DIY: Hanging Papasan Chair

Over the Summer break my friend re-did her bedroom, inspiring the idea to upgrade my own room.  I did some research for ideas and came across an article for re-purposing a papasan chair. I sold the idea of installing this style of chair to my parents but the tutorial was a bit vague.

Since I learned a few things during the process, I thought I'd share the details so others who want to accomplish the same goal can have a good resource and maybe cut down on a few mistakes that could happen along the way.

MEASURE

First,  make sure you have enough space in your room to fit a papasan chair. This means measuring the space and measuring the chair. I measured the papasan's diameter across and it was 45 inches, it would fit in my room but I knew it would take up a lot of visual space. Another thing to consider is the 'tilt' space. If you want to angle the papasan chair, the space in the room can be a bit smaller.
My mom also measured the trunk of her car to see if the papasan chair would fit for transport if you are purchasing it. We ended up asking a neighbor to borrow his truck.  Measuring is an important first step!

Other items you will need to measure is the amount of rope you will need. Always consider the extra amount needed for knots.

MATERIALS

Make a list of materials needed for the project.

• Papasan Chair Frame (sans stand)
• Papasan Cushion
• Rope - We used 25-30 feet of 700 lb rated, Nylon, 1/2 inch rope
• Box Cutter- for cutting the rope
• Lighter- to seal the ends of the rope after cutting
• Hitching Ring with 2 inch Screw Eye (we used 2)
• Joist/Stud finder
• Ladder
• Nail and Hammer (Nail to show the area on the ceiling where screw eye will be installed)
• Tape (Electric)- For rope management

KNOT KNOWLEDGE

If you happen to be a girl scout or boy scout, you may  have earned a patch for knot tying. This will come in handy. We used  two types of knots to give our structure stability, which is an important part of the installation process. The weight of a body needs to be supported by the proper balance of the structure.

Another reason to use the correct knot is because the material also has to withstand wear and tear.

We chose 3 evenly spaced points on the chair frame to tie the ropes. We used the Sailor's knot to give these areas the strongest support without damaging the frame. We also used the Blood knot at the base of the hitching ring.

We used 15 feet of rope and tied these 2 ends in at an obtuse angle to the chair frame, creating a triangle at the mid point. We then tied a 10 foot section to the chair frame and the mid point (Lariat Loop Knot) of the 18 foot length rope creating a pyramid. This 10 foot sections made the chair adjustable. We could angle or flatten the chair as we liked. The extra rope at the end of the 10 foot section was used to tie the chair to the hitching ring.

INSTALLATION

It is important to find a joist in the ceiling to secure the hanging system. A stud finder will dictate where this is. Hammer a small nail into the ceiling to mark the spot where the screw eye and hitching ring will be locate. 

Make sure there is enough room between the wall and the hanging chair before you decide to put a hole in the ceiling. Our joist was a little close so we used a pull system to help keep the chair away from the wall.  This pull system also helps with the stability of the structure by adding another stress point, a place for tension to displace and even out the load.

Secure the rope to the hitching ring with a blood knot and let the fun part begin, decorating your hanging chair.

DECORATING

I bought a neutral, cream colored, plush cushion to fill in the papasan chair for comfort.  I added blue throw pillows, a few stuffed animals and decorative fox tails to make it my own.

Photo Credits To: Chandra Brown

Thanks Dad and Mom for helping me!

Homeschooling From A Teens' Perspective

        I am thirteen years old and technically in seventh grade, I go to a homeschool campus called One Day Academy for advanced science and math classes. Every year is a bit different being homeschooled, it has its' ups and downs. In this essay I will be discussing the highlights of my year, being that Summer is almost here ( ha, I rhymed).

