#and i want to finish my crafters and get back to making furniture

[plushchimera]

still on semi-hiatus but doing some warm ups bc wtf even is my art process i don't remember

[talesfromtinytonka]

Prompt 3 - Scale - The Weight of Contribution

It was another cold day in the high reaches of Ishgard’s firmament, the rhythmic sounds of hammers and saws echoing off the stone steps and wind swept tunnels. Arvide took comfort in the noise as he worked with his fellow engineers of the Manufactory on their latest contribution to the development of the Risensong Quarter. The clanking toil of his hammer against steel was music to his ears, so much so that it was no surprise that he did not hear the quick footsteps of his friend behind him. “Arvide!” hailed the friend, “You’re needed at the Dais!” Arvide put down his hammer and greeted his friend, a bemused smile forming on his lips. “Am I? What breakthrough has she made now?” Arvide could not help but notice the seriousness of his friends face, however, and the smile soon faded. “There’s a fight brewing between her an’ a merchant. You best get over there before the guards get involved!”

Arvide thanked his friend and made arrangements to cover his post, taking off for Saint Roelle’s Dais. He had never known Ehll Tou to be of the violent sort. Far from it, in fact: from the moment the Warrior of Light had introduced them, he had known Ehll Tou only as a bright eyed and eager to learn student. Their shared protégé was one of the nicest dragons Arvide had ever met since the opening of the gates to their kin, and he could scarce believe that such an attitude would change now. Even Hautdilong, though misguided he sometimes was as a youth, would know better than to provoke a fight in the midst of the firmament’s intense building efforts. Arvide tried to come up with an explanation as he bounded down the steps of the Abacus, already seeing quite a crowd forming far ahead of him.

Arvide arrived to the scene after the guards, but not before being able to ascertain the cause of the conflict. Hautdilong stood protectively close to Ehll Tou, a look of outrage on his face as her tiny dragonette wings beat with a fury that belied her own anger. Before them stood an unfamiliar face to Arvide: a merchant, dressed in far too many jewels and trinkets, a collection of aides at his side. The merchant shivered in the cold wind, his expression one of arrogance as he addressed the two. “Damn this cold and cause! I travel all this way to provide my wares, and to what end? To be mocked by this charade!? You’re as much an Artisan as that guard is a warrior of light!” Hautdilong let out an audible gasp of anger as he retorted back in kind. “She is a great crafter, and one far smarter than you! You’ll see!” As the guards began to make their approach to intervene, Arvide put his hand on one’s shoulder and slipped in front of them, walking up to the group. “What’s the meaning of this? Can you two explain..?” Hautdilong and Ehll Tou both looked relieved to see him, but before they could respond the merchant did for them. “Are you the one the dragon claims to study under? Bah! You will escort both of them out of here and apologize to me and my craftsmen for this insult to our work!”

Arvide turned to the man, his relief to see them physically unharmed fading into a look of seriousness. “I will do no such thing, sir. Their claims are true, and there is no reason a pair of able hands should be denied to participate in our efforts.” The man gave him a scowling look as he gave his sneering response. “And I suppose the works of a dragon are something you would find to be quality craftsmanship? I was told the Firmament needed competent crafters, but I can see now that offering my charity here would be but a stain on my outfit’s illustrious reputation.” Arvide clenched his fist, wanting so badly to give the man something more physical to contemplate. As he thought through what to say, an idea occurred to him that put a slight smile back upon his face. “Good Sir, while I appreciate your concern, I can vouch for the quality of Ehll Tou’s skill in the trade. If you are well and truly concerned, however, I would be happy to demonstrate though a challenge, if you are so inclined.” The words seemed to strike a fancy with the merchant’s aides, as they began to erupt in laughter. Arvide continued. “I assure you it is no jest. Ehll Tou here will challenge your finest artisan at crafting a piece of furniture—say, a chair—in a set amount of time with the materials on hand. We will let these people be the judge.” The merchant scoffed in disbelief at the offer, mocking Arvide. “And when our superior skills are shown to all, what then? It seems only fitting that all three of you should be punished for your insolence at that time…” Arvide nodded, playing along “Right you are, sir. The losing party will be removed from Ishgard as a whole, never to return.”

Hautdilong and Ehll Tou gasped with the crowd as a malicious smile began to curl upon the merchants lips. “So be it then, but do not presume your relation to the crowd here will save you. I will call upon more to bear witness to the contest: the merchants of the Jeweled Crozier and the knights of the congregation. Procure your ��fine” materials as you wish and return here in one hour, then we shall see who is deserving of the title.” As the merchant promptly left to gather their things, the crowd began to disperse. “Master Arvide, I…are you sure that was a wise decision?” Hautdilong spoke, his face turning pale. “Ehll Tou is undoubtedly becoming a great crafter, but…she’s still learning. We haven’t even the saw to fit her hand…” Arvide turned to the now somber looking Ehll Tou, her eyes averting contact with his as she nodded in agreement. Arvide brought both of them close and kneeled down, speaking to them. “Leave that to me, there are still enough materials from the Warrior of Light’s last delivery for me to fashion something suitable. None of us will be leaving Ishgard this day.” Arvide turned to face Ehll Tou directly, smiling. “Do you remember what I told you of crafting for someone?” Ehll Tou looked up to Arvide and nodded, the flapping of her wings quieting to a gentle rhythm. “The most important thing is to consider the need over appearances, right..?” Arvide nodded in satisfaction. “Right. Grand isn’t always best….you’ve seen the Firmament grow, and you know what these people need. Stay true to that and he cannot best you.” Ehll Tou thought on the words for a time before nodding again in acknowledgement, her faith in her skills renewed.

Arvide knew that time was short, and so he made quick arrangements to give Ehll Tou everything she needed to compete. He had Hautdilong hurry down to The New Nest to deliver a writ of request to Anna for materials—a move he was certain would cost him future grief; a necessary evil—as he ran back to the workshop to gather the necessary materials to forge a suitable saw for her size. In truth, the engineer had already made out more than a few plans for new tools to surprise the dragonette with, and it was not long before he returned with a saw perfect for her grip and size. He went over the basics with Ehll Tou, tying in the basics of woodcraft with the skills she had already learned in the trades of weaving and material gathering. A crowd around the two crafters began to form, and as the hour winded down Hautdilong finally returned with Anna, the two bringing bundles of the necessary material over to the dragonette. Things had fallen into place not a moment too soon as the crowd grew exponentially larger with each passing minute, the return of the merchant and his collection of aides clear as they began to approach the Dais from the bridge connecting the Mendicant’s Court. Arvide took a deep breath and gave a nod of encouragement to Ehll Tou as he stepped back in anticipation.

The merchant arrived with materials befitting his smug sense of refinement: exotic woods and shimmering varnishes, and a far too well dressed craftsman in tow. The merchant smugly turned to the crowd and addressed them. “I would say that this dragon’s materials alone prove the victory of my Artisan, but I suppose there’s no fun in proffering mercy, now is there? Let both of our craftsmen build against the toll of the next bell, and this crowd shall see the lie given title to this beast.” Arvide bit his lip as the man spoke, and as soon as he had finished his declaration the craftsman under his employ quickly went to work with the exotic materials. Arvide looked to Ehll Tou and gave her a thumbs up, signaling that it was time for the building to begin in earnest. Both Ehll Tou and her challenger gathered their tools and made their measurements, the cacophony of cuts and hammering broken up only by the sounds of cheers and excitement from the crowd as they watched the talents of each competitor. Arvide could not deny the skill of Ehll Tou’s opponent, but watched with confidence as the man fell right into the trappings that Arvide expected. The dragonette’s opponent, as expected of a man employed by a vain and rich merchant, seemed to care far too much about the niceties of the chair’s design and its appearance. In comparison, Ehll Tou was still working on the basics and lagging behind. Arvide hoped that his gamble would pay off.

The bell of the nearby towers finally rang some many minutes later, signaling the end of the hour and the crafter’s efforts on their furniture. Ehll Tou and the other Artisan stepped away from their creations, allowing the crowd to behold them. The crowd looked first upon the Artisan’s chair, a great deal of oohs and aahs slipping from their lips. The chair was jeweled beauty, the grain of its exotic wood striping the colorful golden-orange exterior of the chair. The arm rests curved and balled at the palm with polished, embedded gems; the backing of the chair upholstered with a coffee brown cushioning that looked positively inviting. Even Arvide would have been forced to admit that it was no doubt the nicest chair in the entirety of the Firmament. The merchant looked upon it with glee, and the crowd’s reaction was but fuel to his increasingly smug attitude. “Look! This is what a true craftsman makes! This chair would make any feel fit as a king!”

The crowd then turned to the creations of Ehll Tou, their reaction much more muted. Ehll Tou, it had seemed, could not decide on the shape or size that her chair should be. In her place of crafting stood three attempts made out of the same muted wood and basic materials she had been given: one chair far bigger than any man, bench-like in size and shape; one rough-hewn rocking chair of acceptable height and size; and one strange amalgamation of wood shaped almost like a coat rack. The merchant, of course, delighted at the revelation of these finished products, roaring laughter coming from the place of his aides in the crowd. “Is this the best your student can do? It’s a wonder you’re even allowed a place among the builders here!” Arvide stepped forward and into the area of the products, standing at the side of a now-defeated-looking Ehll Tou. “I have absolute faith in my pupil’s skill. I am certain that there is an explanation, and I would have her speak her mind.” Arvide turned to Ehll Tou, gesturing to the three creations that stood before them. “I see that you made a chair of reasonable quality. What of the bench? And this strange thing here? Can you explain them to me?” Ehll Tou’s wings flapped quietly as she addressed Arvide’s question with uncertainty. “Well… making the chair was easy enough, but…there was no point to make it fancy if it would get in the way of whoever sat in it...and what about other dragons like myself? We would like to sit too, every now and then...” she spoke, gesturing first to the coat-rack-like design, then to the large bench-like creation “…I thought that this might be more accommodating for us, and that made me consider what you said even more. What if someone else needed a place to sit? Someone like Marcelloix?” Arivde smilled as she explained to him and the crowd, the gears turning in his mind. “It sounds to me like you put a lot of thought into it, Ehll Tou. Far more than your competitior.”

The merchant listened in with outrage, starting in on Arvide. “Now see here!” The merchant exclaimed, “You may think yourself capable of weaseling out of your punishment, but this crowd will not be fooled by your intentions!” Arvide turned to the merchant, responding in a peaceful, reassured way. “Your fears are ill placed, merchant. I have no intention on declaring the winner here. However…If my craftsman has made concessions in appearance for functionality, I think it only fair that the crowd be given the ability to judge that functionality themselves. Are there any dragonettes here that would mind giving their thoughts?” The crowd looked among themselves before the high pitched flapping and excited squeaks of one such individual made their way to the center of the dais. “Ooh! Me! I’ll test them out!” The dragonette soared into view happily, perching itself first upon the other artisan’s creation. To Arvides relief, it appeared that the dragonette was not particularly fond of the merchant’s chair: the rounded palms of the armrest making it difficult for the dragon to perch itself upon the wood, while the cushioning on the top and bottom made its wings compress in an awkward, uncomfortable looking way. The dragonette got up, leaving small scratches in the wood as it did so, and made its way over to the strange design Ehll Tou had concocted. After a few moments of perching, the dragonette gave its verdict. “This feels great! I can rest my wings up here without feeling confined, and my tail doesn’t feel restricted!”

