coldandsleepy

September 18th Do you wear t-shirts? Are there particular things you like on them? Would you like one designed by your Witch? And, if you don't mind saying, what size t-shirt do you wear? Yes, but not as much as I used to. Between nursing (t-shirts generally not useful) and working in a business-casual environment (t-shirts not professional enough), I just don't have a whole lot of opportunity for t-shirts and probably won't until... oh... 2013? Sigh. I am super large chested and don't like things particularly form fitting, so if it's lady-cut, I need an XL or even an XXL. In men's shirts, I can do anything from a M to an XL usually. Most of my t-shirts are band t-shirts, but I like any sort of cool design... I'm not really into witty phrases on shirts though. How do you feel about pumpkin scented things? Not perfume related, but soap, candles, etc.... Heh. One look at my Etsy list should tell you you're perfectly safe if you decide to send me pumpkin scented things. Has anyone else heard of or does anyone else love Glamourkin? Pretty, but probably not my style... If you had an international witch, is there anything you would like from the UK? (Or Australia, Belgium, France any other country we have witches from. Sure! International foods are always a win in my house, and any sort of vegan thing I can't find here is a treat... if my witch happens to be in France, I love reading French Glamour (I can't explain it, it's just much funnier than US or English Glamour) and would always welcome a copy of it coming my way. Dear witchee, if you answered 'Mac' to the Mac/PC question previously issued by another participant, please tell me what kind of computer you have, what peripherals you own (like the wireless trackpad, wireless vs/wired keyboard and mouse), and whether you're interested in Apple-related items (stickers, keychains, other things with the logo, etc). I have one of the early rounds of MacBook Pro, 15". I have a wireless mouse, but almost never use it... I actually really like the built in touchpad. Peripherals mostly seem like a pain to me with a laptop. Apple paraphenalia is cool but I don't have a huge need for it. SOCK PREFERENCES? Would you like/wear a pair of these? http://www.ravelry.c...rary/yoga-socks If so, what color? Is there anyone here who likes toe socks? You know, those socks with a place for each toe? Toe socks kind of freak me out. Sorry! I love other socks though. ---------------------------------------------------------- September 17th Are you looking for a certain kind of DVDs to spruce up your collection right now? I don't own a lot on DVD because I don't rewatch movies very often... however, there are a bunch of things on DVD that I'd love to have for my son. The Lion King, maybe Aladdin, Mary Poppins, that sorta thing... kid classics. Does anyone like postcards? Is anyone willing to be a Nacho witch for postcards? I like postcards and am always happy to get them. Anyone going to see any good concerts this fall? Argh, not me. The last time I saw live music was before my son was born. Do you like Star Trek? Original TV series, films, spinoff series, etc? Favorite characters? Yes! I lost interest around DS9 but loved the recent movie. Bones is my favorite from the original series, and I love all the engineers from TNG. And Tasha Yar. And Dr. Crusher. And even Wesley. I grew up watching TNG and it's very very nostalgic for me... Witchee, would you like a framed photograph and of what? Hmm... not really! I don't have much wall space open at home and have way too much stuff waiting to be hung up already. ---------------------------------------------------------- September 16th Are you more prone to order out or cook at home? Would you be interested in cookbooks, kitchen utensils, and the like? If so, anything specific? Oh, I love both. (You may have gathered by now that I... I really love food.) But for my wallet's sake, we eat out/order in a max of once a week unless there are extenuating circumstances, like having out of town visitors... I'm always interested in more cookbooks, especially vegan-specific ones. My Amazon wishlist (think you can find it by searching my real name) has some on it, and there are tons more I want but haven't added yet. Cooking implements/kitchen utensils - also a resounding yes. Always on the look out for more containers (food-safe plastic or glass, or even tin or something fancy like that) that'll work for storing things like flour, nuts, lentils, etc. I buy a lot of stuff from the bulk bins and always need more containers... in basically any size you can think of. Silicone spatulas - I'm looking for more single-piece ones. I had a lovely set that had wooden handles & silicon tops, aaand the wooden handles are really pretty gross after five years of heavy use. Nice/interesting dishes... plates or bowls or whatever... Chopsticks of any variety Small cake pans... like < 9 inches... for making smaller cake tiers. Um, I could keep going in this vein for a long time... New question: How do you feel about maple syrup? I feel pretty neutral about it. I don't go out of my way for maple things and it's not one of my favorite flavors, but I don't hate it either. How do people feel about little pocket shrines, maybe something inspirational/motivational to keep in their purses/backpacks/whatever? (Like these: http://www.art-shrin...cketshrines.htm) Cute! My kid gets into my backpack a lot though (anything that's mine is fascinating, of course) and would likely find and mangle it. Do you like Star Wars? Original Trilogy? Prequels? Spin-offs? Favorite characters? The original 3 are some of my all time favorite movies. I found the first one of the prequels so repulsive that I have never brought myself to watch the other two. I've been hot for Han Solo since like, before I knew what a crush was... and am also a big Yoda fan. Do you like beef jerkey Nope. I'm okay with vegan jerky but have access to a ton of brands here, so I'm probably all set on jerky! Also do you like or racier ecards from time to time and do you need to be warned if something may be not safe to open at work. Almost all of my computer use these days is at work, and I work in a cubicle where my monitor faces a busy hallway, so yeah... no racy e-cards please! Doctor Who? Yay or nay? (please don't make me cry by saying nay) Yay! A hundred times yay! I love old and new. I think Tom Baker was my first crush. (Either that or DeForest Kelley.) I have a couple spare Doctor Who stickers. If my witchee is a fan, would they like a couple Doctor Who stickers in their package? Sure! Anyone love Buffy/Angel? Nope. I have to confess I've really never gotten into either. How would you feel about gummies? Like, gummy bears? Gummy werewolves? Gummy vampires? So, two things... 1. Most gummies have gelatin in them, so they're right out for me. 2. I actually work in a gummy factory (really! gummy factories have computers that need support too!) where there are lots of vegan products, so um, I'm probably already way too spoiled with gummies. How would you feel about a totally original Gela-skin for your laptop/iPod/phone? Stickers? Decals? Sure! Since this is a Halloween round, what's your Creepy threshold? Are you a cartoon bats and smily pumpkins person or a skulls-and-bones the-dead-are-rising kind of person? Are your fairytales dark or Disney? I don't like grotesque or gory. A former witch sent me a pamphlet of pictures & descriptions of sideshow freaks, and it made me really uncomfortable. Please don't send me something like that. Not really into death imagery either, I am way too aware of my own mortality these days and just not into it. As far as fairy tales go, though, I do prefer the original, darker versions of most. Are your ears pierced, Witchee? Do you have any other piercings? Would you like to receive any items of jewelry for these piercings? No piercings, no plans to become pierced. Thanks but no thanks! How do you all feel about Whoopie Pies? Positively!

