Dec 3rd and 4th declutter

 I forgot to post yesterday so here are 16 things out of my cabinet they are plate holders and 3 dishes =16 items.

Then for today I cleaned out the first aid box that was left under the upstairs bathroom sink with moms medicines she died Oct 2016 most of these items expired in 2017 and 2018. I will be bringing the meds to a police department to get rid of them. There is well over 16 things here. This basket being cleaned out has been on my todo list for a while.

Dec 2 decuttered 2 sewing drawers.

 Today I decluttered not one but 2 sewing draws. Now they have much less in them some of the stuff needed to be put with like items. Elastic, Hook and Loop tape. The last pile here is everything that had to go. Some is going to thrift store or Bit well over 16 items gone. I only thought to take a photo while in process so one draw mostly empty and the second un touched. It has been a long time since all these cabinet have been in the same space when a organization operation has happened. Just FYI, The top is still a mess.so is underneath it. That is for another day. I need to get the fabric all sorted before I visit Bit Finney to drop off the xmas gifts for the grandbabies.

This is an in progress shot I forgot to get one before I did the first drawer. quite a lot of the stuff just need to go live with like items I have a hook and loop drawer else where and a spot for elastic and for trim and bias tape. 

What stayed in this drawer is the squeekers, the rotary blades till I can find the rotary cutter and change a blade or if I dont find it these go away also. and basic sewing stuff magnates and pins and measuring tapes.

This I didnt know where to store at first. I left the blades in the drawer now that I can find all of them and will add more if I fine more, the embroidery went to live with Jim's embroidery stuff in the Garb closet. 

Things to go away some are garbage some thrift store some rehomed but all of this is leaving.

The second drawer has less in it. these are a bias tape maker, lace threaders and elastic threaders.

Also in that drawer is needles (just not the beading needles that live with the beads) and a metal buckle 

That is it for today!

De clutter with me Dec 2020

Declutter along with me if you care to my goal is to declutter 16 items a day for Dec. I picked this amount because it is the divided amount of the culminated amount of 1 item then 2 items then 3 items etc for 31 days.  Everything over 16 I don't count unless I am making up for a missed day. This is my night stand. This drawer had become a junk draw. I put away my jewelery, and hair ties and hair pins & sticks to where they belong. Through out a bunch of receipts, business cards and recycled empty plastic bottles. Disposed of a bunch of broken charger cords too. I decluttered 16 items not counting the more then double of that trash. And I am counting this towards my 10 minute tackle of a thing that needs delt with and shouldn't take long. Again I am a simplaist not a minimalist. I am just looking to remove the clutter of things that are bot serving my life. I have a laundry basket at the bottom of the stairs that i put things to go upstairs and all the thrift into it. By sending my stuff to the thrift store i have room to welcome the things that will better serve me into my life. I ask myself. Do I use it. Do i have duplicates and is the redundancy of the item really necessary. If i get rid of it and later feel i could have used it what will I do. And how easy is the item to replace. Remember I had a house fire I know what I can live with out. I am also "blessing it forward". As I go though my fabric I say can someone make childrens clothes out of this. Why am I keeping it. What can I do with this right now. Why am I not doing it. What would change in the next 3 to 6 months that would make me use this.

I am a Frugal-Eco-Minimalist- Prepper. This is a thing right?

 For those who follow Besides gardening which I am still doing though fall and winter. (the darn ground hog ate my Italian broccoli) I have started following a minimal vlogger called Minimal Mom and a vlogger called Clean My Space (She also has 19 natural cleaning recipes that she uses in her cleaning business). In Oct I had planned to work out more and lose weight. At the end of Oct, I only lost 3Lbs but they have stayed off and I am still working on losing weight and if I lose 3 lbs. a month that is better then gaining 3 lbs. a month. But I got rid of many things in the house that I have not dealt with since mom died then Jonathan and rick moved in. I am not a minimalist. I am a Metaphysicist (I know yall thought I was a true Pagan but really I am not I do call myself that more often then not because it is easier)

