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  • Silvertree

    Mod post: No wishlist posts in blogs

    By Silvertree

    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!
    • 5 comments
    • 6,465 views
Argentwolf's Blog
 

Aizen-Myoo

Category: Excolo   In the imp: Whoa, that grapefruit is aggressive! I could smell it as soon as I took the stopper out of the imp.   Wet: Very citrusy/fruity, though it quickly had a mellowness to it, which I am assuming was brought on by the tea.   Dry: This is a very fresh, clean, crisp scent; I detected the grapefruit throughout, and also fancied that I smelled the tea...like I was near a fresh, cold glass full of green tea on ice on a summer's day. It's really lovely! Unfortunately, I think my skin eated it, pretty much...it lasted the majority of the day, but now I have to get my nose to my wrist and huff forlornly to get any residual nummy smell. Strangely enough, now that it's been quite a while, I smell a sweet cherry scent, mostly.   Verdict: I like it, really I do. I wish that it came in some form of spray, though, or a lotion...it would be a really great scent to slather on in the summertime, when you're showing lots of skin.   What I liked: Citrus! Whee!!   What I didn't like: The fact that my skin seemed to slurp it up; it didn't throw very much. But hey, maybe in summertime, with short sleeves? I might have better luck.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Aglaea

Category: Excolo   In the imp: Oh my goodness, this was a beautiful scent. It actually brought tears to my eyes for a moment because it was so lovely. Very sweet, definitely redolant with peach, though I could also smell the warm tones of the musk and, I am assuming, amber around it as well.   Wet: Very sweet and peachy. The fruitiness and sweetness predominated.   Dry: The muskier tones come back, but the peach is definitely not to be undermined, and conquers all. It is *almost* a little cloying.   Verdict: I really like this scent, though I am almost thinking that it would be better as a room scent, as unfortunately I think it tends to get a little sour and cloying on me. I'll be willing to try more of it, though.   What I liked: The peach, and I think I liked the amber.   What I didn't like: The fact that yes, I think musk likes to misbehave a little on me. Though thankfully it's just a little.   Overall, I can live with this scent, I just don't feel like it's *perfect* on me. It's so gorgeous, though, that I can't give up on it. I wonder if it would work in a locket, where it is warmed by me but not in contact with my skin. I'll keep the imp around but hold off on getting a bottle for a while, I think.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Aeval

Category: Bewitching Brews   In the imp: Very, very sweet and floral, with a haze of warm, herbal scent about the edges. When people describe this scent as smelling like a garden, it is very apt.   Wet: The sweetpea comes to the forefront, resonating with a very strong sweetness. It seems like a feminine scent, but one that is more sweetly seductive than powerful and sensual.   Dry: The other notes return; I can definitely smell the musk, and I am assuming that warm tone that envelopes it is the tonka? Now I begin to see why this scent is named after such a fae. It sneaks up on you, but once you become aware of its power it is inescapable, and a little overwhelming.   Verdict: It's very interesting; certainly not a bad mix of scents by any means. I don't know if I would go for a whole bottle of this...I'll be wanting to try other floral-type scents and see how those strike me. It will definitely be a standard that I compare the others to.   I'm a bit relieved that it seems to smell good and 'appropriate', i.e. like the notes that are supposed to be in it, rather than melon-like, sickly-sweet, or just plain icky, as other reviewers had experienced. I'm a little torn on whether or not I like the musk of it...on the one hand, it's nice and warm and strong, and on the other hand it comes dangerously close to turning into 'old-lady' perfume. It may be one of those things that will be iffy on me.   What I liked: The warmth; also the sweetpea was surprisingly good. I will have to keep an eye out for that and tonka in future scents and see if those are the exact notes that I liked.   What I didn't like: The fact that the musk is iffy...almost dangerous, like it could turn on me at any moment. It's less of a dislike than something I'll try to be aware of.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Absinthe