Hey there! I thought it might be fun to make a list of less expensive things that I would absolutely love to have in case you're looking at the $60 necklaces on my Etsy wishlist and freaking out. (Dear witch, I absolutely do NOT expect you or even want you to buy me expensive stuff... everything on my Etsy wishlist is there for aesthetic ideas and well, just in case I win the lottery or something.) So here you go, 10 treats under $10: 1. A bar of Arcana's Filthy Viking soap 2. A bar of dark chocolate, such as Vosges Enchanted Mushroom Bar, which I've been dying to try but always wuss out on... (If you could find one of the miniature bars of that mushroom one, that'd be amazing. I only ever see it in the huge bar.) 3. A reusable coffee filter for the Melitta cone I use for coffee at work. Something like this. 4. A bubble bar from Lush or elsewhere. I've wanted to try Ice Hotel for years but just haven't gotten around to it... I also think this one, this one and this one from Etsy sellers all sound lovely. 5. Wide satin ribbon in a mocha-y color, 5 or 6 yds. I don't have a link for this but I'm guessing that if you buy it online you can find this for < $10... I'm looking for some to finish a baby quilt with. 6. Clear glass ornament balls for making Christmas ornaments with, any size. (This is our first Christmas at home instead of with my husband's family in eight! eight! eight! years! So we have no Christmas decorations and I want to make some...) 7. A yard (or half a yard) of fleece fabric in a fun print, like this or this or this. I'm going to make Christmas stockings for my kids (really, ask me what holiday I'm most excited about this year) and am on the lookout for funky fabrics that aren't just red or green or Santa Claus printed... I might make matching hats with the fabric that's left after stockings! 8. Some tasty chai, like Zhena's coconut chai, which I've had and love dearly, Good Earth's Original (maybe decaf?), which is a long time favorite, or this one with rose petals from Etsy which I haven't tried but which looks really interesting... 9. A roll of reflective tape for augmenting my bike & helmet with... I bike to work around 5 a.m. every morning and am always looking to improve my visibility and snazz up my bike while I'm at it. 10. Some silicone cupcake liners. Another one of those things I've been meaning to get around to but just haven't...

September 15th interested in anything from Lush? Any of the vegan bubble bars. Blackberry or Waving Not Drowning bath bombs. Maybe other bath bombs too, but I mostly go for bubbly things these days. Do you blog? Would you like a header for your blog, a layout, etc? Not really! I only blog about one month out of the year (for the Vegan Month of Food, October this year). Would you be interested in a handmade bookmark? Sure! I can always use more bookmarks! do you like chex puppy chow or muddie buddies (ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips, PB, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, chex cereal)? would you want to get some from your witch / nacho witch? I'd be interested in trying it (provided that the chocolate chips are vegan) but have to admit that chocolate + peanut butter isn't one of my favorite chocolate combos. How would you feel about receiving a Groupon deal for something in your local area? If there is anything you WOULDN'T like, mention that also. That would be cool! But I feel like most of the Groupons for my area are actually for up in San Jose-- where I go maybe once a month, max. ------------------------------------------------------------ September 14th how interested would you be on somewhat personalized bottle cap labels? Like these that I did? Sure! That's cool. When you're miserably sick (*sniffle, cough!*) what are the things that comfort you the most? Lying on the couch with blankets, watching either my favorite kids movies (Alice in Wonderland, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Totoro, etc) or horrible television, drinking tea, snuggling any human who will come within my germosphere. What constitutes ultimate luxury to you? (go crazy!) Traveling. Anywhere. Staying in a B&B or even a nice hotel. Taking bubble baths (in jacuzzi tubs, for ultimate luxury). Getting my hair cut by a professional at a nice salon, complete with that scalp massage-y bit. Going out to eat somewhere with interesting food. Going to the theater. And then sleeping in the next day after any of this. What do you really NOT want? Things with animal products. Candles & wax tarts. (Wouldn't get used.) Knick-knacks. Spray perfumes (allergies). Makeup (again, wouldn't get used).

September 13th How would you feel about kitchen towels and other similar household objects, if they are pretty or a souvenir? If they're usable (that is, not JUST decorative) then yes, I'm very interested! One can never have enough kitchen towels and I don't think that just because something's going to get used means that it shouldn't be pretty as well... How did you dress up for your last party or compulsory-formal-dress occasion? For a friend's wedding, I wore this dress in navy blue with these tights in Peacock and this necklace and some metallic gold/silver flats. This is possibly the closest to fashionable I have ever been in my life. Alas, I will never be able to recreate it precisely; the dress was irreparably stained by my son rubbing melted chocolate into it. (Amazingly, his suit? Laundered with no problems.) Do you enjoy puzzles/riddles? (Cryptograms, Sudoku, Crossword, Jigsaw, etc) I love crosswords, particularly the NY Times daily (especially Sundays, though I rarely have the time to do them anymore) and the WSJ's Sunday puzzle. Sudoku bores me... I'm a computer programmer by nature (though it's not what I'm doing for work right now) so I can't help but solve the same way I'd write a program to solve it... which is very repetitive and boring. And jigsaws just lead to disaster in my house. Other than that, I'm open to new puzzles! Can you sum yourself (whether it be personality, life's goals, ethics, whatever) in 10 words or less? For better/worse, not as young as I used to be. How about little bottles of booze? Ya wanna? What kind? Can't right now, alas. The fetus does not do liquor. One of my favorite SW treats ever was a lovely tiny bottle of rum... I did savor that. What are your views on fudge and brownies? (Also, if you live in a warm place, where the fudge might melt, that'd be helpful to know. Or, if you're diabetic and fudge is death, that'd be useful to know, too.) As much as I love chocolate, I'm really not that into fudge! I have blood sugar problems-- persistent hypoglycemia which is actually worsened by eating high glycemic foods (my pancreas goes oh noes big sugar intake, here have MORE INSULIN when I already have too much, sorta the opposite of diabetes)-- that make many treats impossible for me even in moderation. Fudge is one of them... just makes my blood sugar go haywire. Brownies are good though! Again, if they're vegan, I'm almost certainly going to be excited to see them pass my way... Also, what about mochi? Love it, hate it, baffled by it? I like it! Does anyone like kimchi? I freaking love kimchi. (With the vegan caveat as always. I know some people make it with fish sauce, but I rarely have trouble finding it without too.) Not just because it's delicious, but because my brain can barely compute eating it. My eyes and my nose are saying "this is trash! DO NOT EAT GARBAGE FOOD" but my mouth is saying "aaaaaah, moooooore". I feel the same way about natto. Would you be interested in a sample box (from somewhere like Birchbox or loosebutton)? It would probably not be pointful for me, since I don't do makeup at all. Paintbox Soapworks - anything you're interested in, in general or from the latest update? Oh jeez Louise. I have really never seen their stuff before and... I think I'm in love. It all looks great. Smiling Jack and Guy Fawkes especially, and the Cicada soap, and... oy. I am going to need to make an Etsy wishlist, and when I get around to that, I'll add specific things from Paintbox but suffice to say, you would be hardpressed to go wrong with anything I'm seeing on their site. Do you guys have any sports that you follow obsessively? How about favorite teams and/or athletes? Nope, I don't watch sports at all. I like to watch rugby, but not having a television or living anywhere that it's popular, it's rare that I catch it. Most sports bore the hell out of me as a watcher... I love to PLAY sports, but that's totally different in my mind. You have to place a Lab and Trading Post order. Right fuckin' now. No spending limits. What do you buy? A bottle of Eat Me (which I always forget about until I have One of Those weeks) An imp pack with each of the Mad Tea Party scents I haven't tried: Alice's Evidence, All in the Golden Afternoon, Frumious Bandersnatch, Mad Hatter, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, White Rabbit, all of the Garden of Live Flowers, all of Moral Hymnody and Nonsense. I haven't tried any of the Marchens but don't know which ones in particular I'd want, but imps of some of those. An imp of Dragon's Reverie which I tried back in the beginning of my BPAL adventures and didn't like and very quickly swapped away, but which I've always wanted to try a second time. Honey Pumpkin Stout bath oil or soap or both... drool... Harvest Festival atmosphere spray, though I'd be a little concerned about the hay... I was so SO allergic to Hay Moon that I've been cautious ever since. Lemurian Seaweed, Opium Tar, Tears of the Seraphim powders... oooh, shiny. I wonder if they make bubbles? How do you feel about notebooks/journals/stationery? Anything you need or particularly like? Positive! There's nothing I particularly need right now, but moar paper is always good. I like unlined paper, beyond that, no preferences really. Does confetti/glitter make you angry or fill you with glee? Mostly just makes a mess, and my two year old WILL try to eat it. How do you feel about stuffed animals/plushies/general soft, cuddly things? If you like them, what kind of animals would you be interested in? I love stuffed animals but my kid will take possession of any that come my way.

