A look back at GenCon

So, a bit of a break from blogging as I ward of Con Plague and rest.
But here I am again!

So, GenCon!
Amazing event, really. It's awesome to be able to see and try so many great events. The vendors were awesome this year, Steampunk as far as the eye could see.

I met two of my all time favorite authors this year, Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weiss.  If you haven't read their work, I highly recommend it. It was so exciting to finally meet people that started me on my journey in reading fantasy, all those many years ago. They are both very personable and engaging. Mr. Hickman is a really funny guy, on top of being a great writer.

Met Wil Wheaton as well this year, very cool guy. It's really awesome to see him wandering the con and being the same excited fan boy that the rest of us are.

Mayfair games was out in full force with Star Trek Catan. Interesting game, and we went home with a copy.

All the D&D stuff was really interesting this year. I got to take a first look at the Neverwinter Nights MMO that is still in pre-alpha stage. Very nice graphically, but I'd have to say I need to see more before I can say I really like it. Seems kinda par for the course, but it's still really early in the development stage. They do plan on having a armor dye system, AND gear that levels with you (much like the SWTOR orange modable gear), so that's kinda awesome. In talking with the lead dev, it sounds like they have a lot of good ideas, and I'll be interested to see what makes it into game and what doesn't.

More D&D, they are pushing new product this year centered around the Drow. Nice story lines, and sometimes it's just fun to be evil.  So they had a ton of product demos. And, really cool thing...you got free dice for each event you did to make a complete set. AWESOME! Game demos and free dice. Win. So here is what they look like, and I literally finished the last event 30 minutes before the con ended. Whew! Talk about cutting it down to the wire.

And! Excitement!
I got paint miniature figurines again. I used to do this as a hobby, and I have always loved it. My first two tries were kinda cruddy, but the last one I painted turned out great!
Not professional great, but still awesome...considering I haven't done this in 10 years.
Here is some detail of the back of my fig.

Whew! I'm tired all over again.


So, now to the down side of cons...for a lot of  ladies anyways, but this is my experience.
I get to the con and I'm all like this!

WOOO! GO CON! Everything is awesome!

And then I slow down to start looking at things and asking questions. But a lot of the booths are filled with well, things kinda like this.

 Sort of uncomfortable sometimes, as I know they don't want my money. This is all for the boys, keep walking lady.

But the thing that really bothered me, is that hardly any booths were engaging me. I'd walk up, poke around...and the dudes working there never said hi. Never asked me (or other ladies) if I had a question. Bummer.  And no, it wasn't because they were busy. I can't fault them for being engaged with other people. That would be a tad bit unreasonable.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not all like "OMG! COVER ALL THE SKIN!" "BAN THE BOOBIES!" That's not it, not at all.
I get that barely dressed ladies have a firm niche in the fantasy and sci-fi markets. I don't think it will ever go away, and it probably shouldn't. It is fairly iconic of the genre and a lot of people appreciate it. And I know some RL ladies find skin empowering. That's cool. I have no problems with that. I think the female form is quite beautiful.

But this idea that women are eye candy and have to be shown cavorting around in magical chain mail bikinis gets, tiresome. Women "warriors" wearing two leather straps, body oil and some bunny fur, while writhing around with a giant snake is old.
I think that's the best word for it, tiresome. It's predictable and tiresome.
And sadly, this idea of women being objects seeps through the culture to a certain degree.
So how about some balance?  Why not have a little bit of something for everyone?

So after all that, I was pleasantly surprised to come across the DGS Games booth. Why?
I was instantly greeted, and I noticed something startling about their figures, the women were dressed.
No really!
Check it out... http://www.dgsgames.com/

So cool,  and yep, there is skin. But, it is very tastefully done.
Like this!

Even their stances say powerful warrior, not sex kitten. Which, is just very refreshing.
I gotta hand it to the folks at DSG games, they have done some wonderful sculpting and kept the femininity, and sensuality while not venturing into the trashy category. 
Kudos to them.

So while it's not always sunshine and daisies at Cons...I still have to say it's a good time. And hopefully int he future, we'll see more of a balance in how female characters are portrayed in the genre.
Just remember your deodorant. No one likes gamer funk. No one.

SHOES! Well, shoes boxes and how to do things with them.

Okay so, I mentioned I love shoes. And it's true!
But there are always shoe boxes left over from the purchase of my delightful feet candy.
So what do to do with them? 
I had an idea!
Well, when you get really attractive shoe boxes, this is a really simple solution that makes great storage.
So, I got 2 pairs of Chinese Laundry shoes for 17 bucks each. Yep, 17 bucks!
And the boxes were just really attractive.

Aren't they pretty??

So I got some mini picture frames from the dollar store.  For yes, a dollar.

I started by removing the kick out stand that keep the picture frame upright.