At The Blanton Photo by: My Mom

          I start my week by waking up Monday morning and getting ready for school then go to my local ODA campus where I sign in and go to science, after science I have a two hour time gap until math so I have time to chat with my friends. I have worksheets for both math and science that I complete every week to turn in next class and testing on Fridays. Both teachers say I'm great at turning in my  worksheets and I currently have the best grade in the math class.
        I have been going to an art class that is linked through O.D.A and I have to say I have immensely improved in my drawing and animation skills. My teachers are wonderful and I have plenty of class mates to talk to in my free time. It took me about two to three years to get used to the organization aspect of homeschooling but now I have a system. Now I know that I should do my math in the morning because that's when I'm most focused. Ive also become pretty good at keeping track of my homework, though my folders are messy I've never lost any worksheets.
        So far this year I've learned about the make up of an atom, radioactive decay, the speed of light and sound, color spectrums and much more! One thing that I learned was that there is a huge misunderstanding when it comes to radioactivity, The Fukushima disaster was not as terrible as we think, of course, the tsunami was still tragic but the meltdown was not that big of a deal. (this article will give you a more detailed explanation).  My physical science book helped me understand this interesting fact, "We are exposed to beta particles and gamma rays each time you get close to someone because people themselves are radioactive." Another interesting fact about radioactivity concerns a safety device we all have in our homes; smoke detectors. These devices expose us to alpha particles because the main component of a detector goes through alpha decay. (1) All this information supports the rules of the scientific method, which involves properly reading charts and measurements and following the laws of physics.
             After discussing the highlights of my seventh grade year, I would like to highly recommend homeschooling. As a reader of my blog, If you decide to consider homeschooling you might ask: "Well, what do you do all day?" I do school work just like any other student. "Do you ever make any friends?" Yes, of course! I get a chance to talk to a good handful of people every week. "Are you learning the same amount of  knowledge as the public school kids?" Yes, in fact I'm in some advanced courses which is a mix of seventh and eighth grade work. "Is your curriculum any good?" Well, it's far better than public school curriculum. See my earlier post to understand why. Overall, the experience has been the best Ive ever had regarding school. To be bluntly honest, public school couldn't have done better.

Resource:
Exploring Creation With Physical Science, Second Edition, May 2014. Dr. Jay L. Wile. Module 13, page 330.

Lucienne Day: Inspiring Artists

       Lucienne Day was an example of a great designer, her work was unique and is classic to this day.  Lucienne was born in 1917 in Coulsdon Surrey, U.K. She specialized in fabrics, prints and wallpapers. Lucienne claimed that she wanted to revitalize design after World War II by creating bold but simplistic patterns that took inspiration from nature and often displayed geometric shapes.The fabric, Rayon, was a new and uprising product at the time, and Lucienne discovered it appealed to the masses. Day started out working for a department store named Heals. Lucien's career started escalating when her designs became popular through this store. Day soon moved on to being a design consultant for British Airlines. Even though Lucienne worked for many different people she managed to keep her creative independence. Her color pallet was usually very simplistic yet vibrant. She occasionally made a print by hand but most of them were digitally printed in bulk.
        Lucienne was partially inspired by Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. Both artists have geometric roots in their pieces. One such art piece, as the Zeichen in Gelb, 1937 by Paul Klee displays the geometric shapes beautifully. The simplistic but bold colors and distinct arrangement of lines can be compared to Day's work and displays a noticeable similarity. On the other hand  I feel Kandinsky offers more influence in color than in shape, a good example of this is found in his collection of The Color Study.
        When you look at Lucienne's work it has an upbeat, playful vibe to it. Her designs interpret nature in a bright colorful way yet is still simplistic. A few of her patterns remind me of Spring. The decades after WWII were a very bland age and Lucienne wanted to bring color and bold shapes back to the homes of the average family and revive modern fashion. Day was a little bit before her time, the geometric shapes and color pallets would fit perfectly in a modern home today. In fact, I would add some of her work to my very home.

Lucienne Day's Calyx Fabric

Following God Vs Hinduism

      Roughly eighty percent of India's population is Hindu, making it the third largest religion in the world. The origin of Hindu is unknown there are no accounts stating who created it or when. It was only in 1200 B.C that the first accounts of Hinduism were found, they spoke of sacrifices to gods that represented the forces of nature. The most popular one, being Brahman, can be depicted in three different forms; Brahman, being default, Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. But even more important are the Vedas which contain hymns, poems, philosophies, and are the base of the Hindu religion. There are also different types of Hinduism such as Monistic- Only Sankara's school exists , Pantheistic- Only one divine thing exists so that God is identical to the world, Panentheistic- The world is part of God, and Theistic- Only one God distinct from creation.
       Fast forward to modern times, the Hindu religion reflects on its culture through symbols, beauty marks, and rituals. The bindi for instance, is the iconic red dot seen on the foreheads of a majority of the Indian population. This little red dot represents becoming one with the universe and to worship ones intellect. Hindus pray at a minimum of two times a day to Brahman. Another popular god that has a popular role in the Hindu religion is Ganesha the elephant god, also known as the lord of obstacles. Ganesha removes obstacles from ones life or places obstacles in the lives of those who need to be tested. Originating from Ganesha is the popular 'Aum' meditation ritual (commonly heard as 'Om') is used to identify with and personify Ganesha himself. The Hindu's believe in the Chakra system which unites mind, body and spirit. Their sacred texts such as the Ganesha Purana mentions sacred temple sites, the thousands of names attributed to their god, and their worship systems.