September 12th Would you like to receive e-books? And if so, in what format? Sure! I was resistant to e-books for a long time but it turns out I love them. I read them on my iPhone, either in the Kindle app or the google books app. If you have kids, would you be interested in getting things for them? And if so, what are they interested and what sizes are the wearing now? Sure! My son wears a size 2T (though 3T things are appreciated too, since he's GOT to move to that size sometime, right? he's been 2T since he was 9 months old ) and is interested in a pretty wide variety of things. His favorite things in the world right now are his play kitchen & play food, his doll, a little red matchbox car, coloring, and trains. (Can't remember if I mentioned it in my questionnaire, but I'm pregnant right now too, expecting another boy mid-January. You don't have to send anything for him, though, heh.) Would you be interested in a felted handbag? Do any of these styles appeal to you? http://tinyurl.com/3o2epzl (there's at least one guy-friendly style, too!) Those are beautiful but I have to admit that I'm really not a bag person. Are there are patterns, motifs, etc that you especially like? Nothing's springing to mind... Witchee, would you be interested in having a special tea cup/coffee mug/glass to drink out of? Sure! I actually already own more coffee mugs than anyone rightly should but um, that's an indicator of how attached I am to them. If you're a tea drinker, is there any specific tea you would like to receive, not just the kind/flavor but also the type/packing--i.e., tea bags, loose tea, compressed, etc? When I do have tea, I prefer loose. (I also love the little compressed bricks of pu-erh.) As for kinds/flavors, like I mentioned in yesterday's set of questions, I don't drink much black tea these days... mostly chais or tisanes.

