Urban Comfort

After a Moment of Silence

Yesterday was a day of blog silence for many, a way to pay tribute to the victims of the Newtown shooting. It was an act I took part in, though I decided to forego the special badge that announced my participation. But today, my moment of silence has ended. 

I've heard the perspective that bloggers can provide uplifting content for others, give them something to focus on other than the news. But personally, I don't think we can afford to ignore what's in front of us, to be uplifted in a time of senseless tragedy. I think we need to speak often and vigorously. Now, while this moment is fresh and still so raw. We, all of us, need to be the catalyst for change.

I remember Columbine so clearly. I was on my honeymoon, full of hope for the future, shattered by what I saw on television. That was almost fourteen years ago and at the time felt like a crazy, isolated tragedy. Since that time, crazy has turned into commonplace.  It breaks my heart over and over again.

We need to talk. We need to examine ourselves. We need to determine whether we need so many guns - and if so, whether we need assault weapons in the hands of our citizens. We need to look hard at the issues of mental illness and emotional problems, be prepared to recognize them in people we love dearly.  We need a solid system in place to support those individuals and their families. 

I wish I lived in a world where love conquers all, where I don't have to worry that a similar fate could befall my six year-old. I don't. But I hope I live in a world where reason and compassion can overtake political divide. I hope I have a future where these types of mass killings begin to abate.

There's a lot of work to do. I hope we'll do it - all of us, together. That's the best way I can think of to support the community of Newtown.

DIY Thread & Wood Christmas Ornaments

Is it really less than two weeks until Christmas? I feel so out of sync this year. Usually I'm the one who gets the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, my still mostly undecorated tree is sitting in the middle of my living room, a room with walls awaiting a coat of paint after the two Halloween photo shoots that took place in my home last week (if only I could decide on the right color!). It's a little wacky around here. 

But I've really missed blogging!  I certainly never intended for a month to pass between posts, yet here we are. I had planned to share this ornament idea weeks ago, before trees had been decorated. But I'm going to post anyway. Perhaps you'll use it next year. 

These ornaments are an offshoot of a thread wrapped ornament I created for Better Homes and Gardens this year. They're really easy to make and you can swap out the color palette for one that suits your personal decor. 

Here's how you make them:

 

Thread Wrapped Ornaments

Materials:

Unfinished turned wooden ornaments
Perle cotton thread
White craft glue
Small paintbrush
Scissors

Directions:

Starting at the top of the ornament, brush a very thin layer of white glue around the top edge. Adhere the end of a piece of thread to the ornament and carefully wrap the thread around the ornament in a single layer, applying thin layers of glue as you go. When you've covered the desired amount of the ornament, simply snip the thread and make sure the end is glued down. 

Tip: You can disguise the thread end at the top by covering it with the thread as you're wrapping it around. For the bottom edge, push it up with your fingernail so that it's as close to the line of thread above it as it can be. 

Also, it's easier to work from narrow areas to wider areas, rather than the other way around. Should you find that it's become difficult to keep the thread in place, cut the thread and glue it down. Then turn your ornament over and start where you want the thread design to end and continue wrapping until the two sections meet.

 

Note the bottom of the ornament above. I started with the orange thread in the middle, turned it upside down and worked from the narrow part to the wider part. Then I turned it right side up and worked from the bottom edge of the orange thread down.

 

This ornament didn't require anything more than working from the top of the ornament down.

 

Resources:  

Unfinished turned wooden ornaments available at Michaels (there are also some I like at Cupboard Distributing)

Perle cotton thread available at craft and sewing supply stores, next to the embroidery floss (a wider variety of colors are available at Nordic Needle)