favorite candles, companies and/or candle scents?

I used to sell PartyLite and I still really like the Colonial Candles of Cape Cod. They burn sooo nicely and all the way down to a nub. Their votives rock because they liquify completely and when they're done, I just have to take out the little metal wick holder and wipe it out. No scraping out wax or headaches.

 

I also really love Big Dipper Waxworks, they have some AMAZING scents in their pure beeswax candles.

 

REALLY like the Midsummers Night and Witches Brew Yankee candles. I'd love some of the Witches Brew car jars or a big pillar or jar candle.

 

I have some candles on my etsy wish list but I don't really know what quality they are. I'm willing to try them!!

 

I'm also a chandler so I do pour my own candles once in a while when I have time.

 

I prefer votives, jar, or pillar candles. No dinner candles or tealights please; I'm stocked up on those!!

 

I'm pretty much a general candle whore and will accept most top shelf type candles. Don't really want any dollar or grocery store type candles, I'm sorry that I'm such a picky biotch.

 

I love patchouli, rose, vanilla, sandalwood, amber, resins, clove, cardamom, pine/spruce, lavender, leather, honey... In candles I don't mind fruit - spiced plum, cranberry, peach, strawberry, etc.

 

favorite kinds of tea (flavors, companies)

My amazon edibles wishlist has my favorite tea companies/blends on it.

 

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE tea from mariagefreres.com - especially the butterscotch. It's like crack! It smells just like Lush's butterball bath bombs, srsly.

 

I could use another ingenuitea and wouldn't be adverse to trying the teavana tea maker of the same type so I could compare.

 

My tea company here in Seattle that sold Dammann Frères tea closed, but their tea is scrumptious too.

 

In general, I love loose leaf flavored black tea. No rooibos please. Sometimes I like a good flavored green (like coconut pouchong) but in general I drink black. I like flavors like vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, chocolate, chocolate orange, chocolate raspberry, rose, maple pancake, pumpkin spice, etc. I also like smoky tea like a good Russian Caravan or Lapsong Souchong.

 

I'd love to try tea from new places! I'm not a huge fan of either teavana (because of their hard sales techniques in stores) or adiago but my mind is easily changed by fabulousness.

 

any of the Villainess autumn or winter soaps appeal? Another soap company you'd like more?

I actually do not want bar soap. Please do not send me any. I'm a soaper and I have WAY too much bar soap.

 

Liquid hand soap? Sure! Whipped, smooch or smack? Bring it on!

 

I need to go check out the Paintbox Soapworks yule update but I do have many things of this variety already in my etsy and amazon wishlists. I have a wishlist at SoapBox Company too. See my SW Help link.

 

Any of the bpal Halloween scents you wished you'd gotten? Any Yule scents you're hoping to see come back?

I'm good with weenies; I run decant circles so I have pretty much everything. As far as yules, I did get to sniff protos at Will Call and I always look forward to Snow White. I'm really looking forward to the new Coraline bottles and any new Yules. Especially BPTP atmosphere sprays!

 

Do you have a general swap-related help post somewhere?

Yes, I have links in my signature. SW Help has links to thinkgeek, soapbox co, etsy, amazon, the loopy ewe, etc. There is also a link to my bpal wishlist, the SW Q&A, and another link to the Switch Witch Spreadsheet which has links to facebook, twitter, pinterest, last.fm, pandora, etc. etc.

 

Do you have Etsy/Amazon wishlists linked somewhere?

see question above.

 

Do you have a Tumblr/Pinterest you'd share with everyone (these can be really informative as to style?)

see question above the question above.

 

Do you like knitted items?

I am a knitter! Of course I like knitted items. I really don't like scarves or triangular shawls though. I do love wraps and long skinny shawlettes, wrist warmers, socks, etc. I'm an MCN (Merino Cashmere Nylon), MCS (Merino Cashmere Silk), and Merino Silk fan. I will say that I am a fiber snob and I mostly purchase indy yarn. But I'm ok with high quality LYS yarn too; I do have a lot of Malabrigo because it's such a buttery soft wool. I'll do Cascade 220 for felting or hats, but nothing that will touch my skin please. Please no yarn from Michaels or Jo-Anns (except things like cotton for washcloths!)

