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Hello Switch Witch 2023!

Hi Witch!  I will put my answers to in-thread questions here!    Here is my Amazon wishlist!   Since I don't have a public etsy, I can try to find some inexpensive things I like there? But it turns out I barely look at etsy anymore and most of the things I have favorited there are $30 and up, other than these moon hair clips, professional overthinker pin, and ace of cups pin. I can link to a couple of things from a shop that I like, but most are a bit spendy, like, maybe this isn't, but this definitely is in my opinion.         Here are some answers to in-thread questions!    Cat Coven Halloween: The only Halloween  thing I can currently see on the site is a drinking glass, I'll have to admit it's pretty cute though! I looked at their other stuff a bit already, but can update if something else particularly catches my eye.    Green Salmon: Coffee would be fine according to preferences stated in original questionnaire, and most of the cocoa sounds nice too. The only tea I'd be interested in is the iced tea that's blue.    Snag Tights: All Hallow's Eve size F, or Gully in F. Most of the cool Halloween stuff appears to already be sold out in that size.    UK treats: All I can think of is Crunchie, but I may have given other answers in previous blogs? I did also think of Future Primitive soaps though, sometimes we get a question about those and they always sound pretty nice, but I haven't tried them since they are overseas.    What are your favorite halloween/samhain treats to eat? All I can think of are Reese's Ghosts (EDIT: white ones, specifically!). Will update if I think of something else.    Moonalisa: You can pick out some soap for me if you'd like   Is there anything being removed from site or a virtual con scent you are interested in trying?  RECOVERY ROOM MUMMY MILK WOLF MILK (EDIT: I can't do the dead leaves note so I dunno if I initially skipped over that component or what. I mean, I guess I'd still try a decant for curiousity's sake but this likely won't work on me.) 
ZOMBIE MILK A LITTLE SILVER SCIMITAR   I was wondering whether Tim Tams in any incarnation would tempt my witchee. On the less sweet side, is there any other Australian things you might be tempted by.  The Coconut Lychee Tim Tams sound amazing, but any chocolate variety would be worth trying I"m sure. When I tried to look up other Australian things I mostly came up with Lamingtons and Cherry Ripe, which are also sweet, but if there's something savory you think I'd enjoy, that's fine too!    Would you appreciate rare TAL decant(s) in 1 mL amber roll-on bottle(s)? Sure!    Haus of Gloi: Ghost Puffs or Spider Silk candle TheGrayMuse on etsy: some of the stickers are nice, such as Big Results, Doubt is Part of the Process, Your Worthiness, The Key to Success, Learn to Rest, It's not my Job, and Growth is Uncomfortable.  Sea Witch Botanicals: Hermitage, Imbolc, and Lammas incense sound nice. Also: Frith soap. Alobudra: if you think I'd like some of the chocolate or bath salts, go for it! Moonstone bracelet also looks nice.    Blog exclusive: so, someone asked about local shops to get gift cards to... I asked my fave local witchy shop and this was their response:  Hi! Thank you for thinking of us! We do sell physical gift cards at the shop! We can send them a link to purchase one for you & we can have it at the shop with your name on it. We don’t have an e-gift card option yet. Have them email us if they want to purchase: Theempressnbtx@gmail.com   Redbubble Halloween:  sticker: https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Death-It-Is-What-It-Is-Pastel-Goth-Grim-Reaper-Drip-by-ctkrstudio/57131095.EJUG5 sticker: https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Just-one-more-chapter-skeleton-by-fruitpetunia/126840460.EJUG5 shirt size L: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Vintage-Black-Halloween-Cat-by-SPOOKYSWAG/34524188.22W0K shirt size L: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Death-Rides-A-Black-Cat-by-obinsun/28571846.IJ6L0.XYZ shirt size L: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Vintage-Halloween-by-LordofMasks/122532076.9V5H1.XYZ   traditional Japanese items:  not sure if this counts, but I'd love a coinpurse or coinpurse-sized small zippered pouch (like, definitely no bigger than 7cm squared).    