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Mod post: No wishlist posts in blogs

By Silvertree February 7, 2012

Please be aware that we do not permit swap-related content on profiles or in blogs. Please post this content only in the For Sale, Swaps, and Wanted forums, or in the Wishlists topic. ~from Swapping 101 Thanks!
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My collection as it progresses!

As of 11/10/2011... Bottles GC: Bewitching Brews: La Belle Dame Sans Merci (DC'd) Neil Gaiman: Eau de Ghoul LE: Crypt Queen (on the way!) The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love (on the way!) Banded Sea Snake Habu Saw-Scaled Viper Western Diamondback (on the way!) Halloweenie: Boo 2011 (on the way!) Gunpowder (on the way!) Regina Erebi (on the way!) Pickman Gallery: La Mort: Mon ironie...! Triumph of Death (on the way!) - Imps/Decants in a somewhat orderly fashion... GC: Bold = DC'd, Italics = Sale/Frimp pile Endymion O Spellbound Danse Macabre Fae Meliai Saint-Germain Sudha Segara Red-Devil Horreur Sympathique x 2 Phantom Queen x 3 Nosferatu Rage Bastet Grandmother of Ghosts Sacred Whore of Babylon Croquet Frumious Bandersnatch Jabberwocky White Rabbit The Miller's Daughter x 2 The Rose Asphodel Devil's Claw Hemlock Gluttony Greed Lust Pride Wrath Hellfire The Scales of Deprivation Death on a Pale Horse Phoenix Steamworks Niflheim x 2 R'lyeh Versailles On the way: Blood Kiss x 2, Lorelei, Odin Gaiman: Fairy Wine Mr. Ibis Victoria LE: Asp Viper Cottonmouth The Grindhouse Mlle. Lilith, Fortune Teller Velvet Cthulhu The Torture Queen

84trillion

November 10, 2011

RedRoseMaze's Blog

BPAL: Rosalind

Rosalind Category: Illyria Quantity: sample Description: ROSALIND Dew-covered berries and fresh green grasses with a faint breath of spring flowers. Review: In the bottle: It smells fresh, indeed! Sweet floral scents mixed with very faint berries. Wet: Green grass, green grass, and more green grass. As for the flowers, could it be peony? Or something like it? It reminds me of Maiden, but rolling into grass. Dry: Cut the lawn, roll onto it, that’s what it smells like... Fortunately, it fades away quickly. Verdict: It’s not so great. I’m almost glad it’s discontinued. More reviews: Illyria: Rosalind

RedRoseMaze

November 9, 2011

Switch Witch Questions

Winter Swap Questions

November 8th Do you prefer dark or milk chocolate? Milk, generally, though the occasional dark chocolate with strawberry or white chocolate is great, too. Though I don't like white chocolate at all unless it's mixed with one of the others, and even then only occasionally. Or if it's Hershey's Hugs or similar. November 7th What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular. I'm not usually a huge fan of licorice-y things, and that's what anise is, isn't it? But I'd still love to try something new. (I make things like pfeffernusse if I'm feeling particularly traditional - German and Dutch ancestry ftw.) Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? Oh, yes. Particularly if the vinegars are basalmic based, but I make a lot of salad dressings and glazes and marinades and dipping sauces, etc, so that kind of thing is always awesome to have around. Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? I . . . actually really like calendars of all sorts, though I'm terrible at keeping up with them. I'm trying hard to keep organized on my google calendar and between my two older kids' activities and my husband, it's next to impossible to keep up. But! I love the pictures, etc. So, you know. I waffle and usually don't buy one until January if at all. November 6th Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? Yes! Kiva and Kickstarter are favorites. I'm still kicking myself for not getting the storytelling dice. Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? A lot of these sound interesting, and a lot sound migraine-inducingly foodie/sweet. Fruit is always a good thing. Leather, spice, similar. Undernotes of vanilla or sugar or that sort of thing are alright, but I do too much baking, I guess, to want it artificially. Also, I'd need a tart burner if I were to melt tarts. Do you need any holiday recipies? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? Recipes, always! Particularly for cookies - anything baked, really, but cookies are my favorite thing to make. I'm dieing for a good sugar cookie recipe; they're always such a pain. I also love savory things, for the record. I used to have a recipe for these really awesome cheddar and cayenne cookies, but I lost it. =\ Also, my blueberry coffee cake recipe disappeared. Speaking about candles, how much do you look forward to the BPTP candles that will be launched on Etsy? I don't know if there will be other scents than the Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie one, but is there a specific one you are longing for? I haven't been paying attention - between the upcoming holidays and still catching up from past financial difficulty, spending on myself hasn't been a priority. I don't even know what these candles are, though now I'll have to check. Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? Not at all, so long as it isn't clothes. Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? History, particularly medieval/renaissance (Ireland/British Isles in the case of the former, Germany and the Netherlands in the case of the latter or early to mid-20th century. The English language. Doctor Who, Harry Potter. Steampunk/post apocalypse, but the people who try to be all Really Really In Period about it drive me nuts. Please to not be trying to define my experience for me, thank you. Music of most sorts. Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? I really love lemon pound cake and haven't had it in ages. Lemon curd is also awesome, though I'm not a fan of marmalade in general. fingerless mittens or full mitts? Yes? It depends on how cold the winter gets as far as full mitts go, but it's always cold here at my computer from, like, October/November through April/May. Above-the-elbow-length fingerless mittens/arm warmers/sleeves/whatever would be made of win and awesome. November 4th reveal, yes or no? Yes please! Any favorite cuddly characters? Other than my kids? Because they're totally cuddly characters. =D Um . . . not really, I don't think. I'm a big fan of old school Nintendo characters, though - Mario, Donkey Kong, etc - and Sanrio in general, though my favorite, Kuromi, is probably the least cuddly of the bunch. Moxie Nouveau groupon? I've been careful about not letting my perfume obsession spread, but having checked out the website, there's a bunch of stuff that sounds really good in their Yules and LEs. I'm afraid to look further! what's your favourite colour? Blue, green and purple, with golden yellows or rich creams to lighten it up a bit. Your favourite gemstone? Opal and alexandrite. I like things that change depending on how your look at them or what light you catch them in. Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? Dogs, giraffes, hippogriffs. And do you have any intense phobias? Not really, no. Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? Yes! On all counts. My nine-year-old is also Nano-ing. Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? I do! Well, like them. I've been trying to thin my stash a bit, so I don't necessarily *need* them. But I like boxes/containers in general. November 2nd Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? The movies I associate most with the holidays are Annie and Sound of Music, oddly - I have the former but not the latter. Blurays would be good, as I think we're getting a PS3 for Christmas. Also, the classics - A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, etc. Older versions are almost invariably better than remakes, but I like both. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? I . . . am largely indifferent here. Though I do have a fondness for Batman. Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. There are a bunch of the hair products I'd like to try - thick, wavy/frizzy, combination (which is to say, from dry to oily in seconds flat), easily broken, etc. would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? Yes! I have a bunch of her stuff in my etsy wishlist. Surprise me! Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I do have kids, but they're old enough to not worry about as far as safety stuff goes, mostly. If it's questionable, it'll just go somewhere out of the youngest's reach. How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? Yes! I love both. Are you a Trader Joe's fan, who either doesn't have a store nearby or just loves their stuff and has a wishlist? Trader Joe's is alright, but I mostly go for the inexpensive beer and wine. Aldi's, on the other hand! Huge fan. (I connect them in my head because they're owned by brothers. Or were, last I knew.) The Paintbox Soapworks Yules are up, or at least round one is (updates coming throughout the week). Interested in anything? Oh, yes. See my etsy wishlist. =D If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? Apples, apples, apples! I haven't gone to check for anything else but I love all things apple. So, while there are probably others I would enjoy, those are the highest on my ZOMG WANT list. Will you be away for any part of the round? We're really busy Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week, then gone Saturday and Sunday, but other than that, no. Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? Everything in my shop is up for trade. N/A What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? Light scifi and fantasy, pretty much anything YA, uh . . . I like to read. I'd really like Catherynne Valente's The Folded World, but other than that I can't think of anything I'm really dieing for. If you like Christmas music (or any other holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? Yes to all of the above, though my really love is the true carols. The older the better! Wassail songs, high mass, etc. Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) I've never had Turkish delight and am not a chewing gum fan, but I have had rose jellies/jams, teas, wines, cordials, etc and enjoyed them all. Also, same question about mastic. Would you be interested in trying it out? (If yes, any preferences? for example you wold prefer to try the chewing gum, the turkish delight, an Easter bun (I can go hunting, some companies make them all year round although it's not the same as the bakery Easter ones ), the raw resin itself, anything?) I am intrigued! i live in the city of the chicken wing. if i were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter). I like up to high-medium by most definitions of the word, my kids like mild to low-medium, my husband likes melt-your-face. So, anything like that would see use in my house! If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a giftcard from anywhere, as in any store foodwise, music wise etc. what giftcard would you like? Oh gods, I don't even know. Williams-Sonoma, maybe, or Best Buy? If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? Nope, I can eat pretty much anything. Does anything from Fusion Sweets interest you? Lychee! Rose! Marshmallows! Salted caramels are the only caramels I like! (Although, now that I've said that, masala chai caramels sound heavenly.) Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? All these stores I've never looked at before! Oh, wait, I actually have looked at this before. Hi, Alicia! Um. Anyway. Solstice Night necklaces are gorgeous, as are Holly and Snow Queens and Snowberry and the Nutcracker/Snowflake ones. I haven't looked further, but if there are earrings to match any of those! A set would be awesome. October 30 Dear Snow Bunnies: Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? We do mostly musical instruments or related things so it's mostly silver and gold/bronze, but we have lots of colored stuff, too. We try to avoid breakables because of kids. Would you like a special ornament? Sure! Tim Tams. Yay or nay? Yea. Yummy. I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? I am one of those disgusted by the idea of deep fried oreos and twinkies and the like, but asside from that, bring on the home made goods! Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? Sure! My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a bodyscrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? I like surprises, and I'm pretty sure someone who wanted to do this could extrapolate from my list of favorites. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? if yes, then what kind? scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? I do! Lightly scented is best and soy or beeswax are win. I prefer plain - dyed is fine, painted not so much. My favorites, despite being regular parafin wax, used to be Bullfrog Light Co, but they don't exist anymore. =\ Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores I use old BBW glycerine soaps as drawer fresheners, heh. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? Yes! All of the above. My current slippers are Uggs slip ons (a Christmas gift last year) that may well last forever, but I love socks. And sock Dreams, despite never having been able to justify buying anything (for myself) from there. Would you wear something like this if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? http://www.ravelry.c...gap-tastic-cowl I think someone said this was a cowl, and in that case no. talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? Whole bean, generally not flavored though there was some flavored stuff I got from a coffee swap a year or two ago that was awesome. I also adore tea. but am not a huge fan of the green. Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? I'm pretty loyal to my make-up company. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? I haven't, though I think I'd probably like it. I'm intrigued by the 'Phobia' sets. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? Me me me! I tend to buy OPI exclusively, but I'm intrigued by Essie, Zoya and London Butter. I like funky colors and glittery ones, especially ones that are colored with small glitter. If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) ALL OF THE TINTAGEL October 29th So... someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from Walgreen's to ONLY use on things for yourself. No necessities here. What do you buy? CVS is closer, but the principle is the same. Nail polish (there's lots of Essie, so maybe I'd finally try it), candy/snacks/beverage, maybe a paperback or magazine, etc. I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (it's penzey's if you want to google it). I answered this in the thread! But, saffron. Good vanilla (beans or extract). Vanilla sugar sounds interesting. Baking spices in general. Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? do you prefer machine washable materials? do you not care?)? I prefer natural fibers as much as possible, though wool does make me terribly itchy if it's 100%. Jewel or earth tones are win. Arm warmers/sleeves/fingerless gloves would be excellent. hey swap partner...could you use a new mug? Always! I like the giant ones, especially if they're souvenir-ish (but still useable, of course!) - from cool places, with cool sayings or art on them, etc. I also like different shapes; my favorites are probably the tall ones that are wider at the top and taper towards the bottom. Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? Not that I can think of off hand, no.

CourtCat

November 9, 2011

RedRoseMaze's Blog

Good Judy: Mond-O-Rama

Mond-O-Rama Category: Starlite Oasis Quantity: sample Description: MOND-O-RAMA It’s the most…to say the least! The very end! So hot, it’s radioactive! So cool, it’s solid, baby! Citrus fruits, floral blooms, warm resins, bright herbs, and cool spices Review: In the bottle: It smells bright and lemony, yet floral, and cool... It may seem confusing, but it fits the description perfectly. Wet: It’s funny, it reminds me of a perfume spray I had when I was a kid. It’s soft, sweet, floral, and delicate, with a background note of spices. Nothing is strong enough to make the blend fall into a specific category. Dry: ...And this is when it turns from a child’s perfume to an old lady’s generic floral perfume. Honestly, I don’t know which is worse. Verdict: Either too young, or too old, or both! I really don’t think this blend is for me.

RedRoseMaze

November 9, 2011

cuervosueno's blog

Winter fun swap! For my stalkery snow fox! :)

Here are my answers to the questions, copied from Lioness! sorry this is screwed up in terms of format but I can only make some basic adjustments now. Sigh. November 8th Do you prefer dark or milk chocolate? I like milk chocolate more, but dark chocolate has been growing on me. I don't really like chocolate unless it has things in it. Peanut butter and caramel are favorites, but all sorts of things are delicious--the odder the better! Fruit and nuts are wonderful, but I like chiles and bacon and sea salt and herbs (lavender!) too. Some of those things are better with dark chocolate, so I'm not against it. November 7th What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular. Anise! My nemesis is anything licorice flavored, though I've eaten some holiday cookies with mild anise flavor and tolerated them ok. Cardamom is ok. I'm crazy about nutmeg. And ginger. And ginger bread! Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? Very much so! Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? I'm all full up on calenders, thank you! November 6th Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? < Those are kind of cool. Fair trade stuff esp. Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? Not big into tarts. I love candles though, any sort, but votives in particular are always useful in my house! Do you need any holiday recipies? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? I don't know....I got some delicious cookies from my switch witch and she included the recipe which in my mind is brilliant! I would be thrilled recieving more baked good, though. I love christmas cookies! I'm not doing low sugar so I'm fine on that. Savory things are still delicious though! Speaking about candles, how much do you look forward to the BPTP candles that will be launched on Etsy? I don't know if there will be other scents than the Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie one, but is there a specific one you are longing for? I would love BPTP candles, but have not been keeping up with this development, but I would LOVE LOVE a Samhain candle as I love the scent but can't wear it. Really, any BPTP candles would rock my world. Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? Absolutely not--I'm all for recycling/upcycling. Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? Dogs. Utterly geeky about dogs. Esp. Japanese dogs. Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? LEMON! Oh, how I love lemon. Lemon pound cake? Would love it! When I got married two years ago on my birthday, I insisted we have a cake even though we were going with a very minimal type wedding, and it was....lemon! It's my favorite! Lemon curd, cookies, bring it on! I'm not crazy about marmalade of any kind, though. fingerless mittens or full mitts? I like fingerless gloves, but mittens can be good when it is super cold. Either is good! I'm always losing gloves, too (or dogs steal them and chew them), so can always use them November 4th reveal, yes or no? Yes, please! Well, if my snow fox is willing.< Any favorite cuddly characters? Hmmm....don't know. I'm not big into stuffed animals or anything, but would probably like a fox or shiba type stuffed creature!< Moxie Nouveau groupon? ???Don't know what it is. what's your favourite colour? black and grey for clothes, with splashes of color: purple, deep wine red. Jewel tones. Your favourite gemstone? amethyst or garnet, though I like most colored gemstones. Citrine is lovely too. Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? Foxes, of course! And snowy owls and ravens. And Shibas! But I love animals in general. And do you have any intense phobias? centipedes. Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? not doing it this year. Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? no< November 2nd Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? well, I do love A Christmas Carol. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? No. Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. Let's just say this: any and all lush would be swooned over. I ADORE the bubble bars and bath bombs. Anything would be great. Flying fox is a favorite scent of mine, and I love the blue sky and clouds bubble bar. would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? I'm not crazy about the soap but would be happy to try some of the other products. Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I have three dogs, but they don't really need anything, though they are quite capable of trying to steal things! How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? <I like honey but have a ton. Beeswax stuff, like candles, would be lovely. Are you a Trader Joe's fan, who either doesn't have a store nearby or just loves their stuff and has a wishlist? I'm good on TJs, thanks. Have one near. The Paintbox Soapworks Yules are up, or at least round one is (updates coming throughout the week). Interested in anything? I haven't really looked. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? Check my wishlist for my wants. Will you be away for any part of the round? no.< What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? I have an amazon wishlist< If you like Christmas music (or any other holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? I'm not crazy about holiday music, Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) I would like rose in chocolate! Otherwise, not so much. Also, same question about mastic. Would you be interested in trying it out? (If yes, any preferences? for example you wold prefer to try the chewing gum, the turkish delight, an Easter bun (I can go hunting, some companies make them all year round although it's not the same as the bakery Easter ones ), the raw resin itself, anything?) ???I'm not sure.....Might be willing to try something small in that flavor. i live in the city of the chicken wing. if i were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter). Oh, I love wing sauce. I have a very high heat tolerance. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a giftcard from anywhere, as in any store foodwise, music wise etc. what giftcard would you like? Sock Dreams? Some fabulous chocolate place? It would be up to my swapper I think.< If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? I like everything in chocolate unless it was licorice or hazelnuts, and even hazelnuts can be tolerated, I'm just not crazy about them. I'm not crazy about mint and chocolate though. I even like those chocolate creams: you know, ones with lemon or maple or whatever in them. I like nut brittles. Caramels (love love these!) toffee. "> Does anything from Fusion Sweets interest you? um....all the caramels. the rose infused marshmallows. In fact most of the marshmallows. Oh, and peanut brittle. I love peanut brittle. That store looks very good. Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? not really. October 30 Dear Snow Bunnies: Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? I do usually, but we'll see this year. I will probably get a small one because we don't have a lot of room. It's not themed--I just put up ornaments. Would you like a special ornament? Sure! Tim Tams. Yay or nay? Absolutely! I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? I would LOVE homemade goodies! Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? I probably wouldn't use them. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a bodyscrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? Yes! And recipes for body products would be lovely too! I would probably like sugar rather than salt, and I don't have a preference about dry/moist. I like most EO scents, so any would be good. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? if yes, then what kind? scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? <br style="color: rgb(81, 94, 13); font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(243, 246, 225); ">LOVE candles, and use them a lot. I would not want decorations/sculpted though, as I mostly use them as candles! Scented--in almost any scent--holiday scents like evergreen etc are delightful, resins are fabulous, and foody scents are great too. No florals, please. Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores I like good soaps, but don't use little ones much. I like cold process soaps like from Arcana or BPTP or stuff like that. I can always use good, moisturizing soap. I don't like gylcerine soaps. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? Yes, yes and I need decent socks rather terribly. I prefer natural fibers, though, so novelty printed socks aren't usually that great a choice for me. (An exception to the natural fiber preference would be for polar fleece socks. I'd like a pair of them!) I'd like some slipper-socks, even though I know they are kind of geeky! talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? Coffee, yes please. Whole bean. Not flavored unless it is something mild like cinnamon or vanilla. Drip. Strong flavors (french roast, italian roast etc) are best. I like Starbucks ok, but really love Peets and would love to try local coffees. I also love tea and consume a lot. Mostly I drink herbal infusions these days. Ginger is my tea obsession and will take any and all ginger tea, but I like fruit teas too, and various herbal stuff. I like flavored black teas. And mate. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? I wouldn't mind trying ends with benefits again (leave in conditioner?) if they still have it, or trying some of their other hair stuff. Scents I like would be vanillas/pumpkin etc. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? Yep. True reds, purples, golds, silver, metallic browns. October 29th I think I answered the rest in the thread.

