Showing posts with label Odds & Ends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Odds & Ends. Show all posts

August 20, 2025

A Happy Little Accident

With the tagline of "Everyone deserves to be part of the story," how can you not want to be involved?

Sir Crispin dela Rochefoucauld spent the better part of the year working diligently to bring an Assistive Listening System to the Middle Kingdom. From the overview on his blog: "Assistive Listening System (ALS): A portable and event-ready system that provides real-time audio during courts, classes, and announcements that is delivered directly to an attendees’ personal devices, including Bluetooth earbuds or compatible hearing technology."

Without getting too lost in the weeds, I helped facilitate onboarding for those interested in the system and collaborated on documentation. At Pennsic, Crispin scheduled three technical support sessions at the Midrealm Crafters Green, and on a lark I sketched a logo on our camp whiteboard - blending the classic three-arch Wi-Fi symbol with a nod to the triple rainbow badge created by the system’s originators.

After Pennsic, I ran the photograph through ChatGPT with the command "Stylized/clip art style, exclude the silvery frame and focus on the words Midrealm Assistive Listening System and the wi-fi symbol on the left with five circles replacing the third part of the wi-fi symbol." and was pleasantly surprised with the first draft. Add several hours of Photoshop and viola the final logo was complete!


Inspiration.
First draft.
Final-ish logo.

July 25, 2025

Pushing for Pennsic - 2025

Rather than curse myself with a monthly project update post, I humbly offer a list of garment-related items I have been working on for the two of us or for kingdom projects. My stretch goals for the winter were a bit stretchy. (Sounds familiar, eh?)

Crispin's Wardrobe Refresh
  • completed projects
    • green linen cotehardie
    • shot linen lightweight cotehardie
    • army green linen work tunic
    • natural linen work tunic
    • dark blue lightweight linen work tunic
    • shot linen lightweight work tunic
Gianna's Wardrobe Refresh
  • completed projects
    • green wool cotehardie with silk sleeves
    • green linen short sleeve cotehardie
    • aluminum (grey) linen short sleeve cotehardie
    • shot linen lightweight cotehardie
    • purple archaic chiton with purple and grey trim
    • green archaic chiton green and white trim
    • natural archaic chiton with red and brown trim
    • red archaic chiton
    • shot linen archaic chiton
  • Traveling Hat Club
    • North Oaken - Middle Kingdom Coronation
    • South Oaken - Royal University of the Midrealm
    • Pentamere - Val Day
    • Midlands - Ragnarök Rampage
    • Constellation - Better War Through Archery
Other Projects
  • Midrealm Royal
    • award shield heraldry (1)
    • award shield heraldry documentation

July 21, 2024

Pushing for Pennsic - 2024

Rather than curse myself with a monthly project update post, I humbly offer a list of garment-related items I have been working on for the two of us or for kingdom projects. My stretch goals for the winter were a bit stretchy. It isn't that I lack the skills, I lacked the spoons to do an awful lot during the winter. (Without getting too technical, I spent from August to April working on an exceptionally large project at work and it was very time, labor, and spoon intensive.)

Regardless...

Crispin Wardrobe Refresh

  • repairs
    • general's tabard - repaired sleeves
    • black pants - repaired armor tears on legs
    • grey geometric tunic - repaired neckline
    • blue geometric tunic - repaired neckline
    • yellow tunic - shortened sleeves
    • green tunic - shortened sleeves
  • completed projects
    • black linen hood
    • white three piece coif

Gianna's Wardrobe Refresh

  • repairs
    • white underdress - added long sleeves
    • white underdress - added long sleeves
    • white underdress - replaced long sleeves
    • white underdress - repaired long sleeves
    • blue work dress - shortened sleeves
    • tan/brown overdress - extended hem length, added trim
  • completed projects
    • blue linen hood
    • blue linen short sleeved cotehardie
    • blue/white diamond weave short sleeved cotehardie
Other Projects
  • Personal Encampment
    • tri-fold privacy screen
  • Midrealm Royal
    • barricade (shield wall) documentation
    • award heraldry shields (9 painted)

August 18, 2023

Post Pennsic Blah - Stretch Goals 2023

After Pennsic, I like to collect my thoughts as well as my to do (or to buy) list to make things easier the next year. For those that know me, endless lists and notes will come as no surprise - but they're so helpful! I took care of 2022's list (of purchases) by September 2022 and come July of 2023, I was patting past-self on the back.

I would like to expand the list to projects I'd like to complete in the downtime between Wars for just the slightest bit of accountability. I think the underlying goal was to complete at least one project per month. Best of luck, future me!

Crispin Wardrobe Refresh
  • hoods
    • black linen
    • gold wool
  • pants 
    • yellow linen
    • black linen
    • blue linen
    • green linen
    • red linen
  • long sleeved tunics 
    • olive green linen
    • shot linen
    • gold linen
  • short (work) sleeved tunics 
    • olive green linen
    • shot linen
    • neutral linen
  • tunica 
    • white linen
Gianna Wardrobe Refresh
  • underdress
    • neutral linen
    • light blue linen
  • long sleeved cote
    • olive green linen
  • short sleeved cote 
    • blue linen - needs buttons and finishing (8/23)
    • shot linen
    • purple linen
  • sideless surcoat
  • tunica 
    • white linen
Shared Items
  • hoods
    • blue linen - cut out, needs construction (8/23)
    • brown linen
    • black/gold parti-color
Other Projects
  • Midrealm Royal infrastructure documentation and schedule (book)
    • Midrealm Royal shield documentation (booklet)
    • Midrealm Royal shower documentation (booklet)
    • Midrealm Royal gate tent documentation (booklet)
  • Midrealm Royal independent shire heraldry (hanging plaques)
  • Midrealm Royal missing award heraldry (hanging plaques)
  • Pennsic Tent or Camp Projects
    • Stamp (decorate) interior curtains
    • Paint carousel tent
    • Paint day shade

October 28, 2015

I've Got My Eyes On You

The Employee Activity Committee (EAC) at work decided to host a pumpkin decorating contest this year, so of course I had to give it a go! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays as an October baby.

My idea started out as a pysansky pumpkin, so I laid out the pattern for the top and the bottom. When I colored it in with black, it kept looking more and more like the hair line of a classic Frankenstein cartoon. I decided to run with that, but had already laid the ground work for the many framed art pieces, which shortly turned into a variety of different colored and styled eyes including: the Eye of Sauron, a bloodshot gold eye, a Targaryan eye, a zombie eye, a pupula duplex eye, a gold Twilight vampire eye, and Godzilla's lizard eye, complete with mushroom cloud accent in the pupil.

Overall, super satisfied with the project! (And thanks to illumination for the painting skills.)

Bloodshot. Sauron.
Twilight. Pupula Duplex.
Ice zombie, House Targaryan.
White walker, Gozilla.