The crowd whispered among themselves while the merchant made his discontent known. “Ridiculous! This contest was for a chair, not a perch for some oversized bird! It should be judged based on the design as it was intended, first and foremost!” Arvide looked to the man and grinned. “Oh, I would quite agree sir! But, as your artisan may have noticed just now, it seems that your chair is not the most resilient piece of furniture, now is it?” The merchant shook his head, his words spewing out like pointed arrow tips. “What of it? A chair is a chair, not some plaything for beasts!” Arvide sighed as he looked to the crowd. “Correct again, good sir, but surely even you are aware of the people that will be seated in your chair. Look around you and you will find a steady supply of knights, all of whom would be equally glad to be given an opportunity to sit between shifts of the watch. Are there any such knights among us that would be willing to give their thoughts?” It was not long before one such person stepped forward from the congregation, nodding. “Aye, I’d be happy to try both.” The merchant watched bug eyed as the knight made his way over to his artisan’s creation, sitting down upon the chair without much thought or carefulness. The chair withstood the weight of the armored man, but its delicate form proved rather uncomfortable for the knight, whose shield and plates soon found themselves fighting the confines of the chair for flexibility. Getting back up out of the chair became an ordeal for the knight as the back plates of his armor pulled against the overly firm cushioning, ripping thread and exposing cotton in the process. The knight then sat upon Ehll Tou’s rocking chair, the weight of his equipment causing the chair to sway back ever so slightly before coming to a stop. The knight looked at himself in the chair and laughed, turning to Arvide. “Not even a contest, sir. This chair ain’t the comfiest, but it’d last a hell of a lot longer than the shite he’s made.”

The crowd was beginning to turn on the merchant, who refused to relent in his arrogant attitude. “The chair wasn’t meant for you, fool! It’s a thing of beauty, meant to be the jewel of someone’s living area! Even in its damaged state there are people that would feel like sultans sitting upon it!” The merchant pointed accusingly at Arvide. “Don’t presume that I’m blind to your schemes, wretch! Bring out your Marcelloix, then! Any man of such a refined name would understand the refined taste my Artisan’s crafts provide!” Arvide couldn’t help but grin wide as the merchant fell right into the trap. The stone of the dais began to shake as the crowd made room for Marcelloix, the tall and imposing creature that he had become. “I would be honored to give my thoughts on your chair, sir.” The merchant stood aghast of the man, watching in silent horror as he stomped his way over to his chair. The moment his large body made contact with the wood it began to buckle, the exotic materials proving no match for the large, scale-covered body of its tester. Marcelloix was not even able to squeeze himself into the seat yet when the wood finally splintered, the back of the chair falling off as the legs ground into bits of pretty pulp. Marcelloix did not seem impressed one bit, standing back up and heading over to Ehll Tou’s creation. As he sat down upon Ehll Tou’s chair a very loud, audible groan of the wood could be heard. Nonetheless, the thicker, less beautified design of her chair proved to withstand the man’s generous size and stature, and his tail whipped around in bemused excitement at it. “This is wonderful…thank you, Ehll Tou.”

“N-now…see here!” The merchant stuttered, the crowd seemingly having made up its mind at the sight of these events. “I was asked to bring my wares to the nation of Ishgard! Not to the fancy of beasts and foot soldiers!” The crowd began to shout their disapproval as they turned upon the merchant and his many aides, and it was not long before a new voice spoke from beyond the farthest reaches of the crowd. “You are mistaken, sir.” Arvide, Ehll Tou and Hotdilong turned to find Francel of all people now arriving to the crowd. Francel looked to the merchant, addressing him curtly. “The nation of Ishgard has changed. Who and what you see before you are as much a part of our nation as any highborn. I believe that there will be no further need for your outfit’s wares here.” Francel turned to the knights in the crowd, the merchant still trying to conjure up an excuse for his alleged victory in the challenge. “Please see that our guest is escorted across the Steps of Faith. It would not do well for our valued contributors to feel unwelcome by his words.” The guards nodded in understanding and at once saw the merchant and his aids back to the Mendicant’s Court. The crowd cheered as the man was made to leave, both in acknowledgement of Francel’s words and the victory brought by Ehll Tou’s kind consideration. Those in attendance tested the chairs made by Ehll Tou, providing her kind words of encouragement and voicing their approval of her craftsmanship. Arvide smilled proudly as he looked to Ehll Tou, the energetic fluttering of her wings making an appearance once more. Francel’s words rang true to him, he thought, as the dragonette had proven once again that anyone could prove their worth and shoulder the weight of the Firmament’s ambitions.

[swinners1990]

Not So Berry Part 2?

Finished @lilsimsie’s ‘Not So Berry Challenge’ and looking for something else to keep you occupied? Well i was bored today and decided to write up my own 10 gen challenge for Sims lovers! I tried to go for aspirations I’ve personally not used, also the traits don't particularly match the generation colour but i find it fun having a colour to work with! Please let me know what you think of this and if you try it!

Basic Rules:

1. Each heir must represent the colour given for that generation (i.e hair, make-up, clothes and home items)  2. The colour of your sims spouses don't matter, nor dose the gender unless stated.  3. Cheats can be used, but not excessively.. (you can use freerealestate for your first home or mccc cheats for number of babies) 4. You may live in any world unless it is stated in the rules.  5. Keep lifespan on normal. 6. Every generation must complete both aspiration and career unless stated otherwise. 7. If you do not have all the packs and cannot do some aspirations or caeers etc. then adjust that generation to what you do have! & have fun! 

Generation One; Charcoal (start as teen with parents)

You’re a angry teen who’s parents don't understand why you wear thick black makeup and can always been seen in a band tee-shirt or anything with chains. Growing up with two strict military parents (you may cheat both parents high up in the military career) you are always rebelling, sneaking out after curfew to meet with friends or to drink at the local bar. Your parents are always nagging at you, so you have enough and leave for the big city, they think you wont make it on your own, but you’re stubborn enough to grind and grind to prove them wrong.

Traits; Mean, Kleptomaniac, Erratic  Aspiration; City Native Career; Baby Sitter (teen) & Odd Jobs only when a young adult/adult/elder (you may keep the Baby Sitter part time job after aging from a teen)

Rules;

1. Master City Native Aspiration. 2. Live in tiny apartment. 3. Never marry & only have one child 4. Master Guitar & Handiness skills plus two other skills of choice. 5. Have neutral relationship with child. 6. Leave home the day you age into a young adult. (or while a teen, but I'm unsure if teens can move out alone?)

Generation Two; Rainbow (all multicoloured clothes/hair/item's etc.)

After growing up in a dark colourless home, you want to be surrounded in as much colour as possible, you wanted it to look as if a rainbow crash landed in your home! You didn’t have a good or bad relationship with either of your parents, and being an only child was lonely, all you’ve ever dreamed of was a big happy family!

Traits; Good, Family Oriented, Childish Aspiration; Big happy Family Career; Professor

Rules;

1. Master Big Happy Family aspiration and Professor career. 2. Max the Research & Debate, Parenting, Bowling & Cooking skills. 3. Have at least 4 children. 4. Marry an adult sim while you're still a young adult. 5. Have a family bowling day out once a week on a day of your choice. 6. All children must share a room.

Generation Three; Hazel

Your home was always crowded, sharing a room with all your siblings you could never hear your own thoughts, so you spend most of your time outside playing, reading, playing the violin or cloud gazing, dreaming of a quite life by the sea.

Traits; Bookworm, Loves Outdoors, Child Of The Ocean Aspiration; Beach Life Career; Diver (teen) / Marine Biologist 

Rules;

1. Master Beach Life aspiration & Both Careers. 2. Max Fitness and Violin skills. 3. Must live in Sulani. 4. Have a mermaid best friend. 5. Have a close relationship to all children. 

Generation Four; Pearl

As a toddler you loved life on the beach, but once a child you went to school and discovered the Drama Club! You fell in love with acting and spent all your time in front of the mirror practising lines! You had stars in your eyes and nothing would stop you from being famous!

Traits; Self-Obsessed, Materialistic, Ambitious Aspiration; World Famous Actress Career; Actress

Rules;

1. Master World Famous Actress aspiration and Actress career. 2. Max the Acting, Charisma and Wellness Skills. 3. Join Drama Club after your first day at Grade School. 4. Have a butler and a maid. 5. Marry another famous sim. 6. Live in Del Sol Valley. 7. Become a 5 Star celebrity.

Generation Five; Mauve

While having celebrity parents was fun at times, they was always busy and you spent a lot of your time with the staff. After a while you started enjoying the company of animals rather than other sims. You decide that you want to run your own Veterinary business, but don't want it just handed to you like any other rich kid. So you BORROW the money from your parents for a small starter Vet Clinic & pay them back as soon as you start making money. (you can ask for large loans if your charisma is high enough, if not then use money cheats then cheat the money away to “pay it back”)

Traits; Cat Lover, Dog Lover, Cheerful Aspiration; Animal Lover Career; Vet Owner

Rules;

1. Master the Animal Lover aspiration. 2. Adopt stray animals only. 3. Lot traits to be both Cat & Dog Hangout 4. Max the Veterinarian, Pet Training and Knitting Skills. 5. Donate all knitwork to charity. 6. Marry an employee. 7. Vet Clinic must get to at least 4 Stars.

Generation Six; Emerald

Growing up surrounded by cats and dogs meant you was never alone, which in turn was an issue as that's all you wanted at times! As a teen you would love nothing more than to take a cooler to the local lake and spend hours alone, fishing! And if you wasn't doing that you would be out back crafting away!

Traits; Loner, Neat, Maker Aspiration; Angling Ace Career; Fisherman (teen) / Freelance Crafter

Rules;

1. Master Angling Ace aspiration and Fishing career. 2. Max the Fishing, Fabrication and Piano skills. 3. Have twins only. (don’t matter how many sets, but all children must be twins-Good luck!) 4. Fabricate most of own furniture. 5. Be engaged but never marry.

Generation Seven; Tangerine 

Being a twin was amazing and you loved your sibling, they’re your best friend! But sometimes you never got all the attention, it was shared.. EVERYTHING was shared! When teens, your twin becomes more into sports. While you are always glued to a phone or computer screen. Constantly taking selfies and updating your social media.. Finally getting the attention you've always craved! 

Traits; Hates Children, Self-Assured, Jealous  Aspiration; Fabulously Wealthy Career; Internet Personality

Rules;

1. Master Fabulously Wealthy aspiration and Internet Personality career. 2. Marry a rich sim. 3. Constantly upload videos, blogs & drone recordings. 4. Max the Media Production, Singing and DJ Mixing skills. 5. Hire a nanny daily to take care of any children you have.

Generation Eight; Cotton Candy

Your parent lived online for as long as you could remember, you had a good relationship with both your parents but you was always closer to you father. You found beauty in the greenhouse, and was never more relaxed than while you was tending to the garden and bonding with the bees. Your aim is to make your neighbourhood greener than your grandparents hair! You have one BFF as a child, but once teens the friendship turns romantic! 