cuervosueno

November 9, 2011

Forspecial Plate's Blog

Yule breakdown (initial)

Wheee! Keeping in mind, we still have an anniversary update coming. OAK MOON – Eternally evolving, blooming in power and grace: acorns, oak leaves, oak bark, and oak sap rising through a mist of traditional lunar oils. Yes! I'm pretty sure I need this. One of my favorite perfumes is Chene by Serge Lutens, so Oak Moon is kind of a no-brainer for me, hope I really like it. ++ YULE 2011 AUTUMN AND WINTER 2011 – Bitter currant and dry leaves. Winter wind at dusk. Hated this last year, smelled like piercing bathroom cleaner. Sorry. CHANUKKIYAH 2011 – Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig. One of those things that I've always wanted to try, but never got around to. Decant, maybe. CLOTH OF GOLD – Vibrant yellow petals bursting exultantly through a patch of snow. I never really fall in love with the snow and flower scents, probably pass on this one. DIABLE EN BOÎTE 2011 – A strangely sinister, unnerving holiday scent: redwood, bitter clove, tonka, hemp accord, and tobacco with peach blossom, black currant, and red musk. The notes look interesting, can't remember why I wasn't interested before. Will have to look up some reviews. DUST OF SNOW – Snowflakes and hemlock leaves with snowdrop, iris, and Peruvian lily. Sounds soapy, especially the lily. Pass. EGG NOG 2011 – Sweet brandy, dark rum, heavy cream, sugar, and a dash of nutmeg. I have an older decant, smells like slightly spicy air on me. Pass. FROST AT MIDNIGHT – The liberating glory of nature, a celebration of wildness of spirit: fierce musk and immortelle, clary sage and oud, terebinth pine and ambrette seed, ivy and tobacco, honeysuckle and orange blossom. Sounds interesting, might be a bit harsh. Will watch for reviews. GELT 2011 – A bounty of chocolate coins! Dry cocoa and golden amber! I can safely pass! HALÔA 2011 – Wine grapes, pomegranate, myrrh, frankincense and olive leaf, and the warm scent of offertory cakes. I have enough of this, especially since I never wear it. I like it, though. Pass this time. JACOB’S LADDER 2011 – The meeting of Heaven and Earth: golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka. Maybe it's time to try this again, since my tastes have changed so much since I first tried it in '06. I'll have to think about it. JÓLASVEINAR 2011 – Their scent is a mishmash of snow, dirt, Icelandic moss, marsh felwort, and the smushed petals of buttercups and moorland spotted orchids, with the barest hint of the scent of pilfered Christmas pastries. Another one that I have, like, and never wear. What's up with that?? Pass this year unless the reviews are really different. LICK IT DISCREETLY – This year's minty double ententre! A sticky, chilly peppermint candy cane with sweet vanilla and an extra jolt of sugar. What will we see next year, Lick It On The Down Low?? LOL! Pass, not my thing. MAISON EN PAIN D'ÉPICES – This is the scent of a freshly assembled gingerbread house, with swirls of multicolored icing, spice drop lights, meringue snow, pinwheel mint accents, chocolate roof tiles, candy wafer pavers, and jelly candy stained glass. We used a French translation for ‘gingerbread house’ as the name to make it sound fancier. French adds +40% Fancy! Well, this is a possibility, but it's one of those things that sounds good, but I may end up not wearing. Will have to think about it. MIDNIGHT MASS 2011 – This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God. I do not need more Midnight Mass. MIDWINTER’S EVE 2011 – A melancholy, deep scent, poignant and brimming with nostalgia. The perfume of sugared plums over a breeze of winter flowers. I do not need to try this again. NOCHA BUENA 2011 – A celebration of the Nativity: the light, uplifting incense of the Misa de Noche Buena, purple sage, and a vibrant bouquet of plumeria, chrysanthemum, tuberose, Angel's Trumpet, Mexican tiger lily, dahlia, and azucenas. I have either a decant or bottle of this already, and don't really wear it. Pass. That seems to be a recurring theme here. ÖNDURDIS – The Ski Lady, jötunn goddess of winter, bowhunting, mountains, and skiing. The scent of winter wind blowing over snow-capped mountains. Well, hmm....worth a try. Possible decant. PEACOCK QUEEN 2011 – In dramatic contrast to the soft innocence of Snow White and the dew-kissed freshness of her sister, Rose Red, this is a blood red, voluptuous rose, velvet-petaled, at the height of bloom. Haughty and imperious, vain, yet incomparably lovely to the eye, but thick with thorns of jealousy, pride and hatred. I really don't need to try this again. Pass. PINK SNOWBALLS 2011 –A lighthearted winter scent: chilly vanilla rose snowballs! Dainty, soft, and certainly unfit for flinging! Pass. Still have an old decant. PUMPKIN MASALA ROOIBOS – Rooibos tea with red ginger, green cardamom, fennel, peppercorns, almond, and licorice, sweetened with coconut sugar and jaggery. This is a possibility but the sugar and spice scents don't always work for me (see Egg Moon and Spicebush Swallowtail). Worth a decant but I won't get my hopes up. ROSE RED 2011 – The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. I like Rose Red but never, ever wear my old decant. Pass. SNOW WHITE 2011 – A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers. Don't need more Snow White. Pass. SUGAR COOKIE 2011 – The Devil's Bake Sale returns! Never been interested in this one. Pass. WINTER HEAVENS – Black midnight winter skies glittering with points of light: chill air, champaca flower, white musk, fir needle, papyrus reeds, and grey amber. Could be interesting, could be soapy. Worth a possible decant. Maybe. WOODS IN WINTER 2011 – Wild hemlock and juniper berries scattered in the snow beneath leafless trees bedecked with glittering icicles. I get this one confused with Snow Storm, which I actually like better. This scent is very earthy and cold without a drop of warmth or sweetness. I think my decant from last year is enough for me. YELLOW SNOWBALLS – Because I am very, very crass this year. Slushy white mint, vanilla cream, lemon drops, grapefruit, and yuzu! I want a bottle of this to give to my mom! She would laugh. YULE 2011 – It is Yule, and the Holly King has slain the Oak: blood red holly berry, mistletoe, wild thyme, verbena, cinquefoil, hemp, winter rose, evergreen, frankincense, juniper, and myrrh. Didn't like this when I tried it, pass. ++ FRANKENSTEIN AMIABLE AND LOVELY CREATURES – honey and rosewater with fig, patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and white almond. Kind of turned off fig after The Nutcracker, pass but I'll watch reviews. BEAUTIFUL AND ADORED – rose musk, white gardenia, English pear, vanilla bean, red currant, and honey. Pass. A BLOT UPON THE EARTH – black plum, Spanish moss, opoponax, davana, vetiver, and opium poppy. I'd like to try this, it sounds rather promising, but who knows. BREATHLESS HORROR – icy white musk and thick olibanum with niaouli, carrot seed, white mint, and camphor. Pass, I think. Something else had niaouli but I can't remember what. I'll watch reviews of this. A COMPANION OF THE SAME NATURE – skin musk, red rose petals, mums, carnations, white linen, and sunlit amber on a bed of soft dry leaves. Sigh.....probably pass, not 100% sure though. THE COUNTRY OF ETERNAL LIGHT – icy wind, depth hoar, and frost-limned lichen. Might be kind of nice, might be kind of soapy. Not sure about this one, but sigh....yet another icy scent? Eh. DAYS AND NIGHTS IN VAULTS AND CHARNEL HOUSES – grave soil, necrophagous insect chitins, moss, mold, dried blood, rot, dirt-smeared wool, and sweat-drenched citrus lilac aftershave. Sounds rather horrid, will watch reviews of this one. THE DEEPEST MYSTERIES OF CREATION – wild frankincense, rose otto, hyssop, and oude. Pass. Thankfully I have not caught oude fever like so many. A DENSE AND FRIGHTFUL DARKNESS – black musk, vetiver, myrrh, opoponax, hemp, crushed sage, oakmoss, and tobacco. Don't know, could be nice, will watch reviews, maybe a decant. A DREARY NIGHT OF NOVEMBER – bone-white sandalwood, ink-black vetiver, Spanish moss, bitter clove, beeswax, and lotus root. Sounds like a strange one. I'll watch reviews. THE HORRORS OF MY SECRET TOIL – vetiver and rose. Eh, no. Pass. INEXTINGUISHABLE HATRED – red ginger and black opoponax with black pepper, stinging neroli, myrrh, and tobacco absolute. Sounds harsh. Will watch reviews. INSUPPORTABLE MISERY – violet leaf, saffron, gunpowder tea, bruised lilac, and despairing lavender. Not calling to me. I will watch reviews with interest. THE MOON GAZED ON MY MIDNIGHT LABOURS – Moroccan musk, black opium poppy, clove, and orris root. Now this, this could be interesting. I'll have to think about this one. MOCKING THE INVISIBLE WORLD WITH ITS OWN SHADOWS – olibanum and murky ambergris accord with verbena, white sandalwood, and wisteria. Olibanum scares me, makes me think of one of the Gaiman scents that was horrible on me, either Ligur or Hastur or whatever they're called, I always get them confused. Will probably avoid this. PALE STUDENT OF UNHALLOWED ARTS – fading Georgian cologne and split O3 molecules. I think there was some chatter surrounding this one, I'm kind of interested but the notes aren't calling me? We'll see. PRIDE OF WISDOM – Roman chamomile, rosehips, ginseng, and fig. Ginseng stinks. Not crazy about chamomile, either. And fig....touch and go. I'll watch reviews. THE REWARD OF MY BENEVOLENCE – boneflower, olive blossom, white sandalwood, clary sage, Himalayan cedar, and oakmoss Boneflower? I think not. Sounds soapy and/or papery, especially with white sandalwood. I'll read reviews. SOLITARY AND ABHORRED – carrot seed, East Indian patchouli, white tea, and peru balsam. Could be interesting, sort of on my radar, but I'm not going to rush to get a decant. We'll see. SORROWFUL AFFECTION – lily of the valley, tuberose, pink carnation, green tea absolute, orange zest, bourbon geranium, and blue musk. Nah, pass. TILL DEATH – white rose, black locust blossom, French magnolia, globe amaranth, iris root, and honeysuckle. Hell to the naw. A TORRENT OF LIGHT – eucalyptus petals, white mint, white amber, and ozone. Does not sound appealing. WORKSHOP OF FILTHY CREATION – electricity-scarred cypress beams, ancient stone slabs, damp metal, the coppery tang of coagulating blood, and ozone. Pass. ++THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL THE LAST EVENING OF THE YEAR – Snow settling on cold skin, tea rose petals, and dusty, threadbare linen. Pass. COLDER AND COLDER – Peppermint, spearmint, white musk, and elemi settling into a deepening darkness. Pass. A WONDEFUL LIGHT – Three radiant ambers with honey, linden blossom, bourbon vanilla, and orange zest. Pass, possible decant but pass for now. THE MOST MAGNIFICENT CHRISTMAS TREE – Spruce pine with hints of silver birch and warm, dark woods. I want a decant. THOUSANDS OF LIGHTS – Indian ambrette seed, beeswax, champaca flower, saffron, Italian bergamot, frankincense, oak bark, and vanilla orchid. I want to try this because the notes resemble Egoiste. Possible decant. IN BRIGHTNESS AND IN JOY – Divine mercy: sweet winter berry, orange blossom, frankincense, golden sandalwood, angel's trumpet, and red rose. Sounds pretty, possible decant, even with the rose. THE COLD HOUR OF DAWN – Esprit de eucalyptus, blue musk, davana, frosty iris, and tagetes. Pass again!

forspecial_plate

November 9, 2011

Buy ALL the Perfumes!

Favorites!

Favorite Scents and Notes O Dorian The Mouse's Long Sad Tale Sugar Skull Morocco Aeval Notes: Vanilla Honey Sugar Sweet Pea Lavender Musk Sandlewood Tea Sage Amber Cake Fig Honeysuckle

SerendipityHQ

November 8, 2011

The Fragrant Fellow

Introduction to The Madness

I would call myself... "Obsessive" if I had to pin it down I guess it is because when I was young I didn't have much that was truly mine. Growing up in a low-income house, when I hit puberty and discovered girls, if I wanted to smell good I had very few choices afforded to me. For that reason I think now that I am grown and have my own money I tend to be indulgently obsessive. I have scaled back my BPAL obsession somewhat over the years but I still wear it everyday I just stick to my favorites. I would like to try several scents I have just learned "restraint" *twitch twitch* yeah that's it. One of the funny challenges of being a Fragrant Fellow is the look of shock and consternation from people. I guess straight men aren't supposed to know words like "dry down". People often stop and ask me where I buy my "amazing cologne" and look perplexed at me when I reply "Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab". Women are often less prejudiced and even say they intend to get some for their significant other. A perfect example of this was the owner's daughter when I worked for a beauty supply company in Chicago who sniffed, somewhat uncomfortably, at me when I wore Dracul and then with an odd predatory look in her eye said "I have to buy that for [husband's name]". I mean I guess historically "manly men: wear Aqua Velva, Old Spice and Brut but times change. I love smelling good and I refuse to support the conglomerate corporate devils that make the commercial colognes so BPAL was like a bright candle burning in the darkness calling me in from the cold to feed me hot cider. So I am a BPAL disciple for life.

BlueStar

November 8, 2011

Diathermanous Thoughts

Bunny Tracks

- Do you have any allergies and preferences to metals where jewelry is concerned? Do you like bronze, do you prefer silver, or is gold more your style? I have no known allergies. I prefer silver as a main color, but mixed media is cool too. Gold and bronze solo tend to look wonky on my skin. - Do you have a christmas tree? And if so, does it have a special theme? We do. It keeps the husbeast happy. It is Halloween themed. It has bats on it and a pumpkin on top. It's a pretty tiny tree, though, and we have stupid jerk cats, so we keep the ornaments sturdy, since they smashed the only glass one last yer (our only explicitly Christmas one too) - I know you only wear black, so how would you feel about scarves/socks/mittens/ect with black and other color stripes? Stripes are awesome. Sorry if I've been one note about that. I've been getting razzed at work about being all mono chromatic. I actually have lots of crazy socks, gloves, mittens, and stuff - since the bulk of my clothes are black, it means just about anything else goes, and man, do I love stripes.... - Maybe I'm just blind and can't see it (as I have been known to be in the past, lol), but do you have a bpal or etsy wishlist? Also the link to your amazon wishlist isn't letting me through for some weird reason. So if you could send me another link, it would be much appreciated!! I think my BPAL wishlist has been lost the forum upgrade last year. I will make you a new one today, though. I has an etsy list here and and amazon here BPAL WISHLIST! Also, how did the day in Las Vegas go? I hope everything went well!! I think I read that your husband is working with the guy who created Invader Zim on a comic book? Because that is so awesome!! Vegas was fun - i think we liked the drive best. The desert is so alien, and there were cool old truck stops and snow. The spouse is working on Eldritch! with one of our friends, who was a character designer from Invader Zim, although we are also friends with several other people from the show. They're pretty great people!

salamandrina

November 8, 2011

Coo coo chachoo!

Winter Holiday Fun Swapsies.