In reverse order... September 11th I am fond of the thrift. Do you mind lightly used goods? Please be specific! For instance, I'm a little squicked by used clothing, but I don't mind any other used goods (i.e. books, glassware, games, DVDs, whatever.) Fine with most used wearables, other than like underwear and socks. I used to be weirded out by used shoes but became more accepting of them when I went vegan and wanted to stop buying new leather shoes. (When you have weirdly shaped feet, sometimes used leather is the best veg compromise you're going to get.) Books & other media, I am more than fine with used. That's the way to go! Kitchen stuff is a-okay used too. Used cosmetics and soaps and stuff weird me out a little more. Pre-used bar soap would absolutely not get used in my house. (I have trouble sharing bar soap with people I'm related to!) Used perfume would obviously be fine though. Do you have an Etsy shop? Do you know of any Etsy shops that are Switch Witch friendly? No! I love buying on Etsy though. A friend of mine makes wonderful jewelry that she sells partially through Etsy. Her shop is Lush Beads on Etsy. I feel like her spider jewelry might be perfect for some 'Weenies witchees... Would a gift or a postcard from Disneyland make you squee with delight or puke into your mail box? I am ambivalent about Disneyland! A postcard might be nice! what are your favorite types of Halloween candy? Hmm... peanut chews? When I was a kid, those mini heath bars were my favorite, but I've never found a vegan equivalent. Used to also love candy corn (and those little pumpkins made out of candy corn) but again, not vegan. Oh, you know what else I really used to love? Those super cheap tasting milk chocolates in the foil shaped like pumpkins etc. That's actually what I think rice milk chocolate tastes like... kinda waxy and strange and yet oddly alluring. Do you prefer soap or shower gel? Please give examples of your favorite scents or brands. Hmm. I like both. In terms of what I own... I own way more bar soap. So much bar soap. Arcana soaps are almost always a hit with me-- Filthy Viking is my absolutely favorite thing in the whole entire to wash with. I really do NOT love most of Lush's bar soaps. Though, it's been years since I tried a new one... the last new Lush soap I tried was Lily Savon when it first came out. (And boy did I hate that soap.) How do you like your chocolate? For example with nuts, mint, peanut butter, caramel? If it's vegan and it's chocolate, I will eat it. I have no sense of discrimination. Dark chocolate + sea salt + anything else is basically always a particularly big win for me. Beads! Do you use them? Would you want some? What sorts of beads do you like? I flirted with beading at one point, actually due to another SW round. It's not a strength of mine and I probably wouldn't actually use beads you sent me, though I love beaded things. Anyone here like caramels? Sea salted caramels?!?! Caramel is something I adore, but it is rare to find it vegan. I've made it before several times and it's really not that hard (basically sub coconut milk for dairy cream, vegan margarine or coconut oil for butter, and presto) but I guess there's not much of a demand for it in the world. Would you like a hand dyed or hand painted scarf or wrap or other item? If so, what colors/designs/fabrics do you like? Sure! A scarf might be nice, assuming we're talking some light fabric here and not like painted wool. (For wool things, see my answer to knitted goods.) Like I said before, I'm pretty open about colors... earth tones, jewel tones, basically anything that's not sugary pink or white works for me. This was a question before, but does anyone here like stones? Just pretty polished stones for use in whatever purposes? Not really! ------------------------------------------------------------- September 10th What #1 actor, director, author and/or musician are you obsessed with? Hm. I don't trend towards obsession! At least not as far as celebrities are concerned. Really, I thought about this for like twenty minutes and the only person I can come up with is Stephen Fry. Man, do I love Stephen Fry. are you interested in anything from the Villainness Bad Apples update? I'd love to try the soaps of either Discord or Just Right. (Chances of me buying them for myself are exactly 0 though!) If you have a pet, would he/she/they like to receive a treat or a toy as a gift? Does your pet have any dietary restrictions or other preferences w.r.t. said treat? My guinea pigs don't really do much in the way of treats or toys. We've tried a couple of things that were supposed to be guinea pig specific (fruit twigs, I forget what else) and they're just totally disinterested. What are your top three "I want to try them but I think I'll never get to try them" (or, "I've tried them and I want moar moar moar, but I don't think I'll ever get any") scents/bath oils/sprays? So I checked my wishlist for an answer to this and realized I really, really need to update it... my most wanteds are all things from the Weenies update of '08, which I decanted and tried all of. Doh! I really wanted to try a lot of the Nutcracker & Scrooge scents last year but just didn't get my act together in time... those aren't really unobtainable but that's what comes to mind. Is there a particular artist and piece that you would like a print of? If so, what is your max size that you could spare on your walls? The sad truth of the matter is that I already have so many prints that I could paper every bare inch of wall in my house twice. If you are in to beauty and makeup related stuff, what kind of stuff do you like? What is your skintone and hair color? Are there any beauty products you've wanted to try but just never purchase? I'm not into makeup at all. I am, however, really looking for a light moisturizer that also has sunscreen in it. I'd like to try Origins' Brighter by Nature moisturizer but haven't worked up to shelling out the money for it yet. I have notoriously sensitive skin so would really like to try a sample of it before making a decision. Do you like coffee or tea? Would you be interested in trying some different types? Coffee: I freaking love coffee. Coffee is my happy place. Right now I only drink 1 cup a day (and no one else in my house drinks it at all) so if you send any, smaller amounts are probably better than larger amounts. Tea: I used to be a big tea drinker but it's fallen by the wayside somehow. I still love a good chai, but don't really care for straight up black teas anymore. You know what I am up for lately though? Tisanes. I'm trying to limit my caffeine (pregnancy and whatnot) but get bored of sucking down water all day, so non-caffeinated stuff is welcome... Are there any CDs/Albums you've been wanting but haven't bought yet? What format do you prefer? (i.e. mp3, actual cd, record, etc) Hm. Not that I can think of. I usually buy music by artists I love more or less right away. On the other hand, I am always, always looking for new music, so don't feel like you can't send me any just because I can't think of any in particular. MP3s or CDs are best. I love records but really don't have the room to store any more of them than I already have. Are you going away for any part of this round? Not sure if it falls quite within the confines of the round, but I am planning to be out of town for a day or two around Thanksgiving. Other than that, probably not! Would you like to receive a mix-CD from your Witch? Sure! If your witch were going somewhere on a vacation during the round, would you want a little souvenir? Magnets & postcards are always welcome. Do you enjoy any outdoor activities? Do you have a favorite form of "exercise"? Yes! I love just walking outside and spend a lot of time visiting state parks, etc, with my family. I'm also a bike commuter (~8 miles a day) and would really like to expand that into a bigger hobby because man do I love riding my bike. Pre-babies I used to run a lot, and I miss that, but I really can't find the time these days. Any witchee's with a ravelry account have any favourited patterns that cost money that would be a welcome gift? No ravelry account! Do you work/study at a desk and enjoy interesting or cute office supplies? Sure! Especially pens. My workplace is really tight fisted about giving out pens. (Isn't that weird?) And notepads. And like, I could use a pen cup or something too. Um... pretty much any cute office supplies would go to use around here. (The cuter the better, so my two very male cubicle mates don't steal them.) Witchee, are you a fan of musicals? If so, which ones? Yes! And I'm not choosy. I love them all, from the classics like Fiddler and Annie Get Your Gun, etc, up to more contemporary things like RENT and well... I guess RENT's not contemporary anymore, is it?... whatever is contemporary now, I probably like it. ------------------------------------------------------------- September 9th Do you like to burn incense? If so, what are your favorite kinds...sticks? cones? resins? What are your favorite scents? Incense (and indeed, anything that makes smoke) tends to cause respiratory sadness for me. :/ Which is a bummer, because I love incense. My mom used to make her own when I was little and so I have a lasting fondness for it. I like cones because, well, they're cute, and I like more or less the same scents I like in perfumes... resinous things, dragon's blood and such, lavender, some florals, no patchouli, etc. Harry Potter - a fan? If so, what house are you? I'm a fan. Probably Ravenclaw. If you were to receive a gift card, what places would you like to get one from? Hmm... probably boring ol' Amazon, or if you could figure out how to buy one online, for my local bookstore, Bookshop Santa Cruz. Is there a particular myth/folktale/legend/fairytale/godstory that you're drawn to? Not really any one in particular. I love European fairy tales (Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian etc) and Greek & Roman mythology and am lately fascinated by Russian fairy tales. If you RP, tabletop, forum, or otherwise... Do you have any original characters you'd like to see art of? If so, please give information! Even if it's a link to a web page or a profile or picture! I don't, but what a cool idea! If you could see anything, what would it be? Can be a person, an event, a landmark or monument, an object, etc. And it doesn't have to be on this planet, or in this time period, or in this reality! I'd love to just see the future, near or otherwise. What will things be like in a hundred years? A thousand? I hate the idea that I'll never know how the story ends, so to speak. When you are having a really rough day, what do you like to do/have to make it a little brighter? Take a bubble bath with my two year old. That sounds weird, but it's the best thing ever because a. I get to take a bath, something that almost never happens if I try to do it solo, and b. my kid is so cute and funny in the bath. It's really just sweet and funny and calming, and plus we all smell nice afterwards. What are your thoughts on comics? Any you like? Any you have been wanting to try? Favorite characters? I was a big comic reader in college, then came to a screeching halt somewhere in my senior year and never picked up again. Some of my old favorites were Fables, Transmetropolitan and really most things by Warren Ellis (when he's not totally phoning it in), anything anything by Ariel Schrag... Are you musical? Do you play an instrument, and if so, what? If not, what do you wish you could play or do? I sing, and that's about it. I've sang in various choirs, which is fun, and in musicals, which is the best thing ever and which I wish I could do again. (I'm not a great singer by any means, but I sound really good in a group and am l-o-u-d, so I am an excellent chorus member!) I adore music but have just never really known where to start with instruments. Someday I'd like to play an instrument-- ANY instrument-- but though I've tried things here and there, I haven't shown any aptitude for it at all. Does anyone garden? And if you do, what do you grow? If not, would a starter garden kit be something you'd be interested in? I'm very interested in gardening, but haven't ever succesfully done it. (Once I grew marigolds for my mom, but that's it.) What I'd really like to grow are vegetables and/or herbs, edible things. Right now I have a tiny postage stamp back yard though with seriously maybe 8 ft x 2 ft of soil in it, so anything I tried to grow would probably have to be in containers.... Do you decorate for Halloween? Is your decorating taste elegant, kitschy and fun, or scary? Not really! My decorating style trends towards "extremely lazy" so seasonal decorations are something I basically never get around to. Anything that was meant for outside would have to be more elegant, less kitschy. Witchee, do you have any symbols or totems that have special meaning for you? Nothing comes to mind. Hmm, I'm kind of striking out on this set of questions! Is anyone fond of programs like Adopt a Tree/Highway/Library/Manatee/Acre of Rainforest/etc?: Yes!

