Weekend Reading

Happy Weekend! Hope it's a relaxing one, no matter where you are!

Image source: Winslow Homer, Wiki Commons.

It's been a busy week around here, what with getting the SRPS News up and running, and getting caught up on blogging and other work-related stuff. I've got a stack of interesting looking articles and blog posts all queued up for a relaxing day of reading and gardening. (Sorry folks in New England, but I figure if it's going to be unseasonably warm and dry here at least I may as well enjoy it, right?)

Here are a couple of stories I've already read and enjoyed. I hope you'll find them interesting as well. Feel free to share links to things you've written or interesting things you've read (regarding kick ass women and girls) in the comments.

Read More

Newsletters are cool again!

Yeah, I know. I think it's kinda weird too. What's old really is new again!

After years of assiduously avoiding giving out my email address to people pushing newsletters, I've found myself actually signing up for a couple here and there. And, more astounding, actually reading them! Surprising myself the most, I find they're perfect for keeping up with what's going on with my favorite bloggers, and not nearly as stressful as having to wade through my RSS feed every day! (Seriously, that thing's way out of hand!)



I've given it some thought and have decided to start a semi-weekly newsletter for folks who enjoy what I post here as well as what I share on my various social media platforms. It'll be a way to highlight news posts as well as the super awesome stuff I find elsewhere on the web and want to share with you all.

Read More

Quote of the Day - Frida Kahlo

I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you.” - Frida Kahlo

I was reminded about this quote the other day while watching the episode of Six Feet Under (one of my favorite shows filled with great, complex, and truly strange characters) when Ruth (the mom) goes to a meeting of The Plan (a self-help kind of group), and the instructor has everyone do an exercise where they imagine everyone else is laughing at them, telling them it's a joke and to laugh once they get it. It takes some of them only a few seconds to get it, while others take a while longer. But Ruth doesn't get it. She just gets mad.

Read More

She's Crafty - Star Wars Edition

I understand the middle and eastern parts of the US are still looking more like Hoth than anyone would like. I've gathered some geeky Star Wars-themed crafts to help you keep warm.



I love geeky cross stitch! And this one is super awesome. Thanks to Meredith Cait at HardCoreStitchCorps you can make your very own Bless This House - Mos Isley Edition for your very own wretched hive lovely home.

Read More

She's Crafty - Galentine's Day Edition

Happy Galentine's Day!



What's Galentine's Day, you ask?

Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home and just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus he angst. Plus, frittatas!

To help you and your lady friends celebrate this most  awesome of holidays, I've got a couple of great Galentine's Day-inspired goodies that honor the wonderful bonds of friendship between ladies!



You got a special bestie who just gets you? Show her she's the Ann to your Leslie with this beautifully designed card by Chelsea Brombley for her gorgeous etsy shop, The Big Lake.



It's no secret that I love the Golden Girls and have already decided that I want to be Dorothy when I grow up. Dakota Davis has created these amazing Tribute Devotional Candles celebrating our favorite four gal pals -- Dorothy, Rose, Sophia, and Blanche! She's also got a Sex in the City set you should check out!

Or if your BFF likes fun and funky jewelry, how about these fabulous Liz Lemon earrings to celebrate IRL BFFs Tina Fey and Amy Poehler! Peachy Apricot's store is filled with similarly awesome jewelry and pins celebrating powerful ladies.



Or, if something a bit more classy is your style, there's this beautifully elegant chainmaille heart pendant by Deborah Wilson Taylor. Her shop Femailler is filled with similarly gorgeous works of silver chainmaille pieces.



However you decide to celebrate Galentine's Day, I hope it's filled with great friends, great fun, and great food!

Read More

She's Crafty - Captain America sweatshirt

Super awesome floral Captain America shield sweatshirt -- the perfect snow day craft project!



Tehnakki typically spends her days in Boston being an awesome rocket scientist. (OK, technically she's a satellite engineer, but 'rocket scientist' sounds way cooler. And eviler.) When she's not doing science, she's playing games, creating awesome cosplay, and following other awesomely nerdly pursuits.

But folks in Boston and other parts of New England have been effectively snowed in for days now. So, what's a home-bound nerd girl going to do with all that free time? Sew, of course!

I really love florals. I was browsing the Joanns Fabrics website (as you do) looking at what floral fabric was on sale when I came across this wonderfully tacky Hibiscus flower fabric and new I HAD to get some to make a non-compliant sweatshirt. Of course, you can't just purchase 1-yd of fabric off the website (the shipping's ridiculous) so I tried brainstorming other simple shapes I could cut out of floral fabric and my mind immediately went to Captain America's shield since it's relatively simple (4 circles and a star) but very iconic.

I just love these colors together! So spring-like!

It was about 2 hours of work to make. I eye-balled a 5" star on the white n' blue fabric, cut that out, placed it on the blue fabric and cut a circle that inscribed the star, and then cut three more circles of increasing diameter. A half yard of fabric would have been sufficient for the red, and less for the other two fabrics. 

To make sure the edges of the star stayed crisp (because cotton has a habit of fraying when appliqueing) I applied hot bond paper to the tips of all the star points and ironed it to the blue circle before appliqueing. If I had a serger I would have used that for all the edges, but alas I do not so I used the zigzag stitch on a short stitch length and large width.