1. So... someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from Walgreen's to ONLY use on things for yourself. No necessities here. What do you buy? I think I answered this in SW. 2. I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. Would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (It's Penzey's if you want to Google it.) Yessssss. I cook a great deal and it is a particular passion of mine. I can use more of almost anything! I especially like spice mixes… that would be so nice. 3. Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? Do you prefer machine washable materials? Do you not care?)? I love knitted goods. I like dark, rich jewel tones, or dark shades of gray. Or really any fun stuff that isn’t neon or pastel. I am a little sensitive to hemp and roughspun wool. I do MUCH better the softer the yarn is. I have a penchant for mohair myself :3. I do prefer machine washables BUT if it isn’t, just let me know. I would love a scarf, a hat or gloves/mittens. I don’t have any of those right now and it gets quite cold come winter. 4. Hey swap partner... could you use a new mug? Sure. 5. Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? I would kill for stroopwaffles. I think they’re european. So delicious >< 6. Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? We don’t have a tree… yet? I think we’re afraid the cats will kills it. 7. Would you like a special ornament? Oh  Sure! I have a bare collection atm. 8. Tim Tams. Yay or nay? Sure. They are tasty. 9. Now, a question of my own: I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? I love home made goodies . 10. Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? Hm. Probably… not yet. We’re still building out home stuffs. Well. Maybe. Not sure where we’d put them! 11. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a body scrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? Of course! I’d prefer medium oily-ness. Sugar is probably preferred, as I have a skin condition that salt might anger. Scent wise, anything nice and calming is good, as long as it doesn’t have the scent of liquorice/anise, grapefruit, white florals, vetiver. 12. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? If yes, then what kind? Scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? I like beeswax candles, though technically I’m not “supposed” to have them in my apt  13. Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores.... Mm. Maybe. 14. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? Yes, though I love slippers more. I could use a good pair. 15. Would you wear something like this if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? Of course  for a cowl I’d prefer nice, lighter colors that are not pastels. 16. New question: talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? I cannot do anything caffeinated, but I love herbal teas . 17. Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? Huh. I’ve never seen these but I am very open to enabling  18. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? I have never tried cocoa pink. I am really interested in their hair care stuff for curly folk (I think soulmate?) Scent preferences are nommy things. 19. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? I am not a nail polish user. 20. If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) I have no idea at this point... I’ll come back to this. 21. Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? Princess Bride, Sweeney Todd (new one), 40 year old virgin… 22. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? I prefer anti-heros or vigilantes tbh. I prefer independent comic stuff. 23. Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. I’ve never owned any lush… But I don’t take a lot of baths, mostly showers. Always looking for soap/scrub/body lotion/lip balm/Shampoo conditioner. 24. Would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? For a sampler: *The Man in the Moon - Twinkling blue musk, Hungarian lavender & cuddly vanilla bean *Lavender Truffle - Dutch-process cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, Hungarian lavender & a touch of vanilla *White Cotton Sheets - Sometimes the simplest things are the best. Breezy white florals, dry musk, hawthorn & a touch of ozone *Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh - A shimmering, decadent bar, smoky, silky & deliciously unisex *Big in Japan - A translucent green blend of matcha tea, crisp yuzu & serene sandalwood *Beet It - A nod to that most maligned of roots, the Noble Beet. Earthy, musky, bitter-sweet & surprisingly naughty For my favorite scent: Gingermilk <3 would love a slip in this. 25. NEW QUESTION! - Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I have three kitties. String/string like stuff is a no-no. They will eat it. It will be bad  26. How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? Yes to all of the above! 27. NEW QUESTION: Are you a Trader Joe's fan, who either doesn't have a store nearby or just loves their stuff and has a wishlist? I do love TJs but I do have one close. But if you wanna know what I like they have these delicious chocolate truffles during the holidays. Best. Ever. 28. The Paintbox Soapworks Yules are up, or at least round one is (updates coming throughout the week). Interested in anything? The chocolate coin soaps seem neat. Avast sounds awesome Comfort and joy. 29. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? (presuming that is that the order can get here in time, bites nails) I must has Apple Cider. Maybe Gorroble. 30. Will you be away for any part of the round? Nope. But if you send a bigger box, PLEASE let me know. The mailman eats them. 31. Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? Everything in my shop is up for trade. Sadly, I am not cool enough to MAKE stuff. 32. What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? Dying for last three books in the Kushiel series (the Naamah’s books). Also for Year of the Black Rainbow. 33. If you like Christmas music (or any other holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? ./shrug. Whatever is fine. 34. Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) Er. Maybe? I know I can only eat a small amount of turkish delight at a time. 35. Also, same question about mastic. Would you be interested in trying it out? (If yes, any preferences? for example you wold prefer to try the chewing gum, the turkish delight, an Easter bun (I can go hunting, some companies make them all year round although it's not the same as the bakery Easter ones ), the raw resin itself, anything?) What is… what? 36. I live in the city of the chicken wing. If I were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter)? Uhm. I’m much more of a pansy than I used to be. Mild/medium tolerance. 37. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a gift card from anywhere, as in any store food-wise, music wise etc., what gift card would you like? Hmmm. Villainess? I’m dying for a ton of stuff there that my SW opened me up to. Anywhere with books. I live and breath books. Books. 38. If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? I love almost anything chocolate wise as long as it is NOT dark chocolate and the quality is good 39. Does anything from Fusion Sweets interest you? Omg the caramels. The apple cider caramels. The apple caramels. Any that are NOT the anise. No anise. 40. Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? I’ll have to look.. http://www.etsy.com/listing/84799294/yule-frost-orb-peppermint-swirl is gorgeous. http://www.etsy.com/listing/78692652/herald-of-autumn-ii-gilded-pressed-leaf is nice too, if it is sterling silver. http://www.etsy.com/listing/69102607/kaikias-wire-wrapped-pendant-with very nice! http://www.etsy.com/listing/84898046/snowberry-leaf-necklace-wire-wrapped so gorgeous, really. The leaf is stunning. http://www.etsy.com/listing/84898535/solstice-night-necklace-wire-wrapped is vurry pretty. 41. What was the best holiday present you ever got? My fiance (now husband) taking me to see my mom last year for xmas  I hadn’t seen her in a looong time and my stepfather was leaving… so I was glad to be there to support them. 42. Bunny, what scent are you desperately wanting to be resurrected this year with the Anniversary update? Ohhh… hmm. I don’t know… 43. Groupon for Moxie Nouveau! Dear Bunneh, is this something that would interest you? Maybe for the coffee house create your own 44. Bun-bun, what's your favourite colour? Your favourite gemstone? Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? And do you have any intense phobias? I love dark intense jewel tones. My favorite gems are alexandrite, moonstone, amethyst, opal and rose quartz. My favorite animal is american panther, lynx, various kitties. I am intensely afraid of spiders, drowning and… well mostly that. 48. Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? I cannot and probably will not ever convince myself to ACTUALLY dot his no matter how much I want to. 49. Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? I love boxes :3 50. Coffee or tea? With caffine or without? Flavors (if so, what?) or no? Whole bean/ground/loose leaf/bags? Anything non caffeinated. 51. Do you have a strong preference for any sort of bath and body product brands (i.e. etailer/etsy type cos, department store/specialty brands like Lush) or are you cool with anything that doesn't smell like Bunnybane? I’m open to anything for sensitive skin and with ultra moisturizing ingredients  52. A question: reveal, yes or no? Up to mah fox. I prefer yes so I can dote 53. Any favorite cuddly characters? I love all things cuddly. 54. Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? Sure. 55. Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? >_> I’m a novice at this stuff. 56. Do you need any holiday recipes? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? Yes. Yes. All yes. If it is cooking, I do it/want to do it/eat it. 57. Speaking about candles, how much do you look forward to the BPTP candles that will be launched on Etsy? I don't know if there will be other scents than the Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie one, but is there a specific one you are longing for? I snagged a Pumpkin Cookie >_> 58. Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? No problem. 59. Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? Yes… Star Wars, Joss Whedon (firefly especially) WoW, The Guild, Video Games in general, English/Grammar, Biology, Genetics, Psychology. Zombies/Horror. Role Playing. Card Games. Painting figurines. Comic books. Scifi/Fantasy novels. Where does it end 60. Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? Sure! 61. Fingerless mittens or full mitts? Sure. 62. What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular. No anise please fox, it makes me quite sick. 63. Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? Mmmm. Yes. Yum. 64. Any crafty pursuits you’ve been dying to experiment with? Would you like a little kit of something you’ve never tried? Do you need any particular items for your new or existing stash? Card making /blush. 65. Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? Either!

Deceitfuldescender

November 7, 2011

Ardent Austen Admirer

Winter Holiday Fun Swap ?'s and A's

November 11th Let's talk about fruit! Do you like dried fruit or hate it? Like some but not others? I like dried apples, apricots and cherries the best, but generally any dried fruit will not go to waste. How do you feel about cherries? Prefer the sweet or tart versions? Dried? Jam? Salsa? Hot sauce? BBQ sauce? Sweet for me, please, and I love the dried ones best. What is your general philosophy about patterns for accessories such as socks, scarves, and tights? Do you like solids? Stripes? Polka dots? Weird patterns like harlequin-type stuff? Any of the above? Any of the above! November 10th Would anyone else be interested in a soap dish or something like that? I have several already, thanks. If your fox were to knit something for you, would it be a lacy shawl or a pair of socks? shawl, but maybe a bit more than lacy? Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, which house do you identify with, and why? Would you want knitted things/replicas/accessories in your house colours? Everytime I take a sorting test, I end up in Ravenclaw -- and that suits me just fine, LOL. And sure to the accessories, why not? Are there any Yules from *PAST* years that you're interested in trying? Including past winter inquisitions? I'm good, thanks. November 9th Sooo. Yules. Those just happened. What are you interested in, Bunny? Oh my word, the Yules look pretty good! Must gets for me: Rose Red, Midwinter's Eve, Midnight Mass, Autumn & Winter, Woods in Winter, Peacock Queen... these are all past favorites, so I'm pretty sure I'll love this year's incarnations. There are several in the Frankenstein and Little Match Girl lines I'm wanting to try as well. All I can say is "Thank goodness for decant circles!" Do you like coin purses? I have a leather one which belonged to my great-grandmother (and she wrote her name in ink on the inside back, even better!) which is still in amazingly good shape. November 8th Do you prefer dark or milk chocolate? I know dark chocolate is better for me, and I try to eat it, but milk chocolate is my preference. And at this time of year, Terri's Chocolate Orange is my traditional favorite Yule gift - except last year, when Mr. Stellans left his shopping too late and couldn't find any. November 7th What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular. Oatmeal-Raisin are my preferred cookie, if any. Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? yes! Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? I'm all set for 2012! November 6th Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? That would be fine, if my Fox wishes. Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? Nag Champa is my favorite tart scent. Do you need any holiday recipes? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? No recipes needed, and around here, pecan pralines and peanut brittle are our favorite holiday candy. Cheese straws or sausage-cheese balls are always welcome too. Speaking about candles, how much do you look forward to the BPTP candles that will be launched on Etsy? I don't know if there will be other scents than the Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie one, but is there a specific one you are longing for? Not really, no. Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? No issues at all! If it weren't for gently used, I wouldn't have half what I do. Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? I'm a grammar nerd, and linguistic nerd (I love words!), and history nerd. I'm a h-y-u-u-u-u-u-u--g-e fan of "Firefly," Doctor Who, and Star Trek (the original), and I love urban fantasy authors like Charles de Lint and Emma Bull, and Neil Gaiman. Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? I do love lemon snaps! fingerless mittens or full mitts? fingerless, please. November 4th reveal, yes or no? I plan to at this moment, and I hope my Fox will also! Any favorite cuddly characters? Not really; when I was growing up, I had so many baby siblings and various pets that toy cuddlers weren't needed. Moxie Nouveau groupon? No, thank you. what's your favourite colour? Blue. Your favourite gemstone? aquamarine (not blue topaz) or opal. Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? Swan. And do you have any intense phobias? I can't handle being out at night by myself. I don't go out after dark at all now that Jimmy's not home. Also bugs of any kind, including arachnids. Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? No, I'm not. Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? No, I'm good, thanks. November 2nd Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? I'm embarrassed to admit this, but... Santa Clause 3. Mr. Stellans just loves these movies, and I keep forgetting to get a copy of it so we always have to Netflix it. I'm a sucker for most holiday DVDs, but for some reason this one keeps hitting a blind spot. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? I don't really have a favorite superhero, but my favorite hero Is Malcome Reynolds. Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. No, thank you. would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? I have lots and lots of Paintbox soap that I am working my way through already, but I would love to have another bar of A Walk Through the Woods (sadly discontinued). Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I have 3 dogs (West Highland White Terriers) and one cat (tiger tabby). The dogs aren't allowed any treats which contain any kind of grains which rules out most commercially produced stuff, and Miller (the cat) isn't a cat nip lover. He does like feathery things though. How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? I like honey and beeswax, but I don't need any. Are you a Trader Joe's fan, who either doesn't have a store nearby or just loves their stuff and has a wishlist? I've never been in one, but I hear good things. The Paintbox Soapworks Yules are up, or at least round one is (updates coming throughout the week). Interested in anything? Not this year. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? Silver Apple of the Moon. Will you be away for any part of the round? Only briefly over Thanksgiving (the actual day), that's all for now. Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? Everything in my shop is up for trade. Don't have a store. What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? I'm a sucker for 'cozy' mysteries with an interesting female protagonist. I have a pretty long book wish list at Amazon (see wishlist link in my sig file). If you like Christmas music (or any other holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? I love the traditional music. Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) Also, same question about mastic. Would you be interested in trying it out? (If yes, any preferences? for example you wold prefer to try the chewing gum, the turkish delight, an Easter bun (I can go hunting, some companies make them all year round although it's not the same as the bakery Easter ones ), the raw resin itself, anything?) i live in the city of the chicken wing. if i were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter). No heat, please! My poor mouth has turned into a weinie over the years. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a giftcard from anywhere, as in any store foodwise, music wise etc. what giftcard would you like? Amazon, please! If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? No mint, please! Does anything from Fusion Sweets interest you? Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? I love Alicia's silver leverback-style earrings, pretty much any of them. October 30 Dear Snow Bunnies: Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? We do 2 trees: a regular green one with all different kinds of ornaments, from homemade to keepsake, and a little 4-foot aluminum tree with one of the color wheel thingies, decorated in small varie-colored glass balls, because that's what Mr. Stellans had in his childhood. Would you like a special ornament? sure! I'd put it on the traditional tree with my other treasures. Tim Tams. Yay or nay? Nay. I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? If my Fox wishes to cook or bake for me, I would be grateful. I would also be grateful if my Fox shops for me as well. Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? No, I'm all set. Believe me. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a bodyscrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? Sugar scrubs for me, please, and I would dearly love a moist woodsy- or lavender-scented scrub. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? if yes, then what kind? scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? I mostly use tarts and tea lights, Nag Champa scented are my favorites. Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores I have lots of soap, including sample sizes (of Paintbox and Villainess, my favorites!), thank you. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? I have lots of slippers, thanks to gifts from kids, LOL. Would you wear something like this if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? http://www.ravelry.c...gap-tastic-cowl A dark navy hooded cowl would be great. talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? whole bean, regular caf, any flavor but hazelnut, and I have a French Press. Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? No, thanks. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? No, thanks. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? No, thanks. If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) Could the magical BPAL unicorn also find me a bottle of LUES11? Probably not, though. OK, I'd probably use it on the upcoming update because I'm almost sure to want the Lunacy and Anniversary releases. October 29th So... someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from Walgreen's to ONLY use on things for yourself. No necessities here. What do you buy? No Nonsense black footies (the light weight mostly cotton ones), new eyelash curler, and probably something chocolate, caramel, and salted. And maybe a easy home decorating magazine if there's any extra. ETA: I forgot I'd also get (if I could) Yes to Tomato lip balm and Liquid Crystal deodorant (that last is getting a little hard to find, darn it). I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (it's penzey's if you want to google it). I love good spices! Favorites are sweet curry, cloves, vanilla powder, sweet basil (since mine is now gone until spring), and cinnamon. I usually buy from The Spice House, but this place looks good too! Oh, and I love different salts! A lovely Switch Witch once sent me smoked salt from the Northwest which I loved so much I used it up post-haste! Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? do you prefer machine washable materials? do you not care?)? Love knitted goods, but no polyester, wool or mohair please! It needs to be cotton yarn for me, and I'd love to have a dark navy hat and/or mitts. hey swap partner...could you use a new mug? Nope, I'm good! Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? I really enjoyed the smoked salt sent me by a lovely person in another circle swap, which was made in her area of the country. I love it when swap partners share something cool from their region! I can't really think of anything specific though.

stellans

November 6, 2011

millicurie's Blog

Winter Holiday Swap Answers

So... someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from Walgreen's to ONLY use on things for yourself. No necessities here. What do you buy? CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara ($8), a Wet'n Wild eyeshadow palette ($3), a Diet Dr. Pepper ($1). I would probably spend the rest on random impulse items. Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? I do, and it is. My tree is snowman-themed, with a red, blue, and white color scheme. I would love ornaments! I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (it's penzey's if you want to google it) Yeah! I would love to try the California Seasoned Pepper, any Curry powder, fajita seasoning, Fox Point seasoning, lamb seasoning, Northwoods seasoning, any cinnamon, and shallot-pepper seasoning. Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? do you prefer machine washable materials? do you not care?)? Yep! I like bold colors (red, teal, yellow, orange) and have no material preference. Could you use a new mug? Sure! Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? That would be good. I'd love anything with a snowman theme. I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? I'd love to receive homemade nuts or pickled veggies. Just keep in mind that I don't eat carby stuff like baked goods, candy, ect. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a bodyscrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? I would love a salt scrub! I like chunky scrubs with lots of oil. Lavender, evergreen, rose geranium, anise, and peppermint are some of my favorite essential oils. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? if yes, then what kind? scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? Also what do you think of little soaps? I like candles of all sorts. I have way, way too much soap, so I probably don't need more. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? I could truly use a pair of slippers. I would prefer the kind that have an open back, since I would mostly wear them to make trips from the couch to the kitchen or bedroom. Would you wear something like this if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? Yes! Reds, teals, yellows… New question: talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? Tea is my favorite, but I like decaf coffee as well. I use whole bean coffee. Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? I haven’t tried them, but I’m a total eyeshadow junkie. I’ll give anything a try, but I don’t like stuff with tons of glitter. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? I love Cocoa Pink’s Junket and Soulmate conditioner. Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I am happily child-free, but I do have two dog sons. No worries about safety! Will you be away for any part of the round? Not that I know of. If you like Christmas music (or any other holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? Hell yeah! I like all styles, but tend to gravitate toward the classics and anything with a folk influence. I live in the city of the chicken wing. If I were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter)? I can tolerate quite a bit of spice. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a gift card from anywhere, as in any store food-wise, music wise etc., what gift card would you like? iTunes, ThinkGeek, Sockdreams, Paintbox, Shiro Cosmetics (etsy) Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? I already bought a bracelet and two pair of earrings… What was the best holiday present you ever got? An ass-kicking stereo system from my parents when I was about 13. I wore out that stereo listening to grunge music! Bunny, what scent are you desperately wanting to be resurrected this year with the Anniversary update? My soul for a bottle of Loviatar. I’d also like to see Pinched With Four Aces and Hollyberry and Mistletoe. Groupon for Moxie Nouveau! Dear Bunneh, is this something that would interest you? Nah. Bun-bun, what's your favourite colour? Orange (not safety orange, more like pumpkin orange) Your favourite gemstone? Amethyst, emerald, opal Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? Dogs! And do you have any intense phobias? I am terrified of heights and June Bugs. Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? Nope Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? I’m pretty set on boxes. Do you need any holiday recipes? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? I am always on the lookout for very low carb recipes. Speaking about candles, how much do you look forward to the BPTP candles that will be launched on Etsy? I don't know if there will be other scents than the Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie one, but is there a specific one you are longing for? I’m actually pretty meh about this. Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? I’m fine with gently used! Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? Heh heh… If you have to ask, you obviously haven’t stalked me much! If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) Right now I'd probably grab bottles of Rose Red 2011 and The Nymphae Avernales. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? Spiderman! Also, question, dearest bunnies: would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? Ooooh, yeah! I'm interested in all of the holiday scents. How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? Beeswax is possibly my favorite smell on earth and I love trying out new and unusual honeys. (Saw Palmetto honey is A++ guys, take my word for it.) What does one do with beeswax? I know you make candles from it, but other than that... Sounds interesting! Are you a Trader Joe's fan, who either doesn't have a store nearby or just loves their stuff and has a wishlist? I don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, so I don't really know what they carry. I've heard that they have great tea, so that would probably be on my wishlist. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? (presuming that is that the order can get here in time, bites nails) The Nymphae Averales or Sentimental Initiation Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) I would love a rose-flavored tea. If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? I can only eat 85% dark chocolate, plain. Do you have a strong preference for any sort of bath and body product brands (i.e. etailer/etsy type cos, department store/specialty brands like Lush) or are you cool with anything that doesn't smell like Bunnybane? Yes, I'm pretty devoted to Lathers & Lights for my botdy products. Their body butter and body yogurt are amazing! However, I'm always open to being enabled. A question: reveal, yes or no? I always appreciate a reveal, but I would never force the issue. Any favorite cuddly characters? Anything handmade! Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? Animal shelter donations would be lovely. Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? Tease, Bombshell, Innocence, Don't Make Baby Jesus Cry Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? I'm fine with gently used items. Pink? Hell yes! Pink a perfectly good color, and doesn't get enough respect if you ask me. Fingerless mittens or full mitts? Fingerless please! Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? Any crafty pursuits you’ve been dying to experiment with? Would you like a little kit of something you’ve never tried? Do you need any particular items for your new or existing stash? I am dying to learn to knit, but somehow I can't find the patience to sit down and learn. Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? That would be great. I actually really need a wall calendar for my office. Do you like coin purses? I like them, but I already have one. I have a ton of soaps and not one soap dish. Would anyone else be interested in a soap dish or something like that? Yes! If your fox were to knit something for you, would it be a lacy shawl or a pair of socks? Inquiring foxes want to know! Probably a shawl. Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, which house do you identify with, and why? Would you want knitted things/replicas/accessories in your house colours? Pottermore sorted me into Ravenclaw. Are there any Yules from *PAST* years that you're interested in trying? Including past winter inquisitions? I have been trying to get my hands on a bottle of Hollyberry & Mistletoe for SO long... Bunnies! What is your general philosophy about patterns for accessories such as socks, scarves, and tights? Do you like solids? Stripes? Polka dots? Weird patterns like harlequin-type stuff? Any of the above? How about all of the above? I do have an affinity for Argyle. Bunny, are you interested in anything from Geek Chic Cosmetics? Eyeshadow: Captain Tightpants, Kingslayer, Goomba, Archangel (goddamn I love Garrus... ), All the Rage, Eyes of the Werewolf Sooo. Yules. Those just happened. What are you interested in, Bunny? I bought a ton of decants, dear fox. Chilies? Sure! I had a question for everyone else though! A friend and I were recently talking about those Giant Microbe plushies, if you were my bunneh, would you like one? Which would you like? I love those things! I already have Red Blood Cell, White Blood Cell, and Neuron, but I'd love to get Ulcer and Stem Cell.

caseys

November 6, 2011

Bloggity Blog!