Category: Bewitching Brews   I could not wait to try Absinthe today. I was worried that I would either not wear enough to scent it beyond initial application, or slather it on and overwhelm everyone around me. But I think I did okay.   In the imp: Very lemony. Oddly enough, when I sniffed the applicator, it had that very strong "Lemon Pledge" scent, while in the imp itself the lemon was more subdued and woody...it reminded me of the inside of a wooden cabinet that had been maintained with, perhaps, lemon oil.   Wet: When first applied, it was still quite lemony, though not in an obnoxious way; it quickly toned down to more of a lemon-drop sort of smell -- sweet and sugary. As it dried, the anise hints came through, in a very soft, sweet way; and very quickly, these two scents blended together into a very pleasant amalgam.   Dry: The scent was delightfully subtle, and yet deceptively strong; I couldn't necessarily smell it on myself, but I would find myself scenting just the faintest hint of it if I would walk back over an area I'd just covered. It lasted all day. I would say that the scent was more 'woody' than herbal -- perhaps that's the wormwood? And around the edges, there was that faint, sweet snap of citrus from the lemon.   I really, really like this scent. I'm trying not to make it my favorite just because it was my first, but hey...shouldn't your first time be a sweet, wonderful experience that you *want* to repeat? Preferably, yes. I'll consider buying a bottle of it later on.   Notes that I liked: The lemon. This may mean that I like citrus scents.   No notes that I particularly disliked. I was afraid about the anise, but it was subtle and behaved itself quite well.   Qualities that I liked: The faint woodiness of it, definitely the citrus snap around the edges, the subtle strength and lasting power.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Bloggerrific!
 

The Beginning: BPAL as evidence from the universe pointing me toward love!

I only discovered BPAL about six months ago when I saw an advertisement for the Neil Gaiman collection on the back of my copy of Bitch magazine. I had just confessed to a good friend of mine that I was madly in 'like' with him, and discovered (to my surprise!) that he was in 'like' with me and had been for a good long while. I wanted to get him a present, and since the very first thing we ever did together as friends was go see Neil Gaiman read and, since he had also loaned me Stardust, and Good Omens, and American Gods and Sandman and we'd bonded over each of those, I ended up ordering him a bottle of "Tristan".   When I next saw him I told him that I'd gotten him a present, and he said that he had ordered a present for me too! We decided to trade clues...I told him that what I had bought for him was connected to Neil Gaiman, and not a book. He told me that he had got me something connected to Shakespeare that was not a book. I told him that his present was something that could be worn, he said that mine was too. And then, looking at me, he asked if the site that I had ordered his present from, also sold things with a Shakespearean theme. I said yes, and asked him if the site he had ordered from carried Gaiman themed products. He said yes. I asked him if the first initial of the place he had bought my present was 'B'...yep, and the second turned out to be 'P'.   Neither of us had heard of BPAL before, but seperately, and simultaneously, we'd both gotten an impulse to give the other something, we'd both discovered the site and ordered bought each other our first BPALs. A few weeks later I gave him a bottle of Tristan, and he gave me Katharina (with a note saying 'because you are strong') and Juliet (with a note saying 'because you are beautiful').   It could be an entirely coincidental event, but we'd both like to think that it is evidence that we are perfect for eachother.   Since then there have been about nine orders between us, me and my man are blissy, in love, and probably the best smelling couple in a 20 mile radius.   Thank you BPAL!
Emerrific

Emerrific

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Forspecial Plate's Blog
 

decant or bottle......

......the inner debate continues.   I want Old Moon. I really do. All of this 'pining' I've been doing for a wintery/pine/fir scent (sorry, could not resist the pun).....and now people are saying this is the perfect one. On the one hand, I already have decants of Yuletide, Ice Queen, Death Of The Grave Digger, Jolasveinar, The Snow Storm, Mistletoe......Shivering Boy......Cloister Graveyard......in other words, many many wintery blends that I really like. More than I could use up in quite a long time. On the other hand.......that addition of 'lunar herbs and flowers' sounds soooo promising....makes me really lustful for Old Moon.......so I just don't know. I can't imagine that decants are going to be hard to find once people start getting this. But I haven't had a pending lab order in so long!   Bottom line.....I have way too many bills right now. I just better sit this one out. : (
forspecial_plate

forspecial_plate

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The Fae Fatale
 

Our Famous Relation!