Traits; Greenfiend, Recycle disciple, Vegetarian Aspiration; Freelance Botanist Career; Botanist

Rules;

1. Master Freelance Botanist aspiration and Botanist career. 2. Max the Gardening, Flower Arranging and Herbalism Skills. 3. Have a well maintained garden. 4. Don’t Woohoo until after married. 5. Have an outdoors/Beach wedding to childhood best friend. 6. Live in Evergreen Harbour  7. Make your neighbourhood green.

Generation Nine; Powder Blue

You had a happy free childhood and loved your parents dearly, but growing up you longed for adventure! You would jog everyday dreaming of climbing Mt. Komorebi! After taking a vacation there as a teen you fell in love with the scenery and culture, after that you concentrated on your training to do the big climb! 

Traits; Active, Proper, Outgoing Aspiration; Mt. Komorebi Sightseer  Career; Extreme Sports Enthusiast

Rules;

1. Master the Mt. Komorebi Sightseer aspiration and Extreme Sports Enthusiast Career. 2. Max the Rock Climbing, Snowboarding OR Skiing and Fitness skills. 3. Successfully climb Mt. Komorebi. 4. Have a ‘No shoes Allowed’ household. 5. Only ever do a ‘Respectful Introduction’ 6. Go jogging every morning.

Generation Ten; Sunflower Yellow

Your parents love for adventure rubbed off on you, they always taught you to follow your dreams, so you do and you set your sights on Archaeology! It was exciting and a different kind of adventure to your parents mounting climbing!  You'll be the next Indiana Jones, but how will you fund your full time adventures? Why not write about your amazing adventures too? Surly people will read about that!

Traits; Adventurous, Genius, Romantic Aspiration; Archaeology Scholar Career; NO JOB. (Odd jobs are allowed on occasion)

Rules;

1. Master Archaeology Scholar aspiration. 2. Write & publish books about your adventures. 3. Max the Archaeology, Writing, handiness and Selvadoradian Culture skills. 4. Only ever vacation in Selvadora 5. Marry a Selvadorian native.

I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as the original Not So Berry Challenge! It was so fun to come up with! 

[per-ineptia-ad-astra]

This isn’t the kind of thing I normally do around here, but it seemed like it might be a bit of fun. I’ve absolutely no idea if it’s something you all would be interested in, though, so let me know if you like it or not—if not, I’ll just leave it as a one-off and go back to the regular memes to fill the time while I’m working on Space Seed.

Recently I’ve been playing resource management/base building type games a lot, which I suspect stems from the fact that managing resources in my real life is going rather less well, the latest of these being Stonehearth, a cute voxel game where you guide a group of beady-eyed little people into building a village for them to live in. I’d played a fair bit of it over the past winter but hadn’t touched it in several months, enough time for there to be a couple of updates to the content*, so I decided to see what had been added in the interim.

*Technically the officially-approved-but-player-created-mod-expansion.

But once I got around to selecting my starting villagers, I ran into the same problem I always have at these moments in games—what to name everybody? I’m a massive overthinker about this sort of thing, you see, the sort who will spend ages scouring Wikipedia to find the most thematically appropriate set of things to name all the characters after. On this occasion, though, as I stared aimlessly around my desk trying to come up with something, inspiration struck in the shape of the copy of Star Trek: The Classic Episodes that I still hadn’t put away. Or possibly it was the Data Funko Pop. Either way, I thought, well, why not…?

[ID: A screenshot of the ‘Customize your party’ screen in the video game Stonehearth. On the left are five miniature profiles for cartoonish voxel versions of Kirk, Sulu, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura. Their Mind, Body and Spirit stats are, respectively,  4/5/4,  3/2/6, 4/3/4,  6/2/5, and 3/4/6. On the right is an appearance customization screen with Uhura selected.]

And thus was born a quest to see the crew of the Enterprise through their colonization of wherever the hell it is they’ve ended up this time. Or at least, some of the crew of the Enterprise. I don’t think my computer could handle simulating the full four hundred and thirty of them.

Stonehearth villagers (or ‘hearthlings) have three stats—Mind, Body and Spirit-- as well as up to two traits that influence their behavior. In the starting roster, you can’t directly alter their stats or traits, but you can randomly generate villagers individually or as a group for as long as you want until you get something you like, and can change their names and appearances freely. By default, all the villagers are workers, but with the right items they can be promoted into special classes, such as warriors who defend the village, crafters who make necessary items, or resource-suppliers like farmers and trappers. My starting selection of characters was based on the roles that I judged most important to the getting this colony off the ground. (It may be helpful to keep in mind throughout this, though, that I am not very good at Stonehearth.) The traits I just kind of took where I could get them, since it would have taken an enormously long time to roll for the absolute most character-appropriate ones.

Kirk has the traits ‘Night Owl’ (he’ll stay up later at night and sleep more in the day) and ‘Jokester’ (he likes to tell jokes to the others, which has a chance to increase their moods). I was unsure what to do with him at first, since there’s not really any kind of leadership position for hearthlings. In the end I decided he would make a good Knight, a heavy armor combat class. After all, protecting everyone else in the group at the risk of his own life is a pretty Kirk-ish thing to do. He’ll have to spend some time as a Footman, the basic combat class, before he can promote to Knight, though.

Sulu has the traits ‘Green Thumb’ (he gets a happiness boost from being around plants) and ‘Pack Mule’ which means he can carry more than usual. This is a good combo of traits for a farmer, and since Sulu likes plants he seemed like the most natural choice for that role.

McCoy has the trait ‘Pessimistic’ which makes him more affected by things that cause negative mood modifiers, because of course he does. His class was far and way the easiest to pick: he’ll spend some time as a Herbalist, a crafting class that can make bandages and medicines, until he can promote to Cleric, a combat class that can heal.

Scotty has the traits ‘Gregarious’ (he enjoys talking to other villagers more) and ‘Animal Companion’ (he spawns with a pet, in this case a raccoon named Cactus). Alright, perhaps not the most Scotty-ish of traits, but hey, he had good stats. Scotty’s going to be a Carpenter, the staple crafting class for the Ascendency faction, who use wood as their primary resource. (There actually is an Engineer class, but it doesn’t come into play until much later and the Carpenter is considerably more important for the early game.)

Finally, Uhura has the ‘Empathetic’ trait (she gets a negative mood modifier from being around other villagers who have negative mood modifiers) and is going to be a Trapper, a class that traps animals for meat and fur and can promote to the Shepherd, who raises livestock animals. A bit of a stretch, I know, but hey, there’s no communications-based class, and someone had to be a Trapper. Plus, Trappers have a chance of bringing animals home as pets, which is what started The Trouble With Tribbles, so, hey.

With the starting roster confirmed, all that remains is to first pick a starting resource package—I’ve gone with the Merchant Caravan, which will give us some starting food and gold as well as the promotion items for a Trapper, Footman and Herbalist—and then roll a map. Eventually—after spending far too long generating and re-generating maps—I’ve settled on a nice location by a lake, with plenty of trees, and mountains nearby to dig for ore and stone in. The only downside is it’s a bit exposed, so hopefully nothing too big attacks before we’re able to build some walls.

[ID: A screenshot showing a zoomed-out grassy landscape near a lake, with a message box reading “Click the banner to choose your settlement’s location.” At the bottom of the screen is a blue banner that reads “Click me to place your town banner.”]

Soon after selecting our starting location, a messenger bird arrives with a letter.

[ID: A screenshot showing a message box with a voxel bird displayed above it, titled ‘A Bird...Messenger?’ The box reads “An odd bird arrives with a letter in its beak, stamped with the official seal of the Ascendency.” In smaller text: “The bird also carries a nametag, which reads ‘Harold’. Below the box are two options: ‘Open the letter’ and ‘[skip] We know what banner we want.’]

The letter reads:

Dear Expedition 142,

I hope this letter finds you well. By my guess, you’ve likely set up camp by now.

As your Capital Liaison, it is my honor to preside, remotely, over the official Founding of your Outpost! I trust that you had ample time to choose a name on your journey.

As you know, every new settlement must choose a Banner.

This Banner reflects your spirit and vision, the uniting factor which brought the Expedition together!

What future did you foresee when you embarked on your quest for Township?

Hold in your mind a vision of what your Town will one day be. Your Banner will set that course, but it is up to you to finish it.

Choose well, my friends. I eagerly await your reply.

Yours,

Mer Burlyhands

We could choose a banner of Vitality, which plants to grow faster and trees to drop more wood; Strength, which increases the amount of ore you get from mining and makes hearthlings not mind living in cramped spaces; or Cunning, which makes traders visit more frequently and traded items sell for more.

I choose the Banner of Vitality. The name of the town, of course, is Enterprise.

[ID: A message box titled ‘Outpost Established!’ which reads: “Proclamation of Outpost: By Unanimous agreement of the citizens, we declare Enterprise to be an outpost striving to be at one with the environment. Trees produce 25% more wood. Plants and crops both grow 25% faster. Plants have 2x their normal Appeal.”]

The messenger bird drops off some extra starting food supplies before leaving. Now it’s time to get to the business of actually building this town. Colony. Whatever.

First off, promotions for everyone! Except Sulu. It’ll be a bit before we can promote Sulu. Sorry, Sulu.

[ID: Four cropped shots of message boxes which read “Promote to [Carpenter/Herbalist/Trapper/Footman]. In honor of steadfast efforts and resilience, we hereby advance [Montgomery Scott/Leonard McCoy/Nyota Uhura/James Kirk]. 4th Day of Bittermun 1000.” Below the text is a stamp icon which reads ‘click to approve.’]

Then we establish a stockpile—a designated location for items to go—and cut down some trees. We’re going to need wood to make buildings and furniture, as well as for fuel.

After a bit of consideration, I decide to move the hearth closer to the lake, near to where our first building is going to go up. For the moment, however, night is falling, and everyone gathers to rest around the fire.

[ID: A screenshot showing voxel-McCoy, Uhura, Sulu and Scotty sitting around a campfire on the shores on a lake.]

...everyone except Kirk, who, for reasons best known only to himself, has fallen asleep in the stockpile.

[ID: 1. A screenshot showing voxel-Kirk laying asleep on the ground in a stockpile full of logs and food supplies. 2. A zoomed-out screenshot showing how far away Kirk is from everyone else around the campfire.]

Thus was founded the town/settlement/colony/localized disaster area known as Enterprise. What could possibly go wrong?

[cbcdiversity]

Author/Illustrator Spotlight: Vanessa Brantley-Newton

1. What inspired you to write Grandma's Purse?

I just love Grandmas! They are everything, and that most children who are blessed to have grandparents who come to visit or live with them is something so very special. "That's my mommy's mommy or my dad's mom!" Just a child wrapping there little heads around that relationship is so interesting. Grandmas can be a mystery to a child, especially one with a handbag. Down south we call them purses or pocketbooks and there was so much awesomeness to find inside of one. My Grandma Bertha was one amazing woman. She loved to dress up and she always had a pocketbook with her. Usually one with tapestry on the front or maybe even a shiny black patent leather one, and just hearing it open and close made my heart skip a beat. I was always going through her purse, and she would let me from time to time when I asked. I felt like I was going on a magical treasure hunt! Would I find candy or pictures of family members? Maybe a tiny Bible or a bottle of perfume or maybe some lipstick I could put on just like she did? I knew I would find some kind of surprise every time I looked inside, and I just wanted to share that with children.