It's cheap plastic on the back, so it was rather easy to remove. Now that this part is done, glue the kick out stand down to the back of the frame and make sure the frame can still slide easily on and off the backing.  I use craft epoxy, but any kind of sturdy glue will do. I would avoid hot glue, as it tends to peel off smooth surfaces after time.

It should look something like this. I had to cut the kick out stand down to size to fit on the back of the frame. A pair of good scissors or wire cutters will do the trick.
But why are we doing this, you may ask.
Cause I like to mess with people. It amuses me to watch people glue things to other things.

No, really...there's a reason.
You don't want to have the picture frame flush against the box, or the frame won't be removable. You want to be able to change the tag in the front. With the kickstand glued down, the frame will still move on and off the box.

Onward!
Now glue the kickstand and the frame backer to the box itself.
Let this dry for the appropriate amount of time as described by the glue you are using.
SO!
Once your back is totally dry, now you can add a tag into the front of the frame and slide it on.
Like so!

And the finished product....

So there you have it. For one dollar you can make attractive storage out of shoe boxes.
Hey, you need the shoes anyways, you might as well do something cool with their boxes.

Enjoy!

Fun Tip!
Saving bubble wrap can save your sanity. Kids hyper and can't go outside? Give em each a sheet of bubble wrap and let them go to town.
Make a game of how many can be popped in 30 or 60 seconds. You can never go wrong with bubble wrap.

Shelves in SPAAAAAAAAAACE!

Wait a minute, shelves MAKE space. Oh well, I like the title better the way it is.

So here we go.
With nearly no built in storage room in small spaces, putting your things up nicely is challenging to say the least.
So, how do I do it? I can hear you asking this, it's okay...I'll answer.
As you probably guessed, the answer is SHELVES!
Cheap Shelves! But cheap shelves that are also very pretty. You see, a local store sells kitchen counter top remnants in measured lengths of shelving. Menards to be specific, but I'm sure other companies do this as well.
Genius!
So all those beautiful countertop patterns, are dirt cheap shelves.
Corner shelves are 1.50, 4 length shelving is 1.50 and little knick knack shelves are .99 cents.
Seriously.

So, what I have I done with them?
Let's see!

It's a coat rack! A beautiful marble patterned coat rack.  So this -ahem- lovely wood paneling cracks very easily and is flimsy as all get out.
So, we (anything involving carpentry is my husband's work, but I come up with the ideas...so it's we) just drilled this nicely cut piece into the studs and attached coat hangers. No damage to the paneling from the coat hooks and it looks lovely.
Total Material, 1.50 for the shelf and 2.00 for each hook.
For a grand total of.....9.50! 

DVD Racks!
Now, some of the shelves that are sold have this great curved edge, some have a flat edge. I much prefer the curved edge.
As you can see it makes a great DVD shelf, and the floor space is clear for an end table. These shelves were cut slightly short and the cut off ends were then drilled into the end of the shelf to keep the DVD's standing up straight. The wall holds up the other end. Flip the shelves upside down, and you have a great way to keep items on top. We have a smaller shelf behind the TV for the video games. Works just like this one, fabulous.
Total Materials, 
Shelves, 1.50 each. Brackets 2.00 each for 100lbs supports.
Grand total, 16.50 for a DVD Rack.

Corner Shelf in the kitchen.
I have a tiny kitchen, really...it's small.
And a lot of the counter space is taken up in this very awkward corner. So, we solved the problem by putting up a shelf and making more useful space. Which, I promptly filled with owls. My husband is a saint. Really. But if you look carefully, there is a cheese shredder and some meat thermometers, so it's still useful space! Plus, it all matches my wallpaper!
Total Materials,
One corner shelf  at 1.50, two brackets for 1.00 each.
Grand Total, 3.50.

So While we're on about corner shelves, okay...I'm the only one that's on about them...but anyways..
These are incredibly useful for getting speakers up and out of the way for cheap surround sound. This is one of the inverted shelves that keeps the speaker in place better. This speaker sits up above the DVD rack, and it matches. Bonus.
Grand Total, 3.50.

Microwave Shelf.
So, as I mentioned, my kitchen is very small. Which means very limited counter space.
So, the solution to having limited counter space and a microwave is putting this shelf up on an empty wall. You'll notice the baskets on the top, which give additional and attractive storage.
Sitting right above it, are my tea pots. They stretch the length of the windows, and add a nice homey touch to the kitchen. Without the shelves, they would be packed away in boxes. And what good are they then?

