way to decorate a jam jar cozy.  Enjoy.

Crochet tutorial: jam jar cozy

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog blog.

Here's what Carina had to say about her tutorial: As promised, the crochet jar cosy tutorial. You can use one or more colours to suit your taste. I think it is nice with atleast a couple of colours just because I like colour. ;-)

Please respect Carina's TERMS OF USE:BE NICE: DON'T STEAL - I spend hours thinking up projects, taking pictures, processing the pictures and writing tutorials and posts. So please respect the work that goes into this and don't steal my content. You are welcome to use the tutorials and patterns for your own personal crafting pleasure. And if you like them, feel free to share links to them. You can even borrow an image or two if you link back here. Sharing is nice, it's what makes the crafty blogosphere so great! But stealing other people's content and passing it off as your own is not nice at all. So don't be that guy. Or gal. Translating my tutorials or removing my copyright notice from images and posting the content as your own is not allowed. Thank you. Got a question about something? Want to know a bit about me? Need help with something? Check out the fancy pants FAQ page!

Carina's Bio: Carina is a Danish girl living in Essex, England with her husband. She's an artist and crafter who loves to crochet, draw, sew, paint, and embroider.

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog  blog. Please visit Carina's new Carina's Craftblog blog at http://carinascraftblog.wardi.dk ,  her Wardi.dk website, her Carina Wardi Etsy shop, and her Polka & Bloom Etsy shop .

Paper Cones Decoration Free Tutorial by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog

I love ideas that can be used year round for any holiday - don't you?  If you do then you'll love the paper cones tutorial by Carina Envoldsen-Harris.  Have fun making your paper cones.

Paper cones decoration

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog blog.

Here's what Carina had to say about her tutorial: Maybe you remember I mentioned these in December? I thought I'd post the tutorial for them... before we get too far away from Christmas.. it's ok, isn't it? To talk about Christmas stuff in January? ;-)

In Denmark for Christmas these cones ('kræmmerhuse') are made to decorate the Christmas tree - or other places, but mostly the tree. They are traditionally hung on the tree and then filled with cookies or sweets.

They can be a bit fiddly to make at first, but I'm sure you'll soon get the hang of it! :-)

Please respect Carina's TERMS OF USE:BE NICE: DON'T STEAL - I spend hours thinking up projects, taking pictures, processing the pictures and writing tutorials and posts. So please respect the work that goes into this and don't steal my content. You are welcome to use the tutorials and patterns for your own personal crafting pleasure. And if you like them, feel free to share links to them. You can even borrow an image or two if you link back here. Sharing is nice, it's what makes the crafty blogosphere so great! But stealing other people's content and passing it off as your own is not nice at all. So don't be that guy. Or gal. Translating my tutorials or removing my copyright notice from images and posting the content as your own is not allowed. Thank you. Got a question about something? Want to know a bit about me? Need help with something? Check out the fancy pants FAQ page!

Carina's Bio: Carina is a Danish girl living in Essex, England with her husband. She's an artist and crafter who loves to crochet, draw, sew, paint, and embroider.

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog blog. Please visit Carina's new Carina's Craftblog blog at http://carinascraftblog.wardi.dk ,  her Wardi.dk website, her Carina Wardi Etsy shop, and her Polka & Bloom Etsy shop .

Long Mitten Free Tutorial by Christie Hurst of A Lemon Squeezy Home

Looking for a quick and easy way to make Long Mittens for your kids?  If you are then you'll be happy to know that Christie Hurst has a wonderful tutorial showing you how make long mittens.

Long Mittens: a Tutorial

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Christie of A Lemon Squeezy Home

Here's what Christie had to say about her tutorial:  This is likely my last tutorial for the rest of the month, just so’s you know. I wanted to get them up quickly so that you could use them this season!  And mittens would make a great gift!

Have you ever had your kid come in crying because they have snow down their sleeves?  I definitely have, and since my oldest son C was about 3 years old, I’ve just added a longer section onto gloves he had from the store.  That way snow stays off their arms, and their arms have an extra layer for warmth!

Then I realized how easy it would be to just make the mitten portion as well.  I’ve actually had this idea on my list since I started my blog in January!  So after nearly a year, I finally got around to it!

Please respect Christie's TERMS OF USE: Unless stated otherwise, you may use any of the items or tutorials I post for personal use. If you are wanting to sell items made from my tutorials, please ask me for permission!

