Tuesday, June 30, 2015

#SaveOakFlat: Apache Stronghold Caravan to D.C.


This Sunday marks the kick-off of the Caravan to D.C. led by Apache Stronghold.  These warriors for justice are driving from Tucson to D.C. to bring light to the Save Oak Flat movement and to protest against the greedy land grab.  Below is the tentative schedule if you would like to be a fellow traveler, want to meet up with them along the way or if you just want to pray for safe travels.

Apache Stronghold National caravan to Washington D.C. tentative schedule
July 5th – Sacred Mt. Graham, Arizona
July 6th- Sacred Oak Flat, Arizona Leave 7am
                  Phoenix, AZ- Press conference 9am-10am
                  12pm Salt River, AZ
                  3pm Camp Verde, AZ
                  5pm Tonto, AZ travel time (2hrs 32min)
                  8pm White River, AZ
                  12 midnight Window Rock, AZ (Set up Camp, Sleep) leave for Jicarilla 9am
July 7th---1pm Jicarilla, AZ Leave for Denver 2pm
July 7th---8pm Denver, Colorado (set up camp, sleep) Host: American Indian Movement CO 4Winds
July 8th---Denver, Colorado (Day events tba)
July 9th---3pm PineRidge, South Dakota (Leave 9am for Rosebud) AIM, Moccasins on the Ground
July 10th--11am- Rosebud, South Dakota (set up camp, Sleep) Leave for MN 9AM
July 11th--8pm-Minneapolis, Minnesota (set up camp, Sleep) leave for Chicago 11am
July 13th--6pm-Chicago, Illinois (set up camp, sleep) Leave for Cleveland the 14th 9am
July 14th--Day Events to be announced
July 15th--4pm- Cleveland, Ohio (Set up Camp, Sleep) leave for Philadelphia
July 16th--4pm- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (travel time 1hr 22min)
July 17th--Philadelphia (Events tba) China Town –Host: Xu Lin & Theresa
July 18th--7am- New York, New York (travel time 4hrs 10min) Good Morning America, Time Square, South Bronx, Brooklyn, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 memorial
July 19th--Run All Day 5am- 9am
July 20th--Washington, D.C.  Apache Stronghold resistance rally to protect sacred Oak Flat



My hope and prayer is that this two-week caravan will bring attention to this miscarriage of our political system.  It's long past time for citizens to stand up to blatant corruption and greed in our system.  We get the government we deserve and we need to act in order to prove we deserve better.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Protect the Sacred: #saveoakflat

Art by Urban Native Era

The story of Oak Flat and the Resolution Mining Company is an old tale with a new setting:  Big Government and Big Business come together to take something that they want from people who don't have the resources to fight them.  The area of the Oak Flat Campground, located about an hour east of Phoenix, is public land, under the multiple-use mandate of the National Forest Service.


Photo credit:  KNAU  (Great article about Oak Flat)

Photo credit:  Arizona Mining Reform Coalition




It has had special protections since 1955, when President Dwight Eisenhower decreed the area closed to mining because of its importance to the Apache Nation, especially the San Carlos Tribe, and to campers, hikers and rock climbers. President Richard Nixon’s Interior Department renewed the ban in 1971.

The Resolution Trust Company, has attempted a land swap several different times, which will trade 5,300 acres of private parcels owned by the company to the Forest Service and give 2,400 acres including Oak Flat to Resolution so it can mine for copper.  By using the block cave mining technique, the site will be ruined forever.  A vast chamber will be hollowed out and when it caves in, a two-mile wide, 1,000 foot deep pit will be left behind.  According to congressional testimony by the Society of American Archaeology, there is abundant evidence that the Apache have been there "since well before recorded history".  All that will be obliterated by the giant crater.
example of a block cave mine in Oregon

These land swap attempts have been unsuccessful before.  But in December, 2014, Arizona senators John McCain and Jeff Flake were able to insert a last minute rider into the must-pass Defense Appropriation Bill granting the title of Oak Flat and the surrounding area to Rio Tinto, Resolution Trust's parent company.  And in these types of stories, you should always follow the money.  From the NY Times:  "it’s worth noting that Rio Tinto affiliates have been McCain campaign contributors, and that Mr. Flake, before he made it to Congress, was a paid lobbyist for Rio Tinto Rössing Uranium (a huge uranium mine in Namibia)."

Fortunately, there are those trying to repeal this land grab.   Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva, of the Congressional Natural Resources Committee, introduced the “Save Oak Flat Act,”  on June 17, 2015.  It would  repeal the rider slipped in by McCain and Flake and return protection to Oak Flat, Apache Leap and other sacred sites.  Please contact your congressional representatives, senators and the White House.  If you would like to sign the Arizona Mining Reform petition, you can do that here.


This is not a political blog. But this story is so outrageously unfair, that I had to share it.  If you follow me on Instagram, I have been posting pics and art relating to the #saveoakflat movement.  This David and Goliath tale screams of everything that is wrong with our political system, no matter what side of the aisle you find yourself on.  I hope that you will stand with these Native people and say "Enough".  Let's keep Goliath from winning this one.


