issue 28 // volume 41

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DIY proj

in : i

ect to are

out your inner geek

» Comic book decoupage

Brittney MacDonald
H Life & Style Editor

mB Mlifeandstyle
@theotherpress.ca

 

Leos for a fun, DIY project

up your space by breaking out
your old comic books and the
hodgepodge!

Decoupage is a way of
decorating something by
collaging different paper cut-
outs all over its surface. It
provides a fun aesthetic that will
liven up any boring old piece of
furniture, or even a notebook
cover! If you have a lot of spare
comics lying around, it also
allows you to cater to your inner
geek, but in a way that will come
out looking like one of those

: “conversation” pieces interior
: designers are always going on
: about on television.

To start, find yourself a

: lot of old or damaged comics.

: You can go for new if you want

: to, but usually if the comics

that won't take days? Freshen : a damaged the shops will
: give them to you at a massive

: discount, and sometimes even

: for free. Generally comics are

: fairly inexpensive, so they

: lend themselves perfectly to

: crafting—but if superheroes

: really aren’t your thing, you can

: do the same process with regular

: books as well. Just maybe avoid

: the romance novels unless you

: don’t mind your morning cup

: of coffee resting on someone's

: “heaving bosom.”

Next, begin cutting. For

: comics you can do this in any

e

   

Photo via pinimg.com

: number of ways. I would suggest
: cutting out entire panels (framed
: sections within the page) or

: pages. Avoid just cutting out

: figures, as this may come off

: looking a little juvenile.

Once you have plenty of cut-

: outs, work in sections, layering

: outdoor hodgepodge, then your
: cut-outs— proceeding until

: the entire surface is covered.

: Applying the outdoor variant

: will ensure that the seal is

: waterproof and easy to wipe off
: should you spill something on

: it. Allow it to dry for an hour or

: so, before doing a second layer

: of hodgepodge overtop. This

: will seal the paper and protect it
: from damage.

Leave this to dry overnight,

and come morning, you'll be
: done!

 

 

& imxyfiu

#HashtagLunchbag: Living Through Giving

» Using social media to help the homeless

Brittney MacDonald

H Life & Style Editor
Mlifeandstyle

@theotherpress.ca

 

I seems like such a simple

and make lunches, then hand
them out to the homeless—
combat hunger by actually
giving people food. Though it

that’s exactly what the people at
#HashtagLunchbag are doing.
Combining the power of social
media with philanthropy, they
have created a global movement
that’s starting to take root right
here in Vancouver.

Though the movement
began in Los Angeles, the
local Vancouver chapter of

several times a year, issuing a
callout over social media, asking
for volunteers to come out

early in the morning and make
hundreds of paper bag lunches

: that they will then distribute to
: the homeless population.

When asked what inspired

: him and his friends to create

: such a movement, founder Ajay

: Relan told the Other Press,

: “We were simply looking for

idea. Get some people together ; away to give back and found
: : it difficult to lock down an

: opportunity in our area, so we

: decided to do it ourselves, while

making it simple and fun. We

: wo : : quickly realized that what we

may be simple, itis effective, and : unintentionally created wasn't

: about food or homelessness, but

: humanity itself and the need for

; acknowledgement on all levels.”

What makes

: #HashtagLunchbag so unique is

: its creative use of social media.

: As any other 20-something has

: heard a thousand times before,

: we are constantly being told that

#HashtagLunchbag holds events ; Ouruse of technology has made
: us apathetic and disconnected

: from the world around us. What

: #HashtagLunchbag shows us is

: that this is not true; that how

: we interact with the world, and

: how we choose to give back to it

: has evolved somewhat, and that
: we now have the tools to effect
: change ona far larger scale.

When asked about the

: social media component to the

: movement, Relan said “Through
: social media, we realized that for
: the first time in human history,

: each individual has the ability to
: inspire someone. Whether you

: have 10 friends or followers or

: 10-million, you never know who

: is watching and what you can

: inspire them to do. Our mission

: is simply to encourage others

: to integrate compassion and

: empathy [into] their daily lives,

: and by sharing these experiences
: watch the world around them

: (both physical and digital) shift

: around them. That is what

: Living Through Giving is all

: about.’

To find out more about

: #HashtagLunchbag you

: can visit their website at

: HashtagLunchbag.org, or check
: out their Twitter or Instagram,

@hashtaglunchbag.

life & style // 17

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Sins Soo a

 

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Photo via thinkstock