If you make and post anything that I came up with, please post a link to my blog. If you sell any items on my website that was my idea, then you must post a link giving me credit (after asking permission to sell first).

Just give credit where it is due! Happy crafting!

Copyright © 2012- All Rights Reserved - Christie of Lemon Squeezy Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/lemonsqueezyshop. Please visit her A Lemon Squeezy Home blog at http://alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com/

Vintage Bike Basket Free Tutorial by Christie Hurst of A Lemon Squeezy Home

If you love adorable vintage bike baskets you'll want to check out the Vintage Bike Basket Tutorial by Christie Hurst.  Enjoy your bike ride.

Vintage Bike Basket Tutorial

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Christie of A Lemon Squeezy Home

Here's what Christie had to say about her tutorial:   Remember my son's Bike Basket I made? You can see that version by clicking here: D's Bike Basket Tutorial.

I remember finishing his, and thinking how pretty it could be for a girl with a few changes. So I re-designed the entire thing to fit an adult vintage style bike. *This basket actually fits my son's child size bike, so it doesn't even have to be only for an adult bike!
Please respect Christie's TERMS OF USE: Unless stated otherwise, you may use any of the items or tutorials I post for personal use. If you are wanting to sell items made from my tutorials, please ask me for permission!

If you make and post anything that I came up with, please post a link to my blog. If you sell any items on my website that was my idea, then you must post a link giving me credit (after asking permission to sell first).

Just give credit where it is due! Happy crafting!

Copyright © 2012- All Rights Reserved - Christie of Lemon Squeezy Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/lemonsqueezyshop. Please visit her A Lemon Squeezy Home blog at http://alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com/

Pantone Chip Magnets and Bow Tie Paper Clips From Fabric Strips Free How-To's by Jessica Jones

Do you love cute magnets and adorable paper clips.  If you do then you'll want to check out the DIY Pantone Chip Magnets and Bow Tie Paper Clips From Fabric Scraps how-to's by Jessica Jones.  Have fun!

DIY Pantone chip magnets

Copyright © 2011- All Rights Reserved - Written By  Jessica Jones of Jessica Jones.

Here's what Jessica had to say about her how-to: I try to keep loose Pantone chips in an envelope for future projects, but these nice colors escaped and attached themselves to my file cabinet.

Bow tie paper clips from fabric scraps

Copyright © 2011- All Rights Reserved - Written By  Jessica Jones of Jessica Jones.

Here's what Jessica had to say about her how-to: I had a couple little scraps left over from stiffened fabric projects, and after fiddling with them, I noticed they'd easily make tiny bows. Which I attached to paper clips because... I don't know why. These could work as bookmarks, on wedding invitations, Valentines, etc. Or attach the bows to hair clips for little girls or pencils for bridal shower games.

Please respect Jessica's TERMS OF USE:  You're welcome to link to my How About Orange blog or use a single image and brief description to link back to any post. Republishing posts in their entirety is prohibited without permission.

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Jessica Jones of Jessica Jones. Jessica is a professional graphic and textile designer.

Please visit her Jessica Jones website @ http://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/ and her How About Orange blog @ http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/.

Jerry Andrus - a Universal Icon - Lets get started!

Jerry Andrus - Skeptic's Toolbox 2004 - from my camera

My current project is to improve/rewrite the faculty pages for the Eugene, Oregon Skeptic's Toolbox pages, as well as to create the Toolbox page.  I've discovered during my research on re-writing the Jerry Andrus page that there exists many YouTube videos about or by Andrus in languages other than English.  Yet Jerry's current page is only available in English.

What a shame.

I have discussed many times that the Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia project is far too important to remain in English only.  Yet, I lack the skills necessary to read/write in other languages.  You don't know how frustrating that is for me, but it just shows how important it is to find editors who can.

In the call-out linked above where I discuss the need to expand our outreach to controversial topics outside English, I've not received a single email volunteering to help.  When I've approached Facebook "friends" who have other languages other than English (I tried a personal message to 30 people) when I got a response (7 people) I was mainly told "sorry, but I don't read/write well enough in that language."  (insert deep sigh here)  I think they were worried that they lacked the technical knowledge to translate a page on like "evolution" into their native language.

Possibly so.  So now I'm trying an easier subject to focus on. 