brujita:  acne kit hechizo facial serum brujita candle   tiny bones:  these earrings were the only thing that really caught my eye: https://www.tinybonesandthings.com/product/rattlesnake-vertebrae-thread-earrings/101?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=true&q=false   ILNP: hidden treasure, pick me up, eclipse (I've wanted this one for years), cygnus loop, you up?, showtime, underground, legacy, silhouette, dusk to dawn, park place, madeline, clover, storytelling   Bird and Blend (again, no loose tea, only bagged): parma violet, gingerbread chai, earl grey creme, dozy girl, peppermint cream, udderly nirvana, assam house blend, deep breaths, the digester     9/9/23 kecap manis: Misc... I like enamel pins decently and have given some examples earlier in this blog, but I do not really have "fandoms." I am also not the right audience for hairfalls, unfortunately. We do not really have Halloween traditions besides sometimes trying to make something wacky for dinner (ramen burgers, hotdog mummies, etc.). I know I answered the question about home-made arm-warmers in a previous blog but don't think I have it in me to dig it up right now. Wild Soul River did not have anything that appealed to me. I cook, and I buy stuff from Penzey's all the time, just got an order in a couple of weeks back, in fact. If you are ordering from them anyway, I'd like to try some of their frozen pizza seasoning. Colourpop does not look like my thing. Most non-gory Halloween imagery is fine (I do not like zombies, for example). I think I talked about Halloween decoration preferences in past blogs if you really want to go digging? No Astrid, no hand-knit socks, no witch hat, no nail wraps. I'm not really a Squishmallows or Squishables person. Since I live in blazing hot South Central Texas (like, we just had over 60 days that were over 100 degrees), I have all of the pairs of fingerless glove type things that I need (actually, I have 3 and probably only need 2).      Trader Joe's Halloween stuff seems like an embarrassment of riches: Obviously you can't ship me anything that needs to be kept cold, but here are things that could possibly be shipped that sound nice:  Maple Flavored Fudge Wicked Good Mini Chocolate Bars Harvest Blend Herbal Tea (I usually buy this every year but who knows if I will make it to a Trader Joe's to get it this year) Autumn Maple Coffee Caramel Sea Salt baking chips Vanilla Bean Paste Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Cakes sound great, dunno if they are ship-able? Pumpkin Spiced Joe-Joe's Organic Fall Zucchette Pasta Pumpkin Gnocchi Maple Spiced Nut Mix (this sounds so great!)   I am intrigued by the possibility of rope-work coasters for sure. Everything mentioned in conjunction with them sounds okay.   Cherry Republic: Cherry Mimosa Conserve, Cherry Almond Butter, Cherry Rhubarb Jam, Cherry Sour Balls, Cherry Scone Mix, Spiced Cherry Preserves, White Chocolate Cherry Peanut Butter, Cherry Creme Honey, Montmorency Nouveau Preserves, Cherry Fig Jam, Cherry Sencha, Cherry Hour Bundle    American Spoon: Sour Cherry Preserves, Star Thistle Honey, Paloma Mix, Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, Rhubarb Marmalade, Spiced Pear Conserve, Whole Seed Mustard, Tomato and Cilantro Salsa, Damson Plum Preserves, Quince Conserve   Fustini's: Fig and Maple Paste, Marinara Sauce, Basil Crush Olive Oil, Garlic Olive Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Italian Pasta, Castelvetrano Olives, Mini Whisk   Fudge omnibus answer: Maple fudge is my favorite of the traditional varieties. If we are talking about Holly's fudge from her old etsy shop, I love the Penuche and she made me some kickass matcha fudge once that was the best thing ever.    Homemade/preserved food goodies that are a "yes:" sun-dried heirloom tomatoes dried ancho chile peppers - can be whole halves or ground into a delicious powder (either is fine)  gourmet quality fudge (see above for flavor preferences) dried italian plums (pitted) freshly dried rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley individually or in combo (any and all would be fine)   Whew!      9/11 answers:  How about from my skincare person? drjensbeautylab.com/  Would try zit zapper I guess. City Skin Night Cream is another thought.    