I've been puzzling over this one all morning. It's not what I expected, but not in a bad way. First applied, it's a strange smack in the face. I really can't place the notes. It's just a busy busy scent zipping everywhere. There's powder and spice and citrus and man cologne and something... floral? Almost lily smelling? Oh, it's weird. Really weird. Kinda what I was expecting... Within 5 or 10 minutes, it mellows immense and settles into tonka and gentle (?) gunpowder. Almost nothing else. No spice, no citrus, nothing sharp. It's actually a really warm, soft scent on me. Not masculine. It makes me want to hug something.

September 8th From the Weenie Update....what are you most wanting to try? Oh sheesh. There are so many I'm interested in this time around. I already ordered decants of the ones I most most want to try, but am still longing for but probably not ordering decants of: Nocturnal Reverie Devil's Night Elegy IX Ghosts in Love Le Revenant Mictecacihuatl (the original is one of my all time favorites) Pumpkin Princess Samhain 2011 Sonnet d'Automne Vampire Bride Nymphae Avernales Silver Apple of the Moon Black Apple of Saturn The Changeling The Ta Ta The scent I'm most, most excited about is Apple Cider. I have a decant (an extra from a circle I ran) of Fearful Pleasure from a million years ago. Originally I thought I'd swap it on-- wasn't really to my taste-- but about a year later I stumbled upon it and realized I'm totally in love with it. I'm a dabber and almost never run out of any scent, but I'm down to my last couple of dribbles of Fearful Pleasure, which seems more amazing every time I put it on. Who's into nail polish? What colors/brands? Not me! I was never a big nail polish wearer, but now I can't wear it to work (really! they'll make me take it off!) so it has no place in my life. Is there a quote (or lyric or part of a poem) that really resonates with you or is your favorite? I'm a huge words person, so there are so, so many lyrics/quotes/parts of poems/etc that resonate with me! There's no way to pick one... Right now I'm revisiting a favorite album (both musically and lyrically) from many years ago. The whole thing basically resonates with me from start to finish... lyrics here: Full Force Galesburg. Dream candle? Scent, color, type (tealight, votive, pillar, jar, etc.), throw... My two year old's favorite activity, hands down, is running through the house at full bore, back and forth and back and forth. You will not be surprised to hear how infrequently I burn candles. Do you like knitted goodies? If so, what would you like and what colors? I love them, but living in California kind of limits which ones are useful for me. A hat could be great, and I'm sort of in the market for arm warmers/fingerless gloves. Oh, and socks. Always socks. Colors: blues, greens, purples, greys, blacks, reds (especially darker reds), browns... if it's not white (in which case I'll be terrified to wear it because I'll just stain it instantly) or bright pink, it'll work for me! Would you be interested in homemade edibles that are NOT sweets? Any specifics? Yes! Can you make pickles? Pickled ANYTHING? If so, do you want to be best friends? What GC do you live in mortal terror of the lab discontinuing, but never get around to buying? Oh, that's a hard one. I think... Veil or Voodoo Lily. Those are two of my very, very favorites (and interestingly, very firsts) but I've never moved past the imp with them. I always forget how much I love Dragon's Heart and never even think about buying a bottle. That would probably so sad to see go. Yo, yarnies! Do you Ravelry? If so, who are you over thar? No! I don't even know what this means! Social Media? I have a facebook account that I use sporadically. I don't know how you would add me without outing yourself, but if you can figure out a way, you can find me by searching under either my email or my name, both should turn me up. That's about it! I also have a defunct Twitter account and will probably at some point start a G+ account but ugh so lazy. Do you have wishlists for non-BPAL e-tailers? And if so, could you provide a link or a list? Not really. My kaboodle wishlist is YEARS outdated now. (I should probably take it out of my sig.) I could start one though! Witchee, do you use a PC or a Mac? Oh jeez. I have fewer computers right now than I have in a long long time, and um, I still have a PC AND a Mac. I prefer my Mac by far though! What is your favorite animal? The noble tree kangaroo! And then guinea pigs. What are you going to be for Halloween? Not sure if I'll dress up this year or not-- my rapidly expanding uterus is making it hard to dress up as anything other than a pregnant lady. I'm thinking of dressing up my kid as a hobbit, though, so maybe something in keeping with that. If you could have a piece of oil painting jewelry (pendant, pair of earrings, or ring) with absolutely anything painted on it, what would it be? (If you prefer wall art instead, same question as above.) What an interesting question! Maybe a ring... with a... wren on it? I can't explain at all, that's the first thing that popped into my head. How do you feel about nick-knacks? Nick-knacks are the bane of my existence. I've never been much of a stuff person. My husband is a bit of a pack rat. In the past 8 years of living with him, my nick knack tolerance has utterly plummeted. What traditions (family, holiday, or otherwise) are important to you? Hm. I like to be with family on holidays. It's weird, I'm not religious, and holidays don't tend to be particularly significant to me... but if I'm not with some family... ANY family, my blood relatives or my in-laws... then I'm utterly morose. On a more daily ritual sort of level, it's important to me to eat dinner with my family, and to read my kid a book before bed. Can't explain why either thing is so important, but they are. Do you like going to the movies? YES. I freaking adore going to the movies. I almost never do it these days. (See: ownership of two year old.) What are your favorite restaurants? Just keeping it down to ones on the same coast as me... Millennium in San Francisco Back to Eden Bakery in Portland The Bagelry in Santa Cruz Dharma's in Capitola 99 Bottles of Beer in Santa Cruz (and I admit that this is more about the beer than the food, but shut up, I love and miss beer so much right now that it's making it onto the list) Green Cafe in um, Milipitas (I think) Malabar in Santa Cruz Source in San Francisco (jeez I would like an excuse to go there again) Cafe Delmarette in Santa Cruz Do you play any video games? I used to be an avid gamer but I rarely have time these days. The only thing I've really played in the past year is Plants vs Zombies, because my kid likes to watch it and because it's awesome. Do you like any anime? Yes! Not as much as I did when I was younger (and VERY into anime), but still happy to watch most things. Do you have an E-reader/iPad/something similar that you need a cover/case for? Just an iphone. how much do you like jewelry? like, if you were to get a shit ton of it during the round, how excited would you be? So I think I mentioned this in my questionnaire... I own almost no jewelry. This is not because I dislike jewelry. Actually, I like it a lot. I am just one of those people who has a hard time buying nice things for herself. I would be delighted to receive jewelry (a shit ton or other quantity) in SW. How would you like to receive some of your Witch's favorite recipes, tailored to your likes/dietary restrictions? And specific wants? Sure! I collect cookbooks (one of the only things I have a hard time getting rid of) and am always looking for new recipes. Do you need any boxes to store your smellies in? What would you store in said hypothetical box--imps, bottles, supplies, all of the above? Hmmm... I currently store my bottles in a jewelry box, which is nice, except I have to put them on their sides which makes me nervous. I wouldn't say no to a box that I could stand them upright in. Muppets: yea or nay? Not a big muppet fan these days, but I don't dislike them either. Do you have an affinity for Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, The Far Side, and other comic strips? If so, which is your favorite? I kinda love the strip Apartment 3-G just because it's so... bad. Favorite Mythological Creature?: Hoo, a favorite... that's hard. Maybe... Baba Yaga? Do you like hair things barrettes, headbands, flowers If they're smallish... things that are too big/exciting looking make me feel self-conscioius. I have more hair than a hair farmer, though.