 

Words, Numbers or Spatial manipulation?

video games including any of the above.

 

 

I'm in Japan, anything that would interest you from there?

Sure! I have a green tea kit kat already (NOM NOM NOM) but I wouldn't say no to MOAR. I used to do a ton of origami and wouldn't be adverse to paper, but honestly I live really close to huge awesome asian supermarkets with excellent book & paper stores attached as well as dishes and cookware. They have a very large selection of origami paper and many times they'll have the imported kit kats and other goodies. I've never seen Green Tea ones there though, so I'm very thankful to have gotten to try one. I'm also pale and would be very interested in super pale foundation. I've never been to Japan so I don't know what to ask for.

 

Your package must contain "-A 'Sugar Plum' (ie a sweet treat)." With that in mind, what are some of your favorite sweet treats?

 

I am definitely a food and chocolate snob most of the time. I mostly shop at Whole Paycheck..er..Foods, co-ops, or snobby grocery stores, so there you go.

 

My amazon list (edibles section, my wishlist is all broken up into categories) has quite a few things I like on it.

 

I love clove flavored hard candy (drops or sticks.)

 

As far as chocolate bars go, I don't like white chocolate and I don't like plain chocolate (dark or milk.) Chocolate should contain almonds, curry, dried fruit (berries/raisins), crystallized ginger & chai spices, salt, toffee…

 

I love imported Cadbury Crunchies, Curly Wurly, Fruit & Nut bars. (there is a company that makes/distributes Cadbury in the states, but it is NOT the same. Imported only please! I used to make a semi-regular pilgramage to World Market for these but for some reason World Market no longer imports them. Sad face.

 

Dolfin bars are excellent, I really love their jasmine, green tea, earl grey, lavender, rose, hot masala, etc. Vosges Naga bar is wonderful. I like the Rittersport milk or dark with whole hazelnuts or almonds. I love Milka chocolate in Alpine milk (IKR? It's plain and I'll eat it!) or with hazelnuts.

 

I love clove, cardamom, rose, and lavender flavored things. Anise is yummy too but I'm not a fan of "black licorice" candy per se. Anise fudge though? Yum.

 

Honey? Om nom nom. I love love love honey. My mom is close to an apiary and we buy their honey by the 1-5 gallon buckets. (I actually had honeybees for a while but they were wild and moved out. pout. I still have all of my beekeeping equipment and hive; I just need to buy some bees. And have time to plant a bunch of good pollen producers for honey!)

 

Any sweets you don't like?:

 

I really try to avoid corn syrup. I don't like Hersheys or Nestle or most of the common "grocery/drug store" low end chocolate or chocolate candy, sorry. (well, Seattle is pretty sophisticated and sells high end chocolate along with low in the grocery stores, so YMMV.)

 

Do you have an eReader, and if so, which kind? Would you be interested in eBooks, and if so, how about a list of your favorite authors/books?

 

I don't have an actual eReader specifically but I use the kindle app on my ipad and iphone. I can also use ibooks, play books, etc. I think the formats are the most important - I can use .pdf, .mobi, .epub, and .prc.

 

I have never ever purchased ebooks. There are SO MANY free ones! I actually prefer a hard copy (I have quite a huge book collection with many hard back first edition signed books.) Used books are fine, though! And I would love to read Meilin's books.

 

I really wish that when you purchased the hard copy of a book that you had the option to get the digital book for free; like they do with Blu-Ray. Half the time you get the dvd AND digital copy too. Stupid book companies and their proprietary formats! It's like the war of VHS/BETA revisted... AGAIN.

 

Anyway, that is why I don't purchase them. Plus it's just not as comfortable to hold my ipad; the edges dig in and hurt my hands since I have the heavier first gen. I have no plans to get a kindle or other ereader.

 

I just discovered a new (to me) candle company, Witch City Wicks. Does anything you see there tempt you?

See my etsy wish list. Yeah, their plain jars are not super inspiring but I'm sure I can soak the labels off if necessary and wrap with a gothy ribbon or something.

 

What about desires (limited edition or not) from Black Phoenix Trading Post?

Any BPTP wish list items are either in my "wishing" wish list, my scentbase wishlist, or my etsy wishlist (or all three.)