In 2003, a woman found a stolen painting worth $1 million in the trash on a NYC curb. She felt it “had power” and took it without knowing its origin or value. She spent 4 years researching it and discovered it’d been stolen in 1987. She got a $15,000 reward plus a % of its […]
This Man Turns Discarded Christmas Trees Into Canes for Veterans
You always see a ton of discarded Christmas trees dragged out onto driveways to be hauled off by garbage trucks after the holidays. I’ve never really thought about what comes next for this near-endless supply of trees, but I suppose they just decompose in the dump, releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere.
Great.
That’s not what happens to (some of) the trees in Copperas Cove, Texas, however. One local man has found a creative and important use for some of these old trees.
Jamie Willis is an Army veteran, and he’s asking people to send their old Christmas trees his way because he turns the trees into canes for fellow veterans who need mobility aids – and for other folks who require canes as well.
I'm happy you like the cane. Thanks for sharing your picture brother.
Posted by Canes For Veterans Central Texas on Thursday, March 30, 2017
Willis’ cause is called Canes for Veterans Central Texas and he’s made about 200 canes so far. Willis said, “The whole process, it’s just done off donations. I make the canes myself. Everything’s done out of pocket.”
This is the second year that Jamie Willis has reached out for tree donations, and he has been overwhelmed with this year’s response. He said, “It’s been an outpouring of donations this year, more than I ever thought I would get. Home Depot flooded me with trees, they’re sending me 400, and the rest of the community will be giving me about another 100 trees.”
Willis said he usually takes an entire day to make one cane. He got the idea to start making his own because the one he was given by Veterans Affairs kept collapsing on him, and he didn’t trust it. So he reached out to an organization in Florida called Free Canes for Veterans.
The man behind that organization, Army veteran Oscar Morris, told Willis they didn’t have any more canes and instead taught Willis how to make his own. Willis then asked if he could branch off of that organization and start his own canes-for-veterans nonprofit in Texas, and Morris gave him his blessing.
Mr. Paul Miles and cane #209 standing tall. Another veteran brother who I met while at a local tire shop. And after talking with him we were honored to make him a cane. Much love and respect go out to you sir.
Posted by Canes For Veterans Central Texas on Thursday, August 8, 2019
Morris said that Jamie Willis is the fifth veteran to start their own branch of Free Canes for Veterans. Great work by all!
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This Artist Imagines Fantastical Animals Living in the Real World
Art can make us think, push us out of our comfort zone, challenge us, please us, and connect us. In some cases, like Yee Chong’s adorable illustrations of fantastical animals living as pets, it can utterly delight us.
Below are 12 of my favorite images (I just want them to pop off the page so I can snuggle them, for real!), but you can check out everything she does if you follow her Instagram!
12. I can haz some dinner?
11. He sees you trying to leave.
10. This one is my favorite.
9. That face!
8. You just said awwwwww, didn’t you?
7. He fits he sits!
6. You couldn’t even be mad at him!
5. No one likes a bath!
4. That’s not the kind of table food he wants and you know it!
3. What, am I not supposed to play with it?
2. Reporting for duty!
1. So cozy!
So freaking adorable – it’s fun to live in a fantasy world now and then, no?
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Postal Service Releases New Stamps Benefiting Veterans With PTSD
One thing that our divided nation can all get together to support is helping out our veterans. And even though the task may seem daunting to many of us, one easy way we can all help out is by purchasing these new stamps the United States Postal Service has put out to benefit military veterans suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Sales of the stamps (which cost 65 cents and will cover the cost of a piece of first-class mail) will benefit the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, which oversees the National Center for PTSD.
United States Postal Service releases new stamp benefiting veterans with PTSD https://t.co/4YhrJSNxBX pic.twitter.com/v5jMh7fooe
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 7, 2019
The photo of the plant sprouting from ground surrounded by dead leaves on the stamp was taken by Mark Laita. The USPS says the image on the stamp is meant to “symbolize the PTSD healing process, growth and hope.”