Ok, I don't normally use this blog, but I'm cross-posting this from LJ with some of the more personal stuff removed, b/c it's really cool but too long to go into it on the Forum.   Short version: my sister and I just learned that we are cousins, a few generations removed, to the great Czech composer Antonín Dvorák (!).   Detailed version for my fellow geeks: My mom's family is Czech--although it was still called Bohemia when they emigrated from Prague, and we have always joked about being Bohemians. My maternal grandmother was the first generation to be born here. They came over to Chicago and lived in the area known as Little Prague, as well as other parts of Illinois. My mom's cousin still lives in Chicago, and recently she went to the Bohemian Cemetary there and took pics of our ancestors' gravestones (some are really cool!) and sent them to us along with an extensive family tree she's been working on for some time--an unusual Xmas gift. Well, my Gram's grandmother, Marie Dvorák, was apparently one of several of the composer's cousins who settled in Illinois. He spent a bunch of time there, too; I think that may have been around when he wrote his New World Symphony. I think it's completely badass, and my sister (the fledgling opera singer) is beside herself with glee and planning to do his "Song to the Moon" for her senior concert this spring. I LOVE that piece--the Italian translation, "La Luna", was recorded by Sarah Brightman, whom I just simply worship. My sister wants to do it in the original Czech. I've also told her that if I should ever re-marry (someday...), I want her to sing it, as a tribute to our roots. Extra cool part: that aria is from his opera Rusalka, which is a version of The Little Mermaid. My Pisces heart rejoices. My boyfriend and I have talked about our future-theoretical-pagan-wedding being on a boat in the waters around Seattle, by moonlight. So for my sister to sing an aria that is a mermaid's song to the moon...that was written by an ancestor...I mean, holy SHIT, people. How freaking cool is that???
Laurel the Woodfairy

Laurel the Woodfairy

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

My First Order

My very first BPAL order came today! I brought in the mail just a few minutes ago. I was excited, but made myself linger over the box, because I love to do so when opening any kind of present.   I had ordered six imps: Absinthe, Aeval, Aglaea, Agnes Nutter, Aizen-Myoo, and Akuma. (Yes, I meant to do that.) Agnes is not available as an imp, as I found out soon after I had placed the order, but whoever had packed my box had kindly substituted Al-Azif for it instead. Hee! Thanks for understanding my wacky system, whoever you are!   I received 3 frimps as well: Fruitcake (I have heard much talk of this scent), Tushnamatay, and Wrath. I love how Wrath is so cutely furious inside its vial, bright cherry red compared to the others.   Mmm, and the very sweet, faint scent that caressed the packing materials, as if to reassure me that these were not going to be like any perfume I had yet smelled. Lovely...   Thank you, oh BPAL dieties. I can't wait to embark on my explorations...what a wonderful way to celebrate the Solstice...
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Review Round-up!
 

Urania

In the imp: Strong and soapy - like good shampoo. Definitely picking up on the jasmine.   On wet: Sweet soap, jasmine, the sharpness of the ozone.   Drydown: Reminds me of a very traditional, department store perfume - though I tend to get that impression from most jasmine-heavy, shampoo-esque scents. The jasmine totally dominates on me, but I think I'm picking up on a higher-pitched sweetness, could be the moonflower. Moss and benzoin don't typically play nice on my skin, and the longer I have this on, it becomes apparent that this trend is going to continue. The benzoin is the more obvious of the two, and it almost *always* smells like burned/sour amber to my nose - not good. My two favourite notes in the blend - the iris and white musk - haven't appeared at all.   Overall: FYI, this imp is over two years old. When I first tried it, it smelled a lot lighter, a lot fresher, and the white musk was very prominent on the drydown - that's the only reason why I kept it, actually - I'm a white musk fiend! With the new round of discontinueds on its way, I figured I'd better give this one another go. With the absence of musk, and the heaviness of the jasmine, I'm glad I did - if only to rediscover that this scent isn't for me. It *is* a very high-end, classy kind of fragrance, though - something I could see wearing to a fancy dinner or the theatre. A 2.5/5 on my skin, though.
furygrrl

furygrrl

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Abstract Associations
 

Hony Mone

Hony mone, a term proverbially applied to such as be newly married, which will not fall out at the first, but th'one loveth the other at the beginning excedingly, the likelyhood of their exceadinge love appearing to aswage, ye which time the vulgar people call the hony mone. Three honeys blended with seven fruits, flowers, and herbs of passion, pleasure, and joy: honeysuckle, fig, carnation, apricot, jasmine, tonka, and almond.   Reviewed 12/19/2007   In the bottle, bright golden honey with an undertone of almond and just the faintest hint of flowers in the background. I put it on and BAM. Pretty much instantly it became cat pee. I waited a while, hoping it would change again, but the only morph I got was overripe, almost rotting floral. Oh skin chemistry, how I loathe thee! I love honey scents so I will save one bottle and see if I can age the pee out of it, but I think the extra bottle I got may be swapped out.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Odd Thoughts from an Odd Duck
 

Pay It Forward

I love this idea! Here is my list of things that disagree with my body chemistry. Some of these made me really sad because they smelled so much better in the imp. I guess we all have those.   Bluebeard Urania Pride Burial Black Lotus Arcana Megaera Santa Muerte Sheol   More to come
odd_duck71

odd_duck71

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Toasty Blog
 

I'm alive . . .