I'm thinking that Jerry Andrus may be a great place to focus our efforts when we do find those editors.  For those of you who did not know Jerry, he was a genius.  A gentle man, who could not tell a lie and wanted more than anything to show others his amazing optical illusions.  These illusions are universal, made with simple household objects, string, cardboard and tape.  Something a child anywhere in the world could copy and improve on with little instruction other than that spark to get them started.

And what a spark!  Teaching people about optical illusions teaches them how easily the brain can be fooled, which may inspire them to begin to think critically in other areas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SErHThEGTDc

What I'm suggesting is that we find people willing to edit in their language and start with the existing videos.  All the articles I'm finding on Andrus would need to be translated into that language as well, possibly they have already been created?  The Did You Know? front page of Wikipedia project exists in all languages as well, and it would be a great push to get people who would normally not search out his page, to discover it. 

This would be a time consuming effort, but I guarantee an important project in bringing the skeptical message to anywhere an Internet connection exists.

Here are just a few of the videos I've found of Andrus performing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwxWtK0uHxw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyTfgFoRnZI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJTQHWDgieI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1_fKf-GLgc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKZHPAKLOUo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAJr6sFFQC4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBKmszziEGM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1hkU6k80ew

We have just finished the 6th Skeptic World Congress last week in Berlin.  Surely we had attendees wanting to get involved in improving skepticism in their native languages?

So I'm suggesting if you personally don't read/write in a second language can you pass this on to someone you think might want to get involved?  Help me find a way to get this project out to skeptic groups outside the English speaking world.  And lets get started.

BTW - really could use some help finding sources for the Skeptic's Toolbox page (in English).

Please contact me at susangerbic@yahoo.com

Castellers build castells (human towers)

YouTube link. 

The tradition of building castells originated in Valls, near the city of Tarragona, in the southern part of Catalonia towards the end of the 18th century. Later it developed a following in other regions of Catalonia and, since 1981, when the first castell of 9 levels of the 20th century was built, it has become very popular in most of Catalonia.

A castell is considered a success when stages of its assembling and disassembling, can be done in complete succession. The assembly is complete once all castellers have climbed into their designated places, and the enxaneta climbs into place at the top and raises one hand with four fingers erect, in a gesture said to symbolize the stripes of the Catalan flag. The enxaneta then climbs down the other side of the castell, after which the remaining levels of castellers descend in highest-to-lowest order until all have reached safety.

The sash (faixa) is the most important part of their outfit, since it supports the lower back and is used by other castellers in the team as a foothold or handhold when climbing up the tower. This tasselled piece of cloth varies in length and width and depends on the casteller's position inside the tower and also on choice. The length of the sash ranges from 1.5 to 12 m, and usually is shorter for those higher up in the castell. Performing castellers usually go barefoot as to minimise injures upon each other as they climb to their position and also for sensitivity when balancing and to have better feel and hold each other.

The motto of Castellers is "Força, equilibri, valor i seny" (Strength, balance, courage and common sense).

Not a bad motto for life in general.  More info here.

Camel thorn trees in Namibia

The above image (via BoingBoing), by Frans Lanting was published by National Geographic about five years ago, and ever since has been fooling viewers into thinking it's a painting, rather than a photograph.  The altered perspective of a telephoto lens positioning the trees against a sunset-illuminated giant sand dune is really quite  startling.  I had to search for a while to find a more prosaic view:

Credit Martin Heigan.  

Other images here and here.  The trees are sometimes described as being "petrified."  I doubt whether that's technically correct; they certainly are desiccated.

"Mortal coil" explained

I heard the phrase this past week, implicitly citing Hamlet's soliloquy -

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks
That Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream; Ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause...

- but after having heard it a hundred times, I wondered about the origin.  Here's the summary from Wikipedia, citing the OED:

Derived from 16th Century English, "coil" refers to tumults or troubles. Used idiomatically, the phrase means "the bustle and turmoil of this mortal life." "Coil" has an unusual etymological history. It was coined repeatedly; at one time people used it as a verb to mean "to cull," "to thrash," "to lay in rings or spirals," "to turn," "to mound hay" and "to stir." As a noun it has meant "a selection," "a spiral," "the breech of a gun," "a mound of hay", "a pen for hens", and "noisy disturbance, fuss, ado." It is in this last sense, which became popular in the 16th century, that Shakespeare used the word.

"Pirate" door hook

Found at imgur; original artist credit unknown.

