DIY: Woman Cave

Women enjoy the tough stuff as much as the guys. So ladies here's how to make a womanly yet fierce cave of your own. You're going to need theme, use, and budget to think of. With the room I'm describing the budget may well be zero if you have things laying about.

Oh yes, there will be tools used. And much heavy lifting. To be a real woman cave you can't let the menfolk help. They just tend to get in the way anyhow.

NOTE: For truly important stuff like wiring a room for electric, putting in pipes or other specialist stuff, hit one of our sisters in the pros up. I don't want fatalities here.

Every woman cave needs something on the walls. I pick paint in my local team's colors as it can be fairly cheap and is a no-brainer. If you are painting a basement room make sure the paint will stand up to dampness.

I have the minimum carpet needed to house my desk and work area. Here and there wires are taped down for surround-sound. The floor is good honest cement, not painted. Perfect for wood-burning or the use of caustic chemicals. Yes, my woman cave/office doubles as a crafting area, stay with me.

Make sure there are enough outlets at the proper voltage for your needs. Lights can be as simple as a lone bulb. I prefer using double strips as the light is bright, and when they start to go the errie flickering will deter most guests.

I love this pic, it would look lovely on the wall of any woman cave.

I didn't have any money for a nicety like a ceiling so lots of odd stuff hangs down from the exposed beams. Some team stuff, crafted items, a few horror props and so forth. This is also a lovely place to dry magical herbs. But you can also use a microwave and just jar them when dry.

The altar/bookshelf/storage unit used to house video game systems, and I still store seperate systems underneath. I don't play as much anymore, so just getting a system out now and then is easier. Keep in mind that if you are using a basment room metal rusts and game systems can get cranky if poorly stored.

For my computer my pride and joy speakers went where they fit. Yes surround sound for a computer is a necessity. The lovely Westinghouse set I have is years old and still delivers crisp clear sound. I also have the main speaker nearby to shut the system off when just idly surfing.

Plus you just have to hear the roar when the Flower makes a save. You just take the speaker plug out of the computer and jack it into the tv, of course.

Think posters, mugs, banners and Terrible Towels. I used lots of black and gold of course and have plenty of Super Bowl stuff about. There is also a lot of Penguins stuff too, equipment and more. My theory being that a hockey stick to the groin will fend off any intruders quite nicely.

If you can have some area to throw passes, shoot pucks, or slam dunk. Heck, mini works just fine. Being that we are female, we can stow the girly stuff like purses and clothes here too, in team colors of course. Like an autographed Mike Lange sweatshirt. Yes, he was awesome to meet in person and signed the shirt for free. For you puffballs that like anything that looks like it was dyed in Pepto Bismol: I'm sorry but unless your team color is pink you need hit in the head for wearing it.

If you have your office think team wallpaper. (For the computer hon.) Mugs are great for pen storage and so forth. Did you know goalie masks are lovely for holding loose pucks in? Not that I want you doing slap shots around delicate machines, mind you.

Also this lovely wallpaer looks much better than a sacked PC.

I also have a lot of horror/occult items in my cave. There are rookeries of gargoyles, an ever-changing altar, holy pictures, magical tomes and more. I keep a large amount of dvd and vhs horror on hand as my ancient set still works by some miracle. Back in the day you could get cable to come by and hook up more rooms for free. So yup, games or films can be had here too.

For my sweet sisters with no possible room, enjoy some classic gaming on the house. I always knew this fool site would come in handy. Wasting hours playing games, yadda, yadda.



For you youngins games used to be played only in arcades. Yup, you had to get out of the house and down to the local game room or eating establishment with video games. Video gaming didn't really come home until the Atari 2600. Which if you still have one, works just fine.

There were tons of titles, excellent arcade graphics, and even the Pac Man game worked just the way the arcade did. Those controllers couldn't take turns fast enough, just like the arcade. FYI: The real name of the game was Puck Man, as in hockey puck. But we Americans have too much of a penchant for turning Ps into Fs, so the name was changed before the US release.

I like those budget desks with room for the game system, videogames, controllers, and screen, but you might like a special gaming design.

I love free lifting so I have some weight sets tucked under the bookshelves. There's a weight belt and lifting gloves stored too. I can just pop a CD into the computer and lift to Metallica or Marilyn Manson. Yes, I lift to Steelers and Pens songs too.

If you have those mini walking ones you might get a walking workout in here too.

Some ladies may want to store or display weapons in this room along with the sports stuff, or make them the main theme. Please just observe the following rules.

Keep gun cabinets locked at all times. Kids, drunks, and just plain idiots have a terrible way of harming themselves and others by playing around with guns and ammo. Don't store any firearm loaded, or if you do remove the firing pin.

There's a safety on guns for a reason. Use it when carrying, displaying or storing any firearm. Yes, even 'empty' ones.

Knives, daggers, switchblades and swords that come pre-honed are very dangerous in the wrong hands. Again, if you friends are jerks who like to pick up everything you may want to store these in a locked or hard to reach area.