Hindu Gods

     The six basic beliefs of this religion contain these elements: Truth is eternal, Brahman is the one true god, the Veda scripture are the ultimate authority, everyone should strive for dharma (to do the right thing), souls are immortal and the individual should reach moksha (liberation and freedom from the cycle of rebirth). The last mentioned core belief supports reincarnation as a theme and when someone has successfully accomplished right living they can reach a state of nirvana, a place of no suffering in Hindu philosophy. (Hebrews 9:27).
           While the Hindu religion seems benign and highlights striving towards positive attributes, it fails in comparison to following the God of the Bible. First, Brahman is depicted as the creator of the universe but is impersonal. Secondly, Ganesha is depicted through high symbolism and would fall under a graven image. The problem with these deities is their connection to humankind is nonexistent. The God of the Bible creates the universe but is involved with his creation ( Psalms 135:5-6, Psalms 22:28). He is also a real entity with shape and form, even though He is invisible to the physical eye. (Genesis 1:26, Genesis 18.)
            The fact the God of the Bible wants to be involved with his creation lies in the fact he was willing to die for them. The Hindu religion, in fact, all other religions do not have a deity that will die for them because they are either dead or just a statue. (2 Corinthians 5:15) The question arises why would a deity need to die for humankind? The answer lies in the human position of a fallen state, which in the Bible defines as sin. (Romans 4:25) This fallen state creates a need that we cannot satisfy on our own. God makes it very clear there is "no one righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:23). In order to obtain righteousness we must make God our source, this involves a relationship of submission and obedience and can encompass moral attributes. The difference between just being moral and righteousness is this: Man can make rules for being good but God is the only one that can name you righteous. ( 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 8:30). This specific molding of the human by God is vastly different than a broad set of rules set up by man.

Comparing Heroes

'The Wife of Odysseus'