"All of us are multiracial"

That's the delightfully concise and true take-away message from a report about the results of the Melungeon DNA Project, as summarized by the Associated Press and the Shreveport Times:

For years, varied and sometimes wild claims have been made about the origins of a group of dark-skinned Appalachian residents once known derisively as the Melungeons. Some speculated they were descended from Portuguese explorers, or perhaps from Turkish slaves or Gypsies.

Now a new DNA study in the Journal of Genetic Genealogy attempts to separate truth from oral tradition and wishful thinking. The study found the truth to be somewhat less exotic: Genetic evidence shows that the families historically called Melungeons are the offspring of sub-Saharan African men and white women of northern or central European origin. And that report, which was published in April in the peer-reviewed journal, doesn't sit comfortably with some people who claim Melungeon ancestry.

Beginning in the early 1800s, or possibly before, the term Melungeon was applied as a slur to a group of about 40 families along the Tennessee-Virginia border. But it has since become a catch-all phrase for a number of groups of mysterious mixed-race ancestry.

G. Reginald Daniel, a sociologist at the University of California-Santa Barbara who has spent more than 30 years examining multiracial people in the U.S. and wasn't part of this research, said the study is more evidence that race-mixing in the U.S. isn't a new phenomenon. "All of us are multiracial," he said. "It is recapturing a more authentic U.S. history."

Estes and her fellow researchers theorize that the various Melungeon lines may have sprung from the unions of black and white indentured servants living in Virginia in the mid-1600s, before slavery. They conclude that as laws were put in place to penalize the mixing of races, the various family groups could only intermarry with each other, even migrating together from Virginia through the Carolinas before settling primarily in the mountains of East Tennessee...

Claims of Portuguese ancestry likely were a ruse they used in order to remain free and retain other privileges that came with being considered white, according to the study's authors...

Writing about his argument in a memoir published years later, Shepherd stated, "Our Southern high-bred people will never tolerate on equal terms any person who is even remotely tainted with negro blood, but they do not make the same objection to other brown or dark-skinned people, like the Spanish, the Cubans, the Italians, etc."...

In recent years, it has become a catchall term for people of mixed-race ancestry and has been applied to about 200 communities in the eastern U.S. — from New York to Louisiana. Among them were the Montauks, the Mantinecocks, Van Guilders, the Clappers, the Shinnecocks and others in New York. Pennsylvania had the Pools; North Carolina the Lumbees, Waccamaws and Haliwas and South Carolina the Redbones, Buckheads, Yellowhammers, Creels and others. In Louisiana, which somewhat resembled a Latin American nation with its racial mixing, there were Creoles of the Cane River region and the Redbones of western Louisiana, among others....

The study does not rule out the possibility of other races or ethnicities forming part of the Melungeon heritage, but none were detected among the 69 male lines and 8 female lines that were tested. Also, the study did not look for later racial mixing that might have occurred, for instance with Native Americans. 

More at the Shreveport Times.

Photo credit: AP

"A Love Letter to Plywood"

YouTube link, via The Dish.

Become an expert on the subject in seven minutes.  Impress your colleagues at work and your friends at cocktail parties.  But it will not help you pick up women.

Brought to you by the creator of the equally prosaic "How To Sweep."

I'm not a home "handyman" and haven't used a table saw since fifth grade shop class, so I'm curious about the phrase in the video "The table saw is a witch.  A witch will take your finger."  Is that rather oddly-phrased advice derived from the Hansel and Gretel story?

   "Let me feel your finger!" said the witch to Hansel every day to check if 
he was getting any fatter. Now, Gretel had brought her brother a chicken bone,
and when the witch went to touch his finger, Hansel held out the bone.

"The Meeting on the Turret Stairs" (1864) updated

A very evocative painting, by Frederick William Burton.

‘The Meeting on the Turret Stairs’ is one of the better-known works of Frederic William Burton. The theme comes from a medieval Danish ballad which describes how Hellelil fell in love with Hildebrand, Prince of Engelland, one of her twelve personal guards. Her father orders his seven sons to kill him.

They stood at the door with spear and shield:
‘Up Lord Hildebrand! out and yield!’
He kissed me then mine eyes above:-
‘Say never my name, thou darling love’
Out of the door Lord Hildebrand sprang;
Around his head the sword he swang.

Hildebrand kills her father and six brothers before Hellelil intercedes to save the youngest. Hildebrand dies of his wounds and Hellelil herself dies shortly afterwards.

