[MR] Fw: A&S Competitions at Sacred Stone's Baronial Birthday Sept 9-11

[Maeve Griffinsward]

"Born of Fire"
Items "Born of the Fire" like Sacred Stone's Phoenix - blacksmithing, casting, glass, ceramics, cooking/baking, etc - documentation required

Best A&S Display - here's your chance to show off your art
  a.. Consider how you would display your item if it were an original artifact in a museum exhibit.  Would it be on a stand? In a frame? 
  b.. Because most items in an A&S display are simply set down on a table, your display will be more eye-catching if it is displayed more vertically.  A gown will look better on a dressmaker's dummy (or better yet, on a model) than simply folded up on he table; an elaborate headdress is better displayed on a wig stand (or "styrofoam head" draped with fabric); a plate will look better if it is arranged on a stand rather than simply laid down flat. 
  c.. Put a contrasting solid-colored surface beneath the item, so that it will stand out.  If your item is light-colored (like bobbin lace, silver jewelry, or bone-carving), set it on a dark-colored surface, like a smallish piece of black or navy-blue velvet. 
  d.. Should you frame your item?  An illuminated manuscript will be better-protected if it is matted and framed under glass -- and this way it can also be displayed on a stand.  An embroidered panel might look better in a frame (without glass) -- but make sure that the judges have some way of looking at the back.  (There are frames that are simply two pieces of glass, surrounded by a frame, which allow the item to almost "float" between them -- I don't recommend using these for embroidery, as they will mash the surfaces of the embroidery and distort the stitches, unless you have some means of putting spacers between the pieces of glass.) 
  e.. Present comestible items (foods and beverages) on nice, period-style feast gear.  Put a nice (clear) goblet by a brewing competition entry; have food laid out on a period-looking platter, with whatever sorts of period-style utensils might have been used to dish it out
"Your First Attempt at Garb with Documentation"
Lady Louise de la Mare 
ladylouise at carolina.rr.com
Documentation required

"Items made of Glass"
Maitress Alianor atte Red Swanne 
redswanne at bellsouth.net 
Documentation required

Best Heraldic Field Display
Asszony Bessenyei Rozsa 
qchell at earthlink.net 
This will be a competition for the group with the best heraldic field display, whether it be shire, canton, household, ship, or friends. Bring out that color-coordinated garb, heraldic tabards and dresses, and banners and flags. The group with the most brilliant display of 'team spirit' wins!

"Champions Challenge"
Maitress Alianor atte Red Swanne

"[English doesn't] just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued
other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their
pockets for new vocabulary."-- James D. Nicoll

Perfectionism is the enemy of good enough~ A Russian Proverb