How about from my witchy Chandler? https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeresaLynnsSimpleLux Self-love, Museum Of Fortune Telling, Magic & Tarot, Record Store, Social Anxiety, By the Fire, The Witching Hour, Grimoire, Smoke & Mirrors, Boundary, The Off Switch, Tomato Leaves, When Witches go Riding, Saffron Perique, Grapefruit Mint, Luxury Hotel, Morgan Le Fay, Clove Cigarette   handmade soap (usually with calendula infused olive oil, tallow, oatmeal and honey) sounds nice!    arnica, calendula and comfrey mix salve for healing wounds or chapped skin also sounds nice!      9/13 answers:    Cat treats: My cat is kind of picky but if you want to get him one catnip toy of some type I will at least try to introduce it to him. Unfortunately, he did NOT like the homegrown catnip that someone sent me in a past round. 😕   Seasonal mugs... you may get me ONE if it is spectacular, because I could probably figure out a mug to retire.    Rishi teas (sachets): turmeric ginger, cinnamon tulsi spice, cinnamon plum   Do you have anything you use every day that you wouldn't mind getting more of? coffee? earrings? I can update in my blog if I think of something else.    FaeFragrance etsy: Bear Hug whipped soap sounds nice.      9/17 harissa olive oil:    Pickety Witch website: "Jiji's First Halloween" pin is pretty cute.    Would possibly be interested in any doubled lapel pins with a chain in between (as noted, sometimes referred to as sweater clasps or clips).    I like stickers, but I think I've probably already been pretty clear about that  Um, I did get some with geese on them recently that I ended up giving away, and I don't think I want ones with Baphomet on them, but those are the only things I can think of that I specifically don't want stickers of.    A paper crane mobile sounds nice and I don't really have extreme space constraints for such a thing.   Weenies:  what I want the most is Maple Leaves, Golden Moss, & Amber hair gloss, so that's a thought, dear Witch! I will be ordering myself a handful of decants, so I will leave those out of this discussion as well. But there are almost always things that I am curious about but are less likely to actually work with my skin chemistry, so if decants are more your speed, here's that list of curiosity:  ELIZABETH'S IMPS LADY OF SAINTONGE WITCH-BIRDS WAYFARING STRANGER   I do like washi tape but don't use it a whole lot.    - List here things you wish you would've added to your questionnaire  I guess that I would really, really love more No-one Heard Her Except the Sparrows atmo, I have a tiny fraction of the bottle left. I use it in my office at work, after deciding Red Lantern was a bit much for compulsory public education.      9/23: Torrid: I'm looking at the workwear section because it's 50% off right now. I think 2x in these is probably the best bet.  Satin Tie Neck Flutter Sleeve Blouse Madison Clip Dot Zigzag Button Up Shirt Mesh with Embroidery Long Sleeve Blouse Vegan Cashmere Cardigan V-Neck Drop Shoulder Sweater Harper Studio Crepe de Chine 3/4 Sleeve Blouse Studio Bubble Satin Bow-Tie Blouse Harper Georgette Pullover 3/4 Sleeve Blouse Harper Clip Chiffon Pullover 3/4 Sleeve Blouse Geogette Tulip Sleeve Blouse (yes, the item is spelled that way on the site) Harper Studio Crepe de Chine Flutter Short Sleeve Blouse Harper Georgette Ruched Short Sleeve Blouse   I mean, is it okay if a person just appreciates acorns?    Lush:  Skincare: Grease Lightening Shower Gel: Rose Jam, Olive Branch, Mario, Golden Egg Halloween: Lord of Misrule bubble bar or candle, Ghostie/Magic Potion bath bombs, Pumpkin Crumble/Bubble Lugosi bubble bar   lakewoodwax: Of the highlighted candles, kanekalon, the jaguar, and heaven scent all sound nice. Smoked Coconut & Orange also sounds nice.   re: Ren Fest stuff, I am a garlic fan, since that was mentioned specifically. Usually those markets have plenty of the other stuff that I've mentioned being interested in like earrings, lip balm (tube style, please), soap, candles, stick incense, etc.     9/30/23 ube halaya: Winter holiday afficionados, are there any decorations, treats, etc. that you would be looking for? Chocolate Orange, dark chocolate, Terry's Brand. We also usually get a tea advent calendar from Pukka but I'd be open to other brands. If I think of something else I'll add it to my blog.    World Market kitkats: Orange, Matcha, and Milk Tea sound nice.   Coloring books: maybe... I think I have two or 3 somewhere that I lost interest in at some point. I'm another person who probably needs a good version of what I call "map pencils" though if I'm going to try to use coloring books again. 