I was going to post an entry about why I've been MIA, but really, I just don't feel like it. I'll just say that I'm ok now, but I wasn't for a while. I'm really sorry if I let anyone down or made anyone angry. I'm doing what I can to fix things, so pm me if I can do anything for you.   I hope everyone is managing to enjoy the holiday season. It's been snowing here, finally, so I'm starting to get in the holiday spirit.   So far everyone has been so incredibly nice and understanding. I wonder, what is it about BPAL and this forum that attract such wonderful people?
kwsix

kwsix

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Forspecial Plate's Blog
 

The Custom Scent

DSH Perfumes makes custom scents and ooooooh, how I'd love to get one. However, it's almost like getting a tattoo......it's kind of a big commitment and I would want to be sure I was getting the best one for me.   [this is all hypothetical since right now I don't have 4 or 5 hundred bucks to throw around]   My favorite scent is Djinn, but I wouldn't want another Djinn. The obvious choices would be resins, woods, musk.....smokey and incense.....perhaps opium. But really, do I want something obvious? Maybe I'd want a cleaner, fresh or spicey element in there. Ah dunno.....   I even pulled up the questionnaire from DSH that she uses to get a handle on your scent personality. I like it because she asks some more abstract questions like what's your favorite color, what time of day/night do you like best. The questionnaire alone made me insanely curious as to what she would come up with for my scent. Then they send you 3 samples and go from there, I assume fine-tuning and whatnot.   I know CB does the same thing, but after trying just a few samples from DSH I think I might like her style better. Nothing against CB but his scents are so light! I like them at times but as for a signature scent, something my very own, I think I'd want something stronger, more emphatic. Someday.....maybe........
forspecial_plate