Grandparents are not just old people. They can be characters too.

 2. Did you encounter any unexpected challenges or interesting moments while writing this book? Tell us about it. 

Oh my goodness did I. I didn't write this book to be trendy or anything of the sort. I purely wrote this out of love for my memories of my relationship with Ms. Bertha. I cried a few times and still get full when I read certain parts of the book like "Yes I use my smell-good so you know I was here even after I go home." It speaks to life and being a fragrance and then being the smell that lingers after one passes from this life. When I lost my mom the first thing I ran to do was to smell her clothes. I didn't want to forget what her essence smelled like, and it was the same for my Grandma. I wanted to bury my nose into that handbag of her's just so that I could remember what she smelled like. Another moment was when Grandma Mimi and the little are looking at the pictures. Pictures in my family are something so very precious. The sepia tone images of the 1920's and 30's. The scalloped edges of old Polaroids in faded black and white still excites me and thrills me to my very soul. Seeing old relatives and seeing grandma when she was young or my mom when she was a little girl was magical. They instantly give me life!

3. What was your illustration process like for Grandma's Purse?

I really had fun creating the images for this book! The illustrations came before the words. Sometimes it happens this way when I write. I had so many images in my head of me with her when I was a child and I wanted to share that with the readers. Fabric of the 60's and 70's helped me with my collage process. I work in Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop, and I go back and forth between the two. I hand draw my character and then bring them into Photoshop to size and then they’re finished in Corel and then I collage them in Photoshop again. I am a retro girl of sorts. I love anything from the late 50's and 60's as far as style, color and pattern, and I like putting that into my illustrations. Playing with fashion is something I do in every book that I illustrate. I loved dressing Mimi. I wanted her and the little girl to be stylish and fresh! Even down to the furniture. I wanted to make that interesting as well. Something that everyone would enjoy looking at over and over again, always finding something new with each reading of the book.

What are some things you would like readers to take away from this story?

The joy and preciousness of the grandparent and grandchild relationship. Grandparents can be really interesting and fun!

That you don't need TV or iPads, bells or whistle to have a fun time. Sometimes fun can be quiet and sweet and simply found in ladies handbags.

And lastly, we have so many names for Grandma! Mimi, Ginny, G Ma, Gigi, Glam Ma and the list goes on and on and on. I want to hear children talk about what they call their own grandmas!

This Q&A appeared in the January 2019 issue of the CBC Diversity Newsletter. To sign up for our monthly Diversity newsletter please click here.

Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a self-taught illustrator, doll maker, and crafter who studied fashion illustration at FIT and children’s book illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is the author and illustrator of Let Freedom Sing and Don't Let Auntie Mabel Bless the Table and has illustrated numerous children’s books, including Mary Had a Little Glam by Tammi Sauer, One Love and Every Little Thing, words by Bob & Cedella Marley, and Presenting . . . Tallulah by Tori Spelling. Vanessa currently makes her nest in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, daughter, and a very rambunctious cat named Stripes. Learn more about Vanessa and her artwork at VanessaBrantleyNewton.com and on Facebook.

[bffhreprise]

Best Friend For Hire Reprise, Entry 375

 “Oooooh, Raaaaine!” sang Emma excitedly.  She was outside, altering the yard again.  “Have a moment?”

 I carefully stored away my studies in their proper places within my head.  Then I thanked Mila.  She certainly would’ve heard Emma as well, so I didn’t need to explain where I was going.  Having Mila around was so wonderful.  She was patient and sweet, willing to teach me anything.  I knew that was one of her jobs, but she didn’t get paid extra for being so great at it.  Plus, I didn’t have to drag words out so much for her to understand, making conversation much easier.

 After gently depositing Pufflewink in her favorite section of her home, I tidied up a little and then went to see Emma.

 “That took you a second.  Were you busy?” she asked, wrapping an arm around me while still staring absently into the distance.  She probably wasn’t even using her eyes at the moment, focused on plant things.

 Though I was very confident I hadn’t made her wait even a second, I didn’t argue, deciding that Emma was just teasing me.  Scenarios of her flirting with me ran through my head.  If I argued, she’d probably give me a smile and tell me how cute I am or some variation thereof.  Nope.  Not arguing.  After some consideration, I decided the time had come to make words.  “Y-You needed… me?” I asked, genuinely curious about what she was up to today.

 Emma occasionally told me about work, consulted with me about designs for furniture she was creating, and gossiped about the love lives of our friends, but our conversations about gaming were the best.  Both of us loved video games, and she was pretty good at them, better than average for certain.  Her head slowly turned to me, a smile already forming, and scenarios sprang up in my head to try guessing what she was up to.

 “I’m going to resculpt the bushes again.” she told me as new bushes sprang up around us.  She had carried part of a root through the ground and caused it to grow out into multiple bushes rather than using seeds this time.  On one side of us, the bushes took the shape of different knights in full armor, weapons held at the ready or thrust forth in a pose.  Facing them was a group of Jedi, Sith, or a combination of the two.  The men and women wore long, flowing robes, and carried what were obviously lightsabers, making me wonder if anyone could manage to create such detail without her gifts.  “Like the idea of knights or Jedi better?  I suppose I could do battle scenes of the two forces fighting one another, but I’d have to claim the knights had some form of magic to compete with the Force.”

 “B-Both are really c-cool.  If… I mean…  W-Well…” I started, trying to figure out an easy way to state some of the ideas going through my head.  There were numerous ways she could make the scenes look as if the knights were using magic or the Jedi were using the Force.  She could have a knight posed with a sword thrust into the ground and make a furrow spreading from the sword toward a Jedi as if some type of ground attack was being implemented.  A knight with an outthrust hand could have a dome-shaped plant in front of it, blocking an attack.  A knight could seem suspended in the air, flailing from a Force Push, by having an open spot below it with nothing but the bush’s base.  I slowly started trying to get one of the ideas across to her, but she interrupted me.

 “Do you actually prefer to have the two forces fighting, or are you not wanting to pick one?” she asked with a grin.

 Honestly, I was just trying to expand on her idea of the battle while possible scenarios for an overall yard layout were continuing in the back of my mind.  None of them would be very accurate in the end, so I wasn’t too concerned about which way she went.  Emma always made the yard look perfect.  The fruit trees were always laden with fruit, the vegetable gardens always had an abundance of ripe vegetables, the flower gardens were in bloom, and no plant ever had disease or ruined leaves for long.

 “I-I like b-both.” I admitted, despite knowing my honest opinion wasn’t helpful.

 “But which one should I do today?” she asked with a pout as she moved in front of me and took my hands in hers.  “I’m certain you can imagine how awesome any of the ideas would look.  Please, don’t make me choose between my babies!” she exclaimed, dropping to her knees as if she were really pleading with me.

 “W-Why make me… ch-choose!?” I asked right back.  Comparing the choices to children didn’t make anything easier!  An unfortunate number of scenarios played out in my mind.  There were too many historic and fictional accounts of parents having to make difficult decisions involving their children.  Despite what some people accused me of when catching me flipping through a book, I actually read every word, storing the entire book away in my brain’s library.  Since coming to Best Friend For Hire, I created my own mental bindings for thousands of digital books.  Okay, tens of thousands.  That was still a drop in the bucket of what was available.

 “Because, Raine… you’re my hero, here to save me!  Help me, Raine Vance!  You’re my only hope!” she exclaimed, referencing the message Leia had sent to Obi-Wan.  Then she stood and told me “You’re seriously incredible at designing things.  If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be the foremost crafter of our entire guild!”

 “H-Having high cr-crafting skills… helps.” I pointed out, though I really did like to think that my customers in the game enjoyed the designs I made as well as the statistical values of what I made.  Even the potions I made had uniquely designed containers for each type, but I wasn’t certain anyone had ever noticed.   Well, Alma probably did.  She paid attention to that sort of detail.

 Since Emma was listening, I started telling her about one of my latest projects, a fortress I was commissioned to build for one of our allies.  Unfortunately, I didn’t do so well expressing the layout, because her questions at several points involved impossible turns.  As I attempted to better convey the fortress in my head into words, I felt something odd and… it appeared.  The entire fortress popped out of my head right next to us.

 “Oops.” was all I was able to say.  Surprise warred with my worry.  I hadn’t realized that I could accidentally pull a copy of something in my head into reality, but I was legitimately concerned about how I was going to apologize to James.  This wasn’t a small mistake, it was an entire fortress.

 Emma swore and would have fallen to the ground had I not caught her.  Then she leaned forward and poked the fortress.  “It’s real!  Raine, this is real!” she exclaimed excitedly as she thumped the wall with her fist.  “This is… Did you know you could… Raine, this is amazing!”

 “I need to… J-James…  H-How…” I started, wanting to express my concerns, but unable to simultaneously say all of the issues going through my mind.

 “Go ask Mila if he’s busy.  Even if he is, he’ll want to see this!” she insisted, running for the fortress’ door.

 I hesitated briefly, but every scenario I formed with Mila present was better than the ones without.  Mila would have witnessed this and might have already informed James for me.  After heading inside, I started saying, “M-Mila… I…”

 “I know.  I’m already upstairs, just outside of James’ office.” she replied.

 I went there, surprised to see her smiling when I stopped in front of her.  “Don’t worry.” she told me, patting my back.  Then she turned and opened the door without even knocking.  “Master, are you busy?” she asked.

 James motioned to the screen in front of him, and the light went out.  Then he said, “Not too busy for you two.  What’s up?”

 “I-I…” I started, considering different ways to tell him what all happened.  After considerable scenarios that became far too involved, I went with the simplest explanation and said,  “W-Well, I… Oopsed.”

 “Oopsed?” he questioned.

 “She means to say that she created a fortress in your backyard.” explained Mila with an amused smile.

 “Wow.  Sounds neat.  Mind if I go see it?” he asked, so I moved him there before he finished speaking.

 “Man-slave!  Isn’t this awesome!?” called Emma from above the gate, still seeming perfectly excited about my mistake.

 “May we have permission to enter?” asked James, bowing dramatically.

 Emma considered for several seconds before saying, “I suppose.  Just leave your weapons outside the door.”  Then she flipped off the top, her feet aimed at James as she fell.

 As I was still considering whether or not Emma could land from that height without injury, James started to move.  He stepped slightly to the right and carefully caught her, letting her momentum swing them around.  

 “Nice catch!  Raine built this.  You’ve gotta see the inside!” she insisted, leaning into him.

 “Know why she called it an ‘oops’?” he asked as he set her down.

 “Probably because she didn’t have permission.  Could be because she didn’t mean to do it, but who accidentallies a castle!?” she teased.

 “M-Me.” I muttered in embarrassment.

 “Raine, this is fine.” he assured me.  “I’ll get the paperwork in order to have it, and we can all enjoy periodic vacations in a keep.  What caused you to do this?”

 “Oh!  That’d be me.  I dragged her out here earlier to discuss a new theme for the bushes.  I was thinking of doing knights in battle this time around, but I was tempted to pay homage to Star Wars as well.  Raine wasn’t being particularly decisive, which is a shame when you’re as cute and talented at design as she is.” teased Emma as she came around to hug my side.  “Anyway, she was trying to tell me about this keep idea she had, but I wasn’t really getting it.  Then this appeared, fully furnished!”

