Colombia Day and Other #ColumbusDayAlternatives

While I like having a 3-day weekend in October, I don’t think Columbus deserves his own holiday. So I was brainstorming Columbus Day alternatives (Columbus, Ohio Day; Bus Day; Cumulonimbus Day…) and decided my favorite was Colombia Day.

There are lots of ways you could celebrate here in Phoenix or elsewhere:

Order a Colombian coffee at your favorite local coffee shop.
Try a Colombian restaurant – a friend recommended La Tiendita Colombiana in Mesa.
Visit Colombian animals, like the Andean bears at the Phoenix Zoo.
Listen to Colombian music. We dig Juanes and old school Shakira (it should be in Spanish and she should have dark hair on the cover).
Dance cumbia or salsa.
Visit a Colombian or Latino cultural center. Although Phoenix’s Arizona Latin@ Arts and Cultural Center is closed Monday, you can check it out Tuesday through Saturday 11a-6p. Celebrando Nuestra Cultura is their current exhibition of 15 Arizona artists exploring Mexican history, which is not Colombian but sounds pretty interesting.

Some cities have nixed Columbus Day in favor of an Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In that spirit, you could visit the Heard Museum or another place in your area to learn about Native American cultures.

However, if you want to celebrate by watching the clouds, taking public transit, or even visiting Ohio, that works too. Those are all things worth celebrating more than Christopher Columbus.

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July 2, 2015July 5, 2022

Honey Bear’s BBQ

[UPDATE March 2022: Since writing this, Honey Bear’s has remodeled their original restaurant on Van Buren, and (I believe) closed their additional locations. I don’t get to Phoenix as often these days, but, from what I hear, their food remains delicious!]

In Phoenix, summer barbecue season means feeling like you’re on the grill whenever you step outside.

When I was looking through photos for pre-Independence Day post ideas, I came across some from Honey Bear’s BBQ, and I thought, “well, that beats standing in the sun in triple-digit temps!”

Inside a building with a charmingly ramshackle facade on Van Buren in Phoenix, two families have been serving slow-cooked Tenessee-style barbecue since 1986. They regularly win New Times Best of Phoenix awards.

If you can’t decide between a barbecue pork, beef, or chicken sandwich, you can get sliders and try them all. They also have really good sides – classics like cole slaw and mac + cheese.

The original Van Buren location is not far from Papago Park. In fact, the last time we visited was right after a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. They also have a restaurant on Central. And you’ll be able to find them at several events around the Valley of the Sun 4th of July weekend.

February 5, 2015January 7, 2021

Valentine’s DIY

I keep seeing things that would be awesome to make for Valentine’s Day. Definitely more things than I have time to actually make, so I thought I’d share a few with you.

Most of these weren’t specifically made for Valentine’s Day. They’re all fairly simple ideas that you can adapt to be romantic – or not.

1. Tiny Travel Album in a Box: I’ve been wanting to make a version of this mini photo book by Camille Styles. It’s meant to be a travel memento, but I think it would make a great Valentine’s gift with photos of a trip you took together or just fun random shots.

2. Stenciled Valentine Gift Bags: Fun idea from Martha Stewart for adding a personal touch to a small gift! Choose a stencil to fit the occasion.

3. Little self-folding envelopes: I love these colorful envelopes I spotted on Ingthings! You can fold up origami paper or repurpose whatever paper’s on hand, cutting it to size.

4. DIY Satsuma Orange Candle: I’ve been seeing this around Pinterest, and I think I found the original source: HonestlyWTF. It’s an ingeniously simple DIY, and I bet it smells nice too.

5. Seven Days of Surprises: Tuck a week full of goodies into a pill container for someone to enjoy each day! The post on The Dating Divas has printable love notes, but you could write your own or use strategically-chosen conversation hearts.

6. DIY: Lacey Clay Containers: This is a tutorial on making dishes from clay and imprinting with lace. Design Mom used the pieces she made to organize her make-up drawer, but the cup would make a great vase and the plate would be so cute topped with strawberries or Nutella brownie bites!

7. Origami Ornaments: Anne-Solange of Cachemire & Soie saw a lamp shade she loved and figured out how to re-create the look. Several of these hanging up or in a centerpiece would make a room feel so festive!

– More ideas –

2014 Valentine’s DIY roundup
Follow our Facebook for more easy ideas every week on Try Today Friday.
Learn how to make fabric flowers at CraftHack 2/9.

Let me know if you give any of these a try!

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Photos from their respective sites. (See links.)

December 19, 2014

DIY Gift Bags

Does doing something 2 years in a row make it a tradition?

If so, then we continued our gift-bag making tradition at CraftHack this month.

You can make your own gift bags out of regular old paper lunch sacks and craft supplies you already have. Here are some tips…

Get your stuff together!

Lunch bags. If you have regular brown ones around, great! Otherwise, check out your color options – white, red, yellow, blue. I’ve seen a bunch at my local Target.
Scissors. Fancy-edge scissors, a small paper cutter, and/or a paper punch might also be useful if you have them.
Embellishments. Use what you’ve got – scrapbook paper, washi tape, old greeting cards, ribbon, glitter, stickers, that last little bit of wrapping paper on the roll, etc.