forspecial_plate

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Lit Chick's Blog
 

Finn's Birth Story

On 11/29, I woke up at 3 am feeling odd. Not in pain, but I just felt something. I went to the bathroom and I had bloody show, slightly. Now, according to the midwife and all the books I have, that means labor is on it's way - but usually not in any hurry. I decided to stay up, since I wake at 4am anyway for work, and see what happened. Nothing much did. By the time I left for work, I was having contractions, buyt they were of a Braxton-Hicks type. On the ride into work, they got stronger - feeling like menstural cramps. They were very regular, about every 10 minutes, but very short duration. I thought nothing of it, because my best friend gave birth on the 20th, after weeks of similar symptoms. I figuired that I had a day at least, if not more. At 7 am I called my midwife and doula to let them know what was going on. By that point, the cramps were getting a little uncomfy, but still nothing at all bad. Both of them said that it would likely be a very long while, and just keep them in the loop. Wendi (midwife) said to leave work when I started getting distracted, or after a half day so I could rest before labor really got going. At 8 am, I decided that I would leave at 9, since things were really going places. Still no pain, but each hour there was a very noticiable increase in intensity, and since I live an hour from work I did not want to get stuck someplace. I left at 9 and and my parents drove me home. I kept trying to call my husband, but the phone just rang and rang - I was not pleased. He knew about the show, and knew we were on baby watch that day - so why was his phone off? I ended up having to call other people in his company to track him down -he was working at a different account that day and it was in a dead zone for cells. We chatted, and he like my midwife and doula thought it would be hours and hours before anything real started happening, so he did not leave work. It's funny - I knew that I was on my way, but since this was my first time I didn't want to be silly and insistent. So I let other people tell me it would take a long time, and I did not make them come to me when I needed them. I did not want to be a silly needy 1st time mom who thinks she's in active labor and then has the baby 48 hours later. We arrived at my house shortly after 10, and by that point I was truly in labor. I was very distracted, and could no longer talk through the contractions. Agian, not painful, but uncomfy. We got home and I desperately needed to go to the bathroom, but my father had my car. With my keys. And the garage door opener. And he was nowhere in sight. Turns out he stopped for Starbucks! STARBUCKS! Can you believe it? Just as my mom and I were driving away to find a bathroom, he rolled up. If I was not so in need of the facilities, he would have been in trouble. I sorted out the bed, with the waterproof tarp and the extra sheets, and tried to settle down for a nap. I laid down and it was instantly wrong. So complely uncomfortable, and wrong. I gave up on sleep, and sat on my birth ball. Ahhhh. Instant releif. I again called my midwife, and she asked if I wanted Stephaine, the assistant, to come over. Hell Yes! A few minutes after that call, my water broke. Good times. It broke over a series of contractions - not a huge gush, more like I wet myself repeatedly. It's funny how little you care about stuff like that in the moment. All over the bathroom floor? We'll deal with it later. Wiped it up with my good towels? Eh, I'll buy more some other time. Bryan arrived just before noon, and even though I do not remember it being an event, my mother said labor really amped up then. I was very relaxed and very happy to see him. He has the most wonderful look on his face. Fear, excitement, awe, love. He was so visibly moved, and so tender with me. He tried to caress me, but he's a chef - and he stank to high heaven of food. I made him shower before he could touch me. I remember the early moments with him - he was so adorable. He did everything right, perfectly. A little after that, Stephanie arrived and checked me. 5 cm, 100% effaced. On the video, you can see her leaving the bathroom and texting like mad with this "holy crap" look on her face. Now, my mom had very fast labors, and I told them all about that - but still, no one really expects a 1st timer to be so aggressive. Especially since I was only moaning and such. It did not hurt, it was just crampy and uncomfortable. An hour later, I started making different noises - the gutteral grunting that is a red flag for pushing time. Sure enough, I was there - but nobody else was! Stephanie did have all the emergency equipment, but all the other midwives and the doula had yet to show up. They got there about 30 min later, after much speeding, just in time for my pushing. I remember asking Stephanie if I was in transition yet, and she laughed and said I was already past it, and that it was time to see my baby. Whoo! I was so worried about transition, but mine flew by so fast. I do remember a time when I wanted to give up, but I was just so tired and it seemed like there was no break between contractions. They had gotten to a somewhat painful point, but pain is such a wrong word for it. It was not a hurt feeling, just a full-body intensity. Sort of like if you have multiple orgasms, and the point when you have to make it stop because you body is just short-circuiting. It was very much like that - just too much sensation, but not pain. It was exhausting. During that part, I remember wanting to ask for my mommy. I wanted someone to make it stop so I could rest. But every time I opened my mouth to cry, I stopped. I thought "no, you must go forward". I see on the video that I was not 100% successful - there were some moments of sobbing and saying that I didn't want to go on - but overall it was not too bad. It was just the most tiring thing ever. I moved all over the place - toilet, ball, floor. At one point, they asked me to get up on the bed, thinking it might be a good position for me. Oh my god, no. I see why labor is painful for so many women. I was on my side on the bed, and that hurt. It was awful. I had to ride through one contraction like that, and then I scrambled back down to the floor and leaned againt my husband in a squat. Instantly better. It is SO important that a woman be allowed to move durinbg labor - I truly had a nearly painless