Burton did not choose a violent episode and instead freely interpreted the story, placing their farewell on the turret stairs and leaving the reason for it to the imagination. His invention of the kiss on the woman's outstretched arm and the lack of eye contact adds to the poignancy of the painting. 

Explanatory text from the National Gallery of Ireland, via the Clare County Library and the Art Blog.

(BTW - interesting use of "swang" for the past tense.)

Addendum:  A hat tip to "C," who notes that this painting has recently been voted "Ireland's Favorite Painting."

A public vote promoted by RTÉ’s competition to find the nation’s favourite painting over the past five weeks found that the Frederic William Burton piece, which hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland, polled most preferences. One in five of those who voted (22 per cent) went for the romantic 19th century depiction of a young soldier stealing an illicit kiss from his beloved as they pass on a turret stair. Burton was from Corofin, Co Clare.

The other paintings in the competition are posted here.

Bunting Tutorial by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog

Looking for a cute way to decorate? Why not try a bunting. I think they make great decorations for any season and any holiday. Or, even as a decoration year round. If you agree and want to try making a bunting check out the Bunting Tutorial by Carina Envoldsen-Harris. Have fun bunting.

Bunting tutorial

Here's what Carina had to say about her tutorial: Supposed to be Christmas trees, but you know, kinda abstract-like. Isn't it fun how there's a bit of 'reflection' of the back of the trees on the wall?

Copyright © 2009 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog blog.

Please respect Carina's TERMS OF USE:BE NICE: DON'T STEAL - I spend hours thinking up projects, taking pictures, processing the pictures and writing tutorials and posts. So please respect the work that goes into this and don't steal my content. You are welcome to use the tutorials and patterns for your own personal crafting pleasure. And if you like them, feel free to share links to them. You can even borrow an image or two if you link back here. Sharing is nice, it's what makes the crafty blogosphere so great! But stealing other people's content and passing it off as your own is not nice at all. So don't be that guy. Or gal. Translating my tutorials or removing my copyright notice from images and posting the content as your own is not allowed. Thank you. Got a question about something? Want to know a bit about me? Need help with something? Check out the fancy pants FAQ page!

Carina's Bio: Carina is a Danish girl living in Essex, England with her husband. She's an artist and crafter who loves to crochet, draw, sew, paint, and embroider.

Copyright © 2009 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog  blog. Please visit Carina's new Carina's Craftblog blog at http://carinascraftblog.wardi.dk ,  her Wardi.dk website, her Carina Wardi Etsy shop, and her Polka & Bloom Etsy shop .

Embellished Socks and Whimsical Felt Slippers Free Tutorials by Alisa Burke

Have you ever wanted to just have a little fun with your clothing or be a little whimsical? I know that I have. Well, Alisa Burke has two adorable tutorials showing you how to embellish your socks and how to make whimsical felt slippers. Have fun!

embellished socks

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Alisa Burke of Alisa Burke

Here's what Alisa had to say about her tutorial: I have a bit of an obsession with boots- short, tall, vintage, black, brown- I just can't seem to get enough of them! And when you have a huge boot collection you gotta have cute socks to wear.

whimsical felt slippers tutorial

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Alisa Burke of Alisa Burke

Here's what Alisa had to say about her tutorial: Now that fall is here, I wake up every morning with cold toes- yes, even in Southern California. For a while I've been wanting to try making my own slippers with a fun and whimsical twist and my icy toes were the perfect excuse. This project could be altered and adapted in so many different ways and would be a great little handmade gift for the holidays.

Please respect Alisa's TERMS OF USE:  I work really hard to come up with my art, tutorials, ideas, classes, inspiration and more. Please understand that everything I post on my blog is for your personal use only - not for resale or redistribution. Please contact me if you are interested in using anything that I share online-thank you!!!

For more information on Alisa's Terms of Use please CLICK HERE.

Alisa's Bio: Alisa Burke is a freelance painter and mixed media artist who studied fine art at Portland State University. With a background in painting and printmaking, a desire to explore and push materials, Alisa is always looking for new ways to break the rules and redefine art. She draws inspiration from street art, graffiti, art history and fashion and it is not uncommon to find her digging through the trash in hopes of recycling something unique use in her artwork.