OK now that the basics are covered think of ways to display your babies. Many fantasy knives come with their own mounting equipment, but you can make your own. Homemade gun racks can be bought at craft fairs or made on your own.

If these are weapons for home safety think of displays that allow you quick and safe access.

Also, just about every major team on the planet has at least one knife set if not more than that.

Think of this as an excellent place for symbols and pictures of inspiring sportswomen, major female icons of your choice, or female warriors. I have some lovely owls, lady cougars and so forth. In busts and plates of course.

You can be your own she-ro. If it is your office/woman cave anyhow show off those degrees, belts, awards, and proud mementoes.

Not my crib, but here is a lovely place honoring St. Death. Yup she is a lady saint.

If you have things on hand hopefully nothing, but if you don't find out what you need for your dream woman cave and achieve it one step at a time.

In other words, first attend to the walls, the add pieces and storage as you can afford to. Be on the lookout for abandoned items at curb sides that can be painted or fit in with your theme easily. I'm also a shameless dumpster diver and yard sale diva.

You can also nag, er ask nicely at major stores for abandoned storage or lift pallets for free wood. They also tend to throw out shelving from time to time. Just be nice and offer to pony up a small amount of cash if they ask for it. Hey, it is store property and they could sell it for scrap money.

Theme

Do you want a sports cave? Maybe you crave your own indoor playing field, or just want a tv and chair. Think team colors and comfort. Yes all major teams sell furniture, but it is costly. I have a lovely reject 'pleather' chair that came in black. It is worn and certainly not even remotely connected to any team, but it has room for a remote and tv guide. Sweet

Or maybe you are a horror gal after my own heart. Wouldn't you just love a life-size prop of your favorite monster or a nice storage coffin? I'm not kidding Those smaller ones sold as props are perfect for storing all your gal stuff like hairbrushes and makeup from prying eyes.

You can also get gothic or pagan jewelry boxes, and think Halloween for help in the decor. Which would you rather do? Hang set-a scene plastic or install faux stone? I thought so. Black, blood red, or gray are lovely for furnishing and draperies.

Techno gals can set up a computer wonderland. I fully recommend the surround sound speaker sets that run around thirty bucks. Trust me, they are worth it. Think of Abby's crib on NCIS.

For the foes of the Steelers behold and tremble at the terrible power of the Terrible Towel. Perfect in defeating those who dare desecrate it, the Towel's awesome power is backed by the Steeler's Nation. Lo, be warned lest the wrath of Cope fall on you and your Super Bowl hopes be destroyed.

Now if that is magic I don't know what is. Miracles do come true. Congrats to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a first ever sixth Super Bowl win. This one was for you, Myron!

To quote a disbeliever of the Towel :"Will the Cardinals lose because the Phoenix mayor pretended to blow his nose in
a Terrible Towel?" Hell yes!

"Can they overcome its wrath?"
Hell no!

You don't just diss a Towel. You diss the Steeler Nation, a great man who gave a fortune to help care for his son and other children like him (all towel proceeds go to charity) and those wonderful children are hurt by such thoughtless actions. And if the Steeler Nation agrees on one thing, it is that you never, ever hurt kids with such cruel actions.



Read the article below for more info on the good work the Terrible Towel still does for some wonderful kids.

"For Terrible Towels, a Wonderful Legacy

Lisa Kyle for The New York Times
Myron Cope, a longtime Pittsburgh broadcaster, was credited with creating the Terrible Towel in 1975.

"It's actually been really hard for me, with the Steelers going to the Super Bowl," the 38-year-old Elizabeth Cope said. "Because I have to see the Terrible Towels everywhere. It's great. But it hurts."

The towels are a swirling reminder of her father, Myron Cope, a longtime Pittsburgh broadcaster credited with creating the Terrible Towel in 1975. Before he died last February at age 79, Elizabeth Cope watched last year's Super Bowl with him in his hospital room. She draped his coffin with a quilt that a fan had made out of Terrible Towels.

But the great part comes from what each of those towels does for people like Danny Cope, Myron's son and Elizabeth's older brother.

Myron Cope left behind something far more personal than a legacy of terrycloth, a battle flag for a city and its team. In 1996, he handed over the trademark to the Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School. It is a network of campuses and group homes across Pennsylvania for people with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities. It receives almost all the profits from sales of the towels.

Danny Cope is one of the roughly 900 people the school serves. He has been a resident since 1982, when he was a teenager. He was diagnosed with severe mental retardation when he was 2. He is now 41.

"He's never spoken," Elizabeth Cope said. "Which is kind of funny, because Dad is known for his voice. It's almost like the Terrible Towel is Danny's silent voice."

Hundreds of thousands of the towels - trademarked as "Myron Cope's the Official Terrible Towel" - are sold every year, for about $7 each. Through the Steelers, who handle the marketing of the towels, the school receives a check every month, usually for tens of thousands of dollars.