experience, and it was because I could let my body lead me. Another thing that helped was my mental state. I was very well prepared to birth this baby, I had no fear. At one point, Stephanie said "open up for your baby", and afterthat during a contraction I just said "open, open, open" and I did. Everyone was saying how strong I was, how powerful I was. I kept saying "thank you". Bryan thought it was funny, and asked why. It was because it was more polite than saing "I know". I felt all the power, I knew I was doing an amazing job. It was incredibly hard work, but I knew everything was flowing through me just as it should. And whenever someone said that I was so strong, Bryan nearly cried. Every time. He was so in awe and so proud. When it came time to push, I faltered a little. I never felt the urge to push at all. I gave a few attempts, but they were little and like pooping - not going to get the baby out. Stephanie applied some pressure to give me a target sensation, and after that we were rocking. I thought the contractions were tiring, but pushing was worse. Since I never felt the urge, pushing did not come as a relief. I also did not get any break from transition to the pushing stage - I think there was maybe 10 min of calm between the stages. Steph really had to talk me throuhg it - and it was really funny. At one point she's telling me to push push push, and I broke out of my labor bubble at said "I got nothing" totally in my normal voice, just stating there was no contraction. Pointless. And then a few secons later I say "Here we go!" and give a massive crowning push. I was prepared for a ring of fire, and Steph said "you'll feel streching and burning" but I only felt the stretch. It was not bad at all. Intense, but I was braced for much worse. The crown was easy, but the face - oh, how odd did that feel! His bumpy little nose coming out - so strange. I did not like that. After the head, I thought I was done. I thought one more easy push and his body would slide right out. Wrong. Shoulders. How awful! Now, that is the part that hurt. I did not want to push, so I was a little PO'ed, and then it was like another head when I expected easy slide. I screamed for the shoulders - it was hard work to push him out! I think that's the point where I tore as well - I had a very minoir tear on my labia of all random things. Better that then the perineum though! Bryan caught the baby, and gave him to me. We were both in such shock. I thought we'd cry, but we were both struck completely dumb. I looked at my boy's face, but nothing else. I was scared to examine him. Later, when he was weighed and all, I asked the midwives if he was ok - and he was. Phew. Then I looked him over. It took a while before I connected with the baby - not in a strange depressing way, but I thought that I'd be filled with this huge love right away, and I wasn't. I was a bit empty. I did love my little boy, but I was so shocked! I felt a little detached at first. Very hazy. It took a few hours before I came back to myself and started processing things again. That emptyness was very scary. I see how women go into post-partum depression. During pregnancy, I had an amazing sense of creative power. I felt fertile and glorious. During labor and delivery, I felt a terrifying power run through me. It was amazing, but extremely scary looking back. I was very aware after he was out that the power that birthed him could easily have been the death of us both. If you resist and fight the power of birth, it can be destructive. I did not fight it, and during labor I felt connefted to the force, but when it was gone I felt drained and empty. Like a huge storm had swept through me. I felt extremely small and vulnerable, and scared. I started thinking about the aches and pains, and the body that had been so strong for 9 months felt broken. It was very difficult. But that night, as I was falling asleep, I started to process all those feelings. After I thought about the fertile goddess feeling and the powerful birth/death force of nature, I thought about the triple goddess concept. And even though I was never very religios, it truly helped. I realized that I was not emptied out by that force - not at all. It's just that what was in me now was quieter, gentler. I was now filled with healing. The aches were not evidence of injury, but of my body knitting back together. I pictured myself being cradled in the arms of Motherhood just as I was cradling my infant son. Then, everything fell into place. I felt myself become a mother, and I was able to sleep and be calm. Now it's 2 weeks later, and we're all getting the hang of life as a family. The first few days were tough - I thought breastfeeding would be a simple matter that would come just as naturally as everything else did. Nope. I tried to feed Finn, but he did not seem interested - he'd suck a little and then fuss, and then sleep. The first full day, he slept for a very long time - he had no energy to wake up. Stephaine showed me how to latch, and we started feeding. But it was hard the first day, and I was upset and so was baby. It took a few days before we got the hang of it. Both Finn and I had to learn what to do - but once we got it, it was wonderful. Now, he's still a big sleeper. His usual routine is to drain both breasts and then top himself off on a third go, then sleep for a long time. 3-5 hours at a stretch! I was terrified about that, because that first day, they said do not let him sleep that long - but that was because he had not fed well yet. Now, I let him stay asleep. I found out that if a worried mommy wakes him up, Finn gets very very cranky. It's really helpful though- we all get a pretty full night of sleep, and I have the time to shower and do chores and nap if I want to. He is such a wonderful baby! Finally, our midwife loaned us the best video every - "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It teaches you how to calm an upset newborn, and it is like magic. I was already doing a few of those naturally, but swaddling was tricky. Finn loves to be swaddled, but I could never get it to stay put - the video shows you exactly how to do the wrap. Now we all sleep in the same bed and nobody fusses! And the one time Finn got truly horribly upset (we had to wake him up and put him in a carseat - angry baby!) I was able to hush him back to sleep within 10 min. Amazing. Finn and his daddy are the best things that have ever happened to me. I am loving motherhood!
Lit Chick