I picked up a decant of this on a whim. Past Harvest Moons haven't stirred me a whole lot, but I love this time of year so I almost always end up trying them... I am VERY pleasantly surprised by this one. It's mostly brown spices (warm, spice-cake spices... but removed from any sort of foodie context) and leaves for me. Not dry leaves, but that kind of moist leaf you find at the bottom of a leaf pile, where they're starting to decay. That sounds gross, but I mean it in a good way. Can also smell the apple-- especially initially-- though it's more of a hint at the edge after a few minutes. The aloe is strong to me at first, but fades very soon. Not cedary, which I was concerned about (often smells like rodent cage on me), not overly smoky or wine-y. Like I said... mostly spice and leaves. It's VERY strong on me and is still quite noticeable three hours and one long bike ride after application. But I'm okay with that, because it's a delight.

For the first 15 minutes this is on my skin, I adore this. It's an amazing, juicy punch of strawberry, cherry, apricot, and just a little brandy. Ah, if only this stage lasted. But then the red musk just swarms over everything and more or less obliterates it. It's a nice musk, I like it, but it really overwhelms the rest of the scent on me.

This is a crazy screaming floral nightmare on me. I normally quite like florals. There's something about this that makes it super aggressive to my nose-- I think it might be the agave? Too many flowers trying to shout into my nose at once. After about an hour, this dies down into nothing but pikake on me, which I don't love on its own. It lasts for just about forever... I could still smell it at the end of a work day. The two things I never smell here are the two I most wanted... The calla lily and the amber. At the end of the day, this scent is not for me, but if you're looking for a floral that's got a bit more kick than most, you may like this!

In the vial, I get all the notes, though the coffee is faint. I think it's really interesting that many people have described this as gentle because from the first, it smells very strong-- a marshmallow and khushy punch to the nose. I'm a dabber, and a tiny dab of this is almost overpowering on me for about an hour. I still get all the notes except the coffee (just disappears on my skin) and they're lovely but so so strong. After about an hour, it seriously mellows on me. I love this stage-- I get the lovely mallow, woods, khus, which to me smell so warm and comforting, reminds me of snuggling under blankets in the winter-- and am delighted that it lasts 4-5 hours or so. To my nose, this has potential to be unisex. Smells great on me, and I'd love to smell it on a man.

In the vial, I can smell almost all the notes listed. (No verbena though-- you guys must have gotten all of mine, heh.). It's lovely. On my skin, it instantly burns down to sweet myrrh and beeswax. Reminds me of Midnight Mass. It's quite pretty but has none of the complexity of the scent in the vial. I'm disappointed but bet this would be nice in a scent locket.

For the first two minutes this is on my skin, I get a delicious almost cakelike smell-- smoky vanilla, sugar, a little warm spice-- and I love it. Then, in a blink of an eye, it becomes nothing but light musk on me, with maybe a faint hint of sugar cane. Alas.

This one starts off VERY lime on me. I get that on a background of plum and berries. It's great. The lime burns off within minutes for me, though, and I can notice the resins more as it dries. In 45 minutes, this one's almost gone on me-- nothing at all left but a faint breath of incense. I'm sad that it doesn't last on me, because I love the initial smell and like the second stage too.

So, Zadok Allen is sort of like The Blood Garden: The Revenge! for me. It has a lot of aspects that I remember liking about that-- the wine grapes don't get out of control (grape is often a problem note for me), the blood note isn't too "aaah! blood!", the overall scent is rich and smooth. I'm a dabber by nature but I didn't even do a full dab with this... half a dab, maybe. It's still QUITE strong on me. In the first 90 seconds or so after I applied it, I was like "oh noes! get it off me!" because all I got was sickly sweet grape. That burnt off really really fast though, for which I am quite grateful. It's hard to say what exactly I'm getting here, because the scent is so beautifully blended to my nose. There's definitely wine, a tart note that reminds me of cranberries (maybe the blood accord?), mild cherry, and incense. It still has a sweetness to it, but it's not the primary characteristic of the scent. Overall, I'm a big fan, and I'll be hanging on to my bottle.

This is the phoenix I most expected to enjoy, and I'm not at all disappointed with it. It's quite beautiful on me-- not too sweet or too simple, but not overwhelming or overly complex. I get mostly rose and citrus resting on a warm bed of amber. There are hints of the other notes, but nothing else really jumps out. If there's anything that really surprised me here, it's that the scent is not as spicy as I expected. Still, it's a big win for me. My husband says it reminds him of the house of an elderly lady he used to know, "but in a good way." I think it DOES smell a little bit potpurri-ish, but also... in a good way.

In the vial: smells remarkably like an incense my mother used to make. I get a lot of mastic and a lot of lavender and not too much of anything else. This seems like it's going to be a huge hit with me... On my skin: ... but disaster strikes. I couldn't tell you what I'm amping in this, but it is something HORRID. This goes from smelling like a great slightly sharp incense to stinking like one of those stinky perfume ads in a men's magazine. It's not the lavender-- I know and love lavender in its many forms. That's definitely present here, but it's overwhelmed by something that my brain can only recognize as magazine stink. Why, Quicksilver, why? Why do you become cologne on me? Sigh. I'm really sorry this doesn't play nice on my skin, as I love it in the vial.

In the bottle: this is a buttery cake... sort of a pound cake. Mmm. On, wet: oh hey, there's the beer! This is a nice, light hoppy beer. It smells like the sort of thing I'd like to drink. I'm really pleased with the smell. It reminds me a little of the hoppy smell in Roadhouse. On, dry: and here's the incense! It's sort of the memory of incense, if you know what I mean-- the smell a room has when incense has been burnt there in the past. I love that this scent has cycled through the three notes perfectly for me. They're all present at the end, beautifully intermingled. Throw: less throw than many BPALs on me. I could probably slather this one and get away with it. Duration: duration is average for me, about 12 hours. Overall: This is the first BPAL I've ordered since I found out I was pregnant in January! I bought it in celebration of having had my baby. I had the feeling it would be perfect for me, and I'm glad that I blind bought it-- it's really very, very lovely, and a perfect treat! It is really a very simple scent on me-- just the notes listed, nothing else. Exactly what I wanted!

In the bottle: CAAAAKE. Reminds me a lot of Huesos de Santos. I also get a hint of cream cheese frosting too. On, wet: whoa-aa, I'm not sure how to describe this. There's cake, but that's far from all. It's sweet and chocolatey, but also... incense-y? I could swear there's a little tobacco lurking in here. On, dry: cake and the memory of incense. Really beautiful. Throw: good! It's not overwhelmingly strong, but still far from faint. Duration: not as long as some BPALs. I get about 3 hours of the main scent, then about 6 hours of a faint after-scent. Still good. Overall thoughts: Lilith Victoria was a total surprise smash hit for me-- it's probably my second favorite BPAL of all time, after Sleepy Moon. I'm not sure how much of what I like in LV is the combination of Snake Oil and Dorian (neither of which I've tried plain), but I was willing to take a gamble on Cake Smash in the hopes that it would be a similar success. And I'm pleased to say that it IS just as successful for me. This has a similar base to LV (surprise!) but is more foodie and, I swear, incensey on me.