Grand Total for all the shelves, 16.00

So, the shelves are so attractive that we (meaning me, seriously my husband cringes when I say "Honey, I have an idea")  decided to make a table. My husband is a wonderful sport and a great carpenter.
So, now we have an end table that matches the DVD rack and the corner shelf. It's a two tiered table, with storage bins on the second shelf that contain my yarn for crafting and some of my photography supplies.  So not only so we have a functional and attractive table, we also have more storage space.
Total Materials, 2 four foot shelves, 2 1X2 inch boards, flat & corner brackets for joining shelves.
Total Cost, 26.00

Shoe rack/bookshelf
I have a lot of shoes. More than I should have, according to people who aren't me. I say, BUY ALL THE SHOES! The Crocs are for gardening, don't judge! They are comfy! Anyways...
The shoes need to go somewhere, somewhere off the floor. And under the bed is full. *coughs*
So, voila!
Granted, prefab bookshelves can be purchased for about the same price. However, they are not built to space specifications and the "wood" starts to peel off pretty quickly.  I've found that the prefab bookshelves tend to be wider and deeper, making the protrude more into what little space remains.
I much prefer hand made.
Total Cost, 20.00

So, after all this I hope some of you have some ideas for making more useable space in your homes, no matter the size of your home.



Dollar Store Find!

So, my kids love squirt guns. Thing is, I freaking hate them. They break like mad, they are hard for little kids to fill and they hardly squirt anything before you have to refill them again. Then you lose the cap for the water reservoir, and the water doesn't stay in. Pain in the behind to keep water in them, and so on.
So, browsing at the dollar store one day, I find these.

These things are great!
They are like big syringes that shoot an impressive amount of water. Even the smallest kids can fill these on their own from a big bucket of water. All they do is pull back on the handle, and water is there. Shoot and repeat. Plus, for parents who don't like gun imagery, these things are perfect.
Best part, they are only a dollar and have lasted us nearly all summer. And if ones does break, big whoop. It's a buck!
I found these at Dollar Tree.

Natural Landscaping, or things I find and put in my yard.

So, living out here in the middle of nowhere with a lot of land, left me with a feeling I should be gardening.
So I started some landscaping and food producing gardens. After looking at stores and seeing the prices of landscaping items, I knew I would have to do this creatively.
Meaning, holy jeez is that stuff expensive. I need to start finding things that look nice and are laying around the property.
And so I did.

Granted, the flowers were purchased, but most annuals will reseed themselves if left to their own devices. Perennials will obviously come back every year.
So let's take a look at what you can do on the very cheap.

Yep, these are old buckets and washtubs. I also use old blue and white speckled camping pots.  Most had holes or rusted out bottoms, or some damage that made them unable to be used for their original purpose. So now they are pots for some lovely flowers. Make sure to put a thin layer of gravel at the bottom of the buckets and make drainage holes. Otherwise, water will sit in the bottom and cause root rot.

Oh, it's an old log. Which is now being used as a table outside. We have a lot of trees on the property and some simply fall over when they are too old. Such is the case with the tree that donated this log.  If you have trees that have fallen over, simply measure about how high it is from the ground to the bottom of the arm rest of your chair or swing. Cut the log to that height and you will have a perfect side table. And when it finally rots away, you have mulch to use in your garden. These can be sealed against the weather, but we always have an ample supply of logs to use. So I really have never bothered.

Continuing with the trees, limbs fall off quite a bit. So, I used to them to make natural fence borders around the gardens. I interlock the fallen limbs together to make one continuous chain. These are all limbs that have died naturally and fallen off of the trees, I never cut live limbs off. The limbs make some lovely shapes and add a wonderful natural element to shade or sun gardens. 
 If you have small children, it's a good idea to sand off the sharper ends and cut off protruding branches for safety.

Hanging baskets are some of my favorite ways of decorating the yard and porch. But dang are they pricy. So, I might buy one a year, but I always save the baskets at the end of the season. So now I have a nice stash of hanging baskets that I simply plant with whatever I want. The basket featured started out as one single wave petunia at the start of the season (on clearance for 1.00) and it grew very nicely.  Wave Petunias do great in hanging baskets, as well as Lobellia, and trailing Verbena. If you want to add height to your baskets, plants the taller plants in the middle and the trailing plants to the outside.

Rocks! I love rocks. No really, I do.
But landscaping with them can get pretty expensive. All of the large rocks that make the border were found out of the fields around us. This actually is a favor to the farmers who would otherwise have to mess with getting the rocks out of the field on their own. Good thing there are nutty cheap people like me who will wander around and pick out the rocks for free. The river pebbles were all purchased on sale at 1.88 a bag. Good deal! 


So let's talk bedding plants. Annuals can be kinda pricy to replace every year, so I tend to stick with perennials.
However there are some annuals that will come back each year and are darn cheap to start.

This, is Dianthys. It's in the carnation family. It is a very hardy plant and will spread easily. It will also reseed itself each year. The current crop I have has been around for 4 years. It's pretty resistant to dry conditions as well, so if you don't remember to water it all the time, it's not a big deal.

