Comments on: Make Something Day – My Thoughts http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/ incantations at the edge of uncertainty Mon, 21 May 2012 01:57:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: journeyingrick http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-3747 journeyingrick Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:53:36 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/#comment-3747 julie - i'm with you; just because something seems like the right thing to do doesn't mean it by magic is redemptive or makes the world all better. (the thing about the people's ceiling/upper floor caving in! ha!) so - how to make intelligent and well-reasoned and balanced choices about how we live ... whether it's about making things rather than buying things, or worshiping one way or the other, or raising our kids one way or the other, blah blah blah ... except, of course, that everyone who disagrees with me is wrong. but other than that. julie – i'm with you; just because something seems like the right thing to do doesn't mean it by magic is redemptive or makes the world all better. (the thing about the people's ceiling/upper floor caving in! ha!) so – how to make intelligent and well-reasoned and balanced choices about how we live … whether it's about making things rather than buying things, or worshiping one way or the other, or raising our kids one way or the other, blah blah blah …
except, of course, that everyone who disagrees with me is wrong. but other than that.

]]> By: Julie Clawson http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-3731 Julie Clawson Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:05:46 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/#comment-3731 Christine - I do think it works differently for different people - for some the sentimental aspect of a handmade gift is much greater. But things can be "homemade" without necessarily being objects that can be wrapped under the tree. Like my Christmas wish this year is for a garden - I don't have the strength to dig/build one in my backyard, but my husband could. there are all types of services than one can do for others that would be greatly appreciated as well. Christine – I do think it works differently for different people – for some the sentimental aspect of a handmade gift is much greater. But things can be "homemade" without necessarily being objects that can be wrapped under the tree. Like my Christmas wish this year is for a garden – I don't have the strength to dig/build one in my backyard, but my husband could. there are all types of services than one can do for others that would be greatly appreciated as well.

]]> By: Cyndi http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-3729 Cyndi Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:31:31 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/#comment-3729 I am not a bit crafty so the whole notion of making stuff fuels me with more stress than a full mall on the day after Thanksgiving. As for gift giving and shopping I try to urge everyone to walk in peace. I think there is a peace God gives when we are doing what is right. It is not about being right wing, left wing, or some other sort of wing. I hate it when we box others into groups. It is about being thoughtful and prayerful in our actions and not being caught up in what is going on around us. I am not a bit crafty so the whole notion of making stuff fuels me with more stress than a full mall on the day after Thanksgiving. As for gift giving and shopping I try to urge everyone to walk in peace. I think there is a peace God gives when we are doing what is right. It is not about being right wing, left wing, or some other sort of wing. I hate it when we box others into groups. It is about being thoughtful and prayerful in our actions and not being caught up in what is going on around us.

]]> By: Christine Sine http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-3728 Christine Sine Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:57:54 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/#comment-3728 Julie, Appreciate your perspective. I think that we should never get involved in something like this without first considering the pros and cons. I have always been a keen knitter and love sewing so the idea of making gifts is not new to me but I do hate that fact that it is easy to make cutsie useless gifts that no one really appreciates. I always try to make something practical - like sweaters for newborns or hats and scarves for those that live in cold climates. (Of course you can end up with a drawer full of scarves you never use either.) I personally love to receive home made items and always feel that they carry something of a person's identity with them - maybe a little deposit of their soul. I find that when something has been made especially for me then I don't want to throw it out. I wear it until it is rags. I think that one of the motivating forces for our consumer culture is the disconnect between the consumer and the person who produced what they are consuming. When we have relationship with the person who produced our goods our whole attitude changes. They are no longer goods to consumer but a small part of the person who made them. On Sunday (the first Sunday of Advent) we will be decorating our Christmas tree and I particularly love to hang the home made ornaments. Some of them are those same cutsie craft articles that at other times I would despise but there is something special about ornaments that I pull out every year and hang on the tree, especially as some of the people that made them are now dead. Julie,
Appreciate your perspective. I think that we should never get involved in something like this without first considering the pros and cons. I have always been a keen knitter and love sewing so the idea of making gifts is not new to me but I do hate that fact that it is easy to make cutsie useless gifts that no one really appreciates. I always try to make something practical – like sweaters for newborns or hats and scarves for those that live in cold climates. (Of course you can end up with a drawer full of scarves you never use either.)
I personally love to receive home made items and always feel that they carry something of a person's identity with them – maybe a little deposit of their soul. I find that when something has been made especially for me then I don't want to throw it out. I wear it until it is rags. I think that one of the motivating forces for our consumer culture is the disconnect between the consumer and the person who produced what they are consuming. When we have relationship with the person who produced our goods our whole attitude changes. They are no longer goods to consumer but a small part of the person who made them.
On Sunday (the first Sunday of Advent) we will be decorating our Christmas tree and I particularly love to hang the home made ornaments. Some of them are those same cutsie craft articles that at other times I would despise but there is something special about ornaments that I pull out every year and hang on the tree, especially as some of the people that made them are now dead.