Winter Swap Q&A

So here are my questions for my Fox! I'll try and keep up to date on these from now on! 1. So... someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from Walgreen's to ONLY use on things for yourself. No necessities here. What do you buy? hmmm...A Physician's Formula shimmer strips for brown, green, or hazel eyes (I have green-brown hazel eyes, so any of them would work). Essie nail polish in dark and/or earthy tones. flaming hot cheetos. Hotpockets. I love me some hotpockets. 2. I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. Would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (It's Penzey's if you want to Google it.) I love cooking, so anything really! But I'd definitely love the Baker's Assortment or Cocoa Lover's box sets. 3. Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? Do you prefer machine washable materials? Do you not care?)? Yes, yes, yes!!! Pretty much anything, but I'm partial to hats, snoods, and handwarmers/armwarmers/fingerless-gloves (fingerless glove armwarmers would be the most awesome thing ever). Nay on wool, mostly because I can't stand itchy things, soft = yay!, but also stuff that's really durable. machine washable is awesome, but not necessary. I do however need it to be okay with some sort of cleansing, especially for hats, since I sometimes wear hats to hide icky hair. I love fall and earth-tones (esp. esp olive green!), and I also like multi-coloured stuff such as This hat which is my favourite hat. (I apologize for the sort of dorky photo that makes me look like I'm 6 years old. sheesh.) To be extra helpful: head circumference ~23", wrist-to-elbow= 10", wrist= 6.5", arm-circumference-at-elbow= 12", fingerless-glove finger length= 1" (my fingers are ridiculously short). uh, yeah. I like knitted things. 4. Hey swap partner... could you use a new mug? I have so many mugs...unless it's a HUGE mug, like those "Big Mug Of Tea" mugs, no thank you. 5. Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? Coffee Crisps (Canada. My FAVOURITE CANDY BAR EVAR ), Fruit gums (Canada, UK). Mori Naga caramels (Japan). Local honeys and cheeses. I'm generally excited about trying foreign and/or regional goods, those are just the ones I can think of right now. 6. Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? My family does a tree, so right now yes. No particular theme, although wacky-but-easy-to-hang ornaments are especially liked. I have a bit of a personal theme: pickles. I have 4 pickle ornaments 7. Would you like a special ornament? Yes! I would love one! I'm actually part of the tacky-ornaments swap 8. Tim Tams. Yay or nay? I've never tried them, but they look like they're related to my beloved coffee crisps, so sure 9. Now, a question of my own: I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? I prefer homemade goodies ALWAYS! and I would LOVE to have homemade goodies. I'd love whatever is your preference/specialty, but if you don't have any ideas I love fudge, molasses cookies, and ginger snaps. ...and I'm not going to lie, deep-fried cookies sounds intriguing. 10. Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? For the most part, no thank you. But I would love a "really-big-bowl-o'noodles/ramen" size bowl, whatever theme, I always need more of those! 11. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a body scrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? oooh, I would love one! (more handmade goodies, yay!) I like sugar scrubs, and ones that are more moist. I like cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and orange! (I think all of those can be translated into EOs...can bergamot and sage be EOs? I love those as well) 12. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? If yes, then what kind? Scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? YES! I love candles. esp. esp. beeswax, shaped or unshaped. I do like pillar candles as well, as long as I the wicks don't have a tendency to get lost inside the candle I love cinnamon-y/christmassy scented candles, mango-y scented candles, and coconut, decorated or undecorated (I prefer painted to stuff stuck in the candles). I also always appreciate plain tea lights for my oil burner. 13. Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores.... I like them, although nothing that's got strong sandalwood and no florals (esp rose, I'm allergic) please. See my sig for list of fave notes.I prefer soap over body wash, actually. I'm currently lusting after villainess' Anti-hero *sighs wistfully* 14. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? Yes! Love me some socks! I've never ordered from Sock Dreams, but they look awesome!!! I knee-highs and footies, and nothin in between Although I really love any kind of bed sock. Also, I love funky and/or animal slippers, I really could use a pair now that I live somewhere with cold cement floors. 15. Would you wear something like this if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? Totally! Especially in olive green, chocolate brown, aubergine, or deep ruby red. 16. New question: talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? BRING ON THE TEA. I'm generally not a fan of coffee, unless it's in a very chocolately-mocha. But mmmm, tea. I'm a fan of basically all tea, although I'll usually add sugar to stuff that's more bitter. 17. Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? Sure! I'd love to try Lafayette, Twirl, or Glisten. 18. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? Just checked them out for the first time, the Voluptuous body butter is the only thing that really catches my eye. 19. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? I love nail polish. Of the kinds I have tried so far, my favourite has been Essie, but I'd like to try china glaze. colours: burgandy-red, aubergine, steel/deep blues and blue-greens, olive green, chocolate brown, mushroom brown, peachy-pinky-shimmery. 20. If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) Paladin and Hunter 5mls, and an imp of Lightning (or Dorian, I can't decide which!). 21. Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? Nothing I can think of. 22. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? I honestly have no opinion either way. 23. Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. So. Many. Choices. Angels Delight Soap, ***Christmas Kisses Bubble Bar*** , Cinders Bath Bomb. 24. Would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? Yes, yes, yes! Omg, I only heard about this company today. Comfort and Joy,The Yule-tide mariner, and The Englishman! 25. NEW QUESTION! - Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I have 4 cats, 2 hampsters, and a budgie (small parrot). Any gifts for any of them are always appreciated, but certainly not necessary. No need to worry about safety though, I'll keep the string away from my string-eating cats! 26. How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? GIMME. GIMME IT ALL. er, I mean...*ahem* 27. NEW QUESTION: Are you a Trader Joe's fan, who either doesn't have a store nearby or just loves their stuff and has a wishlist? I don't really need anything from them, but thanks. 28. The Paintbox Soapworks Yules are up, or at least round one is (updates coming throughout the week). Interested in anything? White Snow Bright Snow, The Yuletide Mariner, Comfort and Joy. 29. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? (presuming that is that the order can get here in time, bites nails) Harvest atmosphere, October 2011, Autumn Cider are all ones I wish I could try from this round of weenies, but don't have money for. 30. Will you be away for any part of the round? Nope! I will be home the whoooooole time. Sigh. No exciting trips for me. 31. Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? Everything in my shop is up for trade. I has not an etsy store, sorry. 32. What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? I love books, but...well, all the books I want are really expensive books on 1400s/1500s Florentine fashion, or I don't really have space for the books I'd like. ETA: Oh, I'd love a nice hardbound copy of the works of H.P. Lovecraft though. That'd be awesome. 33. If you like Christmas music (or any other holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? Traditional or Jazz, particularly those containing choirs/roundels, cellos, or harp. :3 34. Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) I am allergic to roses, so no, sorry 35. Also, same question about mastic. Would you be interested in trying it out? (If yes, any preferences? for example you wold prefer to try the chewing gum, the turkish delight, an Easter bun (I can go hunting, some companies make them all year round although it's not the same as the bakery Easter ones ), the raw resin itself, anything?) Never heard of it before, but I'd love to try a bun. 36. I live in the city of the chicken wing. If I were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter)? I love love love chicken wings, esp. hot ones. Hot, hot and sweet, yum. Either one. I have a VERY high heat tolerance, although I don't really feel the need to prove my manliness (er, womanliness?) by eating ridiculously over-spiced wings that are hot for the sake of being mind-bogglingly hot. 37. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a gift card from anywhere, as in any store food-wise, music wise etc., what gift card would you like? Mac, Sephora, iTunes, Thinkgeek, or Amazon please 38. If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? No bacon chocolates, or spice-chocolate (cinnamon is an exception), nor anything that's more than 60% cocoa please. I love nuts, cherries, caramel, coconut...I esp like deeper milk chocolates. My favourite holiday candies are chocolate covered maraschino cherries (a family favourite), ribbon candy, venetian glass candy, and candy canes. 39. Does anything from Fusion Sweets interest you? Red Hot Cinnamon Berlingots, Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle, and spiced apple cider caramels! YUM! 40. Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? oooh. Shiny. I like the Holiday Ornaments:Gold Glitz Handblown Glass Globe Earrings, but I also really like the Halloween Harvest pumpkin earrings. 41. What was the best holiday present you ever got? Um, this is going to sound really, really stupid, but it was my best friend's friendship. (She's Hello Kitty here on the forums, I her so much). I guess to generalize that I'd say getting friends/someone who'd like to keep communicating past swapping boxes. On a less gooshy note, the hat that I posted a pic of in an earlier question was my favourite material gift. 42. Bunny, what scent are you desperately wanting to be resurrected this year with the Anniversary update? Uh, I haven't been here long enough. What is this? I can tell you what I want resurrected though. Loviatar. I pray on my knees every night. I will buy 6 bottles. Please, BPAL Gods, give me Loviatar. 43. Groupon for Moxie Nouveau! Dear Bunneh, is this something that would interest you? Yes! In order of what I'd like to try: Nicholas, Donner and Blitzen, Dear Santa. 44. Bun-bun, what's your favourite colour? Olive Green, Chocolate Brown, Aubergine, Deep ruby red, Steely-blue-grey, Blue-Green (teal), Peachy-pink. 45. Your favourite gemstone? Opal or ruby, swiftly followed by sapphires and aquamarine and fluorite. I collect gemstones. 46. Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? Cats, Elephants, Griffins. 47. And do you have any intense phobias? Medical professionals and heights, although I don't think those would be relevant 48. Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? I tried, but I've pretty much fallen off the wagon already. I'm happy with merch or donations to the cause though! I think it's a wonderful thing! 49. Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? I'd love a box that's better suited for holding 5mls, mine doesn't close all the way because they're too tall and it's almost full anyhow. 50. Coffee or tea? With caffeine or without? Flavors (if so, what?) or no? Whole bean/ground/loose leaf/bags? TEA TEA TEA. Caffeine please. I prefer Black over green. Flavors: Quince (my favourite tea is a black tea with quince flowers and fruit shipped from Denmark cause that's the only place I can find it. I love it in the green tea version too. ), most fruit, chocolate, cinnamon/clove ( my second favourite tea is Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice, and I can't find it anywhere!), chais, fancy earl grey, Not-very-bitter green teas esp. Jasmine tea. A good soothing non-caffeinated mint is always pleasing too. White teas are good, but not my favourite because they're not very strong. Loose or sachet, although sachet is favored (but you can't get as nice tea in sachets! My life is hard). 51. Do you have a strong preference for any sort of bath and body product brands (i.e. etailer/etsy type cos, department store/specialty brands like Lush) or are you cool with anything that doesn't smell like Bunnybane? I really like Chagrin Valley Soaps! Other than that I don't much care. I am rather interested in the Paintbox soaps though (see previous questions) and Villainess' Anti-hero soap. 52. A question: reveal, yes or no? Up to my fox, but only just after they've sent the goodies out if revealing! I don't want to give in to my stalking-urges and make assumptions/guesses about what I'm getting too far in advance. 53. Any favorite cuddly characters? Hello Kitty! or Cinnamoroll (a hello kitty line character), but he's more rare. But really so long as it's soft, squeezable, snuggly, cuddly, and good company for sleeping, it's a winner with me. 54. Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? Definitely!!! 55. Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? AMG YES. Pretty Boys in Eyeliner, Wench, and Exp.#5. *squeals at the idea of getting these* I'm totally buying these myself if I don't get them :3 56. Do you need any holiday recipes? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? Yes please! Your fave recipe for turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, molasses cookies, ginger-snap cookies! I'm not no/low sugar at all, but I like savory things too! 57. Speaking about candles, how much do you look forward to the BPTP candles that will be launched on Etsy? I don't know if there will be other scents than the Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie one, but is there a specific one you are longing for? I LOVE the idea of a BPTP candle! I'd love a Hunger Moon or a Loviatar Candle...But alas, that's not very likely, is it? 58. Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? Not at all! 59. Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? I'm a big RPG/LARP nerd, and an American Studies/Popular Culture and Film nerd. I like math and I like Shakespeare. I LOVE HARRY POTTER FANDOM specifically Snarry (yes, I'm a dirty dirty lady) and I am a proud Hufflin (Hufflepuff with a little bit of Slytherin ). I am also a huge Panic! At the Disco, My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds To Mars, and Linkin Park Fangirl. I also Fangirl Taylor Lautner (Jacob from the Twilight movies. Shut up, he's hot okay?) and Mark Harmon(Gibbs from NCIS. The sexiest grey man I've ever laid eyes upon *swoon*). 60. Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? ...Lemon pound cake? *big anime sparkly eyes* 61. Fingerless mittens or full mitts? Fingerless mittens! Although see question 3 for extensive rambling on my deepest desires in fuzzy hand-wear \ 62. What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular. I am rather anti-anise, but I like all other traditional holiday flavorings! 63. Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? Yes! Especially oils 64. Any crafty pursuits you’ve been dying to experiment with? Would you like a little kit of something you’ve never tried? Do you need any particular items for your new or existing stash? I'd love to have a knitting loom. I've had limited success with knitting in general, and I've always preferred knitting in the round anyway. 65. Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? Sure! I think a page-a-day one, there's not enough wall space for a hanging calendar 66. Sooo. Yules. Those just happened. What are you interested in, Bunny? There are so many. It's quite sad. I'd love imps of: Frost at Midnight, Midnight Mass, Gelt, Lick it Discreetly, Onduris, The Country of Eternal Light, Days & Nights in the Vaults & Charnel Houses, Inextinguishable Hatred, Wonderful Light, The Most Magnificent Christmas Tree. I'm dying for bottles of: Diable en boite 2011, Sugar Cookie,Woods in Winter, and Workshop of Flithy Creation. 67. Do you like coin purses? Not particularly, I have more of them than I use. :/ 68. Would anyone else be interested in a soap dish or something like that? Yes! Especially if it's a travel one. 69. If your fox were to knit something for you, would it be a lacy shawl or a pair of socks? Socks 70. Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, which house do you identify with, and why? Would you want knitted things/replicas/accessories in your house colours? I AM A HARRY POTTER NERD OF EPIC PROPORTIONS!!! I'm a Slytherpuff, A Hufflepuff with a little bit of Slytherin in me So either house's colors work for me. I'd love knitted things/replicas/accessories! 71. Are there any Yules from *PAST* years that you're interested in trying? Including past winter inquisitions? Uh, uh, yes. I'll get back to this one. I have to look through my wishlist and pick out all the Yules. 72. Let's talk about fruit! Do you like dried fruit or hate it? Like some but not others? I love love love it! 73. How do you feel about cherries? Prefer the sweet or tart versions? Dried? Jam? Salsa? Hot sauce? BBQ sauce? I like cherries! I usually prefer sweet. I'd love a cherry jam or pie filling, but cherry hot sauce also sounds intriguing. 74. Bunnies! What is your general philosophy about patterns for accessories such as socks, scarves, and tights? Do you like solids? Stripes? Polka dots? Weird patterns like harlequin-type stuff? Any of the above? All of the above! I'm not much of a tights person, but I love patterns. 75. Bunny, are you interested in anything from Geek Chic Cosmetics? No thank you.

archionblu

November 6, 2011

neptuneanblog

Winter Holiday Fun Swap Help: Let's try this again!

