Skip to content

Random Connections

A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Photos
  • Resources
  • Other Voices
  • Post Archives
  • Podcast
  • Home
  • crafts

Tag: crafts

Tactical Macramé

Posted on January 11, 2013 By Tom 2 Comments on Tactical Macramé
Gear

Tactical Macrame

Back when I was a cub scout one of our crafty things to do was to make lanyards from bits of plastic strips. Tandy Leather sold (and still sells) the stuff by the spool. I got pretty good at various braids, and made several lanyards that never really got used.

Google Image Result for http:rexlaceclub

Fast forward 40+ years…

Braiding with strips of stuff is back. It even made its way into 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite…

Deb: Well, maybe you’d be interested in some home-woven handicrafts?

Google Image Result for http:farm1
Deb: … And here we have some boondoggle key chains. A must-have for this season’s fashion.
Napoleon Dynamite: I already made like infinity of those at scout camp.

This season’s fashion, though, uses parachute cord, aka 550 paracord instead of plastic stripping. The height of fashion seems to be the “survival bracelet”. I had seen these at outfitter stores, and even at the occasional quick stop shop, but didn’t pay much attention until I was given one at the EdTech conference back in October. I’ve been wearing mine since then, more as an uplifting reminder than for any need for an emergency supply of parachute cord.

Read More “Tactical Macramé” »

Hymnal Blasphemy

Posted on March 5, 2012 By Tom 10 Comments on Hymnal Blasphemy
Music, Rants

hymnal 1

I’ve mentioned before that I collect hymnals. I prefer older, antique hymnals, but I’m just as interested in newer versions, particularly if it’s from a congregation with which I’m not as familiar. One of the first things I’ll do when visiting a church is grab a hymnal to see what they are using.

On occasion I’ll Google the term “antique hymnal” to see what comes up on eBay or other sites just to see if there are some interesting hymnals available. Recently these searches have found something that really makes my skin crawl. I think the phrase is “Antique Hymnal and Ephemera Crafts” and I’ve come across this blasphemy most often on that bastion of bad taste, Etsy.com. No, I won’t be posting any links because to me that would be just like posting a link to porn.

Crafters are using old hymnal pages to create all manner of evil, from wreathes…

il_570xN.304726544

2012-03-05_0806

il_fullxfull.304728644

…to roses…

il_570xN.296655279

2012-03-05_0805

…to gift wrapping…

2012-03-05_0758

Read More “Hymnal Blasphemy” »

Categories

  • EdTech (197)
  • Entertainment (201)
  • Family (123)
  • Gear (114)
  • General Technology (98)
  • Geocaching and Maps (208)
  • History and Genealogy (275)
  • Internet (141)
  • Local (458)
  • Miscellaneous (557)
  • Music (202)
  • Paddling (264)
  • Photography (781)
  • Podcast (15)
  • Rambling (233)
  • Rants (161)
  • Recipes (36)
  • Religion (48)
  • Restaurants (165)
  • Science (48)
  • Things Overheard (29)
  • Travel (413)
  • Uncategorized (142)
  • Washington Sabbatical (113)
  • Weirdness (59)

Recent Posts

  • Six Layer Bourbon Grits Bowl
  • How’s the House? Part 2
  • Carolina Ghost Towns – Merrittsville
  • Gimme Shelter
  • From Kingsbury to Stoneboro – Rambling in Lancaster County

Recent Comments

  • Curtis V Fink on Chasing the Swamp Rabbit – Part 3, Sievern and Edisto Academy
  • Bobby Stan Gillespie on Exploring Jacks Township
  • Richard Thornton on Paddling Up the Long Nose
  • John Guerrant on From Kingsbury to Stoneboro – Rambling in Lancaster County
  • John Guerrant on Gimme Shelter

Tags

blogging cemetery Christmas Columbia Edisto River edtech Entertainment family Flickr Florida Furman Furman University gear Georgia geotagging Ghost Town Ghost Towns Google Earth Google Maps GPS Greenville Greenville Chorale history Instructional Technology kayaking Lake Jocassee LCU Lowcountry Unfiltered maps Music North Carolina Paddling Photography rambling restaurant Restaurants review singing social networking South Carolina time-lapse Travel video Washington Washington State
May 2025
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Apr    

Copyright © 2025 Random Connections.

Theme: Oceanly by ScriptsTown