The USPS explained the motivation behind the stamp:
“With this semipostal stamp, the U.S. Postal Service will raise funds to help treat those impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Tens of millions of Americans will experience PTSD in their lifetimes. Today, the nation is increasingly dedicated to compassionately treating this mental health issue.
Many kinds of trauma can lead people to experience persistent symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and difficulty sleeping. Depression, anxiety, and fear can also occur. Though these symptoms may initially interrupt one’s daily life, for most people they typically dissipate over time. However, if these problems continue for more than a month, PTSD may have developed.”
This veteran is educating his community about mental illness by opening up about his own journey with PTSD pic.twitter.com/MYhAffE3h0
— Tomthunkit
(@TomthunkitsMind) December 26, 2019
Go to your local post office to pick up these stamps or you can order them online HERE. Your money will go to a great cause.
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This Crochet Project Is Perfect for Baby Yoda Fans
While you wait for the next episode of The Mandalorian to drop, perhaps you’d like your very own Baby Yoda to keep you company? You’re in luck: someone has made a pattern from which you can crochet your very own Baby Yoda small enough to fit into your pocket.
Even if you’re not an avid crocheter, this pattern from Brazilian crochet guru PhilaeArtes is easy enough for beginners. The pattern is in the style of “amigurumi,” a Japanese style of knitting or crocheting small stuffed yarn creatures.
It’s just as adorable as actual Baby Yoda!
Baby Pattern.https://philaeartes.wordpress.com/2019/11/20/baby-yoda/
Posted by Philae Artes on Saturday, November 23, 2019
To successfully make this Baby Yoda toy, you’ll need to know (or learn) to make a magic circle or magic ring, a single crochet stitch, and how to change to a different yarn color.
PhilaeArtes also has a pattern for an even tinier Baby Yoda keychain, which could totally double as a Christmas ornament during the holidays.
Posted by Philae Artes on Wednesday, November 27, 2019
There are a couple of other crochet Baby Yoda patterns on Etsy, too, and they each have their own flair.
If you’re not crafty enough to make either of these patterns come to life, no worries — you can always buy a stuffed Baby Yoda toy that’s ready-made! You’d be in good company, too, as Mattel’s Baby Yoda toy was the best-selling plush toy on Amazon for much of December. The toy is so popular that it sold out, but there’s a new talking version that is still available.
What are you waiting for??
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15 People Who Had Creative Christmas Tree Ideas
Tired of the same old Christmas tree with the same old ornaments year after year?
Well, maybe it’s time to mix it up and try something different this year.
These innovative and creative folks all made totally unique Christmas trees, and, I have to say, they are pretty darn cool!
Let’s take a look. Ho Ho Ho!
1. The book trees.
2. It’s floating!
#weihnachtsbaum #tannenbaum #kerstboom #esweihnachtetsehr #ohkugelbaum #weihnachtsdeko #hangingtree #diychristmastree#alternativechristmastree
3. I hope that doesn’t tip over.
4. A tree abroad.
5. All succulents!
6. Step into another dimension.
7. Those are plastic bottles!
8. A white Christmas.
9. Vegetable art.
#uniquechristmastree #christmastree #vegetableart10. Hey, it works.
I made an IT Christmas Tree made of Monitors from mildlyinteresting
11. A minimalist masterpiece.
12. A good idea.
Instead of a Christmas Tree, my wife and I do this to my upright bass from pics
13. Simple, yet effective.
No tree, no problem. from pics
14. Darth Christmas Tree.
My Christmas Tree! from pics
15. Silent Knight. Get it?!?!
We didn’t have room for a Christmas tree so we made a silent knight! from pics
How did you decorate your tree this year?
Let’s see some photos in the comments!
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10 Interesting Facts to Get You Thinking
We’re almost at the end of the year, and it has been a loooooooong twelve months.
But I’m gonna power through, and I know that you can, too!
So put aside all the worry, turn that frown upside down, and enjoy these 10 wonderful facts that we’ve selected out of our extensive archive.