The first time that I did this, it got deleted due to "incorrect use of one of the board files." So I dunno how long this will stay up, but I'm trying it again, to help my foxyfox out (not sure that these will be in correct order or complete since I'm having to start over, but I'm trying)! Wow, didn't expect to see so many new questions to answer at this point!!! Here goes... cranberries/types of nuts: I like cranberries. I also like most nuts, particularly pistachios, almonds, cashews, and walnuts. In theory I like hazelnuts, but in reality when I get them they always seem to be stale receiving many edible treats: Sure, that'd be great. I'm actually traveling out of state this Christmas (the 22nd to 27th, so not during this swap... visiting my husband's relatives, my first Christmas spent this way even though we've been together for 10+ years), so I won't be cooking or baking nearly as much as usual for the holiday, so it'd be cool to eat stuff that other people made. I'm assuming that nothing extremely perishable would be sent in the mail anyway (like, um, a casserole, I dunno), so anything edible should be fine! wild rice: That sounds great! hot buttered rum 5ml: No thanks, just doesn't appeal to me. Jane Austen Knits: I'm not a knitter either! scarf colors: I'm not basing this on my favorite colors, but on what scarf colors I already have and what would coordinate with my other winter stuff. Really I could use a light grey or cream-colored one. I know that's kind of boring though. Next-most needed would be some kind of "autumnal" color like any kind of brown, or olive/non-bright green, or rust, etc. "Accidents" would be fine... the way scarves are worn, at least by me, doesn't lend itself to close inspection of every little detail. Add me to the list of folks who'd be interested in Hogwarts-themed tea! I bought some Serenity (or was it Firefly?) themed tea at a Renaissance Festival last year even though I haven't seen those things, just because it sounded good, well, the "Earth that Was" flavor, anyway (I think it was from the Austin Browncoats or something... oh yeah, here it is!), so in summation, my rambly self would definitely appreciate tea associated with something I'm actually familiar with! baking supplies: Sure, I need all the baking supplies! I've really only replaced the basics, and we're quickly heading into baking season! Anniversary update: I already ordered Leather Phoenix I figured it'd be easy to re-home if needed. The Phoenix at Dusk also sounds interesting. plush microbes? That'd be fine. Two fires ago, I bought my husband the stomach ulcer one, because it was cute and he'd had a stomach ulcer, but I haven't bought any more since. The cutest ones available on thinkgeek right now appear to be bad breath, brain cell, herpes, and nerve cell. chiles: Sure, that'd be fine. Where I live, combining chocolate and chile is kind of a big deal, so I've had lots of chocolate brownies or cookies with chile in them, and they are pretty great (chipotle, which are smoked jalapeno peppers, are popular for this, though of course other types of peppers can also be used). And of course I've had it in chocolate bars too... and I love New Mexican style chili powder for cooking purposes. So again, bring it on! (But as one might guess from my description, I'd much rather have useful/edible chiles than decorative ones) Geek Chic cosmetics: I guess not. I'm finding that site pretty hard to navigate (which rarely happens to me), so it would take too much time and energy to pick out eyeshadows or whatever for myself. socks or lacy shawl: socks if I'm choosing between the two. For more details about preferred knitted items, see prior questions soapdish: I think I'm good on those. I'm pretty picky about them in terms of wanting one that actually drains in some way (i.e., the soap is raised above the main surface in some way, instead of a soapdish just being some kind of fancy saucer or whatever). past Yules: I have a DISO out right now for A Golden Idol... love it, especially since vetiver usually doesn't work on me but does in this case! Also pretty interested in The School, though I haven't actually tried it. Would love to though!!! *Editing to add Comforting Plush Companion, which I also haven't tried but want to. Some of the other stuff on my BPAL wishlist (linked in my signature) might also be Yules and I just don't know it, so I guess check there if you're curious!* Harry Potter: Here's another rambling answer for ya... I've kinda already gone into this in previous questions, but Harry Potter was more of a big deal to me awhile back. I'm still a fan, but no longer feel the need to have multiple Harry Potter t-shirts or anything. Also, even though I am not much of a fan of the Harry Potter movies (I'm the annoying person that points out all the stuff that they changed from the book for no apparent reason), I prefer Ravenclaw's colors in the movies more than their colors from the books! Yep, I've always fancied myself a Ravenclaw, though I'm sure the Sorting Hat wouldn't agree with me! Let's talk about fruit! Do you like dried fruit or hate it? Like some but not others? I'm not that big of a fan. I think I like one specific kind of dried mangoes, but not the ones that are super-hard and sugary. Maybe it's Phillipine dried mangoes? Not sure. I also eat dried cranberries, but not the artificially sweetened ones that are referred to as "craisins." Oh, and I enjoy the occasional individually-wrapped prune, but I'm set on those. Finally, I do enjoy crystallized ginger for cooking and baking. How do you feel about cherries? Prefer the sweet or tart versions? Dried? Jam? Salsa? Hot sauce? BBQ sauce? I like to eat Rainier cherries fresh, but not any other kind. I cherry butter (you know, like apple butter, but with cherries?), but I've only found that from one specific place in West Virgina (which is nowhere near my home state), so I'm not sure if that's something my fox can readily find. I suppose I'd try jam/salsa/hot sauce/bbq sauce made from cherries, but I'm not sure how much use I'd get out of anything on that list other than jam. accessory patterns: Bring 'em on! Again, I'm re-building my wardrobe after losing everything, so really I could use whatever, and am not afraid at all of patterns coin purses: I guess I like them, but I am very picky and can't find any examples online of the kind I like, so for now let's say I don't like them! The one I use seems to still be going strong, anyway Yules desired: Well, like many of the folks in this swap, I just signed up for a bunch of decants. But there are a second and third tier of things that I was interested in but didn't request. So here's the second tier: AMIABLE & LOVELY CREATURES A DREARY NIGHT OF NOVEMBER MOCKING THE INVISIBLE WORLD WITH ITS OWN SHADOWS A WONDERFUL LIGHT decided to request a decant of this one after all! THE COLD HOUR OF DAWN (added on after crossing out the one before this one) crafty pursuits: nope, no time for such things due to the whole long-process-of-recovering-from-a-disaster thing. The last time our house burned down, my husband and I did a little bit of collage-making as self-prescribed therapy, but if we decide to that again, we can probably find our own old magazines and such calendars: sure, that'd be cool. I guess the "big"/monthly ones would be most preferable... I prefer stuff like, uh, art (I like asian stuff, abstract stuff, Mucha, arts and crafts stuff (the art movement, not the, uh, avocation), or nature scenes (but NOT nature scenes with inspirational quotes), not stuff that's like photos of fuzzy animals or whatever. On the other hand, I did purchase an awesome calendar last year from jbox.com, which was a weekly calendar of Japanese TV station mascots... but we used that more as a decoration than an actual calendar. Man, I loved that thing! Anyhow.... What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular: Sounds good. Coriander also shows up in some of the traditional cookie recipes... and I like it that way! Well, and of course then there's allspice and clove and.... artisan oils and vinegars: Sure! I'd normally say oils more than vinegars, but I just realized that before the fire I had and used at least 4 kinds of vinegar, so I guess either thing is fine! boxes for perfume/knicknacks: I guess so. Don't really want anything that's like, plain unfinished wood though. reveal? Yes, I'd love one. And yes, I'm planning to reveal! EDIT... another question was asked about this, so here's the answer: I'd rather have a reveal at the end than an early reveal, but either way would really be fine cuddly characters? I like all sorts of cute/kawaii things, but I'm not sure there's something in particular I'm wanting to collect. charity gift? not to be Scrooge-y, but no thanks this year. I have given back quite a bit in the past (including buying Heifer International stuff at Christmas: I loved giving people bees), but this year have had to be the recipient of charity what with my house burning down in September and all. Hopefully I will be, uh, back to giving back soon, but I'm still in the recovery process right now! If you wanted to get me items from Ten Thousand Villages or something, I'd be down for that, though tarts? no thanks, just not into these. holiday recipes? Yes please!!! I thought I'd "backed up" all of my recipes, but I'm realizing that there are in fact some holes in my collection looking forward to BPTP candles? I'd love one, but honestly the two scents mentioned so far sound okay but not great. They'd probably still actually be awesome, though. Gently used things? Sure! Considering my current situation, I'd be prettymuch bereft of anything if I wasn't okay with used stuff! I also spent some percentage of my formative years working at thrift stores, so yep, totally okay with all of that nerd for particular subject/fandom? I'm a neuroscience nerd for sure. I was a teaching assistant for that class in graduate school, and I'm still a subscriber to Scientific American Mind, etc. Not really all that into any fandoms though... I was pretty into Harry Potter back when the books were still coming out (not into fanfic, but into the midnight release parties and all of that, had some Harry Potter shirts and whatnot), but that's all in the past now (the movies to me were just okay). lemon-flavored treats: Sure, they sound great! So...someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from walgreens to ONLY use on things for yourself. no necessities here. what do you buy? Yep, I guess I'm hopping on the "nail polish train." (Choo Choo!) I basically like (and wear! my work has never said anything about my nail polish colors, and since I already keep my tattoos at least mostly covered at work, I'm taking advantage of the nail-polish-freedom to let my freak flag fly maybe just a little) all colors of nail polish from nude to neon to gunmetal (well, y'know, dark colors) and back again, so that's probably what I'd do. I guess I might glance at the barrettes as well, but I'm pretty picky about those so probably wouldn't actually buy any. I need all kinds of cooking spices, and will use them all! I had an insane collection of spices up until the beginning of September (when my house burned down.) I've bought some of the basics again at my small-town grocery store (just did it 2 days ago in fact), but I still need a lot more, especially the stuff involved in Indian cooking, most of which I have to go to a more populated area to get. Oh, and about knitted goods: sure! I'm not much on mittens, but anything else (gloves/hats/scarves/socks/etc.) would be cool (or, uh, warm, as the case may be!). I'm not that picky about colors, but probably would get the most use out of something in autumnal/muted/neutral colors, or in just about any shade of blue. About mugs: Sure, I could use mugs. But the rim (the part that one puts ones lips to in order to drink) needs to be round, not square... my husband and I ended up with some square-rimmed ones recently and had to donate them because they weren't working out. About regional foods I might want to try: can't think of anything off the top of my head that I haven't tried but want to (that would keep well, anyway... I was just thinking the other day that I still haven't had takoyaki, but I don't think that's really ship-able), but I do know that I love green tea (matcha) kitkats (and most other Japanese green tea flavored chocolate products) so if my fox could get ahold of some of that, that'd be cool... I'll update if I can think of something I haven't tried before but want to. Christmas tree/ornaments: We won't have a Christmas tree this year, too much trouble what with having to buy all of these necessities again after losing everything in September. When we do have Christmas trees, there isn't a particular theme (though I do especially like blue/white/silver, and maybe peacock-ish colours). I still wouldn't mind getting an ornament though... we'll be back to doing Christmas trees eventually, I'm sure, and an ornament doesn't even have to be on a tree to be displayed! Tim Tams: I think I have tried them and have no particular love for them, but I wouldn't mind getting them, I suppose.... homemade goodies: yes, please! That would be great! body scrub: no thanks. I've never been into these, and use enough idiosyncratic bath products as it is! holiday serving bowls: sure, sounds good! Any theme! candles/soaps: Yeah, I like candles and soaps. For both, I like a good variety of smells from vanilla cupcake type to woodsy cedar stuff to lavender herby stuff. The only smells I don't like for candles are of the "holiday spice" type variety (I do like soaps with cinnamon or clove or similar though). I do also like unscented candles to burn while I chop onions and such (I often use novena candles for this). Not too picky about the appearance or style of the candle, but I do not do wax tarts, just actual candles socks/slippers/sockdreams: yes to all three! basically I need everything in whatever colors! It would especially be nice to get some cool colorful kneesocks (or over-the-knee socks... I have big calves)! cowl: no thanks. not sure that I'd actually be able to incorporate something like that into my wardrobe. coffee: yes to coffee of any kind, caffeinated please! I do especially like coconut coffee and can't often find it, but other kinds would be nice as well. (EDIT: I saw that perhaps this question also mentioned tea. Yep, I like tea as well, prettymuch any kind, black, green, herbal, flavored, etc.) obsessive compulsive cosmetics: stuff looks cool! for the loose eyeshadow, I think I'd like distortion, atmosphere, lafayette, auric, twirl, static, or oberon. for nail polish, pool boy and swamp thing look neat. cocoa pink: I'll pass on this one. I have similar items to most of the things that look interesting on this site. Nail polish: I mentioned this in the "Walgreens" question, so I'll copy and paste from there I basically like (and wear! my work has never said anything about my nail polish colors, and since I already keep my tattoos at least mostly covered at work, I'm taking advantage of the nail-polish-freedom to let my freak flag fly maybe just a little) all colors of nail polish from nude to neon to gunmetal (well, y'know, dark colors) and back again, so it's all good! $50 to the lab: I guess this comes out to $52.50, but I'd get 3 bottles. Dragon's Eye and Salome, which I love but only have imps of so far, and Defututa, which I love and had a bottle of before the fire, but don't now. Holiday movies: My questionnaire covers my particular love for the Rankin-Bass special "The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus," but I'll mention it here too. That's about it though Superheroes: Hmm. I think I know a fair amount about superheroes and comic book characters, but I don't think I'd really want any associated merchandise/paraphernalia. I did have this back in the day though, and wouldn't mind having it again.... Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. I do use Lush skincare, but since that's part of an everyday regimen for me I'm pretty well set there. So I'll focus on shower gels and bubble bars. The shower gels I know I like are the Olive Branch, Flying Fox, Happy Hippy, Slammer, and Freeze. I'd also like to try It's Raining Men, B Never too Busy to Be Beautiful, Back for Breakfast, Flying Saucers, Happy 4 Sad, and Tramp. As for bubble bars, any would be cool, actually, but particularly Christmas Eve, Dorothy, Pop in the Bath, Happy Bubble, Temple of Truth, Phoenix, or Hot Toddy. Well, and I wouldn't say no to a Fairy Jasmine or Space Girl bath bomb either, though I prefer bubble bars to bath bombs. Paintbox: Most of the scents sound great, actually. I especially like the sound of The Man in the Moon, Blackbird, Lavender Truffle, The Queen is Dead, The Olive Tree, Silken Peony, Gold/Frankincense/Myrrh, Gingermilk, and Pants Relief Elixir. So yeah, basically whatever the kids/pets question I have no children, but I do have pets. Two cats: Marisol and Penelope, and a dog: Potemkin. Marisol and Nelly (Penelope's nickname) could use some catnip, I guess, since we haven't bought any post-fire. Potemkin would love some kind of squeaky toy without stuffing (it can be cloth/fabric, just the stuffing-less kind). Actually, he'd love to get one WITH stuffing, but that really doesn't work out well, so we have to stick with toys without it! Honey/beeswax: As others have said, I'm not sure what I'd do with just beeswax. Love it in candle form though! And honey is a definite yes, I love honey and use it quite a bit! Trader Joes: I don't think I want to get too far into the madness with this one. I've heard great things about their Matcha Green Tea Cake Mix though, so I would be interested in trying that. Green tea sweets in general are a favorite of mine, so if they have anything else in that vein, I'd probably like it (and of course if a Trader Joe's product matches up with one of my answers to a different question, I wouldn't turn my nose up at it or anything) .... Paintbox Yules: Snoggin' and The Victorious Sun sound nice. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? (presuming that is that the order can get here in time, bites nails)? I'd like the Vampire Bride, please. Somehow that one slipped my mind when I got decants, and the reviews sound awesome! Will you be away for any part of the round? It's possible I might be away for some part of Thanksgiving week (November 20th-26th), but not probable really. Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? Everything in my shop is up for trade. no etsy store What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? I linked my amazon wishlist in the original questionnaire for this swap (um, the one we sent in a PM to the people running the swap), so all that stuff would be there. Christmas music? I said "perhaps" in the original questionnaire, but really I don't need any more. My husband collects all kinds of Christmas music and apparently it was all backed up so we didn't lose it in the fire. I did just think of "Snowflakes are Dancing" by Tomita, but that's not really a necessity or even actually Christmas I guess. Rose/mastic flavored things? I love rose flavored things. Rose tea, rose candy, rose gum, rose syrup, rose gelato, etc. But I do not like the texture of the Turkish Delight I've tried in the past. Also, I think I've tried mastic... a friend of mine came back from NYC with some imported jam-like stuff called "mastiha" or "mastiya" or something, so I ate a teaspoonful of it once in awhile until it was gone, and liked it okay... but I wouldn't mind trying it again, whether or not that was in fact what it even was.... i live in the city of the chicken wing. if i were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter)? Um, I order my Indian food medium-spicy, and eat Mexican food including salsa and such on a regular basis, so I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. Definitely not a spice daredevil by any means though. And I definitely don't mind sweet and savory together. However, I don't like chicken wings (not that I'd be receiving them in the mail anyway, I guess/hope). Too much work for very little payoff (same with ribs, pomegranates, and probably some other stuff I forgot)! giftcard: Target, Torrid, J Crew, Anthropologie, SockDreams would rock as well... I think something has slipped my mind, so I may be back to update this one! UPDATE: Ikea was what I originally forgot, I think! chocolate/holiday candy: I said in my original questionnaire that I prefer dark or white chocolate to milk chocolate, but that doesn't mean I dislike it, just that I like it less. I guess I'm not much for chocolate-covered cherries (and again, my questionnaire mentions my dislike of marshmallows), but otherwise, whatever! As for beloved winter-holiday candy, I love chocolate oranges (the dark version if possible, of course... I think the brand is "Terry's"?), and I really, really love mint m&ms (I was so sad the couple of years that I couldn't find them in stores, but they seem to have appeared for the past two years at least)! Fusion Sweets: Caramels in bacon sea salt, french sea salt, matcha, belgian dark chocolate, french lavender, roasted black sesame, masala chai, rose/orange blossom/vanilla. Chocolate chai caramel tarts. Matcha and black sesame white chocolate. Old fashioned English toffee. Chocolate-covered caramels with sea salt. So yes! Elements and Artifacts: I like this: http://www.etsy.com/listing/84898259/reserved-for-autumnslioness-winter, but obviously it's reserved. Same story with these: http://www.etsy.com/listing/84895404/reserved-for-mothermoongems-snowfrost. Hmm... this is pretty cool actually: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78768798/autumn-bramble-vine-antique-silver. best holiday present I ever got: My engagement ring, Christmas 2008 (we married in July 2009, after 8+ years as a couple/5+ years of living together). BPAL anniversary resurrection wishes: I dunno. Love's Philosophy? Not sure I've been seriously into BPAL long enough to properly answer this! Moxie Noveau: So... I looked at the site and wrote down a long list of stuff that sounded pretty cool. Then I was like, "What am I doing?" I have so much BPAL at home waiting to be tested, it's not even funny. So I've narrowed it down to one: Candlemas. If my foxyfox wants to get me something from that company, get me that! Favorites (just a warning to begin with, I'm terrible with favorites , so this most likely will not be helpful at all!): color- I dunno... like many folks, I enjoy a variety of colors. I really like grey (dark more than light), and olive green, and I look really good in navy. I also like most other colors of blue, most "fall" colors (yes, even orange!), purples, burgundy, blah blah blah. Well, and of course I like black... doesn't everyone? And yep, I'm totally into the tacky 70s colors too... come to my house if you don't believe me! gemstone- rubies (my birthstone... of course the most expensive one!), garnets, lapis (though for some reason most lapis jewelry does not excite me), opals, moonstones. Also into druzy necklaces these days. Druzys/druzies (no idea how to pluralize) are like hipster geodes or something. animal- how do you pick just one? I like cats, foxes, red pandas, and wombats (and a bunch of other animals I'm forgetting!). EDIT: yep, I forgot hedgehogs, bees, and deer, and got reminded reading someone else's post! I guess I like many fantasy creatures as well... but I can't think of anything but, like, kirins and, uh, owlbears right now phobias- I'm also in the afraid-of-heights-but-loves-flying club! Can't really think of any other phobias. As a big William S. Burroughs fan, I'm not too cool with centipedes, but I guess I'm probably safe there! Nano-ing: Nope, I have enough stress and not enough free time as it is! facebook/twitter: Um, maybe we can do that after this circular swap? This is my first one of these swaps ever, and I'll probably want to be saying specific stuff about what I'm making or buying for my bunny since I'm so excited, so that would give stuff away, right? and, some misc stuff from the thread that may or may not have really been actual questions:

I agreed with Venneh that I'd like a 4th doctor or nyan cat scarf, and that I'd much prefer gloves (with fingers or not) to mittens.
about pink, it's not my favorite color, but I'm not totally against it either
there was a question, which I'm not going to look back up, but I think was kind of an omnibus for all of the questions about different health and beauty products that were going around. Basically about whether we're "married" to certain brands or certain types of brands, or if we're cool with whatever brand/maker/etc. as long as the gift otherwise fits our specifications. I myself am prettymuch cool with whatever, perhaps with the exception of Bath & Body Works, basically because there's a good chance, as with every year, that someone IRL won't know what to get me for Christmas and will get me stuff from there/a gift card from there. If my foxyfox really wants to get something for me there, I guess some kind of candle that's not like a generic "holiday spice" scent would be okay

neptuneanblues

November 6, 2011

nothing to see here...

Nothing to see here!

