How old is TOO old?  How used is TOO used?

You should know by now that my friends and neighbors give me stuff, assuming I can use it in some way.  This started years ago when I was collecting things for our after-school kids’ klub at church.  Then, it went well beyond what we needed for those sessions.  One friend heard that people were giving me old jeans.  That friend, reluctantly, told me that I wouldn’t want any from their family, particularly because her husband wore his jeans until there was almost nothing left but the waistband.  I received several pairs of jeans from her and was able to make the project noted below from them.
So, I guess you could say that her husband inspired this brief note from an old pair of jeans that I know:

“We used to go everywhere together!…work, shopping, restaurants, church… At some point, you still liked me, but didn’t want to be seen in public with me.  That was hard for me to understand.  Yes, we’d still hang out in the garage or backyard together, but I wasn’t good enough to be around your friends anymore.  When you sent me away, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to me.  An old lady picked me up off her front steps, where you had left me, and wanted to take me into her home.  I agreed because she said she would change me so that you wouldn’t be embarrassed when I was around you and your friends.  It took her quite a while, and I can tell you that she really tore me apart at times.  But, here I am, back again with you.  I hope you love the “new me” and I look forward to our together times again.”

UP-cycling jeans is a fun thing for me to do.  After cutting them apart, there is no limit as to what they can become.  When saying “You have the potential” to a person, rather than old clothes, we need to remember to be there for them during the putting together part of the process.
You will find a video on how to make a denim hot pad if you click here.