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