I ordered a 2 pack of men's Hanes sweatshirts which were comfy but awkwardly large through the sleeves so I cut them done and tailored them to fit me better. Once the sweatshirt fit, I pinned the shield to the front, checked placement in the mirror and the sewed it on using the zigzag stitch. Easy peasy!"

And super cute! I'm sure both Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers would approve! For more info on how she did it, check out her fantastic instructions [PDF].

Read More

SRPS Shout-Out: Alex Heberling - author and artist of The Hues

Last week I raved about The Hues in my Kickstart This post. I'm totally in love with this project and managed to get in touch with Alex Heberling, the fantastic author and artist responsible for my latest and newest comic obsession and talk with her about her love of magical girls and the importance of supporting diversity in comics.



What is it about magical girls that attracts you? Why create your own?

Sailor Moon was my introduction to magical girls, so it's really my biggest influence in that regard. SM was like an even awesomer Power Rangers that was ALL girls! So I was smitten from the very beginning. That, and color-coded characters are a particular weakness of mine.



I've seen a couple of quotes by you about your choice in characters and your reasons for making them so diverse (body size, color, gender expression, etc.). Would you care to elaborate on that a bit?

I've learned a lot about representation, and the ridiculous lack thereof, over the last several years, and when I decided to resurrect The Hues, which was something I first concieved nearly two decades ago, I knew that more diversity was one way to make this magical girl story fresh-- tell a story with the kinds of girls that mainstream media never gives the time of day. I'll admit that The Hues spent a long part of its' existence as a pretty boring and derivative story, full of white people with a sprinkling of token non-white characters that weren't really given any thought or care. So the first thing I did was "recast" my main lineup of girls, and put in a mix of ethnicities, backgrounds, body types, and so on.



Are these characters based on people you know? Friends or a composite of people? Or are they mean to represent a wider range of character than we typically get?

Yes and no, and all of the above! I think a lot of writers draw from the people around them when writing characters, and there are specific traits that I pull from myself and the people around me. Lauren, for instance, is the type of brash, badass gothy girl that I might've idolized in high school. It's all part of the fun of getting to explore characters. And part of the challenge is writing the things that are NOT like me, as well, and putting myself in someone else's shoes.



What makes these young women especially "kick ass?"

They are perfect and beautiful cinnamon rolls. But then, I'm rather biased in their favor. ;) I think they kick ass because they don't back down from challenges, they support and help each other and everyone around them, and they never give up.



If you haven't already done so, please go check out her blog, and then her Kickstarter page and consider backing her! We desperately need more of these kinds of stories about diverse and kick ass young women!

If you like the work I do here on SRPS, please support me!

Read More

Kickstart This! The Hues

Magical girls fighting aliens? Yes, please!

If you like comics with all-female leads, magical girls, girls of color, queer girls, fat girls, thin girls, girly girls, tomboy girls, AND said girls punching aliens, then have I got the comic for you.

Here, take all my money.



I'm not well-versed in comics. But over the last couple of years, I have been trying to branch out of my comfort zone of mostly tv and books, and have asked for recommendations from friends for things to check out in the comics world. I've discovered Saga and Lumberjanes, and am even reading Captain Marvel now.

How come Alex Heberling hasn't crossed my path until today is a complete and utter mystery to me. Just looking at her website, I'm totally enthralled. I just spent a couple of hours reading bits of each comic she's done, and now I'm adding each of them to my official to-read queue.

She's running a Kickstarter to fund the first print run of her latest project, The Hues: Volume 1: Spectrum.

This comic is my love letter to magical girls, and my way of celebrating all the different types of girls everywhere. I want all kinds of kids to be able to see themselves in my characters!

While The Hues is available online for free, by backing the Kickstarter, you'll get the first three chapters plus some excellent bonus material, and updated artwork. But, more importantly, you'll be supporting a fantastic new voice in the world of comics, and one whose stories are so very needed in a world of tires old tropes about young women and what they can do.

The Hues is a story I’ve worked on in fits and spurts for many years, and I finally decided to start making the comic my primary focus two years ago! I’ll soon be crowdfunding the first print volume to coincide with my 10th anniversary in comics, which I’m very excited about.

What love the most about these character is the fact that they seem so real. They're complex individuals with flaws and personalities and unique motivations. They're as far from tropes as one can possibly get. Plus, each one reminds me of someone I know and adore.

But what has really got me intrigued is the story. Sure, it's about young women being all kick ass and stuff, and that's super awesome. But more than that, we get to see them learning about themselves and learning how to work together. This is such an important story that is often neglected in media -- girls working together to be amazing and do amazing things.

If you're looking for a modern take on a magical girl story, this might be the comic for you! I focus on character relationships, all the different kinds of love, girls working together and supporting each other, and building a cast that is diverse in many different ways. I'm pouring a whole lot of love into this story, so I hope you'll love it, too.

So, do yourself a favor and go pledge as much as you can afford to help Alex get this project printed. Also, you should check out her Patreon page.

[UPDATE]: Also, check out my interview with the amazing creator, Alex Heberling and the Kickstart This! post for The Hues 2!

If you like the work I do here on SRPS, please support me!

Read More