 James smiled and opened the door.  “Very impressive.” he stated, not seeming the least perturbed.  “I expected your first intentional creation to be something… well, smaller.  I suppose your clothes could count, but those seem more like a reflex for you.”

 “W-Wasn’t… I… I d-didn’t mean to.” I assured him while part of my mind was trying to deal with James saying he had expected me to create something.  How long had he known that I could do this?

 “Fine, but you did mean to get your point across with Emma.  You’ll just have to practice, so you don’t do something like this without full intent again.” he told me, still seeming to admire the fortress as he looked around the courtyard.

 “You seem waaay less surprised than I was.” stated Emma, crossing her arms and watching him.

 “Raine’s half demon, so I knew she could do this sort of stuff.  She could actually revert everything again just as easily.” he replied with a slight shrug.

 “I-I c-can?” I asked in surprise.  While part of me berated myself for never thinking to ask James about what he knew, part of me was a bit excited by the prospect of being able to fix this.

 “Of course.  Remember how Ariadne did it, cleaning up after her party?” he asked, waiting for me to nod.  “Same type of thing.  You just wield the opposite magic of hers.  If you want, I could get her here to give you lessons, but you’d have to put up with the um… ‘ickiness’ of her magic.”

 I told him that I didn’t want to bother her before even thinking it through, but he didn’t respond, making me realize that I hadn’t actually produced sound, merely moving my lips.  “M-Maybe… eventually.” I told him after arguing with myself for a bit.  Ariadne was obviously skilled at this sort of thing, so she might actually be able to help me.  Furthermore, I didn’t want to accidentally make anything else.  This… ability… could be dangerous.

 James went on to say, “I can try to at first if you’d like, though I’d prefer not to do any demonstrations.”

 “Wait.  What!?  You can do,” Emma waved her arm up and down toward the keep,  “this!?”

 “No, not on my own.  If Excalibur was made to be more than a weapon, I could demonstrate with it.  Unfortunately, I have to access the node here, like I did to create the illusions at my wedding.” he explained, reminding me of the incredible power I had felt that day.

 “All I can do is play with plants.” she complained, pouting.

 “Neither of us can do what you can do, and your pout’s too cute to be convincing.” he told her, smiling comfortingly.

 “Hey!” complained Emma.

 “W-Will you really…” I started, stopping to take a deep breath.  I really wanted this to come out clearly, so I spent extra effort to focus on the words.  “Will you help me?”

 In response, he picked me up and hugged me.  “You silly person.  I just said I would.  We’re friends, Raine.”

 “Wife’s pregnant, and you’re messing around with another girl.  For shame, man-slave.  That’s my job!” teased Emma with a mischievous grin.

 “Messing around with me or with another girl?” he asked as he set me down.  Looking at me, he inquired “You didn’t happen to build a dungeon, did you?  I think we might have to trap Emma with her fantasies for a while.”

 “What type of dungeon!?” exclaimed Emma, still grinning in a trouble-hungry manner.

 “W-Well…” I started, wondering how to explain the extent of the dungeon.

 Luckily, Mila—who had one of her bodies run out here—said, “Yes, master!  She actually broke some of the tunnels for your vault, though none that really mattered.”

 I froze in place, ashamed that I had wrecked part of James’ underground labyrinth.  I didn’t even know where to begin apologizing for destroying his property to that extent.

 James patted my head as he said, “No matter.  This will be fantastic come Halloween.  The guests will be even more shocked than last year.”

 “H-Halloween…” I told him, memories of what I had seen swarming through my head.  “I s-saw it… on T.V.”

 “You should’ve stopped by.  Maybe you could’ve been hired sooner.” he told me.  “Mila, would you mind asking my wife if she’d like to explore a castle?”

 “Anything for you, Master.” flirted Mila.

 Then he said, “She’ll probably be just a moment.  She’ll tease me horrendously later if I let her miss this.  This really is beautiful, Raine.  Is this for Ancient Tribes of Earth?”

 I nodded.  “C-Custom order.”

 “Did they design it then?” he asked.

 “N-No.” I replied, not certain why he asked.

 “Excellent.  I’d recommend coming up with a new design for them, maybe just a slight variation of this, in case this gets televised in the Fall.”

 Alma, who had just arrived behind us, said, “Good thinking.  Wouldn’t want them thinking the design is unoriginal later.  Raine, you did fantastic work here.  I love the layout.”

 “You too!?  Did everyone else know Raine could do this!?” complained Emma as she hugged me again.  Looking to Alma, she said, “Don’t go ruining any secrets for us while we’re in there.  I haven’t even seen everything yet.”

 “No promises.” teased Alma with a smile.

 At James’ request, I led the way, answering questions about the architecture and furnishings as we went.  With the numerous compliments the three paid me, I felt a little embarrassed, but I also decided that this actually was some fun for being a huge mistake.

[meandering-mind]

Requested; A word on making gil?

Smacking this under a read more. The TLDR is that I’ve been asked about my process, and I figured I’d take a moment to explain. I’m not an expert, however. 

So, what I need to explain first is that I have been playing FFXIV for a very long time, with no real breaks - not something I am extremely proud of because I guess it says something about how my real life might be, but here we are. For the bulk of this time, I’ve been heavily invested in crafting. So that is my springboard into this.  - Making gil is not hard, but it takes time.  This is one of the earliest things I realized about the notion of staying in profit. If you really want to make sure you’re always earning more than you spend, some of your hours is going to be consumed. Every. Day. You could be grinding for a few hours, gathering, crafting - it all takes time, no matter how you go about it. I can sometimes be heard stating that I don’t really do content at 60 - because I really don’t. In crunch times I’ll do my weekly cap and keep my gear relatively up to date, but I don’t raid and I don’t do dungeons every day all day. It’s a small miracle I even finished my relic before SB.  - The best way to do it always changes. Find a market and stick with it.  And if you can, pick more than one market so you are less vulnerable to the changes of time. As an example, I have always been crafting the entry level crafting sets - ever since we were all level 50′s - they aren’t things that will sell for a tonne of money but there is always a demand for these items. Many, many of my millions over time has come from this.  - Crafting is an addictive sink  You have to spend some to get some, that is the essence in crafting. Level everything at the same time so you don’t have to repurchase gear, and then figure out how you can buy materials for say 20k and spin 50k out of it. Scale up when you reach for the stars. Realize that melding your crafting gear is probably going to consume 10 million gil (Balmung, in peak times). The time inbetween crafters getting new sets is all a game of making your money back and turning a profit before you have to remeld everything. To my recollection they made us do this 2-3 times in HW, if it was more then I probably went in denial and forced the memories away. Also the BiS set wont be meldable immediately but by the philosophy of Yoshi-P, melding will be an offer for the “Serious crafters”.   - If you can predict the future you will probably win  New housing wards being released? Stock up on furniture that is popular. New glamour sets getting introduced? Jump on it on day one and then abandon it when it crashes. Stuff like that. I wasn’t ever super good of it (so I tend to stick to my markets.)  - Don’t fucking undercut  If you absolutely HAVE TO because you have some habit you cannot unlearn, do it by one gil. Never ever say “If I undercut by 5k then it’ll sell faster” - it is a myth, that thing you were selling would have sold at the other price too. Study the recent sales list, if something seems WAY overpriced compared to what has sold recently then an adjustment might be fair, but it’s still all relative.

Other things to note: - Aquapolis shouldn’t be underestimated. Run in groups of 8 with 16 maps (2 each) and you’ll most likely make back the money you spent on buying the maps. Especially if you right now (just before SB) do not have crafts/gatherers geared or you need gil to level them. Runs like these take 1-3 hours. - Learn when to not list something. If the price seems low and you’ve crafted a shiny, wait a few days and see if things get better.  -  Looting gil from your retainers is addictive, so even though there’s no reason to you mind find yourself compulsively wanting more. You might become Smaug.  - The standard tip for doing a craft for someone is (seemingly, my experience) 10k for very simple things and 20k for everything else. If it’s very complex and you spend buffs+like an hour to make things then you need to go higher obviously.  - I funded my crafts with fishing :3.  - Don’t ever buy gil & don’t use bots (you do a lot of harm and risk your account) - Set yourself a goal, it can be very motivating. - Don’t brag. Be happy and proud like people are of their raid gear, but don’t brag. - Be generous when you sit on a pile of gil, but be generally watchful of people who just want to be friendly in an attempt to get gil. This actually happens :( 

[helloperfectthingcollectorl-blog]

Teds Wood Working - [Review] Does Teds Woodworking Plans Really Good?Truth Inside

Teds Woodworking Review

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When it comes to woodworking, my primary desire is often to form things that I can use round the house, or pack them up as a gift for all my friends and relatives. And this is often precisely why I was drawn to Teds Woodworking so a lot of.

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

As most of those projects cope with usable items, I was in a position to create furniture that I might place around the house conveniently. At times I was even in a position to form some fun toys for my niece, Stacy.

On her 6th birthday, I had gifted her a life-sized rocking horse and even created her a customized bed which she fully loved.

A lot of the woodworking strategies today can create the process of building one thing feel quite intimidating to the amateur. And this can be particularly true when the plans are not created user-friendly and simple to follow.

However with Teds Woodworking, you'll notice the digital files to be very helpful. I am in a position to visualise the task before I begin it and that's why the full building method is created therefore effortless.

#TedsWoodworkingReview

#tedswoodworking

#woodwork

#woodworking

#TedsWoodworkingPlansReviews

#TedsWoodworkingProjects

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi-on4Hqqjs 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEE4MR1RN1Y 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEB7lHZvkg4 

https://bestproductsofferschamp.blogspot.com/2020/05/teds-woodworking-review.html 

[nessdersino-blog]

Teds Wood Working - [Review] Does Teds Woodworking Plans Really Good?Truth Inside

Teds Woodworking Review

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

Teds Woodworking is made with the sole purpose of serving to out amateur woodworkers who like to employ themselves in a very ton of DIY activities around the house. Thus, I very wouldn’t advocate it for skilled wood crafters who know their approach around timber carving.

You may be thinking that this product sounds too good to be true and is most likely a pretend. But before you dismiss it as a Teds Woodworking Scam, let me assure you that it’s as authentic as it gets.

The program contains an incredible variety of woodworking plans starting from a easy cutting and assembly to creating toys with terribly complicated designs.

In the advertisement, it claims to possess sixteen,000 plans, however actually, it’s extremely quite wanting that numerical. However the quantity of ideas it will offer, and therefore the variety of them are a lot of than enough if you raise me, and building every set up gets more satisfying as I advance through the stages.  

Apart from the plans, Teds Woodworking contains a lot of downloadable guides as well. If you discover the plans too hard to follow, or you are feeling that you simply’re missing some steps whereas finishing a project, then the videos can come back very handy.

And to more help the user out, the videos come with unique tutorials yet, together with convenient bit by bit training clips to assist you on each project.

One of the simplest customer support team I actually have seen.

Each arrange is simple to follow for any woodworking amateur.

Helpful guides hold the client’s hand through every step.

A vast category of plans to keep you engaged for days.

When it comes to woodworking, my primary need is usually to make things that I can use around the house, or pack them up as a present for all my friends and relatives. And this is often precisely why I was drawn to Teds Woodworking thus much.