12/14 Anyone a fan of Goddess art? I love images of women, in beautiful poses, strong women, powerful women (No- Not Hilary ROFL) I like dark, vampire types too, not *too* dark- okay for general consumption type art too. I like lady art in general. Anyone else a Luis Royo fan? My dad is! I'm not really. What are your favorite websites (i.e., the ones you visit every day, or almost every day)? BPAL, nytimes.com, livejournal, and a couple of misc video game news sites and web comics. How do you feel about Lush? Anything you want to try? There's stuff I want to try on my kaboodle wishlist. I don't buy much Lush for myself these days, though... it's kinda moved out of my price range. :/ How do you feel about home made lip balm, salt or sugar scrubs, soap, bath salts, etc? EXTREMELY POSITIVE if you were to receive a hand-knitted item, what color(s) would you prefer AND are there any types of yarn that you just cannot handle (e.g. wool, llama, etc.) I'm not really hot for animal fibers, and I prefer good ol' cotton over acrylic. Red's my favorite color, but really, I'm not choosy. 12/13 What is one REALLY expensive, completely outrageous thing you would LOVE to get but totally don't expect to ever get from anyone? A nice custom corset. I have almost bought myself one on several occasions but these things cost money and I balk at spending money on myself. Do you like coffee mugs? Travel or stay at home? How big? Do you like ones from Starbucks? Mugs are nice, but I have a lot already. I'm way set on travel mugs, but wouldn't say no to more stay at home ones... especially big ones. Oh, I also don't really like plastic mugs. If you drink coffee, do you like whole bean coffee or prefer ground? What grind? What roast (mild, medium, bold, extra bold)? Do you like flavored coffee? Alas, I never drink coffee at home. Do you like tea? What kinds of tea (green, red, white, black, decaf, herbal infusions)? Feel free to get specific on brands and tea types. Loose or bagged? Do you need any kind of tea accessories? Pots/cozys/presses/strainers? I might have mentioned this in my questionnaire... I love tea, but can't have too much in the way of caffeine these days. (It interacts badly with medication I take.) But luckily, I love herbal teas as well as others. No specific brands to mention really... I LOVE everything I've tried from TeaNoir on Etsy, though. What is your favorite hot chocolate or drinking chocolate? Do you need Vegan or no? Yes to the vegan question. I usually just make my own at home out of baking cocoa and almond milk. Do you need any decanting supplies? Pipettes? Vials? How about any wand caps? Roller bottles? Some spray bottles (for oils mixed with alcohol?) I'd love some wand caps. Other than that, I am set on supplies. 12/12 I wanted to ask a question: are there any rare (or even uber-rare) scents that you'd really like to try? I was really lucky and got to try a bunch of rare sniffies via a contest dpoulsen21 had over the summer. I think that hit most of the ones I really wanted to try. Other than that, I'd really like to sniff the Champagne scents. And I'd like to smell Snow Maiden. And... well... I'd like to smell La Primavera and L'Estate too. Does your forum name have a special significance? Refer to something or someone you admire? Reflect your interests? Come on, spill! Mine's obvious. I am ALWAYS cold or sleepy and usually both.... hence, coldandsleepy. 12/11 What's your favorite texture? SOFT! Soft is the best texture. Not fuzzy necessarily... just soft. Cashmere is the best feeling thing on earth, I think.... which's sad, because I don't do cashmere anymore. What's one luxury item you want to pamper yourself with but haven't yet? I am really intrigued by the... what is it called... body gloss? I think? By Haunt that's on the Soap Box Company website. All of them sound amazing... allll of them. But they're like $10 a bottle and I'm not sure I'd use them and and... still. Sounds soooo good. Do you prefer arm warmers to the wrist, to the base of the fingers, or half fingered? Half fingered! Any favorite cartoon characters? Disney, Sanrio, etc? Oddly nothing comes to mind. Have you (or maybe the younguns in your family) been exposed to the Webkinz craze? Heh. My five year old niece LOOOOVES them. Who's your favorite playwright? Probably August Strindberg. Anyone into physical activities? For instance- I'm training to become a Combat Archer in the SCA, and something I would use would be an Archers glove...is there anything you do as a sport/hobby in which you might need equipment? Nothing in particular right now. Are there any witchy type supplies you're in need of, or would like to try etc.? Herbs, smudge sticks, resins, tarot/oracle cards, incense burners, pretty tools, stuff like that? Not really. Do you like Shakespeare? Which plays? YES! I love a great deal of them... but my favorite will probably always be A Midsummer's Night Dream... closely followed by Much Ado about Nothing. 12/10 Question for the Class: Favorite Musical? Ha! I am a secret musical nerd. I LOVE musicals... watching them, being in them, listening to their soundtracks. My favorite might be Fiddler on the Rooftop... no matter how many times I see it, I always enjoy it and come away thinking about something new. How do you like your chocolate? White, milk, bittersweet, as dark as possible? Plain, with flavoring, with chunks of stuff in? Fairly traditional, or weird and experimental? Vegan and weird. Mmmm.... weird flavors. Favorite animals? Least favorite? I am physically repulsed by insects. Other than that, I like most animals. My top two are probably tree kangaroos (google them!) and guinea pigs. How do you feel about Heifer International? Or do you have other favorite charities not mentioned in your application? I have a list of favorites in one of my blog posts from last round. While I respect what Heifer International does, I feel really ambivalent about what they do, so I'd prefer donations made in my name to be to something else. So for all witches of the shimmying types- would you like tassel belts/jingle belts/ ect and if so, how big are your hips? Hee. I don't really shimmy, but I like this question.