and an environmentalist who is tiered. I like to be prepared and I like to not spend money on things I don’t want or don’t have too. Sometimes the tiered wins. Having Ehlors Danlos makes some days Challenging. Gardening Organic reusing tp tubes for seed starting etc. well now I am trying to live intentional again. Every time someone dies, I help and end up with things I took to save someone else the guilt. I have been going though things big time but one small space at a time. I am setting a goal of 2 storage unit boxes a week gone. As you have seen I unburied my kitchen table my air hockey table and the water fall desk. I am taking it one spall step at a time. I got rid of 7 coffee cups then cleaned the top shelf and moved the set of 13 that matches my plates to that shelf we use them mostly for high holidays so they can live there when not in use. I cleaned the refrigerator and got rid of some where around 22 jars of things and leftovers. If I miss it, I can re buy it. I am working on my game shelves. Yes even my game shelves. I am packing up the sets I take to events to set up labeling them as such and finding a home for them in the SCA area. And even with that done I have 2 personal Chess sets that I am keeping. Gone are games missing pieces games 8 extra packs of cards, (still have around 5)and all games are being brought to the dining room for wed game night we pay them and decide if they stay if we don’t even want to play them right out. 99% of the time we want to play uno or phase ten. The questions to ask are

Have I used it in the last year?

Can I replace it for 20$ or less?

Would I purchase it again?

Is it living out the Purpose it was created for?

Am I keeping it out of guilt?

If someone game me $ would I part with it?

Could someone else use it or love it more?

Do I want to handle it again?

I am scheduling time each day to do a small thing towards this goal. I Decided to call it 10 min tackle. And I decided not to time myself. Because I don’t need that in my life. I know that I can do 10 min but If I feel I can keep going I do till I am satisfied with the progress or till I am tiered.

During this expedition I uncovered my family photos. I discovered they are not as big a collection as I thought (because If I remember back I did does a lot of things in the fire. So I am scheduling a time to go though and sort them and then make a few albums.

The hard area I will get to is sentimental. In order to respect the sentimental stuff, I am going to have to look up the value of each Item and figure out how to sell them. I have Things from Occupied Japan and Hong Kong and fist addition books. To respect the people who these items use to belong to my heart says I need to attempt to sell these Items. What ever the value though I am willing to sell at half the books will more then likely go to a rare book seller if nothing else maybe for store credit.

Some items Just needed a better home. I am cleaning areas of the garage and cleared shelves so that little kid toys and Lagos can live on the top shelf out there to come out for indoor company. Tax records same place.

I am starting to pull out the Christmas and sort it and donate what I don’t want. Asking myself what year did I last use this? Why am I not using it now? What would change that would make me use it next year. Then donating it. It has a shelf in the garage with a laundry basket that I put to go away stuff. Then once a week I drive to Fairview Heights and donate it at Savers. I have invited my house mates to look at their things similarly. I also am trying to set up room for them to better have access to their things. I am bringing back the Garage food pantry. This means larger stocks of things like canned or boxed soup that is safe from bugs and vermin will have a shelf out there. Also, I will have a cooking shelf out there for my larger cooking stuff, so I don’t have to get on the floor to get them from the cabinets. I keep 3 extra stock pots because I am SCA and I use them they don’t need to be in my cabinets. I have 5 bread pans, 3 or more pie pans, 2 or 3 bunt pans, and 3 or more spring form pans. I need these. I use these, and I don’t want to have to re buy these. I would only part with any of them for my children.

Clothing was not easy. As an SCA member and traveler I collected T shirts. Other than those shirts though I sorted my clothes into outfits I wear. Got rid of stained, or holey, clothes and things that didn’t fit. I can buy new clothes that fit when getting smaller or getting bigger I am worth it. I then found the holes in my wardrobe and made a shopping list so that when I am out and find a thing if it fills that hole, I will get it. As such I bought 3 pairs of pats and a pack of underwear. Anything that I just didn’t wear because of any reason I got rid of.

You are welcome to journey with me. As I battle the forces within me that say save that it is useful, or it is environmentally better to save it. While the minimalist says let it go you don’t need more than one.

Pandemic Masks with non woven lining adding a metal nose piece and a button band

Pandemic Masks

I have noticed many people making masks and feel these extra things will make them more comfortable

finished mask held in place using button band.
 Button bands make them more comfortable. 