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

As most of those comes accommodate usable things, I was ready to create furniture that I may place round the house conveniently. At times I was even able to make some fun toys for my niece, Stacy.

On her sixth birthday, I had gifted her a life-sized rocking horse and even created her a customized bed that she completely loved.

A lot of the woodworking strategies today will build the method of building one thing feel quite intimidating to the amateur. And this is especially true when the plans aren't created user-friendly and easy to follow.

But with Teds Woodworking, you'll find the digital files to be extraordinarily useful. I am in a position to visualise the task before I start it and that is why the full building process is made so easy.

#TedsWoodworkingReview

#tedswoodworking

#woodwork

#woodworking

#TedsWoodworkingPlansReviews

#TedsWoodworkingProjects

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi-on4Hqqjs 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEE4MR1RN1Y 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEB7lHZvkg4 

https://bestproductsofferschamp.blogspot.com/2020/05/teds-woodworking-review.html 

[lip-bitter]

Teds Wood Working - [Review] Does Teds Woodworking Plans Really Good?Truth Inside

Teds Woodworking Review

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

Teds Woodworking is made with the only real purpose of helping out amateur woodworkers who like to use themselves in an exceedingly lot of DIY activities around the house. Thus, I very wouldn’t advocate it for professional wood crafters who understand their approach around timber carving.

You would possibly be thinking that this product sounds too smart to be true and is in all probability a faux. But before you dismiss it as a Teds Woodworking Scam, let me assure you that it’s as authentic because it gets.

The program contains an unimaginable range of woodworking plans starting from a simple cutting and assembly to making toys with very sophisticated designs.

In the advertisement, it claims to own 16,000 plans, but essentially, it’s very quite short of that numerical. However the amount of concepts it will provide, and the selection of them are a lot of than enough if you ask me, and building each plan gets more satisfying as I advance through the stages.  

Apart from the plans, Teds Woodworking contains a ton of downloadable guides similarly. If you discover the plans too onerous to follow, or you feel that you’re missing some steps whereas finishing a project, then the videos can return extraordinarily handy.

And to more help the user out, the videos come back with unique tutorials moreover, together with convenient step by step coaching clips to assist you on every project.

One of the most effective client support team I even have seen.

Each set up is simple to follow for any woodworking amateur.

Helpful guides hold the customer’s hand through each step.

A vast class of plans to stay you engaged for days.

When it involves woodworking, my primary want is usually to form items that I can use around the house, or pack them up as a gift for all my friends and relatives. And this is often precisely why I was drawn to Teds Woodworking thus abundant.

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

As most of these projects deal with usable items, I was ready to create furniture that I might place around the house conveniently. At times I was even in a position to create some fun toys for my niece, Stacy.

On her 6th birthday, I had gifted her a life-sized rocking horse and even created her a customized bed which she fully loved.

A ton of the woodworking methods today will create the process of building something feel quite intimidating to the amateur. And this can be especially true when the plans aren't made user-friendly and easy to follow.

However with Teds Woodworking, you will notice the digital files to be extraordinarily useful. I am ready to visualise the task before I start it and that's why the full building method is made so easy.

#TedsWoodworkingReview

#tedswoodworking

#woodwork

#woodworking

#TedsWoodworkingPlansReviews

#TedsWoodworkingProjects

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi-on4Hqqjs 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEE4MR1RN1Y 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEB7lHZvkg4 

https://bestproductsofferschamp.blogspot.com/2020/05/teds-woodworking-review.html 

[technicallyoriginalcollectorme]

Teds Wood Working - [Review] Does Teds Woodworking Plans Really Good?Truth Inside

Teds Woodworking Review

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

Teds Woodworking is created with the only real purpose of helping out amateur woodworkers who like to use themselves in a lot of DIY activities around the house. Thus, I very wouldn’t suggest it for skilled wood crafters who understand their approach around timber carving.

You would possibly be thinking that this product sounds too smart to be true and is probably a pretend. However before you dismiss it as a Teds Woodworking Scam, let me assure you that it’s as authentic as it gets.

The program contains an unimaginable range of woodworking plans ranging from a straightforward cutting and assembly to making toys with very difficult designs.

In the advertisement, it claims to own sixteen,00zero plans, however really, it’s very quite short of that numerical. However the amount of ideas it does offer, and therefore the variety of them are more than enough if you ask me, and building each plan gets additional satisfying as I advance through the stages.  

Apart from the plans, Teds Woodworking contains a lot of downloadable guides still. If you find the plans too exhausting to follow, or you are feeling that you just’re missing some steps while finishing a project, then the videos will come back extraordinarily handy.

And to any help the user out, the videos come with unique tutorials still, together with convenient drop by drop training clips to assist you on every project.

One of the best customer support team I even have seen.

Each set up is easy to follow for any woodworking amateur.

Useful guides hold the customer’s hand through each step.

A vast category of plans to keep you engaged for days.

When it involves woodworking, my primary want is always to make items that I will use round the house, or pack them up as a gift for all my friends and relatives. And this can be precisely why I was drawn to Teds Woodworking therefore abundant.

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

As most of these comes accommodate usable items, I was in a position to create furniture that I might place around the house conveniently. At times I was even able to form some fun toys for my niece, Stacy.

On her 6th birthday, I had gifted her a life-sized rocking horse and even made her a customized bed which she absolutely loved.

A heap of the woodworking methods today can make the process of building one thing feel quite intimidating to the amateur. And this is particularly true when the plans don't seem to be created user-friendly and easy to follow.

However with Teds Woodworking, you will notice the digital files to be very helpful. I am able to visualise the task before I start it and that is why the entire building method is made thus effortless.

#TedsWoodworkingReview

#tedswoodworking

#woodwork

#woodworking

#TedsWoodworkingPlansReviews

#TedsWoodworkingProjects

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi-on4Hqqjs 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEE4MR1RN1Y 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEB7lHZvkg4 

https://bestproductsofferschamp.blogspot.com/2020/05/teds-woodworking-review.html 

[echodrops]

The Promises I’m Making (2020 Edition)

I did it… I made it through 2019… I might be dragging my body and soul behind me, but at least I survived to 2020… To be honest, it was incredibly hard to come up with promises this year because I just want to sleep. Everyone out there saying we need to start the new 20s with energy and a fresh leaf, and I’m just over here like… I would like to hibernate for all of 2020, please. I really just want NOTHING to happen all year. But I can’t break a 13-year-old tradition just because I’m tired, so here are 50 promises—some old ones I failed last time, many new ones about taking better care of myself… May 2020 be the year of calm and quiet… I have from now until January 1st, 2021, to keep these. Good luck self!

“The Utah House” promises:

1) Install the fire escape window in the Utah house, no matter how much it might cost, because I can’t get a totally unrelated tenant in that basement without said window…

2) Buy sod to add grass to the front portion of the lawn so that it no longer looks like garbage.

3) Fix the bricks near the windowsills on the Utah house to prevent long-term damage.

4) Get a watering system for my roses at the Utah house because I think my bro is probably killing them and that’s just not cool.

5) Work on the patio at the Utah house before it just flat out falls down.

6) Paint the stairwell so that there’s no chance of anything like lead paint or asbestos being exposed.

7) Trim the backyard bushes so the neighbors don’t hate us anymore…

Now back to our regularly scheduled disorganization:

8) Finish the article for the Shakespeare magazine.

9) Attend my brother’s graduation from college (finally)!

10) Go adventuring in Utah with Kacchan and @rachelwritesstories this summer. (Do you like how I signed you up without even asking you? That’s how we roll.)

11) Get back into my jogging/walking routine—at least three times per week.

12) Get my wisdom tooth removed because it’s still there and still killing me, yikessss.

13) Finally officially list out all the shows I need to watch with Kacchan and watch at least one!

14) Get an official physician because previously I was getting my medicines from an urgent care place and their prices are higher than standard physician’s visits.

15) FINISH THE GIVEAWAY PRIZES I PROMISED because holy shit I am incompetent and the worst and everyone has permission to hate me for starting things and never finishing them, fuck.

16) Be an effective and proactive mod for the zines I’ve been invited to mod.

17) Return to the Channel Islands to take better pictures. D;

18) Actually play (and finish) a game other than Final Fantasy XIV this year.

19) Get a screen door for the Texas house side door.

20) Update Home and a Half more than once? PLEASE??? The guilt I feel over this currently is crushing.

21) Have almost all elements of all classes fully planned out and ready before the semester starts.

22) Get an extermination/bug spraying done before leaving Texas for the summer so I don’t come back to a billion bugs in the house while I’m gone.

23) Keep in better touch with people because I am the literal worst at keeping up conversations.

24) Level all my crafters and gatherers to 80 in FFXIV.

25) Finish all the books my coworkers and friends bought for me recently so I can thank them for their recommendations!

26) Find the missing furniture I still need for the Texas house, especially for the foyer.

27) Decorate my tumblr, twitter, and cellphone themes a bit more because I have no good reason for not already doing this.

28) Organize my documents (especially student papers)—my desktop and documents folders give me nightmares just looking at them.

29) Throw away/return/sort all the stacks of old mail in the house (OMGGGG they’ve made me look like paper hoarder and I’m nootttt).

30) Help create the new FOS initiatives at work to increase the number of students enrolled in humanities classes.

31) Learn how to create charms at home so I can create cute custom charms!

32) Sew a Great Serpent of Ronka plushie… SCREE!

33) Cancel old credit cards to avoid the temptation to use them.

34) Get official contracts from my tenants so I can make sure the rental is all above board.

35) Talk to an HR rep about my retirement savings so that I can consolidate all my retirement accounts into one.

36) Really finish decorating my office so it looks super cute and all my students want to visit me.

37) Have at least one day a month in which I do not do ANYTHING. No work. No productivity. Just relaxation.

38) Keep the dog better groomed to avoid so much shedding dog hair in the house.

39) Take care of the plants at the front of the Texas house a bit more because they’re a bit shabby looking.

40) Do at least one artwork to actually use that new paint program I bought.

41) Use those soaking salts and sugar scrubs I’ve bought over the last couple of years and not used; this is the year of treating myself.

42) Make some gorgeously decorated baked good with Kacchan using the new icing tips we bought.

43) Complete my BNHA manga collection. Since my bro bought me a bunch of the volumes for Christmas, I might as well.

44) See a groove-billed ani. (It’s another type of bird.)

45) Make it to 3000 followers on tumblr. Can I do it? Maybe if I posted actual content once in a while…

46) Lose ten pounds so that I feel more fit and comfy.

47) Pay down credit card debt by at least 1/3. Yikesssss, I really need to do this quick.

48) I will finally fucking finish that chapter 73 analysis of Noragami… I swear to god…

49) I will have my classes completely updated using the new textbooks before fall semester begins!

50) I will keep these promises. LOLLLLL.

 Wish me good luck!! I’m going to need it...

[lipglossnlollypops]

Teds Wood Working - [Review] Does Teds Woodworking Plans Really Good?Truth Inside

Teds Woodworking Review

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

Teds Woodworking is made with the only purpose of helping out amateur woodworkers who like to use themselves in an exceedingly lot of DIY activities around the house. Thus, I really wouldn’t advocate it for skilled wood crafters who grasp their manner around timber carving.