I had a nice blog entry going that was answers to in-thread questions for the Winter Holiday Fun Swap, but it was deleted, apparently because of some problem with the content??? I tried to start over and do a new blog entry, but somehow I made two blogs. So this one is here for no reason. Sorry!

neptuneanblues

November 6, 2011

Switch Witch

Winter Swap Questions

Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? I have a bit of a nerdy thing about fungi which makes my friends laugh. I'm a microbiologist during the day and I like to look for fungi when I'm out and about. I don't have any fandom type things. Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? No, not at all. Do you have a strong preference for any sort of bath and body product brands (i.e. etailer/etsy type cos, department store/specialty brands like Lush) or are you cool with anything that doesn't smell like Bunnybane? I like trying Etsy stuff, I'm fairly happy trying anything new. A question: reveal, yes or no? Yes please. Any favorite cuddly characters? No, I think I'm a bit old for that Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? I do all my family (not children) holiday shopping like this, we exchange charity gifts and buy cards etc from places like The Woodland Trust, RNLI , Oxfam and Traidcraft Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in?Interested , happy to try any scents Do you need any holiday recipies? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? Recipes are good, if I can translate them into metric. I use Delia's Christmas for indulgent holiday cooking Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? I can always use a box or two, I have way too much BPAL so I shouldn't really get more boxes as I will fill them up. Nano-ing: Is that the writing thing? If so , no. facebook/twitter: I have a Facebook account, under my real name, don't use it that much. If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? Chocolate is always good unless it is alcohol flavoured or Hershey's. Does anything from Fusion Sweets interest you? Some of the caramels in yummy flavours sound good,marshmallows I'm not so keen on and the postage to the UK is expensive. Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? I have some lovely earrings that I was gifted with in the last SW round, I like lots of things, they are a little pricey though. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a giftcard from anywhere, as in any store foodwise, music wise etc. what giftcard would you like? Don't know, maybe Amazon. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? (presuming that is that the order can get here in time, bites nails)? I'm starting my testing tonight. Will you be away for any part of the round? Unlikely, possibly a night away with my youngest first week in December, may even take a few days right at the end of the round as I have a scary birthday with zero at the end just after the round finishes (half the age it says on my profile page) Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? No Etsy, not a crafty being. What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? I do have some on Amazon list. Rose/mastic flavored things? Rose, meh, mastic never tried, Turkish delight is un-delightful to me i live in the city of the chicken wing. if i were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter)? Please no chickens, they wouldn't be liking the journey and I am vegetarian. I like hot food generally , spicy is good. Honey/beeswax? Yes, why not? Trader Joe's? I know nothing about this store, I keep seeing the name on the forum. Holiday movies: Can't think of any Superheroes: Not really. would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? I've been lucky enough to get one in Switch Witch last year, all the scents were lovely. Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. Lush is much cheaper here in the UK and we have a shop in Cambridge Cocoa Pink? Never tried. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? No only wear on my toes and not that often If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) I just got my weenie decants today so I'll get back to this after I've had some sniffy time I have way too many bottles as it is Tim Tams? I wouldn't mind trying them. Talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? I like tea, I prefer it plain black, with occasional departures into the flavoured varieties. I drink coffee too Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? Never tried Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? No thank-you I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? Not squicked, homemade or shop are good. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a bodyscrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? I would love a scrub made by you, I am not an expert so no idea about the questions. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? if yes, then what kind? scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? Also what do you think of little soaps? Candles in moderation, like tarts too and soap. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? Never had anything from sock dreams, don't wear long socks just the ankle type, which are always welcome, as log as they accommodate fat feet and ankles Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such?We have a tree, non religious, with an assortment of baubles collected over the years, some handmade, no theme whatever. Would you like a special ornament? I just joined the ornament swap. Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? Lots of regional goodies sound exciting . I guess it depends where you are sending from. hey swap partner...could you use a new mug? A new mug for work would be appreciated, my colleague is an angel and always makes my tea for me and my mug is past it's best.It could be difficult to post. Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? Do you prefer machine washable materials? Do you not care?)? Of course I like knitted things, blue is always my favourite, I prefer washable and non-itchy, scratchy but I know very little about types of yarn. I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (it's penzey's if you want to google it). In the UK we get lots of great spice mixes from India and Pakistan, I'd love to get Spice mixes from wherever you are. Someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from walgreens to ONLY use on things for yourself. no necessities here. what do you buy? I google-d the store and found that I would buy some Burts Bees stuff and Reeses Peanut butter stuff or Peanut Butter M&Ms Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? I love lemony flavours. pink?Oh no thank you "fingerless mittens or full mitts? Probably fingerless But the question then becomes, do you want all 12 feet worth of Tom Baker scarf? No thanks, I knitted two when I was 17 (when Tom baker was the current Dr Who!!) Do you like snow and wintery scenes?Not if I have to drive somewhere Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? I don't think I'd use it, sorry Do you prefer dark or milk chocolate? Both,milk slightly more Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? I do like fresh pressed olive oils, that would cost too much to post.:What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular.Cardamom is one of my favourites, not so keen on anise. Any crafty pursuits you've been dying to experiment with? Would you like a little kit of something you've never tried? Do you need any particular items for your new or existing stash? just bought a whole load of soap making stuff, I haven't tried it out yet.Maybe it won't work If your fox were to knit something for you, would it be a lacy shawl or a pair of socks? Inquiring foxes want to know! Socks Would anyone else be interested in a soap dish or something like that? I don't think I'd use it. chile, yay or nay? Yay Would you rather have an early reveal, or would you prefer one close to the end of the round? Whatever makes my Fox happy. How do you feel about cherries? Prefer the sweet or tart versions? Dried? Jam? Salsa? Hot sauce? BBQ sauce? Nom, Nom

heleng

November 5, 2011

lucyboo21's Blog

Winter Swap Questions

Winter Holiday Swap So... someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from Walgreen's to ONLY use on things for yourself. No necessities here. What do you buy? Lindt White Chocolate Stracciatella Truffles (the ones in the blue wrappers), fun eye make up, glittery purple, bronze or grey liners, sparkly pink or purplish lip gloss, fuzzy socks. AAA batteries (because I never remember to buy them), any good smelling room sprays or candles. A book if any of them look interesting. I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (it's penzey's if you want to google it). I LOVE Penzey’s and I miss living near one! I like (and can use) most of the baking spices right now. Especially vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, all spice… Those are the ones that I can think of right off hand. I also love to try new things, and would be thrilled to receive any of their sets or gifts. (They also have really yummy hot chocolate mix!) Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? do you prefer machine washable materials? do you not care?)? I am a sucker for anything handmade! I have a lot of examples of things that I like in my Etsy wish list. I don’t think I could find a use for fingerless gloves or arm warmers. I could really use a pair of warm mittens. I’ve recently seen a hooded scarf that looked like something I would get a lot of use out of, too. The only colors that I’m not very fond of are mustardy yellows, golds and oranges. hey swap partner...could you use a new mug? I could really use a largish, insulated travel mug to use at work for hot chocolate. Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? PLEASE TO NOT BE SENDING ME ANY MAPLE SYRUP!!! My family makes it every spring, and at last count there were 159 gallons in the basement! Also, my fox can pretty much be assured that she will be receiving some if she indicates she would enjoy it! I I’m slightly rabid over Black Forest TimTams, and am currently considering retiring to Australia to be able to get an unlimited supply of them! Girasol is completely to blame for this, BTW. She also sent me some caramel koala bears that I would be willing to stab a baby with a fork over, too. Otherwise I like Cadbury chocolate, and I’ve seen people raving about flake bars, but I’m not sure what they are, but if they are chocolate I’m pretty sure they would not be set around waiting to be tested for long! Do you do a Christmas tree? No, I don’t do a Christmas tree. Last year I did 7 Christmas trees. The most I’ve ever done was 13, and that was just a little silly! This year I will do at least 4. I do one in the kitchen/dining room that is decorated with gingerbread men, candy canes, dried fruit, antique cookie cutters and red plaid bows and such. I do a tree in my office that is a fun tree, ornaments that have come from swaps, and friends, and are silly and make me smile. This tree has the ornaments that Hannah the cat likes best at her level. This tree is also attached to the wall with wires and I-bolts! The tree in my bedroom is usually done with gold or silver ornaments, white lights, teddy bears and lots of pink flowers and dried babies breath, kind of Victorian/romantic looking. The tree in the living room, that Santa visits, has all of my antique ornaments from my grandparents and mom, and the special ones. This tree is also attached to the wall with wire and I-bolts. Depending on who is visiting I’ll do a tree themed for that person in the guest room. I’ve done fishing, football, baseball, stock cars and tractors before. I also have little trees in each bathroom and some ceramic ones scattered here and there. It really does look like the Christmas fairy threw up at my house by the time I’m done! Would you like a special ornament? I would love one! As you can tell from the above answer, I’m sure I’ll have no trouble finding a home for it! As you can tell, I’m a holiday freak! One of the things I love to do is bake and make candy! Pretty much anyone who comes to my house is forced to take a bag of goodies home with them. The last few years I’ve done upwards of 300 dozen assorted treats. I’ve already started stockpiling the butter, sugar and flour for this year’s insanity. I do lots of traditional Scandinavian cooking where the main ingredients are butter, sugar, flour, and some more butter. Maybe an egg. Then just for fun, sometimes we deep fry all of the butter/sugar/flour instead of baking it. Now, a question of my own: I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? 10. Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? Absolutely! More plates/trays/bowls/platters etc. just give me more things to fill! 11. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a body scrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? I love scrubs (the scrubbier the better)! I like citrusy and pine essential oils. Please no cinnamon or other warming types. 12. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? If yes, then what kind? Scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? I have a serious candle addiction! If it will burn and/or melt, and will make my house smelly, then bring it on! I use lots of pillars and tarts. My favorite candle scents are Witches Brew and Midsummer Night from Yankee Candle. Anything that has patchouli in it is usually a winner. I also like pine scents at Christmas. I really don’t care for cinnamon or bayberry scents. Heavily scented and little to no decoration. I also really like everything that I’ve gotten from Dark Candles 13. Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores.... I think I have to say no to the bar soap. Not because I don’t like it, but really, I could probably send everybody in this swap a bar or two and still have enough to get through the next few years! Of course, if you find something that you think I would LOVE than, by all means send it, and I promise it will not sit around unloved! 14. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? YES!YES!YES! My feet are always cold! I love sock dreams socks, but have to be a little fussy about the kind I get. I have one leg that can swell up, so I try to only wear socks that are ankle length or a little higher, definitely below mid-calf. I really like soft fuzzy socks. And slippers will get much love at house of Lucyboo! I wear a woman’s 9/10 and I kind of have Fred Flinstone feet, that are wide at the toes and narrow at the heel. 15. Would you wear something like this if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? I would jump up and down and squee till my neighbors came to find out what the commotion was all about! I would love it! Pretty much any color would be good. If it helps in your planning, I have two winter jackets that I wear for the most part. One is chocolate brown and the other is red and black. 16. New question: talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? PLEASE TO BE SENDING ALL OF YOUR COFFEE AND TEA TO SOME OTHER BUNNY! I do like hot chocolate and hot cider. 17. Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? I had never heard of it before, but some of it looks interesting. However, to be honest, I don’t think I would know where to start. I kind of have the dumb when it comes to make up. I am really trying to find something that looks like Archtype’s Northern Lights Shadow. If someone could find that for me, I would love them forever, and bake them cookies until they begged for mercy! 18. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? I LOVE Cocoa Pink!!! Anything that was picked out for me from there would be loved! I use Princess Poo, Shine Sweetie, SoulMate, Anti-frizz, Glisade, and Ends with Benefits. I also love their Soft Bubbles Sugar Scrub and I really like the linen sprays for trying new fragrances. Right now I’m obsessed with the Blood Orange Cotton Candy, and I need to get it in the 30ml perfume spray soon. The only scents that don’t work on me here are similar to BPAL, in that if they have my evil arch-nemesis MINT, or the Holy-crap-get-it-off-me-now CINNAMON, then I probably won’t use them. 19. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? Sorry, polish here would be wasted. I still haven’t out-grown chewing my nails. 20. If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) Hmmm… Possibly back ups of Sprinkle Cake and Halloween Las Vegas that just arrived today, and both have me swooning! TKO? Dorian? Bon Vivant? Those are ones that I go through at an alarmingly fast rate. Of course I keep meaning to get bottles of Black Forest, Crib Girls, and Haloes and Tattered Lace (I know those aren’t from the lab, but I keep putting off getting them). 21. Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? I actually think that I have all of the ones that I love. 22. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? No comics for me. 23. Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. I’m slightly embarrassed to have to admit this, but I’m a Lush virgin. Another place that intimidates me, and I wouldn’t know where to start! 24. Would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? Let me tell you a little secret: I have a little fantasy that I quit my job, run away to Pennsylvania, and Tarty lets me be her assistant! I LOVE her things! I’m addicted to the scrubs and slip, with my favorite being The Queen is Dead. I’m afraid to have to admit this, but I have yet to try her thicker lotions, and I really want to. My only excuse is that I made my last gargantuan order, and she put them up like a week later. I did try one of the proto versions and it was lovely! **and in case anyone is interested, I think her holiday LEs are going up in the next day or so. I’ll be sure to add them to my favorites on my Etsy wish list. 25. NEW QUESTION! - Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I have two furbabies, and I think most people who hang out in the SW or GUSP threads have heard about my critters. Hannah the 24lb cat and Madame Cee Cee La Roux, the 4 pound dog. Hannah enjoys most kitty toys and treats and has no restrictions. And of course her newest love, courtesy of my SW, KittyDemonCrack. Cee Cee because of her age (12) and her previous life in a puppy mill she never learned how to play. Also because of her previous life she doesn’t have any teeth, so while she would love a giant bone, she will either try to A. swallow it whole, or B. carry it around and guard it from Hannah, until I have had enough and throw the thing away. So, any treats for her need to be soft. Incidentally, if you would like to come over and rub her belly, that would be fine with her, too. 26. How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? I have a good local supplier of it. 27. NEW QUESTION: Are you a Trader Joe's fan, who either doesn't have a store nearby or just loves their stuff and has a wishlist? LOVE Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately it is a several hour drive to the nearest one. I love their crystallized ginger, jojos, and I really miss their fresh mozzarella (but that probably wouldn’t be a good thing to ship!) 28. The Paintbox Soapworks Yules are up, or at least round one is (updates coming throughout the week). Interested in anything? Yuletide Mariner and Poinsettia in both slip and sorbetto! Also the Victorious Sun Hand and Body Cream. 29. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? (presuming that is that the order can get here in time, bites nails) Halloween Las Vegas and Sprinkle Cake. I’m in love with both of them. 30. Will you be away for any part of the round? Nope! You will be stuck with me the whole round! 31. Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? Everything in my shop is up for trade. No store for me. 32. What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? I like popular fiction/mystery stuff. My favorite author is Janet Evanovich, and I love the Stephanie Plum novels, but I haven’t read any of the new series with Diesel, and I would like to. 33. If you like Christmas music (or any other holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? I think I touched on music in the original questionnaire, I like fun, upbeat stuff, or classics, but no traditional hymns, please. 34. Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) I’ve never tried any, but it doesn’t sound like something that I need to try, either. 35. Also, same question about mastic. Would you be interested in trying it out? (If yes, any preferences? for example you wold prefer to try the chewing gum, the turkish delight, an Easter bun (I can go hunting, some companies make them all year round although it's not the same as the bakery Easter ones ), the raw resin itself, anything?) No thanks. 36. I live in the city of the chicken wing. If I were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter)? I do not like spicy! The only exception to that is ginger, which I eat like potato chips! 37. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a gift card from anywhere, as in any store food-wise, music wise etc., what gift card would you like? Villainess, Soapbox, Sock Dreams, Amazon, Bathed & Infused. 38. If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? I kind of get squicked out by raisins hidden in things. They remind me of ticks. Favorite candy is probably Angel Food. Also turtles, caramels, toffee, if it’s candy, I’ll probably like it. 39. Does anything from Fusion Sweets interest you? All the things! I love them!!! My favorites are the caramels, either sea salt or lavendar. 40. Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? Ummm…. I hate to admit this, but I kind of went a little nuts at the update, and bought all the things. I figured it out, and what I spent on E&A this update is enough to heat my Northern Wisconsin home for a month and a half this winter. I told Alicia that I suffered from the terrible debilitating disease of S.O.S. (Shiny Object Syndrome), and she said I was just a magpie! (which may also be true. Either way, there are LOTS of Elements and Artifacts items in my Etsy wishlist, along with lots of other jewelry and other assorted sparkly things. 41. What was the best holiday present you ever got? A scrapbook kit specially geared toward family history and recipes. Also, a painting that my mom had done for me of my dog. 42. Bunny, what scent are you desperately wanting to be resurrected this year with the Anniversary update? Skadi or Stranger in Camp 43. Groupon for Moxie Nouveau! Dear Bunneh, is this something that would interest you? I’ve never tried any of her things, but they look interesting, and I’m easily enabled. 44. Bun-bun, what's your favourite colour? Dark teal blue, pink, winter white. 45. Your favourite gemstone? I like lots of things (as you can tell from my answer to the Elements and Artifacts question). I like pearls, especially grey or peacock ones, pink tourmaline, sapphire, garnets. 46. Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? I suppose I had better say this one: 47. And do you have any intense phobias? Snakes!!!! Ewww!!! Can’t watch them on tv, can’t walk past the snake house at the zoo (they might escape!), cannot go into the boathouse at my Dad’s cabin, I HATE SNAKES!!!! 48. Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? Not this year. 49. Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? I need a new bottle box as the bottom came out of my chest of smellies, but I want one that can hold my 300+ collection of BPAL, and I can’t find one I like/afford. 50. Coffee or tea? With caffine or without? Flavors (if so, what?) or no? Whole bean/ground/loose leaf/bags? Tea and coffee should best be sent to people who are not me. 51. Do you have a strong preference for any sort of bath and body product brands (i.e. etailer/etsy type cos, department store/specialty brands like Lush) or are you cool with anything that doesn't smell like Bunnybane? I’m addicted to Paintbox’s Sorbettos! I really like scrubby scrubs, and am always up for trying new ones. The other thing that I go through a metric-butt ton of during the winter is lotion. Specifically really thick, heavy lotions or body butters. Right now I’m really liking Bathed and Infused and Isle of Eden for those. 52. A question: reveal, yes or no? I hope she will, but if not I shall just sing her praises from afar (and since I’m singing, you’ll be happy that you are a far!) 53. Any favorite cuddly characters? BEARS! I love bears! 54. Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? Anything that benefits animals would be a winner! 55. Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? I’ve never tried them, but again, I’m easy to enable! Sooo. Yules. Those just happened. What are you interested in, Bunny? Do you like coin purses? I have one that I use. Do you prefer dark or milk chocolate? What? Where is the white love??? Please be sending me your white chocolate! Or milk. There is an ugly rumor that dark chocolate could be good for you, so I try to stay far away from that! What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular. Anise, I do not like! Other than that, bring it on! Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? I do, oils more than vinegars. If you have a recipe that you use a specific oil or vinegar in, I’d love that, too. Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? I have a day planner that I buy refills for each year. Speaking about candles, how much do you look forward to the BPTP candles that will be launched on Etsy? I don't know if there will be other scents than the Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie one, but is there a specific one you are longing for? I’m looking forward to the Yule candles that were out at will call. All of them sound yummy! Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? I love used books. And a plug for my favorite used book seller, Better World Books. Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? Nothing that I can think of right off hand. Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? Mmmm LEMON! Love it! fingerless mittens or full mitts? Full mitts! I hate having cold fingers. 65.Ok, random question that came to me in the shower (sorry ) I have a ton of soaps and not one soap dish. Would anyone else be interested in a soap dish or something like that? I could use another soap dish that drains well. 66.ALSO. I have a question. If your fox were to knit something for you, would it be a lacy shawl or a pair of socks? Inquiring foxes want to know! I’d love socks, but I have the goofy leg that I have told you about, so it would probably be best to say no. I would love a shawl! Or anything that you hand made. 67.Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, which house do you identify with, and why? Would you want knitted things/replicas/accessories in your house colours? I enjoyed the movies, but wouldn’t consider myself enough of a fan that I’d need anything. 68.Are there any Yules from *PAST* years that you're interested in trying? Including past winter inquisitions? Skadi 69. (oh la la)Let's talk about fruit! Do you like dried fruit or hate it? Like some but not others? Ginger!!!! Holy Jesus, do I love crystallized ginger!!! It’s like crack for me!!! 70.How do you feel about cherries? Prefer the sweet or tart versions? Dried? Jam? Salsa? Hot sauce? BBQ sauce? I like cherries, and would enjoy any version that you would like to send. 71.Bunnies! What is your general philosophy about patterns for accessories such as socks, scarves, and tights? Do you like solids? Stripes? Polka dots? Weird patterns like harlequin-type stuff? Any of the above? Any of the above! I’m not really much of a tights person though… (I’ve never really found any that fit comfortably). 72.So, apparently Geek Chic Cosmetics will be closing down next week to prep for a huge sale and a new line - the words "bigger on the inside" have been used for the new line. Bunny, are you interested in anything from Geek Chic Cosmetics? I have never tried anything from them, but again, feel free to enable me! 73.Sooo. Yules. Those just happened. What are you interested in, Bunny? Sooooo many Yules…. My head is spinning! I’ve ordered a couple, but I will update my wishlist within the next couple of days. 74.Chiles? No thank you. 74.I had a question for everyone else though! A friend and I were recently talking about those Giant Microbe plushies, if you were my bunneh, would you like one? Which would you like? I think those are adorable! I like the common cold, herpes, white blood cell really any of them! 75.Do you need any baking supplies? Are you interested in winter/holiday specific baking supplies? Always!