Then there is the old standby of Marigolds.
Marigolds are great for food producing gardens. Why? They keep away insects that would otherwise eat your plants. The smell of the marigolds will repel most food destroying insects. This is how I avoid using any kinds of pesticides in my garden. 100% organic gardens with no extra work on my part. Score! Simply plant the marigolds in the beds with whatever type of flower or plant that you want to protect. If you notice in the top picture a tub of marigolds is sitting next to my dahlias. Dahlias are notorious for being bug food. But, as you can see the plants are healthy and bug free. Marigolds are simple to grow from seeds and will reseed themselves.

Whew, that's about it from me on gardening. If you have any questions, or things I didn't cover here..please reply and let me know!

Fun Tip:
Geeky Upcycling!
So as many of you gamers know, the XBOX had a big issue with the red ring of death. For you non-gamers...it would fry and never come back to life again.
Sadly, this happened to us.
So, I gutted the unit, and stuck kleenex in it. The kleenex come out of the CD drive. Cheap, easy way to get a really nerdy kleenex holder.

Starting Out

Hello world, it's nice to meet you.

So if you've stumbled over this blog, chances are you're wondering what the heck is up with the title.
It's fairly simple really.
I'm a geek, my kids are geeks, and my husband is a geek.
We live in a mobile home (I'll give you a moment to visualize hillbillies and banjos) in the middle of a corn field.

It's always interesting to see how people react to the information that someone lives in a mobile home. It's usually a "Oh, that's nice", tempered by pity or contempt. I guess it's simple to paint all trailer dwellers with the popular imagery of hicks in white tank tops hooting for Nascar drivers.
It's honestly not really the truth though. We're educated and cultured people. We appreciate art and classical music. We love puns and reading. Just doing my small part to help people realize that class doesn't come from money and it's not determined by where you live.
So, that little bit is out of the way. Hope you're still with me after my mini rant.

So why a blog?
I think I have some interesting, or at least mildly entertaining perspective to share.
Living in small spaces teaches you some fairly interesting things. Organization, what to hold on to, what matters, just to name a few.

I'm really cheap, I'll get that out of the way now. But I think that ads to what I have to share with all of you. Why? Part of it is due to the fact that I'm like many Americans right now. We live on not a whole lot, and have to make do. The other part is, I think of saving money as a game, a challenge. And I LOVE to win.

I upcycle a lot. It's become a bit of a passion of mine.  As I said, I am cheap. But that doesn't mean that I like things that are cheaply made. A bit of a contradiction? Perhaps so.
But I adore finding old well made items and re-purposing or just cleaning them up to make them useful again.
I really find that the saying "They don't make things like they used to" is quite true.  I hate it when I spend hard earned money on something that turns out to be a piece of junk.  Don't you?
Hence, upcycling/refurbishing.

Upcycled Chandelier. 
We'll start out with this piece. It was my first foray into upcycling/refurbishing and one of my favorites. 

Pretty, right?
Well..this is how it started out.

This find was from our very own barn junk pile. It had been sitting around rusting for probably about 40 years, if not longer.
So, I get my husband to rewire it. I found the heavy glass shades for 1 dollar (I know, right?) each at GoodWill, I even got an extra one for 6 dollars total. I love the shades, not only for the design but because they are NOT paper thin.  I took care of the sanding and painting and voila! For 22 dollars in supplies and a little bit of work, we have a beautiful "new" light fixture.

Now a tip on rewiring old fixtures, use WD40 liberally before you attempt to yank the old wiring out.  Seriously, this will save you a lot of cursing and yanking on stuck wires. Plus, if the wires break off too deep in the fixture, you will have a much harder time getting them out.  Spray the insides of the lighting fixtures where the wiring is, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes, laying flat so the WD40 doesn't run out. The longer it rests, the better. The wires will come out MUCH more easily with needle nose pliers. Clean the piece out very well after the wires are out and let it air dry before you paint it. You don't want WD40 left in the fixture, as it can corrode the fixture and the new wiring from the inside.
And obviously, never attempt electrical work without some preparation and study on the subject.
Seriously, don't fry yourself.

One last fun tip.
Do you compost?
We do. And I was forever sick and tired of  taking the composting out in plastic bags or in a bowl every single time I had even the tiniest of offerings for the compost pile.
The solution came in the form of an ancient old blender that no longer worked.  I found this piece in my grandmother's basement.
And lo, I had an idea.
The actual base was trash, the electronics were fried. BUT! The top part, was made of heavy 1/4 inch thick glass. And it still had the lid.
Perfect.
We now put our composting in the old blender top and take it out when it's full. It doesn't look out of place on the counter top and it's covered to keep out bugs or inquisitive pets.