Customize!

Bag size. Take a bit off the top to break up the lunch baggy proportions. You can use your fancy scissors to create an interesting edge.

Handles. 3 ways to handle handles:

1. Cut out a shape an inch or so from the top of the bag. Straight sided shapes – like a long inverted triangle – work best.

2. Vertical handles. Use ribbon, two pieces of washi tape (sticky sides together), or scraps cut from the top of your paper bag to make a handle that goes over the top of the bag. You can staple it (use your embellishments to cover staples), or punch/cut holes to thread ribbon through and secure with tape or big knots.

3. Horizontal handles. Some of the CraftHackers came up with this one. It works best using fabric ribbon. You cut rectangles into thee bag that are as tall as the ribbon is wide and weave it through, maybe with help from a friend.

Decorate! Once you’ve sized your bag and made handles, get creative using supplies you have on hand. Cut shapes out of paper, add glitter, make a pattern from paper, create stripes from ribbon or washi tape, go a little crazy with stickers, have fun!

Check out my last-minute holiday guide for more gift, entertaining, and decorating ideas!

December 11, 2014January 5, 2023

December in Glendale for Fan Fest Goers

This weekend (12/12-14) is the first-ever Phoenix Comicon Fan Fest. Besides being held during a much cooler time of year than the main all-pop-culture-encompassing Phoenix Comicon event, Fan Fest is smaller and focused on just 4 categories: comics, actors, costuming, and activities for kids.

Instead of taking place in central Phoenix, it’ll be at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, where the Arizona Cardinals play.

So what is there to do in Glendale?

My top picks: downtown Glendale

Here are a few Glendale things I’ve checked out that you might also enjoy – whether you’re going to Fan Fest or not. They’re in the historic downtown about 10 minutes by car from the stadium (near 58th and Glendale avenues – PDF walking tour map).

Glendale Glitters – Tons of holiday lights (“the largest free holiday light display in Arizona”), fair-type food booths (fried things, things on sticks, beer beer beer, etc.) live performances by local choirs and dance studios, and interesting people-/possible-wolf-watching.
Unique Local Shops – Drawn to Comics has comics and comic paraphernalia. Pink House boutique focuses on stylish, hard-to-find clothing and is open until 10pm this Friday and Saturday. There are also several antique and vintage shops and other quirky local stores, right across the street from the Glendale Glitters action.
Kimberly Ann’s Tea Room – For those into the high tea experience*, it’s lovely without being stuffy. When I went I last year with my mom and aunt, there was a long list of teas available, and we had all the tea sandwiches and sweets we could handle.

Cerreta Candy Company

Located near downtown, Cerreta Candy Company gives free tours Monday through Friday at 10am and 1pm. During the holidays, you can go in and decorate chocolate wreaths or trees for $10.

Walking distance from University of Phoenix Stadium

I was wondering what there would be to do right around the stadium, and here’s what I found.

Sports stuff

If you’re around there right now or will still be around next week, there are University of Phoenix Stadium tours today (12/11), as well as 12/18-20. Tickets are $9.
Fan Fest attendees headed to the 12/13 Arizona Coyotes game can get a discount. I’m not sure what the discount is. You might wanna check out regular tickets too.

Shopping

In case you somehow don’t get your fill of shopping at the Exhibitor Hall, there is a lot more around the Stadium.

Westgate Entertainment District – stores, a movie theater, and holiday events, including free Carriage rides.
Tanger Outlets – apparently, Tanger rhymes with “hanger.” (Who knew?!)
Cabela’s – outdoor store focused on hunting and fishing (but also carrying equipment for camping and other outdoor activities). It includes a restaurant, aquariums, and an indoor archery range – if wanted to channel your inner Green Arrow or Katniss Everdeen. Just remember you can’t bring any actual weapons back to the Con with you.

Food

I had trouble finding locally-based options in the area. Here’s what I hunted down:

At the Stadium

There are supposed to be food trucks at Fan Fest, but staff doesn’t have confirmation on which ones yet.
Regular stadium concessions by Rojo Hospitality Group will be open.

Westgate – 2 out of 3 of these are for frozen desserts. Because what’s more Phoenix than eating ice cream in December?!

Mama Gina’s Pizzeria
RazzleberrieZ Frozen Yogurt
Cold Stone Creamery – Now they’re everywhere, but the chain was actually founded in and is based in Arizona.

Tanger outlets

Fired Pie – I’m intrigued by this place and hoping to make it over there this weekend! You can either order from their menu or customize your own pizza or salad for one price. (It’s not extra for each topping.) They are sustainability conscious and use local, organic ingredients.

*At the main Phoenix Comicon event over the summer, I wandered into the wrong room at one point and a panel was discussing tea and tea-drinking rituals. A friend later said “Oh, they must be fans of [name of something I’d never heard of and immediately forgot].” Fan Fest has a tea battle on the schedule. What does that mean? I don’t know. All I know is that there is some kind of fancy-tea-drinking contingent within the Comicon community. So I put a tea house on the list.