Button Band these were made with double fold 
quilt binding but ribbon or the 
handles of the shopping bag 

I used dental floss to sew on the buttons 
and to sew on the elastic bands 

I am using non woven reusable shopping bags as interfacing for these masks because I didn't have any interfacing on hand.

 I am taking spiral binder metal cutting it bending the ends in so it isn't sharp then creating a casing for it like I would for boning

I am sewing the casing to the inside out mask in the nose position

 

Then I turn the mask right side out.

I then sew along the edges to make the mask more crisp

I choose to ass double fold quilt binding this can also work as a pocket if you want to string you masks. I didnt do this on the Starry Night Fabric mask.

Because I was having problems finding elastic I had bought hair bands and cut them to use 

You can use regular hair ties either way when you cut them tie a knot at the end 

Here is one black mask men's size with nose metal and elastics 

Queens Prize Tourney

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. 

Today I am wise, so I am changing myself

~ Rumi

 I judged 3 entries at the first Midrealm Queens Prize Tournament and the turn out of 22 entrants was great. 

I loved seeing all the amazing stuff and the artists. 

Also I have never been more disappointed in myself then this, I felt completely out of my league judging. I was able to offer suggestions for how to better find resources for one entrant who was very much a beginner on how to find research for making a period item.(I would like to get a hold of that gentlemen and teach him some research tricks for beginners.)

I was familiar with the nut ivory which the other judge was not in the carving game pieces, but he was a better researcher because it is what he does for a living in a university and the artist was not looking at how the game is played or even wanting to document that really, so I had displaying ideas for her. And she was helpful in her research of the Lewis chessmen at the Scottish museum and we geeked about how they could have washed up where they did with me suggesting a storm and a sunken ship or ship wreck. We also geeked about Tagua nuts and the extra pieces and suggestions of uses like wood burned medallions. 

The Wooden sign of the other entrant was really descent for a first attempt and made with a time constraint, he was fairly self aware, I offered hardware suggestions and strapping for hanging for period effect. 

I loved seeing how the carver fell down a rabbit hole of research because of the chosen heraldic device on the item.

I did have fun! & I really felt inadequate.

I am grateful that I don't normally feel that way when judging for A&S Faire. It is amazing how hard we all work to make sure that folks have people who might know about the subject they are judging in faire and they tried to do a good job with Queens prize also I feel the Laurels that I worked beside were a better fit for judging the entries that we were assigned at Queens Prize. The game pieces had who I believe  is a carving laurel with me. There was a leather working laurel on the Leather Quiver with me.  And the Laurel with me on the carved wood sign was awesome too Who knew far more on wood working then me.  

What I learned is I have work to do.

The next step is to answer the question, What do I need to do to become a better judge and by that I mean helping the person whos items are being judged. 

One wall and 5 wheel barrels of dirt

It was beautiful out today 60's. Jim and I did some final adjustments to the wall that will be around the raised bed and serve as a water stop.

Then Jim started digging up dirt from the front hill of dirt we are trying to remove that is next to our drive way. I am fairly sure it was dirt from where the swimming pool is. I drove the wheel barrel and dumped the dirt in the new raised bed. We got 5 wheel barrels full dug and moved. Jim also removed 4 bushes we wanted gone from the front bed as well. It is a start. We will need at least another 20 full. Imagine how much that would cost if i bought bags of dirt. 

Getting ready for planting.

I have a friend who has re inspired me to more action with my garden. Katy Rose. as such I am not just talking about action I am moving forward with it.
Leading to my basement door we have worn a path in the grass. The basement is the section of my house that my husband and I live in.