You might be thinking that this product sounds too sensible to be true and is in all probability a fake. But before you dismiss it as a Teds Woodworking Scam, let me assure you that it’s as authentic as it gets.

The program contains an unimaginable number of woodworking plans ranging from a simple cutting and assembly to making toys with terribly difficult designs.

In the advertisement, it claims to have sixteen,00zero plans, however essentially, it’s very quite in need of that numerical. However the quantity of ideas it does give, and also the variety of them are a lot of than enough if you ask me, and building each plan gets more satisfying as I advance through the stages.  

Apart from the plans, Teds Woodworking contains a lot of downloadable guides similarly. If you discover the plans too onerous to follow, or you feel that you simply’re missing some steps whereas finishing a project, then the videos can come back extraordinarily handy.

And to additional facilitate the user out, the videos return with unique tutorials further, along with convenient grade by grade coaching clips to help you on every project.

One of the best client support team I have seen.

Every set up is straightforward to follow for any woodworking amateur.

Helpful guides hold the customer’s hand through every step.

A vast class of plans to keep you engaged for days.

When it involves woodworking, my primary want is always to create things that I can use around the house, or pack them up as a gift for all my friends and relatives. And this can be precisely why I was drawn to Teds Woodworking so much.

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

As most of those projects accommodate usable things, I was ready to make furniture that I could place around the house conveniently. At times I was even in a position to create some fun toys for my niece, Stacy.

On her 6th birthday, I had gifted her a life-sized rocking horse and even made her a customized bed which she completely loved.

A heap of the woodworking strategies nowadays can make the method of building something feel quite intimidating to the amateur. And this is especially true when the plans aren't created user-friendly and straightforward to follow.

But with Teds Woodworking, you'll notice the digital files to be extremely helpful. I am in a position to visualize the task before I begin it and that is why the entire building method is created so easy.

#TedsWoodworkingReview

#tedswoodworking

#woodwork

#woodworking

#TedsWoodworkingPlansReviews

#TedsWoodworkingProjects

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi-on4Hqqjs 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEE4MR1RN1Y 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEB7lHZvkg4 

https://bestproductsofferschamp.blogspot.com/2020/05/teds-woodworking-review.html 

[heckbennett]

Teds Wood Working - [Review] Does Teds Woodworking Plans Really Good?Truth Inside

Teds Woodworking Review

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

Teds Woodworking is created with the only real purpose of helping out amateur woodworkers who like to employ themselves in a very ton of DIY activities around the house. Thus, I extremely wouldn’t recommend it for skilled wood crafters who know their approach around timber carving.

You would possibly be thinking that this product sounds too sensible to be true and is in all probability a fake. However before you dismiss it as a Teds Woodworking Scam, let me assure you that it’s as authentic as it gets.

The program contains an incredible range of woodworking plans starting from a straightforward cutting and assembly to making toys with terribly complicated styles.

In the advertisement, it claims to possess 16,00zero plans, but actually, it’s really quite wanting that numerical. However the amount of ideas it will offer, and also the variety of them are a lot of than enough if you raise me, and building each plan gets more satisfying as I advance through the stages.  

Apart from the plans, Teds Woodworking contains a lot of downloadable guides still. If you discover the plans too laborious to follow, or you feel that you simply’re missing some steps while finishing a project, then the videos will come back extremely handy.

And to any facilitate the user out, the videos come with distinctive tutorials further, along with convenient grade by grade coaching clips to help you on each project.

One of the simplest customer support team I actually have seen.

Every plan is simple to follow for any woodworking amateur.

Helpful guides hold the client’s hand through every step.

A vast category of plans to keep you engaged for days.

When it involves woodworking, my primary want is often to form things that I can use around the house, or pack them up as a present for all my friends and relatives. And this is precisely why I was drawn to Teds Woodworking so a lot of.

Get Huge Discount Here : https://rebrand.ly/plans-4cb6b

As most of these projects accommodate usable things, I was in a position to form furniture that I might place around the house conveniently. At times I was even in a position to form some fun toys for my niece, Stacy.

On her 6th birthday, I had gifted her a life-sized rocking horse and even created her a customized bed which she fully loved.

A heap of the woodworking strategies nowadays will make the method of building something feel quite intimidating to the amateur. And this can be especially true when the plans don't seem to be made user-friendly and straightforward to follow.

But with Teds Woodworking, you'll find the digital files to be extremely helpful. I am ready to visualize the task before I start it and that is why the whole building process is created therefore easy.

#TedsWoodworkingReview

#tedswoodworking

#woodwork

#woodworking

#TedsWoodworkingPlansReviews

#TedsWoodworkingProjects

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi-on4Hqqjs 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEE4MR1RN1Y 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEB7lHZvkg4 

https://bestproductsofferschamp.blogspot.com/2020/05/teds-woodworking-review.html 

[plogan721]

Preparing for your next journey

Hello, and welcome today’s blog.  I want to talk to you about something that we, as humans are always looking and striving for.  This is a series, but I want to let you know that I am going through something.

Pixabay

I am preparing to be a great aunt. My nephew and hopefully my niece in law to be (a nicer way of saying that they are not married) are expecting a little girl in March.  For privacy reasons, I will not disclose the baby’s name, but I love the name, in part because it has my middle name in it, and the mother’s middle name for her middle name.  This is a trend.  I kind of wish the name was after one or both their mothers’ or after my mother, or something like that, but this is their baby, and as long as I can spell and pronounce the name, I am okay with it.

My brother, who lives in the next city is the grandfather, and he, of all people, is the one who suggested that we throw a baby shower.   I want to throw in what makes a good baby shower in preparation for anything we do in life.  Yes, this is

also the way that you can set a goal as well.

The project.

Now, this is the easy part.  You have to know what you will be working on or the end goal.  In this case, it is to have at least a decent baby shower without no fussing or fighting among the host(s) or guests.   For my task, it is a baby girl shower.

The date.

Finding a date is hard.  By hard, I mean finding a date that works for at least half of the people you want to invite.  The best way I found that works are to ask the guest of honor (my nephew and niece) what day works for them.  They both work jobs that do require the weekend and long hours.  My nephew works primarily in the afternoon to around 6 pm, while my niece works most weekends.  Her hours have been cut due to the pregnancy, which also means flexibility. From there, schedule a date far enough in advance so that if a person is working, they can ask for time off.   This is what it means to RSVP a date.  It is to let the host know if this is a good date to come or a bad date.

The list.

Not everyone is suitable to be in attendance.  I suggest inviting people who are close.  I choose close church members and family who live in town for my part of the list, while my niece chooses the people she works closest too.  her parents do not live here.  I am not sure who my nephew's choice, and I will find out today. 

The food.

This is equally as hard.  Why?  Because everyone has different tastes.  I will advise on one thing:  finger foods.  Do not stress over a big pot of Chicken and dumplings.  We are having the following:  meatballs, subs, fruit tray, veggie tray, cupcakes, and a candy bar.  What is a candy bar?  Well, you will have to come over to At Home with Tricia's Baskets to read about it.  Speaking of which, by now, you are probably wondering why I would have “How to Host a Baby Shower” in this blog.  No, I have not lost it, and there is an analogy between hosting a baby shower to writing and preparing for a journey.  Keep reading….

The Decorations and games.

In order to entice a person to come to future parties, there must be some fun.  After all, this is a celebration of a birth to come (or in the case of a friend of mine, a birth that arrived before the shower).  The decorations make the place look festive and inviting.  Since we have a theme (baby girl), the color is pink (the mother’s choice).  If this was a gender reveal party (which is gaining in popularity due to advancements in technology), then the colors would be both pink and blue (or green and red-oops wrong celebration).  I bought and printed this little cutie, and I have a table with the words, “Sweet Baby” on it.  I had one mishap which is the baby will not stay on the sign.

Games are another feature.  “So what do you want to talk about” does not work in this setting.  In order to engage a person, you must have something to do that is interesting.  We played games such as ”What is in your purse/wallet (yes there were some men-my father, brother, and nephew at the time), The clothespin game (you cannot say “baby” or you will lose your clothes pin), the right/left game (you pass a prize around every time the reader says some form of left or right), and my personal favorite, the baby food game (guess the flavor of the baby food).

Presents for the baby

This is self-explanatory.  The new parents open up gifts that the guests brought for the baby.  They got mostly diapers and other practical things for her, but they also got the love and the support from all who attended.  A friend of mine could not make it, so she gave me a present at church today.

Now, all of this is for preparation for the birth of my niece.  Once she is here, the new parents cannot say, “we need diapers” or “we need a crib”.  Nope, not at all. 

What does all of this have to do with writing or creating a blog?  I will show you, but first here is a hint:  most of it was highlighted in my last two posts, “How to start a Blog” and “What the heck is Well-nigh and other ponderings”.  Here are the steps once again to prepare for the task at hand:

The project

Instead of preparing for a baby shower, you are preparing to become a freelance writer or a blog writer.  It may not be this particular project, it may be started a podcast.  Whatever this project, you name it and claim it, as they say at my church.  Get yourself a notebook or binder, and write it down.  Name your project (My Ambiance Life Blog), and say that you are going t do it.  Let me give you this little tip:

Tip:  You have to commit to this project.  You cannot start a project than stop it anytime you, please.  You may go at your own pace and you may have moments that you are stuck, but stick to it.  Do not give up or give in to insecurity.  Have an accountability partner if you must, which is a trusted person who is going to keep you on task, but do not give up.

The key to your journey is preparation-Pixabay

During this time, you must plan out your project.  What steps are you going to take with this project?  I am currently working on my craftroom makeover project.  The first thing I did was the name that this is a craftroom project.  Next, I did some research on the project.  What is the point of this project if I did not look into the furniture to hold my supplies and project areas, work areas, and labeling system?  It would look a mess.  This included looking at crafter blog posts, vlog channels from YouTube, and planning out my budget. Also, look at where this craftroom is going.  I want it in the second bedroom, but it is occupied by my nephew and niece, so I have to keep it in its current position, in the dining room area.  I also have to get one piece at a time because the area is small, and I may have to wait until they move out.

The date

Yes, you will need a start and end date for your project.  Do not say “ongoing” or you will never see the end of your project.  If you must say ongoing, divide your project up into smaller pieces, like this:

·         Organizing the embossing folders and dies- January 20, 2020 end date.

·         Organizing the stamps and inks-January 25, 2020 end date.

·         Organizing the 8.5 x 11 paper and 12 x 12 paper pad- February 3, 2020 end date.

Do not hold to that date if you are behind.  If you need to stop that section on that date and get back to it.  There are all sorts of ways to do it without beating yourself up for not finishing the mini-task.

The list.

In this case, list everything you have to do in order to complete the task.  Again, you may have to divide and conquer because you may not be able to do everything in order.

 Decorations

Now we are in the fun part, you are going shopping if the project calls for that. 

For example:  In my case, I do two types of shopping: Online virtual shopping and online/offline actual shopping. With virtual shopping, you will need an online store with a wish list.  Use this to your advantage.  Take the items from your list and look them up in the store.  If the online store has a wish list or allows you to leave things in your cart, place the items in the wish list or shopping cart.  I do this to Ikea and Amazon all the time. DO NOT CHECK OUT! REPEAT, DO NOT CHECK OUT! If your bank has online banking, check your balance.  Why?  If you have automatic payments, the bill payment department may have taken the amount of your bill out of your account, and when you go to pay for your stuff, the money may not be there.  If your bank in the United States like I do, that charge may go through, even if you do not have the money in the bank, and this would mean an overdraft fee.  Not only that, the second reason is you may not like it, and now it is coming to your house. Some stores may make it impossible to return it.