Alisa’s paintings have been exhibited in a variety of galleries and her handmade, painted accessories are carried in a number of boutiques across the country. Her artwork has been featured in publications such as Cloth Paper Scissors, Quilting Arts, Where Women Create, Somerset Studios’ Haute Handbags, Art Doll Quarterly, and the University of San Diego Magazine. In addition to making art, Alisa teaches a variety of workshops nation wide. Alisa appeared as a guest artist on the DIY Network show Craft Lab and book Canvas Remix was released in spring 2008.

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Alisa Burke of Alisa Burke.

Please visit her Alisa Burke website at http://www.alisaburke.com and her Alisa Burke - Redefine Creativity blog at http://www.alisaburke.blogspot.com. Her Alisa Burke Etsy shop is at http://alisaburke.etsy.com.

Bike Basket Free Tutorial by Christie Hurst of A Lemon Squeezy Home

Looking for a cute way to decorate a bike basket? If you are then check out Christie Hurst's Bike Basket Tutorial. Enjoy.

Bike Basket: Tutorial

Copyright © 2012 - All Rights Reserved - Christie Hurst of A Lemon Squeezy Home 

Here's what Christie had to say about her tutorial:  This was post I wrote for Kate’s Ruffle Series a few weeks ago.  I know I’ve done a couple variations of bike baskets (check the tutorial archives), but I’m kind of in love with bike baskets.  I love how they are so convenient and practical, but can be totally cute at the same time.  But having recently stopped by Walmart and seeing the price tags of bike baskets, you could easily make your own for much cheaper!  This time I wanted to keep it really simple—a project that can easily be done in an hour or less.  And since ruffles are such a beautiful compliment to so many items, I thought a ruffle would be perfect to liven up this bike basket.

Please respect Christie's TERMS OF USE: Unless stated otherwise, you may use any of the items or tutorials I post for personal use. If you are wanting to sell items made from my tutorials, please ask me for permission!

If you make and post anything that I came up with, please post a link to my blog. If you sell any items on my website that was my idea, then you must post a link giving me credit (after asking permission to sell first).

Just give credit where it is due! Happy crafting!

Copyright © 2012- All Rights Reserved - Christie Hurst of Lemon Squeezy Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/lemonsqueezyshop. Please visit her A Lemon Squeezy Home blog at http://alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com/

DIY Fabric Wall Decals Free Tutorial by Jessica Jones

Have you ever wanted to do something a little different with you pictures? I know I have so I was pleased to find that Jessica Jones had a tutorial showing you how to make DIY Fabric Wall Decals. Cute idea.

DIY fabric wall decals

Copyright © 2011- All Rights Reserved - Written By  Jessica Jones of Jessica Jones.

Here's what Jessica had to say about her tutorial: More fun with fabric stiffener. Here's how to make some easy fabric picture frames for your wall. Or cut out anything your heart desires: silhouettes of your family, animal shapes for the nursery, lettering, ornate designs, party decorations... the world is your oyster. Hey, maybe consider doing an oyster.

I'd heard of people ironing starched fabric to walls and wanted to try it out. Sure enough, I was able to stick my stiffened fabric to the wall with an iron and remove it without harming my paint job. This is super for renters, indecisive decorators, or easily bored people. Note that if your wall is really rough, you'll probably have a hard time making these stick. Also for what it's worth, my walls are painted with flat latex paint.

Please respect Jessica's TERMS OF USE:  You're welcome to link to my How About Orange blog or use a single image and brief description to link back to any post. Republishing posts in their entirety is prohibited without permission.

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Jessica Jones of Jessica Jones. Jessica is a professional graphic and textile designer.

Please visit her Jessica Jones website @ http://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/ and her How About Orange blog @ http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/.

Embroidery Paper Transfer How-To by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog

If you've ever wondered how to embroider using transfer paper then you'll be happy to know that Carina Envoldsen-Harris has a wonderful how-to showing you how.  Enjoy!

Tutorial: embroidery paper transfer

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog blog.

Here's what Carina had to say about her how-to: I meant to share this tutorial with you last year *ahem* and either forgot/got busy/or some other reason I can't remember now. I just came across the photos and thought it's now or never, because if I didn't do it now, the images might lay forgotten in their file for another year. Or more.

So. This is a way to 'transfer' a pattern to cloth when all you have is regular printer paper or similar and no fancy transfer tools or materials of any kind. Because it's not 100% ideal, but it will do in a pinch.

