Marsbarn Designs...

On to other things

So you've finished a big project, what do you do next?
Go to Fabric Depot and spend $100 apparently.
At least, that is what I did.
Yesterday Big E and my mom accompanied me to the land of many, many choices. Big E was almost too good at finding fabric to tempt me with. But, I stayed on target. (Really, I did.) I am now armed with the background fabric for the fan quilt, as well as fabric for several other upcoming projects.
Today I am cleaning (hey, I heard that gasp!) and clearing flat surfaces for the Easter decorations. Warning: Easter is coming fast....

a wipe and a kiss, mommy bliss

"Oh she looks grumpy." says little e about a Mary Engelbreit illustration.
I explain that the caption under the cross armed, pouty girl is "Must. Change. Attitude."
"She needs to think about her choices" says little e who has, apparently, been listening to me after all.
"She should go kiss someone."
"Kiss someone?" I ask.
"Yes, that is how I keep from having bad days."
About 15 minutes later little e informs me that today "I will go to the potty whenever you ask me to. And I will wipe my bottom... if you want."
She's a girl who knows the way to my heart... kisses and good potty etiquette. What more could a momma ask for?

Ode to Gary Gygax

Gary Gygax died this week. For those of you not in the know, he was the father of Dungeons and Dragons. For those of you who own polyhedron dice, you will have seen numerous eulogies, odes, and farewells in the world of the on-line Geek. But I would like to say a word or two from the World of the Heterosexual Girl Gamer. Step into the Way Back machine with me...

It is the late eighties and you have no interest in trying to see how big you can make your hair or pretending you're stupid. You want companionship. Jocks are so not your type. Mall girls make you want to cry. Where are the smart guys with imagination? What to do? Find a Gaming group!
"Wow, you like to game? And you're a girl!" they say.
You say, "Um ya, I like to game. And when I checked this morning, I was still a girl."

When you pull out your dice, they make room for you at the table. This is an arena where you can be cool, and even hot, without long nails, hair product, short skirts (although those don't hurt), or the other trappings of the 80's 'it' girl. To them girls are aliens who do strange things. Guys who normally are too shy to talk to a girl, chat you up. They expect you to be smart, and are impressed when you're witty. You are a minority in a world of the largely unappreciated. You're cool, and the fact that you have breasts makes you even cooler. And if you can make brownies, you are a goddess. Gary Gygax created this world. Sure the game is pretty damn awesome and a ton of fun, but it's the cool guys I've met through gaming that makes me the most appreciative of Gary. 'Cause without D&D you know these guys would have been reading comic books in their garages and you'd never have been able to find them. I only dated one guy who didn't game... what a mistake that was... Gary, as a Girl Gamer, I salute you! Bet you never imagined you were starting a dating service...

(I would add that I was never in it only for the guys. They were just a perk. Oh, and the chainmail bikini? You get used to the chaffing... Just kidding. I've never run across one, so I really couldn't say.)

Auction Project: Complete!

Well, This is it! The auction project is hung and ready to go. The wall hanging measures about 37 inches across and 23 inches tall (not including the hanging tabs). I am still pulling together the mini take-home quilts, so I probably won't bring this into school until tomorrow or the day after. I hope this project sells well. It will be interesting to see if this small quilt does as well as the twin sized ones I've done in the past.

In the black

The Auction quilt is done! But, it is too overcast to get a decent photo, so I'll have to wait a bit to post it. I am about halfway done with the individual mini-quilts, so I feel like I am the crafting equivalent of being in the black. Thus the photo of black pussywillows from my yard. Sure, I am stretching things, but hey black pussywillows are pretty darn cool... so there you go. Once the school projects are wrapped up, I am going back to the fan quilt in blues and purples. Yesterday my mom and I shopped 'til we dropped at the Expo antique show. I came home with more than $20 in my pocket, which always leaves me with a disappointed feeling. Still I did find some cool paper bits for collages.. stamps, German die cuts, and old tobacco trading cards.

Auction Project: layer 2

Here is the auction quilt with its second layer of flowers and critters. The details have yet to be added, but the bones of the garden are all there. To keep the quilt from being too crowded I kept out one image by each child. These "leftovers" will be made into individual mini hangings so each artist has a little something to take home.