A Super Bowl changes everything. The company that produces the towels, McArthur Towel & Sports of Baraboo, Wis., produced 450,000 of them last week, after the Steelers won the A.F.C. championship. The company expects to duplicate that this week before Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, its president, Gregg McArthur, said.

A Steelers victory would most likely lead to orders of at least 500,000 more for a pair of Super Bowl versions of the Terrible Towel, one with the score against the Cardinals, the other declaring the Steelers as six-time Super Bowl champions.

Before this season, Allegheny Valley School had received more than $2.5 million from the towels since 1996, said its chief executive officer, Regis Champ. Roughly $1 million of that came during and immediately after the 2005 season, when the Steelers won Super Bowl XL. This season is likely to top that.

"It's an incredible help for us," Champ said. "We're a nonprofit organization, and our primary funding is through Medicaid. While Medicaid is very good to people with disabilities, it is limited in what it will cover."

Champ said that Myron Cope wanted the money to go not for construction projects, but for individual assistance for residents. Recent purchases include high-end specialized wheelchairs and sensory programs that allow severely disabled residents, including quadriplegics, to perform tasks such as turning on lights or music with a movement of their eyes.

The money has also been spent on adaptive communication devices, computers that give voice to those who cannot speak. Danny Cope has one.

The checks are usually spent as they are received.

"Our needs are daily," Champ said.

Elizabeth Cope receives none of the proceeds from the Terrible Towel. Her father (whose wife, Mildred, died in 1994) transferred the trademark out of gratitude to the school.

"He came into my office, and he had a pile of papers," Champ said. "He threw them down on my desk and said, 'Regis, I'm giving you the Terrible Towel.' I said, 'Myron, I have about 10 of them. I'll take another one, but ...

"He said, 'No, I'm giving you the rights, and you'll be able to get all the proceeds from the Terrible Towels.' I was speechless. I knew that this would be the legacy that outlived Myron."

The idea for the towels came out of a 1975 meeting Cope had at WTAE, the Steelers' flagship radio station where he was the voice of the Steelers. Executives wanted a promotional gimmick, something to raise the excitement level during the playoffs.

Pittsburgh's blue-collar fans were not the pompom types. But towels were far more utilitarian, useful for wiping the seats or protecting against the chill. Cope dubbed them Terrible Towels. On air, he encouraged fans to bring gold or black towels to the first playoff game against the Colts. It seemed too gimmicky, until about half the crowd began waving them at the start of the game. The Steelers won their second consecutive Super Bowl, surrounded by a sea of swirling towels.

Soon they were trademarked and mass-produced. They have been imitated by other franchises, but usually they are handed out for free, and they feel both unoriginal and uninspired by comparison. Even the N.F.L. could not contain itself; it is selling a white "Trophy Towel" to fans of both the Steelers and the Cardinals.

"When I see other towels in other stadiums, I know they probably have no personal story behind them," Elizabeth Cope said. She said she has "millions" of them at home, and recently donated some framed originals to a Pittsburgh museum. There is one displayed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Myron Cope was treasured in Pittsburgh for his enthusiasm, nasally voice and quirky exclamations such as "Yoi!" and "Double yoi!" But he knew he would be most remembered for the towel. And he made sure that it would always be more than just something to cheer the Steelers to victory.

When Danny Cope arrived at Allegheny Valley School, Myron Cope told Champ that doctors said he needed 24-hour supervision and would never be able to work.

Danny Cope, who is also autistic, now lives in a supervised group home with four others in a Pittsburgh suburb. He shops and goes to sports events. He has a paying job, packaging pretzels and snacks on an assembly line.

"Myron said that he was thankful for the life his son had," Champ said.

The connective threads are strong. Many of the Terrible Towels go through a workshop in Chippewa Falls, Wis., similar to the one where Danny Cope works. About 80 employees with severe disabilities help fold, tag and box the shipments, McArthur said.

Come Sunday, when the Terrible Towels are swirling around Raymond James Stadium, they may also be swirling around Danny Cope. His friends like to watch the games, and Cope understands the Terrible Towels mean something exciting is happening.

"But as far as the legacy his father left?" Champ said. "No, I'm afraid Danny doesn't understand that."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/sports/football/30towel.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

That said the woman warrior can really get some major pains. Even if you stand on the sidelines or watch at home injuries can hurt. A good hint here is telling you not to bang a hockey stick on a hard surface for sixty minutes then tear around the house taking slapshots at everything. Ow.

I recommend APR from Florida's Best as the tops for everything. Not only pulls and strains, but tension headaches, smashed fingers, and all they other fun to come from sports. Don't give up on that first aid kit though.

Oh if you are doing any slapshots throughout the house use those cute mini sticks and pucks from the much loathed lane hockey in gym. You really don't want to bust up everything you own. Not that I've ever destroyed anything with a shot mind, you.

OK maybe a back-hander took out a ceramic thing-a-ma-bob with that plastic kids puck, but it was a fluke.

Just remember ladies, take care of those injuries and play smart. Whether hockey, football, baseball, lifting or whatever, stretching first prevents a lot of those painful pulls and strains.