The patio out side of this area is dappled shade with full sun for about 4 hrs a day. There is a sloping hill leading down to the patio and entrance. I have been planning to put in a garden path to cover the worn path. I don't want a side walk it would be to glaring in the way it would stand out. so we are planning on something more charming.
We also have been talking about putting a retaining wall for the hill. Instead after reading more on cold crops I have decided to use the area for terrace beds for spinach, lettuces, broccoli, and cauliflower.
I visited the seed store in Est Alton, Wood river area Community Seed co. http://www.communityconcretestatuary.com/ . I found them when driving by and realized they would have a cement Japanese lanterns. I was correct.
While there I discovered they sell seeds by the scoop. It is so charming they are been there for over 50 years and selling seeds. I knew with that kind of experience I can trust them to know the growing planting times for the area. In general here it is tax day you can put your tomatoes out, but that is the only thing I knew for sure. I asked the owner when I should put out my cold crops and he suggested waiting another 2 weeks. He did mention that there were some die hards that were risking putting out lettuces now but they were not worried if they failed either.
So while I am waiting for the 2 weeks I can get the beds ready for planing. This means making them. I have started moving cement blocks in order to shift soil to be nice and level.
The idea of doing this is it is  to not change the grading of the hill so I don't need any permits. and it gives me veggie planting areas. Low maintenance is the key here. I find things grow best for me when they are in the ground. It means I can ignore it more. I will also be doing more whiskey barrels but on the lower patio for my cooler loving herbs like oregano, and my sugar snap peas. they did great till summer got harsh and then they burned out fast, last year. I am hoping that the cooler area will mean more crop less work.
I need to clean up the compost pile and shift it some so the littlest member of the pack can't jump in it any more.

The whole back yard needs cleaning but that will not be this weekend. One area one project at a time. 

Our 3 spoons! age of minimalist meet age of minimal effort for health

Our 3 Spoons

Every morning Jim Dear wakes up before me. From 2 to 4 hrs before me, even on weekends. He may make himself coffee and go to work or make coffee and make breakfast for him and his brother. I get up make coffee and cradle it in my hands while I ponder my aches and pains and do stretches to lessen them, while coming to full cognitive human statice.
These are the morning spoons one is a coffee scoop it is a Table spoon that is designed in a way that it is recognizable as a coffee scoop and is used as such. The middle spoon is a traditional table spoon it is used for Stevia in our house. The third spoon is a place setting stainless steel tea spoon, in this case it is a coffee spoon, Used for stirring coffee.
Everyday.
As such they rest of a soda lid on the counter by the coffee pot, always. There is no reason to put them away, or even wash them, any time, unless they hit the floor. Our counter is set in such a way that the animals can't get up on it.
In a minimalist culture some would say one table spoon could function as all three. But they would be wrong. The coffee scoop has coffee oil on it and has grounds, though small, that stick to it and would end up mixing with the stevia in the end product. I don't like chewy coffee. The stevia spoon cant be used for stirring coffee or it could get damp and then the stevia would get messy and the spoon icky. Our 3 spoons are perfect for the job each does and their effort of just sitting there is an unspoken agreement. In a lot of ways that is how we live together and travel together, with a whole bunch of shared unspoken agreements on what makes our life comfortable. It sounds small and insignificant, maybe that is what living successfully with another person is. It isn't compromise, it is mini agreements that life is sometimes better with less effort?
Enjoy your morning beverage what ever it is.

New game posts on the Rampant Strawberry

I typed up the rules for 2 games I sell that I have been meaning to do so this way I can have them with the things I sell like a professional. I will still need  Lady Khadagan to edit the Crown and Anchor rules because I am Dyslexic

Egyptian Sticks

https://therampantstrawberry.blogspot.com/2020/01/egyptian-sticks-rolling-sticks-dice-for.html


Crown and Anchor

https://therampantstrawberry.blogspot.com/2020/02/crown-and-anchor.html

Down the Rabbit hole.

The challenge in my SCA gaming are the rabbit holes. I am down 2 right now.

I just received the 50 Tagus nuts I ordered so that I can carve a chess set from nut Ivory. 

At the same time, I am working on the rules for Tafl I just received "Flora Lapponoca-Primary Source Edition by Carl von Linne'" anyone want to translate it. lol. thats ok there are a few translations out there, it seems they are all based of the first translation which was wrong. and so the rules for tafl that we have been using are not quite correct and I want the correct ones. This book is by a botanist it is his diary of his trip and he observed this game being played by locals. ___from wikki about Linne' a Swedish botanist, zoologist, and physician who formalized binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organisms. He is known as the "father of modern taxonomy”. Many of his writings were in Latin, and his name is rendered in Latin as Carolus Linnæus (after 1761 Carolus a Linné). 