“what if I am just writing a book”?  You do not have to worry about this step, unless you are shopping for new software or a new journal to write your notes in it, then it applies, but not as detailed.

 Presents

I like to call them rewards for your labor.  You get a published book or blog, or in my case, I get a complete craftroom or I get to go to Disney.  Whatever you are preparing for and you are persistent with your task, you will get to see the end results.

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30 Chic Teal DIY Decor Ideas To Bring This Year’s Trendiest Color Into Your Home

Pantone’s color of the year this year is just … wrong. Seriously, they picked some light shade of green. I’m not seeing that color in that many places, but what I am seeing is TEAL. Seriously—teal dressers, teal bookshelves, teal walls, teal everything. At least where home décor is concerned, this is the ultimate trending hue.

Of course, it isn’t just one particular shade of teal. It is more like a range of teals and aquas. But for the most part, we are talking about a medium blue with undertones of green.What is so appealing about teal? I think I can come up with a few different reasons why teal is suddenly everywhere:

It is a “neutral” color with restraint and sophistication. Actually, it isn’t far off from that default wallpaper color that used to be included in super old versions of Windows. So it has an air of professionalism about it—which wouldn’t make it a bad choice for home or office décor, actually.

It grabs attention—but is muted enough to fit into old-fashioned styles. In a largely white interior (very popular right now), teal stands out. It instantly draws the eye. But there is still a sense of subtleness and softness about it, which means it fits well with more rustic, old-world décor styles which are trending at the moment.

Like the ocean, it is instantly refreshing. Teal is close to the color of the sea, so it can even be used to evoke a sense of the ocean—especially when it is used in ombre décor. Darker shades represent deeper depths, fading into paler shades and finally into white—which is like sea foam.

It is a “warm” shade of blue. In terms of warm and cool hues, teal is definitely a “warmer” blue than say for example cobalt. If you prefer warmer tones in your home but still want to use blue, this makes it a good choice, since it will not make your interior feel austere.

Confused about warm and cool shades of blue—particularly given that overall, blue is denoted as a cool color? This is a brief but useful discussion on color analysis which can help you make sense of things. The better your understanding of color theory is, the easier it will be for you to match teal with existing décor.

By the way, there is a pretty fuzzy line between teal, aqua and turquoise, so I am featuring all three below (one person’s teal does seem to be another person’s turquoise).

So now that you understand more about the appeal of teal, let’s take a look at some teal DIY décor projects which you can incorporate into your own home!

1. Go for a muted, rustic look.

Here is a teal dresser uploaded by a Pinterest user which I absolutely love! The teal has been brushed on lightly so that some of the original dark wood still shows through. The dark wood color has been left alone on the top so that it forms a contrast with the drawers and the sides. A candelabra in the same teal color has been placed on top to complete the look.Source: Pinterest Originals

2. Here is how to do a color wash on a dresser to achieve a lovely teal hue.

At the link below, you can find a detailed tutorial which teaches you how you can create a teal wash for a dresser. If you check the link, you can also see some incredible before and after pictures; you seriously would never recognize this dresser—it has changed so much!Source: rootsandwingsfurniture

3. Use the Bermuda blending paint technique to create some startling contrasts with teal.

This is a technique where you blend a couple of similar shades (like different hues of teal and blue) along with a contrast shade (like a coppery orange) to achieve a look similar to an aged metallic patina. At the link, you can read through an excellent detailed tutorial with lots of images both of this project and others which use the same paint technique.Source: realitydaydream

4. Paint some sections of wood in teal and leave others bare.

Here is another Pinterest image which was uploaded by a user. As you can see, another great way of achieving contrast is to paint some sections of wood with teal and leave others alone. This once again creates a meeting of warmer and cooler colors, and draws emphasis to the painted teal wall on the left.Source: pinterest

5. Learn how to get a weathered teal finish for your furniture.

If you enjoy the muted, rustic look you can get with teal, then you are going to adore this tutorial! This finish has the added appeal of leaving the underlying wood grain visible, whereas a full teal wash hides the texture. So if you like the look of painted furniture but don’t want to lose the grain, this is a great technique to try.Source: lovelycraftyhome

6. Teal makes for a beautiful contrast with metallic design elements.

The transformation of this desk is beyond incredible. Check out the post so you can see what it looked like before the paint job. What I really love about this one is the color contrast between the teal and the drawer handles.Source: simplesoutherncharmblog

7. Paint an ombre teal dresser with a “highlighted” look.

This is one of the most elegant furniture transformations I have seen. Here we have a dresser which has been done over in teal with a subtle ombre gradient. A layered “highlighting” technique was used to add depth, which works beautifully with the ornate flourishes that were already a part of the dresser’s original design.Source: traceysfancy

8. Give a boring nightstand an exquisite teal makeover.

I definitely recommend taking a look at the blog post where I found this picture (see the link)! This nightstand has a clean, contemporary look—very different from many of the more rustic, old-fashioned teal furniture projects I have shared so far. It started out as a very bland item of furniture, and was turned into something truly exceptional by this talented crafter. Check it out!Source: livingbeautifullydiy

9. Dark teal can have a very refined look.

While many of the projects I have featured so far are a medium teal, here is one in a very dark teal. Rather like the very first one that I shared, the dark wood on top has been left in its natural hue to provide contrast and keep the piece grounded.Source: justthewoods

10. Teal can work very well on a table.

This table also has a brown top with teal legs, and it looks phenomenal! Check out the post to watch the entire process.Source: ayanovich

11. This bed in rustic teal is absolutely enchanting.

Now this may be one of my favorite uses of teal ever! This rustic bed would look amazing even if it were all just in the natural wood tones, but the pale teal really helps to soften up the look and make it more homey. You can also see that it works nicely on the nightstand.Source: pinterest

12. Teal can make a bold, modern statement in the right context.

The black and white stick-and-peel wallpaper inside this nightstand really adds some cool contemporary pizzazz. In contrast with the bright aqua hue, it is simply mesmerizing.Source: spoonflower

13. Use teal to frame a monogram.

Here is another project where teal has been paired up with black and white for an eye-catching look. Only in this case, the frame has a rustic look to it, which in itself is a contrast with the modern look of the zigzag design.Source: thebaezablog

14. Spruce up your jewelry box with some aqua, teal, or turquoise.

Previously a boring brown color, this jewelry box is now a bold aqua that just shouts for attention.Source: thespeckleddog

15. Give a dresser a beach vibe by painting it in ombre teal colors.

Have you noticed that teal is a really, really popular color for desks and dressers? Here is one which features a light teal at the bottom, moving up through a gradient of lighter blues to white. It has a lovely seaside feel to it.

16. Here is how to paint your steps with ombre teal colors.

I can’t thank this blogger enough for this one. There is another much more popular image of a teal ombre staircase floating around, but nobody seems sure of its source. This one on the other hand was easy to trace back to a blog, where the creative DIYer who worked on it provided a ton of information on the project. Be sure to take a look!Source: diysquirrel

17. Make beautiful teal ombre soaps.

Seriously, these soaps look so delicious I want to eat them up … well, okay, maybe not literally. But they do remind me of cakes with some kind of marvelous golden frosting on top. Anyway, would these not look awesome in any bathroom?Source: doodlecraftblog

18. Dip-dye your curtains teal.

Check out this link to read about how you can dip-dye ordinary white curtains so that they fade to teal at the bottom. These are so gorgeous!Source: nostalgiecat

19. This hutch is charmingly old-fashioned.

I love the weathered, time-worn look of this hutch, which has been painted with a muted color. It’s not quite teal, but it is in the same ballpark.Source: Pinterest Originals

20. Turquoise and dark walnut work beautifully together.

Check out the gorgeous contrast between the dark walnut and teal finishes here. What is really cool about this piece is the way the color contrasts were used to draw the eye to the different flourishes in the wood. There were no random choices here—everything serves a purpose.

Source: Pinterest Originals

21. Beautiful blue painted buffet.

Is it bad that I don’t know what a buffet is in terms of furniture? Well, regardless of what it is, I can say one thing for sure, and that is that this one is beautiful!Source: thirtyeighthstreet

22. A simple teal dresser paint job.

Painted by Julie Peterson of Simple Redesign, this dresser indeed has a simple and refined look to it. Be sure to check out the source link to see more of her portfolio, which includes many other lovely furniture repaints in blue, green and everything in between.Source: simpleredesign

23. Spray painting works surprisingly well.

Don’t fancy the idea of picking up a paintbrush and worrying about hiding your brush strokes (or artfully working them into the look you are creating)? It turns out that spray paint can work just as well. Check out these beautiful results.Source: stiltskinstudios

24. Use teal for exteriors, not just interiors.

Isn’t this garden shed absolutely adorable? The teal paint with the white trim looks amazing. The trellis and the windmill help to complete the look, making this an incredibly inviting place to relax for the afternoon.Source: kabamfamily

25. Or do both your interior and your exterior in teal.

Here is an absolutely gorgeous shed which is teal inside and out (so far as I can tell). I highly recommend visiting the source link so that you can see more interior shots. I am totally envious of the person who owns this place!Source: sfgirlbybay

26. Check out this imaginative sparkling mermaid lingerie chest.

The sheer artistry which has gone into this teal chest is inspiring. While the teal is beautiful all on its own, it is when you pull the drawers open that you really see the magic of this incredible design.Source: jburnscreate

27. Give your kitchen a teal makeover.

The teal paint on these kitchen cabinets makes for a lovely splash of the unexpected amid otherwise warm colors in the wood, tiles and walls. I can imagine that this room now has a totally different vibe than it did before.

Source: princetonkitchencabinet

28. Integrate lots of different colors for a beautifully textured look.

This paint job is cool because it incorporates lighter and darker blues as well as some other surprising colors—I think I can see hints of magenta in there offsetting the blues. It comes from the aptly-named blog “The Turquoise Iris.” Be sure to visit to see some other cool teal and turquoise décor projects.Source: theturquoiseiris

29. Check out two more custom teal finishes from The Turquoise Iris.

Here are two more lovely teal painted furniture projects from The Turquoise Iris; you can view more photos of both in the same entry (linked below). Once again, you can appreciate the artist’s use of startling splotches of color—yellows, tans and greens where you least expect them. This is likely a technique she has brought over from the flower paintings she makes.Source: theturquoiseiris

30. Teal makes for a stunning backdrop for a realistic design.

Finally, here is one of the most amazing teal furniture items I have seen! This one gets shared a lot, and it’s well deserved. Those butterflies look so real, and the teal provides for the perfect backdrop, helping each of them to stand out.Image/Source: instagram

Conclusion: Teal Is a Vibrant, Refreshing Color That Can Complement Any Home

Whether you are looking for a new color to paint your dresser, you are thinking of redoing your walls, or you are searching for an idea for adding more color to tables and chairs, pillows, or anything else in your home, teal is an excellent choice. It is one of this year’s trending colors, and now you have the inspiration you need to bring the magic of teal to your own abode!

BY VANESSA BEATY

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