Please respect Carina's TERMS OF USE: BE NICE: DON'T STEAL - I spend hours thinking up projects, taking pictures, processing the pictures and writing tutorials and posts. So please respect the work that goes into this and don't steal my content. You are welcome to use the tutorials and patterns for your own personal crafting pleasure. And if you like them, feel free to share links to them. You can even borrow an image or two if you link back here. Sharing is nice, it's what makes the crafty blogosphere so great! But stealing other people's content and passing it off as your own is not nice at all. So don't be that guy. Or gal. Translating my tutorials or removing my copyright notice from images and posting the content as your own is not allowed. Thank you. Got a question about something? Want to know a bit about me? Need help with something? Check out the fancy pants FAQ page!

Carina's Bio: Carina is a Danish girl living in Essex, England with her husband. She's an artist and crafter who loves to crochet, draw, sew, paint, and embroider.

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Carina Envoldsen-Harris of Carina's Craftblog blog. Please visit Carina's new Carina's Craftblog blog at http://carinascraftblog.wardi.dk ,  her Wardi.dk website, her Carina Wardi Etsy shop, and her Polka & Bloom Etsy shop .

Google Knowledge Tool - Breaking News!

Our resident skeptical crowd-sourcing genius Tim Farley has just released a blog about the Google Knowledge Tool.  I had not heard of it, and even if I had it probably would have taken months before I realized its importance on this project. 


Tim Farley's "Google Knowledge Graph benefits from skeptic Wikipedia efforts"

Still early news, we are not sure how the image is selected.  Or how the suggested pages are selected. 

Play around with this, the relationships are so interesting. 

Not only does this raise the We Got Your Wiki Back! project to amazing importance levels.  We need to make sure to provide skeptical citations on all the paranormal pages.  James Randi must be a suggested hit for every psychic.  Steven Novella should be a hit for Dr. Oz.  Sikivu Hutchinson has a great Wikipedia page, but nothing appears for her on the Google Knowledge Graph.

Still awaiting more information about how this new Google tool works.

But its still extremely exciting!

Quick and Easy Throw Pillows From A Bedsheet Free Tutorial by Kelly Oribine of The Complete Guide To Imperfect Homemaking

As far as I'm concerned you can never have enough throw pillows. At least I can't. If you're like me then you'll want to check out Kelly Orbine's tutorial for quick and easy throw pillows from a bedsheet.

Tutorial: Quick and Easy throw pillows from a bedsheet

Copyright © 2011 All Rights Reserved - Written by Kelly Oribine of The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking

Here's what Kelly had to say about her tutorial: Before I start, I just want to say: this is not a sewing tutorial.  We are going to sew, but this is not a sewing tutorial.  I don't do those.

Sewing tutorials are best left to people who measure, and press and serge and know what all those doo-hickeys that came with their sewing machine are for.

We aren't going to do any measuring. Or pinning.  Or serging.

Please respect Kelly's TERMS OF USE: The content of my tutorials belongs to me. You may not use my images or text without crediting me. If you would like to share something you enjoyed on The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking on your own website, you may use one picture and /or a small selection of text, placed in quotation marks, credited and linked to me. I work hard to create my tutorials. Don't steal my work!

Copyright © 2011 All Rights Reserved - Kelly Oribine of The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking. Kelly is a homemaker and mother of five home-schooled children. She is passionate about keeping house, living simply, and painting things teal. Please visit Kelly's The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking blog at http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com .

How To Wallpaper Using Fabric Free Tutorial by Jessica Jones of How About Orange

Have you ever thought of wallpapering with fabric? I can hear you saying, "now that's different!" Well, if you have then you're going to love Jessica Jones "How-to Wallpaper Using Fabric." Have fun!

How to "wallpaper" using fabric

Copyright © 2011- All Rights Reserved - Written By  Jessica Jones of Jessica Jones.

Here's what Jessica had to say about her tutorial:  I couldn't stand our boring white door anymore. Something had to be done. So over the weekend, we wallpapered it with a big, fun piece of fabric. I love it. And it's useful, too. There are four white doors in this corner of the apartment—bedroom, bathroom, coat closet, and outer door—and sometimes departing guests get confused about which one they came through. Now we'll just tell them to exit through the village.

Please respect Jessica's TERMS OF USE:  You're welcome to link to my How About Orange blog or use a single image and brief description to link back to any post. Republishing posts in their entirety is prohibited without permission.

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Jessica Jones of Jessica Jones. Jessica is a professional graphic and textile designer.

Please visit her Jessica Jones website @ http://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/ and her How About Orange blog @ http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/.