lucyboo21

November 5, 2011

kate nash

Winter Swap Questionnaire

What, if any, winter holiday do you celebrate? Do you celebrate religiously or secularly?: I celebrate the Winter Solstice as a pagan. What are some holiday/winter traditions you love?: Lighting candles, drinking cider, carols, mistletoe kissing What's the winter weather like where you live?: ICY ICY HELL What is your favorite thing about winter/the holidays?: The cold weather and the warmth of winter clothes, fires, and camaraderie What's your least favorite thing about winter/the holidays?: All the Jesus messages around Holiday music- yes or no?: YES and the older the better What kind of things do you like to eat?: Dark chocolate, avocadoes, fruit snacks What do you like to drink?: apple cider, iced tea, hot tea, coffee... What do you NOT like to eat or drink?: Actually, is it okay for me to ask not to be sent food? I am in eating disorder recovery and having sweets around can be a huge trigger for me. Alcohol, yes or no?: Not unless it's gluten free Any allergies we should know about?: Casein, latex, dairy, gluten, cucumber Are you vegan or vegetarian?: Pescetarian Scents/notes you love?: Chamomile, rose, tobacco flower, champaca, carnation, lavender Scents/notes you HATE?: I DON'T LIKE FOODY THINGS Do you use a bathtub or a shower?: both Clothing size?: I don't wear t-shirts and things like that; my waist is about a 25-inch size, usually "smalls" fit me. What kind of jewelry do you like?: I love brooches and pins, WWII Sweetheart jewelery, lockets, pearls, charms for my charm bracelet (which is yellow gold). Jewelry sizes?: My ears are stretched so please don't send me earrings. My ring size is a 4. My wrists are quite small, but I haven't measured them recently. Sock/shoe size?: I wear around a size 8 to 8.5 US What are your hobbies and interests?: WWII -- especially the homefront, the 1940s in general, vintage fashions and style, swing music, jazz, home-made cleaners and the like, candles, polaroid photos, writing, learning to sew, playing piano, old movies, yummy tea Describe your personal style/aesthetic (kitschy, cutesy, classy, rustic, etc.): vintage 1940s is my favourite style and how I tend to try to dress -- seamed stockings, pussybow blouses, WWII-era a-line skirts, cardigans... Do you have any wish lists?: my amazon wishlist is here -- http://amzn.com/w/110LFVA1V71J6 Is there anything you specifically DO NOT want?: please don't send me FOOD. I know it says something yummy, but really, I don't want food. Tea or cocoa or something else like that is okay, though! Is there anything else your partner should know?: I don't like knick knacks or empty journals. Adding questions on from the thread...: Do you have any children or pets?: 2 cats, 2 dogs Dark, milk, or white chocolate? I can only have chocolate that is gluten & dairy free... Are there any past or present Yules you are currently interested in? I always wish I bought a bottle of "Yule" but I never do. That's about it really. Would you be interested in soap? If so, do you have a preference? I love soap. I like Villainess, Paintbox Soapworks, and Arcana soaps. Do you watch tv? If yes what kinds of shows/programs do you like? Right now I watch Glee, New Girl, The Secret Circle, and Big Bang Theory. And uh, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic OBVIOUSLY. Astrological sign (purely for convenience)? Aquarius Favorite genre(s) of music? swing, folk, bluegrass, sweeping instrumental film soundtracks... but I also like punk, jazz, old country like Patsy Cline, piano, and Asian pop (all kinds, really). Do you wear or like makeup? If yes, colors/brands/favorite items? I have some trouble with allergies when it comes to makeup. I kind of stick to what I've got. I love Besame lipsticks though, and many of the nude/neutral shades of MAC eyeshadow. Do you like any other scenties/brands? I like Guerlain & Chanel perfumes generally, and LUSH bath bombs. In commercial perfumes I tend to stay towards ones that were popular in, like, the 1940s. MORE QUESTIONS: 1. If you were to receive socks, what kind would you like? Do you have a preference about style, length, color, etc? I'm picky about socks... there are some ones at Sock Dreams I want that have terry-lined feet. I have a pair in grey that I like and I'd like more colours of them, but, I can't remember what they cost so I'd not expect such a thing from someone. 2. What are you really interested in reading? Would you like a hardcover, softcover or electronic copy? I have a Nook. I think my Amazon wishlist has books on it I'm interested in, but I'm particularly hankering after the newly-released Sailor V and Sailor Moon manga volumes. 3. Are you planning on going anywhere during the round? Yes. I am going to Iowa tomorrow to see my parents. 4. Would you be interested in recipes? If so, do you have a preference? I can only use meat-free gluten-free dairy-free recipes, but feel free to lay 'em on me. 5. Do you have a favorite cuddly character or plush? I don't care for stuffed animals. 6. Are you interested in anything from the BPAL Anniversary update? The Phoenix at Dawn sounds nice. 7. Would you be interested in any artsy or baking related supplies? Shaped cookie cutters would be fun for me. Bunny, how do you feel about holiday zombies? OBVIOUSLY. Is there anything you are just craving to have from Etsy? My etsy favourites are here: http://www.etsy.com/people/katherynne/favorites?page=1 How would you feel about receiving dried fruit? Any preference? I like dried fruit quite a lot, actually. All kinds. Is there any holiday movies you are looking for? Format? I think they're all on my Amazon wishlist. If you were to receive a giftcard from anywhere, what giftcard would you like the most? LUSH or Amazon!! Say I were to make you or find artisan or custom chocolate. Is there any ingredient that I should avoid? oh fox, please don't end send me food.

Katherynne

November 5, 2011

Winter Holiday Fun Swap Help!!

Holiday Fun Swap!

Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, which house do you identify with, and why? Would you want knitted things/replicas/accessories in your house colours? I identify with Gryffindor on a personal level, but the Slytherin house colors are two of my favorite. I'd love anything Harry Potter!! I think a Slytherin scarf would look sweet!! Are there any Yules from *PAST* years that you're interested in trying? Including past winter inquisitions? Hmm... Not that I can think of. They're bringing back The Peacock Queen, Rose Red, and Snow White, so I'm pretty much set, lol. Let's talk about fruit! Do you like dried fruit or h ate it? Like some but not others? I loooove fruit. Any kind. Every kind. How do you feel about cherries? Prefer the sweet or tart versions? Dried? Jam? Salsa? Hot sauce? BBQ sauce? I love cherries!! Bunnies! What is your general philosophy about patterns for accessories such as socks, scarves, and tights? Do you like solids? Stripes? Polka dots? Weird patterns like harlequin-type stuff? Any of the above? I'm not a huge fan of stripes on tights, but everything else sounds great! Bunny, are you interested in anything from Geek Chic Cosmetics? No thanks. Urban Decay and Clinique is enough for me. I can't afford to be addicted to more than one high end makeup line, lol. Coin purses? Sure! Soap dish? No thanks. My bathroom counter is too small, lol. If your fox were to knit something for you, would it be a lacy shawl or a pair of socks? Ooo!! That’s a tough one!! Probably a shawl, if I had to choose. But I looooove me a pair of fuzzy socks. Sooo. Yules. Those just happened. What are you interested in, Bunny? Ooo!! So many yules, so little time. I have signed up for a decant circle and I live with Alethia (she's my big sister )and she's signed up for a few, so between the two of us, pretty much the only scents that I want to try but didn't order are The Horrors of my Secret Toil, Sugar Cookie, Rose Red, Midnight Mass, and Gelt. I may have added Sugar Cookie to the list because I want to eat a sugar cookie right now, though... hmm. I'm going to see what my paycheck looks like this week and I may or may not be joining a few more decant circles. Do you prefer dark or milk chocolate? I honestly don't have a preference. I love chocolate, no matter the cacao content. What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular. I don’t care for anise, but cardamom is delicious!! Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? I would like an artisan bottle for my oils and vinegars, but I’ve got a really nice selection of oils and vinegars where I live. Any crafty pursuits you’ve been dying to experiment with? Would you like a little kit of something you’ve never tried? Do you need any particular items for your new or existing stash? I’m not much of a crafty person, sadly. I tried knitting once and it didn’t work so well, lol. I gave the yarn to my, very unamused, cat (the only thing that trips his trigger is catnip. He’s an addict, lol) and regifted the needles. Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? No thanks, I’ve already bought mine. Fingerless mittens or full mitts? Fingerless! My hands are always freezing, but I like to still be able to text and type. Pink? I generally don't wear it as a shirt color because too much pink overwhelms my complexion and brings the red undertones in my skin out. But if it's a hat or scarf or nail polish color or accent color or anything like that, I love it. I really love the color, it just doesn't like me that much, lol. Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? Lemon is, arguably, one of my top five favorite flavors of all time. So yes, you to be sending me all your lemon things naow? Kthnksbye? Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? Silk Sheets, Tease, Teatime With Mary Pickford, Parasol, Satin Sheets, Sex Kitten, Kitchen Alchemy all sound wonderful!! Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? I prefer to donate my time to charity. I volunteer at some local soup kitchens and the opera company I work with is actually doing a charity fundraiser this Christmas! We're going to have a Winter Gala to raise money for the homeless in our community! Do you need any holiday recipes? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? I would love some recipes!! Cooking and baking are two of my favorite pastimes! I don’t have any dietary or allergy restrictions, so if my foxy has a favorite recipe he/she’d like to share, I’d love it!! Looking forward to BPTP candles? Yeah! They’re going to be awesome!! Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? I would love second hand anything!! I get most of my books from the used bookstore in our library. Second hand items have more life in them. I would love any gently used item!! Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? I’m a music/theatre and math nerd. I’m also a hard core comic book nerd. I love all comic books, but Batman is my favorite. The Joker and Batman is probably the best villain/hero paring ever. The psychological aspect of the whole Batman universe is so fascinating that I have literally spent hours discussing it with whoever will listen, haha. I also love Harry Potter and the Anita Blake series. But I'm, very sadly, getting to the point in the series that everyone warned me about. Where the storyline kinda goes out the window? I just finished reading Burnt Offerings and my sister said that it goes downhill from there. But! Jean-Claude is totally my fictional boyfriend, so I'll keep going for him and his sparkly blue eyes!! And, don't make fun of me, but I collect Barbie Dolls. So anything Barbie related I will go out of my way to purchase, lol. Bun-bun, what's your favourite colour? Green is my favorite color!! Any shade of green, but my most favorites are kelly and emerald green. But I love pretty much every color except for orange. Because orange makes me look like a pumpkin, lol. Your favourite gemstone? Ohhh... this is a dangerous question, lol. I love jewelry more than it should be allowed for a college student to love anything, lol. And as a wise man once said, "I have champagne tastes, but l have beer pockets." But I love the fake gemstones!! They shine just as bright as the real stuff!! And I love every gemstone known to man. I prefer silver to gold and the only color gemstone I don't like is anything orange. That color just doesn't agree with me. Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? I love poodles, cats, giraffes and penguins!! As for imaginary animals I like any kind of mythological creature; dragons, fairies (although, I don't know if they're really considered animals, lol), unicorns, and the like. And do you have any intense phobias? Sharks. I am terrified of sharks and always have been. Like, so bad that sometimes when I'm in bed, I'm afraid to hang my feet over the edge of the mattress because I'm afraid a shark will come up and bite my leg off. Yes, I realize that I am in my bed and sharks don't live in the carpet, but it doesn't calm my irrational fear of sharp, pointy teeth. Lol. Groupon for Moxie Nouveau! Dear Bunneh, is this something that would interest you? Sure! Why not! Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? I'm not nano-ing. Facebook/Twitter? I have a facebook account. I actually think I'll go link that into my signature now! Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? Yes! I would love them!! Coffee or tea? With caffeine or without? Flavors (if so, what?) or no? Whole bean/ground/loose leaf/bags? Coffee and tea with caffeine please. I love flavored tea, but I prefer unflavored coffee. Loose leaf or bags of tea, and ground coffee. Do you have a strong preference for any sort of bath and body product brands (i.e. etailer/etsy type cos, department store/specialty brands like Lush) or are you cool with anything that doesn't smell like Bunnybane? I don't have much of a preference. I love to try new things! A question: reveal, yes or no? Yes! I would love to know who my foxy is!! Any favorite cuddly characters? Pretty much there is no such thing as a non-adorable cuddly character. So I love them all!! ... except sharks... please no sharks? Lol. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a giftcard from anywhere, as in any store foodwise, music wise etc. what giftcard would you like? Foodwise: probably Starbucks, Genghis Grill, Olive Garden, Subway, Wendy's, or Micky D's. Music wise: iTunes. Clothing wise: probably The Gap, Hot Topic, American Eagle, Target, or Rue 21. Everything Else: Sephora, Ulta, Hastings, Walmart... and that's pretty much it! If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? No dietary or allergic restrictions for me! And I don't really have a favorite holiday candy. I like all candy! Does anything from Fusion Sweets interest you? Holy crap. Pretty much everything looks amazing. Its so hard not to just copy and paste every flavor of everything!! Lol. I'd love to try Rose Orange Blossom Vanilla Salted Butter Caramel, Dark Chocolate Rocky Road With Handmade Marshmallows, Hong Kong Style Coconut Tarts, Guava Lemongrass Berlingots, Black Sesame White Chocolate, Lychee Rose Almond Infused Marshmallows, Lychee Vanilla and Coconut Berlingots, Appleless Caramel Apple Butter Caramels, Zesty Lemon Meringue Marshmallows, French Sea Salt Butter Caramels, Forgive Me I Have Sinned Dulce de Leche Coconut Macaroons, Organic Vanilla Sugar, Bacon Sea Salt Caramels, Caramel Pecan Tarts, and the Mango Raspberry Berlingots!! Hmmm... it was probably not a good idea to have made this list while I was hungry, lol. Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? Oh my! I literally didn't see one item I did not absolutely adore!! All of her jewelry is soooo pretty!! Best holiday present I ever got: Hmm... that's a tough one... I can't pick!! Every present I've ever gotten as been the best!! BPAL anniversary resurrection wishes: Black Lace and Champagne, Chocolate and Cheap Sex. Or Yvaine. If you like Christmas music (or any other holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? I love any and all kinds of holiday music. I’m that annoying holiday shopper that sings along with whatever the store is playing on the overhead speaker, haha. Things flavored like rose/mastic: I’ve never heard of mastic and I’ve never really tried anything rose flavored, but bring ‘em on!! I’m totally up for trying new things! I live in the city of the chicken wing. if i were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter). I can’t really handle much heat, lol. I do like spicy flavor, but I generally get the mildest sauce I can find. I like sweet, savory, and sour too!! Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? Not really, no. Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. Any of those bath bombs, emotibombs, or bubblebars look pretty cool!! That website is awesome! I'd love to get pretty much anything from there! Would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? I've never tried Paintbox before, but they look divine! The Man in the Moon, Lavender Truffle, The Queen is Dead, Sweet Cheeks, Silken Peony, White Cotton Sheets all sound wonderful!! And of the limited editions The Yuletide Mariner, Poinsetta, White Snow Bright Snow, Indian Summer, and The Victorious Sun sound great!! Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I don't have any kids, but I do have three kitty muffins and two poodle muffins. You don't have to worry about any kind of safety or gifts for them, though. They're so spoiled, lol. How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? Sure! Why not! Are you a Trader Joe's fan, who either doesn't have a store nearby or just loves their stuff and has a wishlist? I've never been to a Trader Joes, but if my fox sees anything he/she thinks I might like, or if they have a favorite they want to share, I'm totally game!! If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? Some imps of your choosing!! Anything with apple, maybe? Or whatever you liked and want me to try? Will you be away for any part of the round? Nope! Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? Everything in my shop is up for trade. I don't have an Etsy store and I've never heard of Tradeaholics, but if anyone is looking for anything for their bunny I'd love to help out!! I'm a pretty awesome baker and whatever isn't for my bunny is totally up for grabs. What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? My favorite genres are mystery/thriller, science fiction/fantasy, and the occasional literature. But pretty much I'll read anything. I freaking LOVE books. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? I personally am a DC girl. I'm a total comic book nerd. Batman is, hands down, my favorite!!! The Bats and I go waaay back. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? I've never tried anything from them, but their website looks promising! The Black scents ( the basic black and the chocolate & raspberry ones in particular), Couer de Vahine, Dracula, Fairytale, Lime sugar, London Lemon Curd, She’s a Peach, Strawberries & Champagne, and Violet Kisses all sound amazing! I think any of those scents I'd rather have in a lotion/scrub/bodywash than a perfume oil. Or maybe thats my subconscious trying to tell me I can only afford to be hooked on one brand of perfume oil, haha. If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) Ohhh thats a tough one... I'd buy a bottle of... uhh... Helena. No! Whip. Wait... Marie? I'd pick one of those to have in a 5ml and then take the remaining money and buy a ton of imps. Tim Tams. Yay or nay? Those. Look. Delicious!! If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? I love love love homemade goodies! But the ones from the store are tasty too! Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? Sure! That sounds great! Probably more winter/Christmasy themed, rather than fall or Thanksgiving, though. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a bodyscrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? Oooo!! That would be wonderful!! Lavender, peppermint, rose or anything you see fit would smell divine. And definitely a more moisty sugar scrub. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? if yes, then what kind? scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? I love candles!! I like scented candles in all colors and everything else is up to the good judgment of my awesome bunny! Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores. I think that sounds great! Soap is always good! Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? I wear both socks and slippers. And sock dreams is an adorable website!! Would you wear something like this if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? Yeah! In a dark green, a bright emerald, or black! Talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? I’m addicted to coffee. Ground preferred, but whole bean is okay, not flavored, and whole caff. We have a drip coffee maker and a keurig. And I also adore tea! The only thing I don’t really care for in my tea is any kind of anise flavor, but other than that I love samplers with a bunch of different flavors!! Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? I love makeup!! My favorite items are any kind of lipsticks, glosses, stains, balms. I love any shade of reds or pinks (and I mean from one end of the light/dark spectrum to the other, lol), but I stay away from corals, oranges/yellows, blues, and purples. Nail polish is also another favorite item, and the only shade I don’t care for is orange. Also any kind of eyeliner in the black/brown/silver/grey color range is fun! Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? Yes!! Every year!! It doesn't have a specific theme, though. Just a bunch of random ornaments!! Would you like a special ornament? And I would love a special ornament!! Someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from Walgreens to ONLY use on things for yourself. No necessities here. What do you buy? -A tube of Maybelline’s The Falsies Black Drama Mascara in black and waterproof. -Nail polish in some fun color!! -Some kind of chocolate (I’m really not picky, lol). Maybe lint! The milk chocolate and peanut butter one! Or some kind of exotic dark chocolate bar. Like dark chocolate with chili, cherries, and almonds! But I like Hershey’s too!! -Maybe a mystery paperback? Or some kind of good book. -Some kind of fun lipbalm or maybe I’d try out a lipstain in red? -And Burts Bee’s Peppermint Foot Lotion and/or some fuzzy socks!! Would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (it's penzey's if you want to google it). Yes! I love to cook and bake!! Some fresh ground cinnamon, cake spice, Greek seasoning, Hint of Mint Hot Chocolate mix, regular hot chocolate mix, orange peel, Rocky Mountain seasoning, vanilla beans, or whatever you think sounds good!! Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivities or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? do you prefer machine washable materials? do you not care?)? I would love anything knitted!! From hats to scarves to pot holders! I love every color except orange. When I wear orange, it makes my face look like a pumpkin, lol. Wool does make me a little itchy but I don’t mind if it’s not machine washable. Hey swap partner...could you use a new mug? Hell yeah!! I collect them!! Funny mugs, cool mugs, mugs with bands on them, mugs with superheroes on them, mugs mugs mugs!! Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? I miss the beignets from Café du Monde in New Orleans!! Ohhh my whole family was born there and we haven’t been back in soooo long!! A small cup of their coffee and chicory with one sugar and cream, and a bag of deliciously hot beignets literally smothered in powdered sugar. Mmmmm. But I love to try new things!! Especially foods or things that are specific to where my fox lives!! (Also, I adore the snowbunny and fox thing!!)