Lit Chick

1
Do you have a flag?
 

yow.

Was I really gone for that long? My sales post went to the dead area. Whoops. I didn't think I was away for that long.   Stupid school sucking up all my time.
filigree_shadow

filigree_shadow

0
Precious things
 

More SW help

A more traditional-style SW help post! Here are things I love, but I don't add to my wishlists because they're general wants (like doll materials) or, in the case of the etailers, things that look interesting but I'm not motivated to buy for myself.   Adult package warning I'm 19 and I live alone or with other people over 18, and we're all pretty liberal folk, so an R-rated package (or higher ) would be okay in the sense that nobody's going to be offended by it. But... I'm afraid I might not get bawdy/raunchy gifts. I'm really rather disinterested in and ignorant about sex, so while some naughty stuff might make me laugh, most of it is not really my style.   Doll materials and accessories I love to make itty bitty felt dolls (the current generation is 6" tall) and would love to find clothes and accessories for them! I have a gallery for them at my LJ. I also have Uriel's measurements. Clothes and accessories that suit the character would be welcome, but so would random things that are the right size! Useful supplies would include swatches of fabric (solid colors are lovely - very nice, subtle patterns would be nice too,) thread in various colors, tiny buttons and beads, etc.   Tea I love tea, but I am very picky. I like black, green, and oolong tea; I really don't like chai and herbal/other non-tea plant tea. Other favorites... Earl Grey, genmaicha, Ti Kuan Yin oolong, jasmine green tea... You can get a sense for what I like from my LJ tea tag. I now have a teapot so I can make loose tea, yay!!   Menswear I love crossdressing (I do it so regularly it doesn't really feel like crossdressing anymore) but my family is a little bit disturbed by it, so I don't like to put suit-type things on my wishlists. I love neckties (silk preferably, in solid colors or subtle stripes,) pocket squares (don't really need any more, though,) and SUITS *_* and sport coats. I really want a pocket watch -- currently trying to find one that looks nice, is functional, but also not too expensive. I also like cufflinks! O'course a lot of these things are way too expensive for Witching, but accessories or just, like, fashion tips would be awesome!   Bath & Body I am an extremely unglamorous girl -- I almost never use makeup and don't know what to do with most bath products. But I'll take anything that is useable in the shower, and I might be persuaded to try things for the tub while I'm at home. In general, I just use shampoo, conditioner, and soap in the shower, occasionally a fragrant body wash. If you send me one of those four things, it will be used. I also like alcohol-free lotions (cocoa butter especially) Other things may require written instructions. ! I have an LJ soap tag but there isn't much under it, mostly just SRTC.   I went around looking at some different sites and found a couple of items that looked like they might be good matches for my scent preferences... Because I am not a really enthusiastic bath person, I probably won't be motivated to buy these for myself... which probably makes them good Witching goodies!   Black Phoenix Trading Post (might buy these for myself): Miskatonic University Soap, TKO Soap Silk Road Trading Company (actually I just went and bought all the ones that appeal to me ) Villainess: Antihero things spotted on Soap Box Company: Magic Hands Workshop - Turkish Mocha Soap, Magic Hands Workshop - Spiced Mahogany Serpentine Hair: Forbidden Fruit, Kahlua, Medusa (maybe) Wylde Ivy: North, Tough Guy, White Lavender, Quince & Currant, and from the Deli Soaps I liked the looks of Deja Vu and Green Apple Peel Bathed and Infused: something like lotion or body wash, in Lilac & Lavender, the Playwright, Clean for Men, Clean Laundry, Black Coffee, Feng Shui Wood, Bamboo, Full Moon, Honeydew Melon, Lavender Bouquet (this one sounds amazing), Leather, New England (omg)   General guidelines for scented products: Good: lavender, fougeres, non-sweet citrus, woods, tonka, "snow" scents (my favorite winter holiday is the BPAL Yule update ), gentle leather, mild woodsmoke, frankincense and myrrh, -- shop for me as if I were a man Bad: ROSE! VIOLET! sweet vanilla, sugar, white florals, florals in general, heavy patchouli, alcoholic/booze, butter (oh gods no), foody scents in general (except coffee scents, which I LOVE) For more details, refer to my note notes.   See also my favorite things
kuroitsuki

