[Gemme]

Originally Posted by candy_coated_bitch

Thank you, clay! I learned my lesson LOL, now apply it to knowing I have to be on the front end of things or it won't get done.

I'd like to try and wrangle this next one. Gemme mentioned my Mermay project which was a challenge issued by artist Jane Davenport to create a mermaid for every day of the month of may. Each day had a different prompt, up to the person doing the artwork to interpret. I'd like to come up with a prompt and have everyone do an original work of art based on that prompt but I still have a little thinking about logistics and how to work out doing a project which is a larger undertaking.

I'm thinking each person makes and receives one original work of art, people to be randomly assigned. Sized the same, same prompt. But I just can't see doing an original work for an entire group of people. Also, it would allow for more people to participate because we won't have to be worried about creating 6, 7, 10 individual paintings.

Therefore this would be a project where we have to be REALLY careful to sign up for because you will leave your assigned partner emptyhanded if you don't follow through.

These are my initial thoughts. I am thinking either mermaids or unicorns. If I wrangle I decide and decide the prompt. That's the catch. :P

I, as you know, love this idea. I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't. I vote for mermaids, if we're adding our input. I'm fine with you wrangling and I'm fine with you choosing the prompt and if there are mailing issues, I'm close enough to just drive the damn thing to you.

What size were you thinking?

Originally Posted by sis

Well, I'm wading in to comment on the 'timeout' thingy. I took a self-imposed timeout when we did the CD project. Breathless was the wrangler, I was living in China and very concerned my pieces wouldn't arrive on time so she graciously gave me the project info early. So early, that my project was almost winging its way to Breathless when it was posted for the initial sign-up. Breathless in turn sent our projects to one of our group (I can't remember who it was) who agreed to receive all the US participants AND divvy everything up and send the packets back to those who participated. Unfortunately, the packet Breathless sent to the US wrangler did not get received (actually, I don't know if it was ever received).

And NO ONE SAID ANYTHING!

I took it upon myself to take a timeout AND re-do the project at my own expense. I was extremely embarrassed however did feel better after it was received by each of the US participants. Even though NO ONE SAID ANYTHING I took the rules very seriously. I had no control over it and the others participating would not be getting my contribution. It doesn't matter 'why' it was late - that equates with 'timeout' according to our rules.

I'm going to do the 'Canadian thingy' that I hear others talk about and apologize if I sound a bit grumpy/cranky/perturbed. We have rules that we ALL agreed on at the time. We should follow them or re-visit the rules to modify them.

Deb (who is in desperate need of a cup of )

Honestly, I'd have to go back through the thread to find out how everything panned out but I do remember the project. I had a hard time with that one. Did you do the watermelon magnet? It's on my fridge but there's no name on the back.

Again, without going back to check I can't be 100% certain, but I think that you were very upfront about it all so there wasn't anything else to say. I could be wrong as it's been a while but I thought you were great about the whole situation and agree that we can't start bending the rules here and there because eventually the weak spots will break and it'll all go to Hell in a handbasket.

Some people don't take these projects as seriously as others. Maybe I take them too seriously. They are important to me and I know the time and thought that I put into them, even if the finished product doesn't look like it, so I respect the time and effort others put into their work as well. In fact, I still have EVERY project that I've participated in.

Maybe that's why I have so much crap in my craft room.


I think you make excellent points in the underlined text. If the majority want to tweak the rules, I have no problem working that out but am usually of the 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' mentality.

I went back to the first project I initiated here in January of 2010--it was a GREAT way to start off the New Year!--and the rules initially said that the projects must have a post date of a particular date.

If memory serves me, even when they had an 'on time' post date, projects were held up as they came in from different parts of the world and that's part of how we evolved into our current rules and time frames. We wanted to make sure that the participants knew exactly when their projects were due, exactly when they arrived, exactly when they would be put together and exactly when to expect them in their greedy little hands. Why participate if you didn't know if you were going to get anything back? So we worked those rules out.

The time outs came along because the process wasn't being completed in a timely manner. What was the ramification if one was late and held everyone else up? Nothing. So we did something about that so there was an incentive to get them in on time. That's how we got to the time out clause and it's worked without issue up to this point.

My fear is that we will begin to judge one another's situations. For example, I was late because my kid was in the hospital versus I was late because I lost my job and had to wait for funds to come in to mail it out, but it was done on time. Both situations SUCK and both could lead to projects being received late. IMO, both should take some time off. Granted, these are extreme examples but I think they need to be for my point to get across. I don't want to be put in that situation of having to choose who is more worthy of a 'free pass' (stealing Lyte's phrase). I respect all of my co-participants equally and don't want anyone to feel less than for any reason.

Originally Posted by nycfem

My opinion is:

Rules stay exact same and are followed precisely the same for everyone. If at the beginning of a project, someone from outside the US chimes in that they would appreciate an extra 2 weeks (or something that seems okay to everyone), I'm cool with that, but once the start date for the project is agreed on by everyone, the rules are firm.

This is good! Beauty and brains.

Going forward, is everyone okay with making a modification to the time frame if we do it before the final sign up closes?

How it could work is CCB writes out her time frame for the Mer/corn Project and if sis wants to sign up, she'll add a note onto her name.

Sign up
1. CCB
2. Gemme
3. nyc
4. clay
5. nan
6. sis----please add 7 days to the project for mailing?
7. Besame

so on and so forth

If no additional time is requested by the date of the final sign up, that's it.

We've actually added two time frames for folks. The one in which the wrangler is supposed to receive the project and one additional week for mailing and whatnot. The other option is to automatically extend the LATE LATE time frame to TWO weeks beyond the initial time frame.

Projects are due in CCB's hands by July 31st. Projects are late and you will be on a timeout by August 14th. Normally, it would be August 7th as the final final deadline.

I'm okay with either option but only with ONE option, not both. Then it gets into waiting months for the projects to come back and that's what we were trying to avoid.