Marie_Nightingale

November 4, 2011

Shadows

Winter Holiday Fun Swap Q&A

So... someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from a drug store to ONLY use on things for yourself. No necessities here. What do you buy? Burt's Bees things (I like hand salves!), fake eyelashes or nails, and Ritter chocolate. I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. Would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (It's Penzey's if you want to Google it.) I use garlic like it's going out of style, so any kind of garlic blend would be awesome. Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? Do you prefer machine washable materials? Do you not care?)? Knitted goods are fabulous! I love scarves, specifically, and my color scheme is generally black although I love pink, too! I also really like machine washable things, as I tend to be a bit of a klutz/mess-maker. Hey swap partner... could you use a new mug? Yanno, I'm a Starbucks barista, so I have a LOT of mugs... but a travel mug would be awesome! I only have one or two of those and they are in varying states of falling apart. When we get the holiday merchandise in at my store, I hope to purchase my favorite mug (and quite possibly several other things, haha) for my snowbunny! Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? I so very much miss my German instant mashed potatoes that came in a cup noodle sort of package, just add hot water. Such a silly thing, but I loved them. Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? I haven't in the past as I've lived alone... but perhaps this year I will! Preferably sentimental ornaments, no matter what the design. Would you like a special ornament? Sure! Tim Tams. Yay or nay? Not opposed, but I prefer Jammie Dodgers. :-D Now, a question of my own: I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? Ohhh, home made and/or fried sounds great to me! Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? If they were Halloween/spooky themed, I sure would. And this goes for any time of year... we have quite a silly goth aesthetic in my house. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a body scrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? I don't know much about body scrubs... perhaps I should just say that I occasionally have dry skin, adore vanilla and lavender, and I think the idea of a body scrub sounds fabulous. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? If yes, then what kind? Scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? I am a candle fanatic. No, really. My house is littered in Yankee Candles of all varieties - I like foody scents and patchouli, although my all time favorite from YC is Witch's Brew. Colors are all great! Sculpted sort of freak me out because if they don't burn well, you can end up with a headless horse candle or something... quite distressing. I hope my snowbunny likes tarts/candles! Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores.... Hmmm... I don't know! I tend to use B&BW body wash, but perhaps a foody or holiday sort of scent would be a great soap. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? I have a passion for over-the-knee socks that is completely ridiculous. I don't wear slippers too often, though. And I adore Sock Dreams! Would you wear something like this if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? Oh my goodness, yes! Black would probably go best with what I generally wear. New question: talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? Haha, I am a coffee snob! Whole bean all the way, no flavoring, and caffeine is preferred. I have a crappy flat bottom drip at the moment but am considering a french press as they are awfully cheap with my afore-mentioned Starbucks job. And I LOVE tea! All sorts of tea, I have a tea strainer for full leaf so no problem there. I have a soft spot for Celestial Seasonings' holiday blends, like Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride. Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? I'd be interested in trying the lip tar - probably in a shade like vintage. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? No, but it seems interesting! Maybe shampoo/conditioner in a musky, vanilla scent... they seem to have tons of scents. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? Sigh... I can't wear nail polish at my job. I do love dark colors for the very rare occasion when I have a few days off of work in a row, or when I'm feeling like giving myself a pedicure. If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) I love magical BPAL unicorns! Probably Snake Oil, Horreur Sympathique, and ... hmm... Hemlock? Eat Me? O? One of those, it would be tough to choose! Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? Ooh... I am a SUCKER for holiday movies! From comedy to classics, I just love them. So basically, any, as I don't actually own any - I have Netflix and I tend to watch things online, but having a dvd is always nice. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? I like the idea of superheroes - I enjoyed Ironman and Watchmen as films - but I am not an avid comic book reader... yet! Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. Edited answer: I just had the opportunity to try their Big Shampoo and it is amazing! I'd love some Lush shampoo/conditioner/shower products, and I plan to get some in the near future. 24. Would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? What neat packaging! Man in the Moon and Gingermilk seem up my alley. Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I have three adorable rescued fancy rats (Bruiser, Missy and Pitbull) and a very handsome Arabian show horse (Prism). All of them eat small amounts of people food, so if I were gifted something that was rat or pony safe (horses can eat just about anything - rats a little bit less so), then I hope my fox wouldn't mind me sharing with my pets! How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? I don't actually know what I would do with beeswax, but I do love honey and putting it in my tea, so it would be a very welcome gift. Trader Joe's? Nah, I can always stop there when I visit my mom in Atlanta. Paintbox Soapworks Yules? Comfort & Joy sounds lovely, though I feel I should mention that I rarely use soaps and gravitate more towards shower gels. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? (presuming that is that the order can get here in time, bites nails) Hmm, not sure! I have fallen in love with the one scent from the Pickman Gallery that I ordered - La Mort - but I'm not sure what else will really interest me. I do have Triumph of Death & Regina Erebi on the way, though. Perhaps whatever was your favorite? Will you be away for any part of the round? Probably not, at least, not in the sense that I won't have computer access. Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? Everything in my shop is up for trade. No etsy store here - not really so crafty. What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? Haha, I would really like to get my hands on some Lovecraft! I currently am reading the complete Sherlock Holmes... insanely amazing. Also a big Potter and Gaiman fan, here. If you like Christmas music (or any other holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? I'm really not picky, so I suppose traditional - but anything I can sing along with, really. Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) To be honest, I have absolutely no idea, but I wouldn't mind trying some! Same with the mastic. I live in the city of the chickenwing. If I were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter)? I do like chicken wings, but I gravitate towards the medium realm - and I do love sweet/hot things, as well as hot/garlic. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a giftcard from anywhere, as in any store food wise, music wise etc. what giftcard would you like? Gonna go ahead and say Amazon for myself, too! If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? I love those silly holiday white-peppermint Hershey's Kisses, as well as peppermint bark, and I have no problem with nuts - macadamia are probably my favorite. I don't normally like very dark chocolate, but I'll try just about anything. Does anything from FusionSweets interest you? Bacon sea salt caramels sound interesting. Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? Wow... what beautiful jewelry! The Aurora Borealis pendant is lovely, but I really like her notecards.

84trillion

November 4, 2011

The Open Crypt

From: Lotion, oils, butters, massage bars, and anything else

Source: Lotion, oils, butters, massage bars, and anything else

Stella V

November 4, 2011

endless ethereal whisperings

Winter Fun Swap Help

November 9th Yules: I'm interested in Maison en Pain D'Espices, Pumpkin Masala Rooibos, Colder and Colder and The Horrors of my Secret Toil. Pumpkin Masala Rooibos will probably be a bottle purchase, but not until January and I want to see reviews of the other three before I pounce on any of them. === November 8th Do you prefer dark or milk chocolate? I will eat dark chocolate, but I prefer milk chocolate and I love good quality white chocolate. === November 7th What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular. Yum! Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? I haven't really worked with them, but fancy oils would give me an excuse to keep good bread around. Bunny, could you use a 2012 calendar, and, if so, do you like big monthly ones or the page-a-day type? I usually go calendar shopping between December 26th and early January (unless I see something awesome, in which case I pounce. The earliest I've bought a wall calendar for the following year is April). I love regional calendars especially - I'm still kicking myself for not getting a calendar full of gorgeous landscapes in Montana back in 2001, for instance. (The April 2006 calendar purchase was National Parks in CO, UT, NM, and AZ and I bought it from Mesa Verde National Park). I don't use the daily calendars, and I'll need to pick up a new planner for my purse but those I get picky about (can't be too big/small/thick, I like some layouts over others, etc). === November 6th Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? Fair trade stuff is always good. I'm picky about charities though. Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? I have some scents up on my kaboodle. I haven't looked at any of her new ones or seasonals, but I'm less picky about candles than I am perfume so as long as it isn't flowergeddon I'd be okay. Do you need any holiday recipies? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? In terms of recipes, whatever I want to cook I can usually find either in one of my cookbooks or online. There isn't really anything that I'd have during this season that I can't make for myself (a couple notable exceptions, but for the most part I don't need to be eating them, like fudge). Otherwise I'm up to being surprised. Speaking about candles, how much do you look forward to the BPTP candles that will be launched on Etsy? I don't know if there will be other scents than the Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie one, but is there a specific one you are longing for? I'd have been more interested in tarts, tbh. Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? Nope! Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? Geology and Meteorology I tend to be nerdy with. I'm also a total francophile. Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? Yum! fingerless mittens or full mitts? I prefer convertible with fingerless gloves under the mitt part. == November 4th Any favorite cuddly characters? Eeyore. I have two that I snuggle with - a special holiday version that is all white with royal blue accents (like the inside of his ears) and an older one whose mane has seen better days and the tail is long gone that I've had since high school. Moxie Nouveau groupon? Its too late to get the groupon now, but there wasn't really anything from their Christmas update that grabbed me and there are no ingredients listed for the lotion that you'd get. what's your favourite colour? Pink! Your favourite gemstone? Probably my least favorites are rose quartz, diamonds, and rubies. I have a bachelor's degree in geology, so everything else is fair game. I also love glass. Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? Cats, red pandas, snow leopards. And do you have any intense phobias? Heights and elevators. Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? I did Nanowrimo once, at least five years ago.. and dropped out by about the 5th because I ran out of stuff to write about. Haven't felt the urge to do it again. Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? I've got a cigar box that is starting to get a bit full, and I could use imp storage. == November 3 and earlier so...someone has gifted you a $20 gift card from walgreens to ONLY use on things for yourself. no necessities here. what do you buy? I really like Wet n Wild's eyeshadows. I'd probably pick up one of the other baked mineralized palettes if they're still out (I have.. Bake a Cake? has a couple pinks and a pretty periwinkle) and maybe a trio (I have the I have Good Jeans and the Getting Sunburned (or something like that) trios - I'm unsure about reds, blacks, yellows, and oranges in eyeshadow (although I have a couple golds and I <3 them).. and uh.. usually I'm only in Walgreens to look for WnW stuff or to get more real sudafed. Maybe a fluffy magazine, a bag of chips, or some pretty smelling shampoo? I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (it's penzey's if you want to google it). The manager at my local Penzey's recognizes me as a regular. Stuff I haven't been able to justify: the cheese sprinkles, salad topping/dressing blends, and the non-vanilla extracts. Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? do you prefer machine washable materials? do you not care?)? I am allergic to wool, but any other fibers are good. I can hand wash things. Colors.. Not too fond of yellow and orange, love most shades of pink, any jewel tones (including golds and more burnt oranges), bright colors (but not neon, unless it's an accent). I have really good fleece convertible mittens, so I'm covered there, but I could use a scarf or a hat that will all the way cover my ears (the nordic print/patterned hats with the pompom on top and the earflaps with the cords are a favorite style), and I'm always game for socks and slippers and whatnot. hey swap partner...could you use a new mug? No new mugs until I break enough of them (not a habit I have, really) to make space for new ones. Although I could use an idiot-proof travel mug. Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? New York style bagels. I've found things that are close.. but not quite. And good hard rolls and portuguese rolls.. and I could never ever give up carbs. Every so often I get a hankering for Dipsy Doodles or Tastycake's Butterscotch.. thingies. And huckleberry stuff. And I *miss* the fresh pasta selection I had in Italy, but I don't expect anyone to mail that. Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? Would you like a special ornament? I do a tree. When my husband and I decided on artificial, we decided to go all the way artificial - it's a solid white tree. We're currently using these mini LED lights (with a green cord) and our star is LED lit and alternates between green and blue, and there is currently an overabundance of blue ornaments on our tree (many of which are glittery) so I've been trying to even that out with uh.. everything but blue. And I seem to lack the gene necessary to deem things too tacky to hang on a Christmas tree (the same goes for magnets on my fridge). I still regret not getting the miniature pair of antlers I found at Walmart a few years ago (I went back a few days later and they had [/i]sold out[/i].) So I'm game for new ornaments. Tim Tams. Yay or nay? I've only had the America ones - my world market doesn't seem to stock the Australian ones - but the ones I've tried were yummy! Now, a question of my own: I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? Home-made goodies are yum! While I'm kinda terrified of deep-frying things myself, I'm fine with receiving them pre-fried. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a bodyscrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? I would be game.. I prefer sugar over salt and more moist scrubs. In terms of EO's, I'd probably go for soothing things like vanilla or lavender. Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? I don't really have storage space for holiday specific serving things, but I'm open to holiday linens (table cloths, table runners, cloth napkins). Probably more Winter/Thanksgiving/Fall - I have a decent selection of Christmassy ones at the moment. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? if yes, then what kind? scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? I'm more of a tart person. My cats are too interested in flames for me to feel comfortable burning candles all that often. Scent-wise, I don't care for ones that are heavily floral, but I like aquatic scents, foodie scents, some herbal ones (like fresh mint or basil). Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores. I go through soap super slowly so little bars are nice because I can get more variety. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? Unless it's the middle of summer, I'm almost always in socks. I could use slippers.. and I've never ordered from Sock Dreams. Would you wear something like this (knitted cowl) if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? It's enough material that I would probably never really figure out how to wear it correctly. I swear my mom and my sister love sending me sweaters with unreasonably gigantic collar bits so they can laugh while I figure out how to make it look right/not awful. new question: talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? I drink coffee and tea. Tea can be loose or bagged, and I'm game for pretty much any flavor (although my allergies have to be doing particularly well for me to be able to taste white teas). There was this one tea that my mom got years ago that we found at a tea exhibit at a local museum (teas and tea pots and sets from different ages and cultures) that Martha Stewart crowed about that tasted roughly like straight-from-the-tree pine sap, so none of that, tho. I don't really care for most herbal teas either. (although I love roibos). Coffee - I have a keurig, but I have the my k-cup thing and I use that because bagged coffee is way cheaper than k-cups. I don't have a grinder, so pre-ground is needed. I think infusion grind is best, but I use coffee ground for automatic drip all the time and it still tastes good. Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? I have zero clue on how to use loose eyeshadows. I'd probably make me look clown-like. There's a bunch of colors that look interesting, but I'm more used to eyeshadow in more solid forms. The lip tar looks interesting, although I generally go for sheer/semi-sheer glittery glosses - I'd probably go for Stalker or NSFW (because of all of the colors, the ones I'm least afraid of are the bright reds). Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? I haven't ordered since Ilona still ran the company (due to lack of funds, not distrust of the new owner). The coco-mango body butter was amazing, and I liked the junket cream conditioner. CP stuff tends to be stronger scented that I go for, so I'd probably get the body butter unscented and the conditioner either unscented or something less complex so it would go with my perfume choices instead of clashing or completely overshadowing them. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? I wear nail polish. Most of my polishes (and current top and base coat) are 3-free. I have so many greens and blues that I'm getting kinda picky about them but I won't refuse more.. I don't care for traditional pinks, reds, and neutrals (or orange and yellow). My favorite finish is probably shimmer - I like cremes (especially in more out there shades) and a lot of glitters, but some glitters (like the holiday ones from Zoya this year) do not-nice things like get stuck in my hair, which pulls a chunk of the polish off my nail. If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) Probably bottles of Snake Oil and Black Phoenix, and three imps off my gc wishlist. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? Not a comic fan. I don't hate them, I just don't follow them. Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? I used to have a copy of this one, but I don't know where it went. I can't remember the name, but it's a Muppet Christmas special where they all descend on Fozzie's mom's house unexpectedly (and she's heading out of town) and Miss Piggy gets stuck in the snow and the Swedish Chef wants to eat Big Bird, and Robin and Kermit meet the Fraggles and Jim Henson appears at the end washing dishes. I'd also love a copy of The Muppet's Christmas Carol (no cheeses for us meeses). (We have both blu-ray and regular DVD players). Would my bunny like anything in particular from Lush? I do have access to an actual Lush store, and also wouldn't mind ordering retro items online. The few products I've tried didn't really seem to be worth their cost. would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? Whenever I manage to use up my soap stash (which is.. two bars plus the current one? But I only use bar soap for washing my hands in the bathroom, so it takes foreeeeeever to use up a bar) I'll probably switch to the paintboxes so I can have more variety in soap scents. Scent-wise, I tend to toss things that look good on my etsy wishlist. (including the new yules). I love the sorbetto, and slip is nice but I still have about have a bottle of Avast (that I bought in early July) - it's awesome for summer (for my skin) but it's not really enough for winter time. I'd be interested in trying the body butter of hers that doesn't contain shea (if I'm remembering right, one formula had shea but the other didn't). NEW QUESTION! - Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? I have two cats who are pretty well spoiled, but they are feline and like knocking things off tables and stealing shiny things off my Christmas tree. The husband is deployed and won't be back until May. How do you feel about honey/beeswax? Would you like any? Honey is growing on me - I have a big jar or raw meadowfoam honey I bought from a hippie dude last fall that my pantry ate for six months (I spotted it over the summer and used tongs to fish it out of the corner of the cabinet that it - I've since gotten a step stool) so I'm good there, but I wouldn't mind a whipped honey (especially one with cinnamon) as that's easier to put on things like bread. I also like beeswax in body products. NEW QUESTION: Are you a Trader Joe's fan, who either doesn't have a store nearby or just loves their stuff and has a wishlist? I don't live near one, and when I've visited home (northern NJ) my family has offered to take me to one and I refused because I don't want to know what I'm missing. A few questions of my own- If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? None of the Weenie's really grabbed me this year. Will you be away for any part of the round? Maybe, but I'll post in the thread if that happens. What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? I have books on my amazon list, but I'm open to trying new authors too - I like fantasy, some sci-fi, some romance, mysteries, erotica (as long as its more plot than sex), fiction.. non-fiction if the subject is something I'm interested in. Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) I don't know that I would go for Turkish Delight, but I'd probably eat candied rose petals (or other edible flowers, although I have dried lavender buds in my pantry so I don't need more of those) or other rose flavored things. Also, same question about mastic. Would you be interested in trying it out? (If yes, any preferences? for example you wold prefer to try the chewing gum, the turkish delight, an Easter bun (I can go hunting, some companies make them all year round although it's not the same as the bakery Easter ones), the raw resin itself, anything?) No clue what it is, but I would try it! i live in the city of the chicken wing. if i were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter). I don't like heat for the sake of heat. I hate most buffalo wings (whenever my husband drags me out for wings I go for non-buffalo sauced ones, often with a higher heat rating that the buffalo wings my husband gets because it's ginger teriyaki or lemon and garlic with an emphasis on the garlic or something like that). But I love spicy heat, like in Indian food, and I've ordered things with flame symbols next to the picture in South Korea and survived. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a giftcard from anywhere, as in any store foodwise, music wise etc. what giftcard would you like? Barnes and Noble (to feed my Nook), Starbucks, AAFES (which is probably tricky for non-military), Chilis, World Market, Whole Foods, iTunes, Groupon/Living Social If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? I don't care for fruit or chilies in my chocolate. I'm currently on the fence about salted caramel so I don't know that I'd go for salted chocolate. Favorite holiday candies.. I am spoiled in that where I grocery shop (a military commissary) has an awesome selection of German holiday goodies - my favorites are a couple of the cookies, actually. Fusion Sweets: I have a weakness for homemade marshmallows so I haven't really looked at the caramels. I'm also intrigued by their berlingots - but I've always preferred hard candies over caramel. Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? I love looking, but pretty much everything I like is either reserved already or expensive. How about mulling spices? I have some currently. Bunny, what scent are you desperately wanting to be resurrected this year with the Anniversary update? Maybe Snake Charmer, but my bottle is still pretty much full. Death Adder (which I also have an aged bottle of), but that'll hopefully come back when CD comes back. I haven't had a blend I adored get discontinued yet, and I've either got the hard to find blends I love, or they don't work for me.

crazyredhead17

November 4, 2011

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