    Literary works are an avenue to define a hero, which the definition of, varies in different cultures. The ancient poem by Homer known as The Odyssey, written in the eighth century B.C identifies a Greek hero, Odysseus or Ulysses (Ulysses is the name given to Odysseus in Roman Mythology). Fast forward to the twenty first century, heroes are commonly depicted by pictures in story board form in  books such as; Marvel Comics. I will be writing about the similarities and differences of an Ancient and Modern hero.
     First, I would like to discuss the qualities and tests Greek heroes are put against.  Greek heroes consist of courage, strength, wit, maturity, and often commit bold exploits to prove their heroism. They do suffer failure as well but learn from their mistakes and become stronger. Greek Mythology takes a large part in the heroes' life, gods and other creatures manipulate their journey in good and bad ways. It is clear that Ancient heroes, when not relying on gods, rely on their human strengths and qualities. While most Modern heroes have abnormal powers within themselves. Some heroes' power is natural born while others are bestowed upon them through nature and or science; the gods of the Modern age.
     I have extracted a few examples of Greek heroism from the book. Ulysses uses his wits to escape from the clutches of a menacing cyclops. He uses humor to gain confidence with Polyphemus, who then asked for his name. Ulysses uses this opportunity to deceive Polyphemus and gives his name as, 'Nobody.' Soon Ulysses men are in terrible danger and he blinds the one- eyed creature in order to escape. Polyphemus seeks help for his injury and when asked who did this to him he replied, "Nobody." Secondly, he used his physical strength to hang on to moss growing on the side of a precipice to escape the treacherous monsters Scylla and Charybdis.  He also commits to bold exploits, though not mentioned much in the book, Ulysses fought The Great Battle Of Troy and was credited as the mastermind behind their demise through the Trojan Horse.
      Modern heroes share basic qualities with Greek heroes, similarities seem to be neck and neck but one difference stood out to me. Modern heroes seem to acquire the characteristics of a god while Greek heroes accept guidance from them. Modern heroes are depicted with special god like powers. For instance, Peter Parker, who is a human teenage boy is bitten by a spider that was experimented on in a science lab. He goes through a physical transformation and takes on the finest abilities of the spider enhancing his performance and senses.  His transformation into Spiderman makes him better than human and this was bestowed upon him through an accident. Other modern heroes such as The Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Iron Man depict a hero who have god-like powers through natural abilities enhanced by science and technology.
       Through discussing the similarities and differences of Ancient and Modern heroes, one character rose above and proved as a true hero, her story crosses all bridges of time. This hero was Ulysses's wife, Penelope. Penelope defines a true hero with her reaction to real life circumstances.  She is put against a plight, we find her waiting patiently for her husband to return from his glory war in Troy. She not only waits 5 years but we enter her story in her twentieth year of faithful biding despite  suitors constantly at her door because they assumed Ulysses was dead (Penelope thought otherwise). She endured in her love for her husband who she only knew for a brief moment before his travels took him away and shows this by telling her suitors that she would not remarry until she finished a burial shroud for Ulysses. She uses her wits to delay succumbing to an unworthy match who would use and abuse not only her but her son and the land they lived on. So, each day she would work on the piece and rip up her progress by night ,so the cloth was never to be finished as a way to delay the suitors.  Her heroism rests in her character and the resolve to stay true to her word and original commitment to her husband. She protected her son, her household, herself and her property through her virtuous, un-selfish substance. She did this without a god interfering or helping and this relates to a more real view of our human story.
      In conclusion, Ancient and Modern heroes have worthy qualities and flaws that support the idea that self sacrifice in order to help those that cannot protect themselves defines a hero.

Describing The Indescribable

      My brains' toil is something I cannot describe, searching through psychological files, twisting and turning to find something to use, say or write. Like an overworked machine my brain overheats and shuts down all logical thought, but I force it to push on. I search frantically for worthy ideas but they are all hollow like an empty cave. Now my brain can't take it anymore, I stop searching and it shuts down once more as I drift off almost thoughtless. Suddenly, a spark of thought strikes like a little match and then the match drops into the deep abyss which is my mind and bursts into flames I finally have an idea. My brain which was black and white flooded with colorful ideas spreading like a wildfire I had finally found what I was looking for,  an idea to describe what I cannot, to describe the indescribable. However, what I have just described has described the indescribable.

Call Of The Wild Personal Response And Summary

       I recently read The Call Of The Wild by Jack London, it is about a dog named Buck whose owner tragically died. Shortly after Buck is captured and taken to a camp where he is beaten and malnourished by 'The Man In The Red Sweater'. After being there for some time he is purchased by two men by the names of Francois and Perrault to attend their sled team. During his time on the sled team Buck experiences more malnourishment and is constantly pestered by Spitz, the tight-fisted alpha dog known for murdering some of the team members. Buck later kills Spitz by breaking both of his legs and then finishing him off in an epic fight for leadership over the team. Soon after the incident Francois sells the sled team to brothers Hal and Charles and  Charles' Wife, Mercedes.  All of them tragically die when crossing an ice patch leaving the starving dogs behind. Buck wanders off and finally is discovered by John Thornton, he took Buck in and nursed him back to health. As Buck is laying peacefully he heard sounds coming from the forest, he had an urge to runaway but in loyalty to Thornton he stayed at the camp. Buck gets presented to the town and the towns people offer John ridiculous amounts of money after seeing Bucks abilities of pulling extreme amounts of weight but the offers are denied. On Bucks first journey with John Thornton, Buck wanders for a short period of time only to come back to his team dead along with Thornton and his crew all found pierced with Yeehat Indian darts. Buck tracked down the Yeehats and with flooding anger killed their chief. Shortly after Buck meets up with an old friend, a wolf and runs away with the pack.
      I thought this book was quite morbid it has a very compelling story to follow and depicts Bucks'  Loyalty, strength and friendship no matter what happened to him.