If you want to join up or just encourage the caravan heading to Washington DC, here is the list of events:
courtesy of Apache Stronghold


I'm going to leave you with a beautiful video of this area and what we stand to lose as Americans if it is destroyed by mining.




PROTECT SACRED OAK FLAT from EPIC AERIAL PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Sharing a Smile: Happy First Day of Summer...

...and a big Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!  I've been blessed with a wonderful Dad and a terrific husband who is the best Dad to our kids.

It's been unseasonably cool here and I am ready for some summer heat.  I know I'll regret those words come August, but I really love having seasons and I don't mind a little heat after the cold winter we had this year.

So, speaking of summer, here is a great watercolor of a VW bug and surfboard to put us in the mood.  Craftberry Bush puts out some of the cutest printables and is so generous in sharing some of those as free downloads.  Check out this cutie!

She is offering it as a free download until June 30th.  Be sure and check out her blog for other awesomeness.  I always look forward to her monthly calendars to use as the image on my desktop--here is the June calendar:

Enjoy this longest day of the year and give those Dads in your lives a big hug and thank you!

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Free and Easy Down the Road I Go

We should always be thankful for the road that brought us to where we are today 
and just as thankful for the road moving us forward.  
What brave thing will you do TODAY?

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Pinterest Projects I Actually Completed #5: DIY Tennis Racket Art




Little sister chose a preppy theme for her room makeover, so, we are using lots of pink and green.  She also plays tennis and I thought that it would be fun to incorporate that into the decor.  I found these two pins:
from Dukes & Duchesses




and this one with vintage tennis rackets used "au naturel" as wall art:
found here

We decided to go the crafty route and used the tutorial found at dukesandduchesses.com.  It doesn't provide exact instructions, but the photos allow you to count the squares and kind of make it your own.  We used pink and green embroidery thread.  It took about 1 1/2 skeins per racket.  This blog has great instructions on their version of it, using a badminton racket, if you need more detail.


This a super easy craft.  An embroidery needle makes it go even faster.  Here's the back of my daughter's (I did the green one):

We have had these old wooden rackets for years.  I bought them at a garage sale for $1 each and let the kids play with them.  This was a fun way to repurpose them and spend some quality crafting time with lil' sis.

Her room is coming along--just waiting for a couple of final pieces to finish it out!



I would love to hear about some of your favorite repurposing crafts!  Have a super day, friends!

Friday, June 12, 2015

Pinterest Projects That I Actually Completed #4: hair bow organizer

Well, hello, there!  I'm still waiting for the lazy days of summer to show up.  So far, I feel like it's just been a whirlwind.  The last day of school found me and big brother headed on a bus trip with his fellow band students to the state solo & ensemble contest.  We got back from that just in time to get little sister packed up for 4-H camp and for me to get caught up on a large volunteer project that I was glad to do but clearly had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into.  Finished that up just in time to get big brother packed up for scout camp 2 states away.  Add work into that equation and you will find that I clearly need some remedial lessons on telling time and remembering how many hours are in a day.

So...if you've been following me on Instagram (@bluejeansandturquoise), then you know that since lil' sis got home from camp, she and I have been redoing her room.  We have cleaned out closets, bookcases and dressers and have a pick-up bed full of stuff for Goodwill, 3 large trashbags of trash and 4 large plastic containers of American Girl dolls, clothes and handmade furniture that my Dad made for Kit & Ruthie.
image found here but be prepared for sticker shock!
Putting the AG items in storage made me sad (sniff) and I may or may not have been replaying this particular Toy Story 2 scene in my head, along with the cryfest-inducing Sarah McLachlan song:



Anyway, back to reality, sans Pixar talking toys...We did a total Marie Kondo on that room and have been doing some fun crafts and projects that I'll be posting.  We're waiting on a couple more items that should be in this week and then I'll post a reveal of the whole room.  It's not perfect and it's not shelter magazine worthy, but it's a sweet, fun room for a real kid who loves to read, craft, create and dream.  And that makes it perfect for us.

The picture at the top of the post  is a hair bow organizer that I made for her bows and it doubles as a sweet piece of art hanging in her room.
Here's what you'll need:


frame--we found ours at a thrift store for next to nothing

cardboard or foam board to fit inside of frame.  If the frame came with a thick enough painting,you could use it.

paper or fabric of your choice--we used a scrap of vintage wallpaper I had picked up on ebay years ago.  Cute wrapping paper or fabric would work as well.



Chicken wire cut to fit around the insert.


Wrap the paper or fabric around the insert and secure to the back of it.  We used packing tape.  Then place the pretty side of the insert down on the chicken wire and wrap the wire around the edges and fold down on to the back side.  Don't do it real tight--leave enough slack so you can easily pin the bows to the wire.

Fit the insert into the frame and start taping.  It's not pretty, but no one sees that part.  I was using up random rolls of duct tape lil' sis had.  The duct tape works great because it protects your walls from the poky wires of chicken wire.

Flip it over and start attaching bows--super easy!

This is a cute and fun way to organize these bows and keeps them from being lost in a drawer somewhere.  I'd love to hear about any organizing tips you have for girly stuff like bows and hair accessories!


Stay tuned for more projects...