Let’s see those pearly whites!
1. Kindness for a hero.
Photo Credit: did you know?
2. A case of the Mondays.
Photo Credit: did you know?
3. A great idea!
Photo Credit: did you know?
4. That makes sense.
Photo Credit: did you know?
5. This is amazing.
Photo Credit: did you know?
6. Stressed out.
Photo Credit: did you know?
7. And they never forgot about it…
Photo Credit: did you know?
8. Put on your dancing shoes!
Photo Credit: did you know?
9. An end to slavery.
Photo Credit: did you know?
10. The seas are rising.
Photo Credit: did you know?
Have a great day, happy holidays, and keep SMILING!
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Study Finds That Poorly Wrapped Gifts Make People Happier Than Perfect Ones
Are you stressed out about getting your gifts perfectly wrapped for the holidays? A new study says: don’t be.
Researchers at the University of Nevada found that poorly wrapped presents make people happier than perfectly wrapped ones. This is because, in part, perfect-looking presents look so great on the outside that whatever’s inside may not live up to expectations. If a gift looks sloppy, though, the recipient is likely to be pleasantly surprised by the actual gift. They also appreciate the effort that was made. The gratitude and surprise leaves them feeling happy and joyful.
Photo Credit: iStock
One of the study’s co-authors, Jessica Rixom, Ph.D., got her idea for the study from her time working at a chocolate shop. She explained,
“They offered a wrapping service, so I learned how to wrap very neatly with crisp edges, just the right amount of paper, etc. I started wrapping my own gifts that way and many years later, when wrapping presents with a friend, I noticed that all of the gifts in my pile were neat while all of theirs were messy, even though they were trying. This made us wonder whether the way the gift was wrapped would have any influence on how the gifts themselves were perceived and that’s how it started.”
The study tested what Rixom and the other researchers call “expectation disconfirmation theory.”
Photo Credit: iStock
“Based on participants’ answers to various questions, it suggested that the reason why this happens is because the neat wrapping sets higher expectations for the gift inside, which makes it harder for the gifts to live up to those expectations. When the gifts are unwrapped, the recipient is a bit disappointed whereas when it’s wrapped sloppily, expectations are lower so the gift is more of a pleasant surprise.”
So, don’t worry at all if your gifts look like they were wrapped by a five-year-old. It doesn’t take away from the power of the gift—it might even make it stronger.
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A Photographer Captured Images of Birds That Look like Stunning Sky Sculptures
A Spain photographer creates stunning photos of birds that, at first glance, don’t look like photos at all. Instead, they look like dynamic sculptures in the sky.
The photo project is titled “Ornitographies.” It’s the work of Xavi Bou, a Catalan photographer, whose goal was to draw attention to the natural beauty that many people take for granted.
“One of the topics that interests me is to make visible that in our near environment, we have more variety of fauna than most people imagine — we just have to pay attention,” Xavi told Insider. “It is not necessary to travel to distant places to enjoy nature.”
To create these images, Xavi takes timed photos from a distance. Thousands of birds combine into complex geometric shapes that appear to be moving. As Xavi says, the birds’ movement turns the sky into a canvas of sorts.
Xavi takes most of his photos in his home region of Catalonia, Spain. Most of the birds are common species that often live close to cities.
He’s been interested in the natural sciences since he was young; he used to go on bird walks with his grandfather as a child. He later went on to study both geology and photography as an adult. His work now combines his loves of nature and art into one.
“The first test was done in May of 2012,” Xavi explained. He began to work more deeply on the project in 2015. “Actually, it’s almost my full time dedication. I keep making new ones, working on the future book, and researching for my future projects.”
Check out some more of his photos:
Xavi hopes to inspire people to be “curious” about nature again: “We love
those we know and protect what we love.”
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When the artist, Melanie Willhide…
When the artist, Melanie Willhide, got her stolen laptop back, all her files were deleted by the burglar. Data recovery experts were able to recover some of them. The photos were corrupted, but she decided to exhibit the work. The show was titled after the burglar.