At the same time, I need to apply this to making rules for sets I intend to sell. This so I can justify it for more than just my happy little fun because, I must pay for all the books I keep buying, and the money comes from the games I sell. That money also pays for me traveling more to share gaming. Gaming has always been so much a way of life, the way doctors , lawyers, businessmen and politicians make deals PLAYING golf. (golf is an OLD game) people played games to relax and hang out and to talk politics or business deals then aswell. I researched how to make period golf balls wet leather ball not fully sawed up stuffed with wet feathers as full as you can get it. sew it up and let it dry the leather shrinks as it dries and the feathers expand that puppy is hard as a rock. any way I see a rabbit with a watch running by I must chase him he says he is late.

But wait there is more.....

I am also working on a game board for His Majesty for his Japanese chess set. 

And physiography-ing dice for dice chess. I wonder if Daffyd would like to make then? then I can sell them. and I or he can make 10 for the dice chess at Courtiers tournament? hmmmm.

I should see if I can install Dyslexia font on here.

This is how I work in so many directions at once. I bounce from thing to thing. I do come back around to the beginning and some people are better about bringing me back to the point they wanted me on. O bounce from project to project at home because I get board or tiered of that subject and need a break. the husband has seen me do dishes, play a video game, and paint a scroll, all in a circle. set dishes to soak play a round of game, paint for 10 mins or so, then wash the loads of dishes, set new batch to soak. Remember to switch laundry. repeet. 

Some people think it is ADHD but it is not traditional ADHD Because stimulants don’t calm me down. My mind does race with a lot of things, going on all at once though. Getting my mind to stop is nigh impossible. I make lists in order to try and put things to rest on the page instead of in my head and sometimes that works. However, I build and deconstruct every project in my head a hundred times before I put tool to material. I practice brush strokes in my head, I practice glass handling to get my glass to do what I want in my head. I am telling you all this so that those in the same boat know they are not alone. 

Now where did that rabbit go? Maybe I should get him carrots? 

Carrots sound good for dinner. 

Oh! I should eat.

Some new beads

13  strawberry beads

My 2 favorite  

1 gray piggy & 1 gray mouse

A Sukura Blossom button bead

A guinea pig

Morris on the brain New post of 3 of my boards

The Rampant Strawberry Inn has my post about the Morris Boards I have made a long with the rules.
Morris is one of the longest continual used games that is still played today. you can ever get an App for it.



https://therampantstrawberry.blogspot.com/2020/01/morris-or-mills-games.html

Up date on other blogs .Stuffed peppers low carb style

Experiments with low carb stuffed peppers and tomatoes.
I have always used barley for my stuffed cabbage and peppers and tomatoes. Since trying to clean up our eating while not losing any of the taste I have tried and remove as much of the higher carb foods as I can. When I feel it is necessary, I still have clean carbs as it is not worth the scarifies of the taste of food, I would rather not eat a thing them have it taste bad, but if I can change them out and the calories are less, and the taste is good, then I do. Here is my experiment not using barley or rice in stuffed peppers.

https://cookingwithstrawberry.blogspot.com/

Updates on the other blogs. Birth of a Circular Chess board

Byzantine Chess Board
https://therampantstrawberry.blogspot.com/



I am excited about this one. It was at 2 Rums ago that I was playing Circular Chess and since then I have been speaking with Master John about the board. I expressed a concern that while the game is great, that people wouldn't want to pay for another chess set especially at the price I would have to charge for hand made pieces. To wit he pointed out I don't need to sell pieces. Because anyone interested in a Circular Chess set,  has a chess set and can use the pieces they have. That making one set of glass pieces to sell is all well and good but that I should sell the board on its own.
Now I will say that this is good besides I do want to make one set of glass pieces with the elephants (these became bishops) and the kings adviser (this piece became the queen) also the pawns need something to mark their front to easily delineate which way they are traveling. However I don't want to make a lot of these sets unless people want to pay the money that it would cost to have them.
The pawns would be worth at least 10$ each and the other pieces about 25$ each. yet no one would want to pay that for a full set of Chess pieces. If a Ceramics person has molds and wants to get together on producing a set I am up for collaborations.
But just having the boards works and I will have them ready by Maiden's Jan 25th, in Springfield IL.