kuroitsuki

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FG's smellies obsession
 

more switchwitch help

Books: Reginald Hill Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries, books on the philosophy of housecleaning (I have a book called Home Comforts, it is my grail and I love stuff like that), books on art (doing -- visual journaling as art, ATC cards, DIY stuff; seeing -- voodoo arts in Haiti book, copies of magazine Juxtapoz or other in print art/painting mags), poetry (modern, not so much archaic, I prefer Barbara Ras over Emily Dickenson), books on running or training or traithalon and fitness for women, third wave feminist stuff   Music: I love indie stuff, dark stuff. I would love some more Rasputina, Black Kids, LADYTRON, Elvis Costello, THE THE (!!), 80s cheese pop (bring on the Madness and the Men Without Hats, oh yeah!), really I like a lot of stuff but am not big on fluff pop, e.g. American Idol winner-type songs/James Blunt/Train/etc., and really dislike country and rap. OH! I would love more Rammestein too. And more Kitaro, I only have Silk Road. Oh hell, if it isn't country or rap, I'll probably like it a lot.   Movies or DVDs I would love to have: 13/Tzameti, All About Eve, The Women, Event Horizon, actually I like a lot of movies that are scary (but not teen slasher films like Halloween, otherwise scary or even bloody is ok even to the point of 10000 corpses), anything with Bette Davis, almost any movie from 1930s-1950s but prefer they NOT have been colorized. I just saw Hitman and loved it and will need it on DVD when it comes out eventually. I like most movies really, and am getting a better appreciation for 'bad' movies with my husband now because he will watch literally anything. (he's a fan of Ready To Rumble, my people, and that is a BAD movie, can I get a witness?)   ETA: Got "Bottom" for Christmas from the husband, yay!
fountaingrl

fountaingrl

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FG's smellies obsession
 

Considering some TAL

I used Aunt Caroline's Money Bag and saved a TON that same day, the only day I annointed with it. It was great. I have also had some good luck with others, but I don't seem to get much from Perpetuum Bonum? Maybe I am not using it with enough regularity.   I am considering a decant of Aunt Caroline's Money Draw. I wonder if I could swap for one, it is almost never up on the forum.   For future TAL purchasing/my records To get in bottle: Milk and Honey, Aunt Caroline's Money Draw (prob, if decant works like Bag did!), Charisma? (if it smells better than Brass Balls, which I got rid of my bottle because it stank SO bad I could not bear it, it was nauseating to me), Crown of Success To get more decants of: Hand of Hermes, STFU, Flying Devil, Fiery Wall, Determination   Conjure bag -- wish there were more reviews. Maybe prosperity one, Hand of Hermes? Wish there was a protection and uncrossing one.
fountaingrl

fountaingrl

0
FG's smellies obsession
 

book stuff for my switchwitch

Hello Witchy! You asked, so I answer!   Anyhow, the "type" of books I like?   1. I was really into mysteries but it is hard to find ones that I either haven't read or that I would like. I do the patricia cornwall ones (Kay Scarpettas) and I haven't read the most recent. I have read maybe 1/3 of the Reginald Hill books, and some of the Nora Bonesteel books. 2. I am interested in reading more mysteries by someone I forgot who (ACK!) but the main character is an Irish woman lawyer in the middle ages. I know, I know, how impossible is that? 3. I liked the first Bolyn book and would read others by Phillippa Gregory. I guess now that I think of it I am a sucker for authors who have a series. 4. I loved American Gods! Am interested in other books by him but I don't know if I am so interested in the Good Omens funny ones, but I could give it a go. 5. I love books on homemaking. I try my butt off, and am not always great at this, but I enjoy trying and do love to read new tips and such. Not at this point so much the basic "organizing for dummies" books, or "Don Haslett" cleaning books, but like the ones on my amazon list, one is on kaboodle too. I also love write-in books (notebooks, registers, etc.) for organization/record keeping. 6. Self-help books on emotion and money, fear of money, prosperity etc. I suck at money. Sometimes it feels like money only comes and visits me briefly before it flies off to the pockets of more capable folks. 7. REALLY interested in books on visual journaling or ATC making. Prob visual journaling is the better of the two if possible 8. Sometimes essay books. I think Neil Gaiman has one but I forget what it is called. Also, memoirs by feisty interesting women. 9. Books (beyond the basics tho) on training/fitness/running for women (these are harder to buy for me though. Right now I am looking at ones on sports psychology, performance and the mind, 'zen' running -- tho this might be bunk, etc.)     It is late, I can't think of more right now but lord, I can always find stuff in a bookstore so I am SURE it would be fine whatever I get.
fountaingrl

fountaingrl

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Is Anybody Out There?
 

Still looking

Do you ever really get over that person who evokes the first exhilirating burst of love? Not your first crush, nor the first person you went out with whenever that began, but the first person you could actually feel in your soul; the one you could see yourself with, growing old together, the very first person to take your breath away and make you rethink everything you've ever heard about the concept of love? Does that one ever really heal?   I love my husband with all my heart, truly I do. I don't want anyone else. So why do I find myself still looking for this other person? Actively looking. It doesn't make sense.
smallvoice

smallvoice

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