Helloooo! I am taking a break from an insanely busy study schedule (huge exam on Monday) to reply to the first batch of SW questions. Woot! I can't wait for the winter round to start. This will probably be oddly justified, because I'm pasting it out of pico (it's almost dinner time, no time to fuss with line breaks). Here we go, then: 12/5 What kind of candy/sweet treat would you like to receive? There are these cookies at Trader Joe's... they're called Candy Cane Jo-Jos. They're apparently like vegan crack. I never ever ever go to TJ's, but... I would like to try the Candy Cane Jo Jos. Other than that, sweets are really one place you can't go wrong with me. I can't indulge in them too much (blood sugar problems), but I love them more or less uniformly. Hard candies, dark chocolate, and vegan caramel are all made of win. I also love the combination of salt + sweetness always. I... I love salt a lot. Would you personally rather get handmade jewelry or the beads to make something yourself? Oh, that's tough. Either would be really wonderful. 12/4 It seems like there are quite a few knitting witches, so I assume they are on the Ravelry forum as well. If so, what are your names on there so I can stalk you? No Ravelry! Speaking of which, how many Browncoat witches do we have?? And if you are, would you be interested in getting a Kaylee parasol? If not, would you be interested in getting a paper parasol hand painted with your favorite colors? I don't even know what this means, so I don't think it applies to me! In general, though, a parasol would be lovely-- it's never not sunny here (more or less), aaaaand I could take a parasol to Burning Man next year. Is there any time during the holidays (or the rest of the round) when you'll be away from home for a significant period and it'd be best not to send anything by mail? I'll be out of town for maybe two weeks for Christmas, visiting my in-laws in Oregon. Dates are still tentative because my spouse STILL hasn't asked his boss when he's allowed to leave (despite me hassling him about it for literally months), but I'm guessing we're looking at about December 21st-January 3rd or 4th. You can still send mail to me during that time, though-- we have a very secure mailbox (as in, it locks) and I'd also be happy to supply the in-laws' address if you for some reason want it. And I'll have email access throughout the whole trip, though my forum time will probably be limited. To make up for the fact that I probably won't be able to send my witchee homebaked goodies, will Tim Tams in any number of varieties be an acceptable replacement? Alas, I am fairly certain Tim Tams aren't vegan. Hand beaded jewellery, yay or nay? Yes! I love shinies! Which witches would like hair accessories: clips, scrunchies, hairsticks, headscarves, etc? I have no haiiiiiir! Well, not much hair. I think it's about two inches long now. So most of these things wouldn't apply to me. A headscarf could be nice, though! On a similar note, who likes yarn? What kinds/colors/weights/fibers? Handspun? Glitter? Funky art yarn made from shredded jeans, fake flowers, lace, sequins, and the tattered souls of your enemies? Other craft supplies you desperately want more of and can't live without? This all sounds awesome (esp. souls of enemies), but I don't really do much with yarn at this point. I absolutely LOVE to knit, but aside from the fact that I've never figured out how to do things with circular needles (socks, etc), knitting makes my carpal tunnel flare up like it's nobody's business. And I can never remember how to crochet. As for craft supplies: I made beaded jewelry for my witchee last round and, to my surprise, had a totally BLAST doing it. Just think, you could send me beads this round, and then I could work 'em into jewelry for my witchee, and it'd be like this whole circle of awesome. Heh heh. Anyway, aside from yarn and beads, I love more or less all craft supplies, which is funny because I'm not really crafty. Prior to college, I did a LOT of art stuff and am well versed in just about every media there is other than pen and ink... I still find it intensely relaxing and engaging to make art, even though I know I'm not very good at it. Oh yeah: I would love love love pen and ink supplies, because like I said, I've never done it before... and I'm dying to. Anyone else a total nerd like me and would like DnD/Roleplay stuff (Dice, minis, books, corny tees, etc.)? Ha ha ha. Again, this is something my dude would love. I like funny tshirts, but beyond that, I don't do much DnD-y stuff these days. I am a big ol' nerd though. How do people feel about unusual ornaments? As in, for holidays other than Christmas? I don't really decorate for holidays other than Christmas. And, in fact, this'll be the first time I've put up a tree in five or so years. (I'm never home for Christmas, but I love decorating the tree, so I think I'm going to get a fake one and deck the hell out of it this year before I leave town.) If you sent me an ornament for another holiday, I'd uh, probably put it on my potential Christmas tree. Or I'd hang it on the fridge. Which brings me to a totally random point: I LOVE fridge magnets! Question: who would like a pair of handknit socks? Size? Color preference? Cabled, ribbed (for your pleasure), stranded colorwork, etc.? If you are a sock making person and really want to make my day, knit a pair of socks for my husband. He has size 11ish feet and no real color preferences (his favorite color is blue, for what's worth) and really genuinely adores big fuzzy handknitted socks. He is NOT vegan and is tooootally happy to indulge in lamb's wool, alpaca, etc. I'd love knitted socks too, but I prefer less bulky ones! And I really love knee socks. (Can you knit knee socks? I suppose one must be able to.) I rock the 7.5 shoe size. How does everyone feel about steampunk? Generally positive! I'm not as in to it as many other people here, but I do like it. Since we're talking about warm winter wearables, who likes hats? Mittens? Arm warmers? Hats = yes! Mittens = no, my hands always get too hot when I wear them. (They even did back in Massachusetts, the land of ice and snow.) Arm warmers could go either way. And... I know this is probably too big to do in the span of a SW round, but just in case this is your secret burning desire... I loooooove sweaters. If your witch were to send you cookies, what kind of cookies would you like? What kind of cookies WOULDN'T I like? Seriously, if it's vegan and it's a cookie, I'm gonna love it. I'm a shameless cookie ho. Who likes tshirts? What about homemade tshirts? Like with transfers I made myself.... YES! Me! Pick me! Like I said before, I wear tshirts more or less all the time. 12/3 Would you like to receive ATCs (artist trading cards) or would you prefer something more usable, like bookmarks or something? If you sent me an ATC, I would um... probably use it as a bookmark. Sad but true. I love bookmarks, though! 12/2 What witch would like a cloak? You know, while a cloak would be totally awesome, I would probably never wear it. I feel extreeeeeemly self conscious when I wear anything other than tshirts and jeans... comes of being in a field that is populated mostly by men, I think.

Hooo boy. This one is GREEN. It reminds me of spring time... not the kind of spring you get here in California, which is a casual, moseying spring... a spring you KNEW was going to show up. No, this is an east coast spring. A rich, wet, warm spring that comes as a surprise, suddenly rearing up in your face just when you thought it'd be sleet and slush forever. As a concept, I think it's gorgeous. It's the perfect embodiment of green, and thus appropriate for the Green Party. For wearing? I think it's a little too intense for me. Still... I fear this is one of those scents I'll keep to sniff now and again simply because it's so different from the rest of my collection, and so utterly and totally evocative.

This is one of those scents that is so perfectly blended that I can't pick out the notes individually. I applied it twice throughout the day, and both times I thought "wildflowers, herbs, and... tobacco?" I thought I was imagining the tobacco, but no, there it is, right in the note list! I rather like it. For me, it's in the same vein as two of my BPAL favorites: Selkie and Dyan Moon. It's floral without being overpowering, herbal without being medicinal, and... just plain good. If I have one complaint, it's that it really doesn't last long on me at all. I am fortunate in that most BPAL scents play well with my skin chemistry and last FOREVER. I get a little over four hours from Tabella, though, which is disappointing. Alas.

This is really rather gorgeous. I'm having a little trouble pinning down exactly what it smells like, but let me give you a few impressions. It's got a sweetness to it-- more than I expected, but far from overwhelming. There's lavender in here, but it's not RAAAAGH LAVENDER-- it sort of just adds a touch of herbal/floral to the whole thing. I can't pick out the other floral notes in here, I think they just kinda roll into the lavender smell. I'm getting amber and incense... that combined with the lavender really OUGHT to equal heaviness... but this is light, light, light. And so beautiful. Like Heavenlyrabbit said, I rarely pick out the smell of benzoin, but tend to love scents it's in. This scent is no exception! This is reminding me hugely of making cone incense with my mother when I was a child. Can't remember what scent, but they were (very appropriately!) black in color. I'm kind of getting nostalgia tears thinking about it. I love this, though. Excellent work, lab!