Embracing SCA Crafts : Your To-Do List Adventure

Last Saturday’s 2025 Calontir Queen’s Prize Tournament event was a wonderful achievement celebration. It showed how joyful—and exciting—the SCA arts and sciences can be.

It always starts the same way. There’s that first spark—an idea, a project, a skill you just can’t wait to try. So you dive in, you buy all the necessary materials and tools, and you create your special piece. Then, you want to share it with your SCA people. You want to hear what others think, what they know, and maybe even learn a few new tricks yourself. And so, you enter Queen’s Prize.

Of course, if we’re being honest, our beloved pre-17th century crafts come with a little bonus: the tenacious to-do list. This next step comes with what I like to call the “QPT Reality Checklist.” What do I need to finish before I go? What should I pack? Who do I want to catch up with while I’m there? Before you know it, you’re making lists, double-checking them, and maybe squeezing in one last stitch, sentence or brushstroke.

But you know what? I’ve realized the lists and the planning are part of the adventure, too. In the SCA, your to-do list isn’t just a chore—it’s your map. Each item you recreate is a new SCA A&S beginning. The things you need to do build your foundation. And the things you dream of doing? Those are the ones that make the journey uniquely yours.

Recently, I figured out something funny. Even though I have over 30 years in the SCA, I’m still at the beginning of my A&S journey. The path just keeps unfolding. It leads me to new lessons, new people, and new possibilities I never imagined in my 70+joyful years.

Right now, I’m lucky enough to be starting two new creative adventures. One you already know about, it is my expanded persona story exploration and possibly a book to share someday. The second adventure is welcoming a second apprentice: Lady Tanneke Groenlaken!

Tanneke’s persona is a 16th-century Dutchwoman, which means we have some historical touchpoints in common. We also both love a good day-trip event within a few hours’ drive of the Barony of the Lonely Tower. Her A&S passions lean toward costuming and research; mine are manuscript illumination and research. So, we pursue different skills but we share the same joy of discovery.

As you follow your own SCA creative path, I hope this blog can be a little guidepost for you, too. I try to fill it with favorite photos, tips, and lessons that may help you with your SCA to-do list. I include all the little things that helped me along the way.

I don’t know everything. However, if something I share here makes your journey a little easier or brighter, I’ll call it a success.

At the heart of it all, I want to connect with you. So tell me, what’s something exciting you’re creating these days? Where are you in your A&S journey? I’d love to hear about it, whether here in the comments or in person at an event like Queen’s Prize!