]]> By: lorna (see-through faith) http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-3727 lorna (see-through faith) Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:56:59 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/#comment-3727 I suppose one (hidden) benefit - and a value of emergent in general - is that many of these 'make something' initiatives can be done in the context of relationship /family / community I agree with the not giving or receiving useless items(no matter how beautifully made by hand) ... I suppose one (hidden) benefit – and a value of emergent in general – is that many of these 'make something' initiatives can be done in the context of relationship /family / community

I agree with the not giving or receiving useless items(no matter how beautifully made by hand) …

]]> By: Liz http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-3671 Liz Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:35:46 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/#comment-3671 wow Julie. I agree with you for once. See, right wing conservatives can be convicted about the consumerism thing too. Yes, part of it is about saving money for me, but part of it is also about being a good citizen on this earth. Not that I think that will change the course of history, but at least my nose is clean on it. This is why I am choosy: I only make USEFUL stuff. I used to make stained glass. Environmental pollutants galore. Absolutely useless, although pretty. And you can only use so much of this stuff. I now quilt, make stuff with yarn and am working up the nerve to make real soap (the stuff with lye, which thanks to the local tweakers is very very hard to come by without undergoing an FBI grade background check) People can USE hats, scarves, blankets. I also give this stuff to charity. Do not take offense at this because I know you scrapbook, but part of why I don't direct my energies that way is that it doesn't really produce something useful, just sucks up money and resources. And I don't want to eat up my hard drive by doing it digitally. Of course I also bought one kid an XBOX for the birthday last year and the other kid a Wii (that they had to share the systems was part of the deal). You might find a website I discovered last night to be interesting This woman, <a href="http://quiltville.com/" rel="nofollow">Bonnie Hunter, I think her name is, </a> is really into going to thrift stores and buying old clothes and hacking them up to make quilts. Of course she buys new fabric too, but this is a really good way to use resources that are already there. Some people unravel sweaters and reuse the yarn. I know that was popular a generation ago. wow Julie. I agree with you for once. See, right wing conservatives can be convicted about the consumerism thing too. Yes, part of it is about saving money for me, but part of it is also about being a good citizen on this earth. Not that I think that will change the course of history, but at least my nose is clean on it.
This is why I am choosy: I only make USEFUL stuff. I used to make stained glass. Environmental pollutants galore. Absolutely useless, although pretty. And you can only use so much of this stuff. I now quilt, make stuff with yarn and am working up the nerve to make real soap (the stuff with lye, which thanks to the local tweakers is very very hard to come by without undergoing an FBI grade background check) People can USE hats, scarves, blankets. I also give this stuff to charity. Do not take offense at this because I know you scrapbook, but part of why I don't direct my energies that way is that it doesn't really produce something useful, just sucks up money and resources. And I don't want to eat up my hard drive by doing it digitally.
Of course I also bought one kid an XBOX for the birthday last year and the other kid a Wii (that they had to share the systems was part of the deal).
You might find a website I discovered last night to be interesting This woman, Bonnie Hunter, I think her name is, is really into going to thrift stores and buying old clothes and hacking them up to make quilts. Of course she buys new fabric too, but this is a really good way to use resources that are already there. Some people unravel sweaters and reuse the yarn. I know that was popular a generation ago.

]]> By: Bruce http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-3650 Bruce Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:45:00 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/#comment-3650 Julie, Just give me a gift renewal to Adbusters and I'll be happy :) Seriously.....I saw this notion in Evangelcial Churches........if we take away A we need to substitute B. or Whatever we give up God replaces it with something better. Wrong........It is just right to do right. Is making things wrong? Absolutely not For our family.......about 8 years ago we said.......Christmas is going to be different. No more buying just to be buying. No more gorging at the latest, greatest sale at the local box store. My wife and I told our parents and married children that we wanted NO gifts. We have everything we need. There are lots of tech toys I'd love to own but I can live (I think) without them. We told our older kids we were not going to buy for them either. My wife sews for the grandkids and that is about it. For us it was wonderful to be delivered from the "I have to buy something" spirit. Do we buy and make gifts throughout the year? Sure. When we see need we try and answer the need. The most important gift we have is the company and fellowship of family and friends. That's enough for me. Bruce Julie,

Just give me a gift renewal to Adbusters and I'll be happy :)

Seriously…..I saw this notion in Evangelcial Churches……..if we take away A we need to substitute B. or Whatever we give up God replaces it with something better.

Wrong……..It is just right to do right.

Is making things wrong? Absolutely not

For our family…….about 8 years ago we said…….Christmas is going to be different. No more buying just to be buying. No more gorging at the latest, greatest sale at the local box store.

My wife and I told our parents and married children that we wanted NO gifts. We have everything we need. There are lots of tech toys I'd love to own but I can live (I think) without them. We told our older kids we were not going to buy for them either. My wife sews for the grandkids and that is about it. For us it was wonderful to be delivered from the "I have to buy something" spirit.

Do we buy and make gifts throughout the year? Sure. When we see need we try and answer the need.

The most important gift we have is the company and fellowship of family and friends. That's enough for me.

Bruce

]]> By: sonja http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-3649 sonja Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:39:56 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/#comment-3649 I think everyone has to do what they think is best/right in their own particular circumstances. For me, making things for my nieces & nephews using my stash (and other stuff on hand) is what works best. But that's this year. Next year it might be something different. It's also another way of holding each one of them close in thought and prayer as I'm choosing the gift, selecting the fabric and then making it. Any form of strict "one size fits all" idea can turn into legalism no matter what the original motivation. So it's good to look at this from a variety of perspectives. I think everyone has to do what they think is best/right in their own particular circumstances.

For me, making things for my nieces & nephews using my stash (and other stuff on hand) is what works best. But that's this year. Next year it might be something different. It's also another way of holding each one of them close in thought and prayer as I'm choosing the gift, selecting the fabric and then making it.

Any form of strict "one size fits all" idea can turn into legalism no matter what the original motivation. So it's good to look at this from a variety of perspectives.

]]> By: Mark Baker-Wright http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-3647 Mark Baker-Wright Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:45:14 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/11/18/make-something-day-my-thoughts/#comment-3647 Interesting reflections. Trying to do "the right thing" never <i>is</i> simple.... Interesting reflections. Trying to do "the right thing" never is simple….

]]>