Crystal Ball dancing videos That I up loaded to You Tube

Dancing and Music at the Crystal Ball
I videoed Crystal Ball 2019, I caught the 1st 2 sets with the first set having singing along with the live musicians. The 3rd set had live musicians too but It was passed my bed time. Find the videos here on my you tube channel. 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaL2pTMAxtSG-9e2sHIqVKtjg6PcqeVjo

an up date of the year since I posted bunches of things to FB but not here

An up date of the year since I posted bunches of things to FB but not here but really check out my Instagram for things with out politics mixed in really.
https://www.instagram.com/strawberryholt/

SEPT

I am working on gifts for the crowns' largess. I have created, what to date may be my favorite stamp, the Midrealm Dragon stamp along with the pale stamp. I stamped the gules pale (the red stripe) then when it was dry I stamped the Vert (green) Dragon. On a long strip of white fabric. The fabric was then finished on the edges so that when sewed there would be chanels for draw strings. And a loop over, so that the bag becomes a belt pouch. In the pouch is bubbles (a period past time). With it is a copper with glass beaded bubble wand. The idea is children grow, and if they manage to not lose it then they shall have a belt favor that is also a pouch. Practical and ornamental with some fun bubbles. Forget the kids lets go play with bubbles.

July

Here i replaced the gromit of the side wall part of the roof. Using a tack harness ringi make a facing this time and then f
Flipped it and put the rung enclosed in the fabric. Then sewed the while thing to the top of the tent.

1 of the 2 roof center pole gromits pulled out. And started to rip our tent roof at sca 50th year. I am finaly getting around to fixing this and a diffrent gromit. Her are the steps that i took to make a replacement for the gromit using a tack harnis ring. I could have used hemp rope to do this also both are period methods of making gromits.

Here we have to tools used to fix my tent. Canvas from a inconspicuous section of wall that wont miss it. Scissors to use can vas and thread. The threads one is waxed linen for book binding and the ither is quilters hand stitching thread. Sailors palm which is a thimble for your hand. Plyers to help pull the needle though the canvas. Needle. Tack and harness ring and a double sided tape that is heavy duty. You can see how i just used the tape to seal a hole half the size of a pencil with just the tape on both the inside and out side then tent because the backing is red. If i was doung it on thw white part of my tent i would have added a peice of white tent canvas over it instead

June

Here are the other things I made at Lillies. A saw a marking tool and another brass bell. The shop was closed to wood working during the bell class so i killed time making a bell. Why not? I have a block of wood to make a plane also i hope to work on that though out the year.

I didnt up date you all i made things at lilies. This is an ever green medallion, i had a few days before my tool class started so to kill time i learned chasing and repose' i might do it again but only so i can then add glass to it. In fact i might still add glass to this. This took 12 hrs. Great class learned from a master for sure.

Barony did a basket class. So i thought why not. I am thinking of carrying something to hand out during the pride parade. I am hoping my mom hugs shirt will be in by then.

New year new goals.

2020

As part of my 2020 Goals is to post to one of my 4 blogs every week Right now I am thinking that I may try and post on this one the link to the new posts so that people can check here to find out which blog is up dated. For new people this is one of the 4 blogs "Strawberry's Blog spot" Stuff I haven't sorted out to go any were else Largess, Class, Calligraphy, Modern crafts, just life and art. "Cooking with Strawberry" Every day cooking with me trying to keep the house low carb also camp cooking low carb, and healthy. "The Rampant Strawberry Inn"- A place for medieval games and how to play them including me making them. "As the World Burns" the melodramatic life of Strawberry. A overly melodramatic telling of life events in the life of Strawberry (Our Heroine) in her daily trials and tribulations. I did 2 blog entries this week However it will more then likely be, a one a week thing, and if there is more well bonus. right? (under promise over deliver) Remember I AM DYSLEXIC. if something is glaring mis spelled let me know. HOWEVER if you pull grammar jerk on me I don't want to know you. think eecummings. punctuation is not my friend, but if you are you will be kind. And if your name is Sarah and I love you as only an SCA sister can I will give you my pass words and you can fix them yourself so you dont keep twitching. (though it is kind of funny how my spelling and grammar make you twitch ;) This weeks up dated Bloggs are

As the World Burns https://asstrawberrysworldburns.blogspot.com/2020/01/as-word-burns-new-year-of-reflection.html Cooking with Strawberry http://cookingwithstrawberry.blogspot.com/2020/01/cooking-with-strawberry-my-italian.html