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Yay! Switch Witch 2020!

My BPAL wishlist is linked in my signature, so if you have gotten here, you have probably been there as well.... Here's my Amazon wishlist: http://amzn.com/w/6D1ZI60Y3H6P Here's Modcloth (I know Modcloth's stuff is often expensive and sells out quickly, but I thought it might be helpful to give you an idea of what I like... no promises on updating this particular wishlist regularly during the round though) As promised, here are some under-$20 things I like on etsy: cat mask, professional overthinker pin, mini eagle earrings, ace of cups pin, blue and silver earrings, tiny lapis earrings, small black earrings, 80s earrings 1, 80s earrings 2, triangle ball earrings, neutral good pin, honey bee sheer socks, crackling birch soap, casserole cookbook.     Much more to come!    Paintbox:  Blackbird Glycerin soap G.O.A.T. Hot Process soap GTFO Glycerin soap Hex on the Beach Glycerin soap Hold Fast Glycerin soap Madinka Hot Process soap Night Walker Glycerin soap Nekisse Hot Process soap Princess Pony Sparklebutt Glycerin soap Rice Pudding Hot Process soap The Man in the Moon Glycerin soap The Queen is Dead Hot Process soap Whiskers Hot Process soap Bookkeeper's Butter (either type)    Trading Post etsy:  Rags to Royalty bath oil The Pearl Seeker bath oil Erotic Images of Spring Evenings bath oil   Self-care: I need lip balm... the kind that's a stick/tube, not the kind in a pot. And not tinted. I like Haus of Gloi's and Moonalisa's, for example. And a past Witch got me some from a brand called "Crazy Rumors" that I also like. I just seem to have lost my extra lip balm in my recent move. I also really like the single-use sheet masks that became popular a few years back... I think I only have one or two at home so I would love more. I can definitely update this in my blog if I think of more things.  I could also use some new nail polish. I think this is in my questionnaire, but I like all types in terms of color and I also like glitter/holographic/flakie/etc. I just don't like the magnetic/sand/crackle stuff. I have a bunch of nail polish but some of it is starting to go off so I'm throwing away the stuff that can't even be saved by polish thinner, and that will make me sad because I like having a comprehensive library of colors and types to choose from.    One of our fellow BPAL friends makes custom masks, Hakutaku Custom Masks on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HakutakuMasks/ ). Would anyone be interested in one of her masks?  If choosing a new silk-lined mask, I'd get the fox fabric  (fabric #14), I guess a second choice would be #8 (looks sort of like cherry blossoms and water).    Lavender or Lavender+Vanilla syrup sounds pretty nice, and I know I mentioned in my original questionnaire that I'm cool with home-made treats in general. Jams, jellies, and pickles all sound nice, but the only pickled things that I like are cucumbers, and I only like sour or dill ones, not sweet or hot ones.    Looking at that "Tater Rounds Beauty" etsy shop, I'm interested in the following:  Black Phillip Candle Holy Water Bubble Bath Lavender Hand Sanitizer   Is there anything you'd like from Penzeys (https://www.penzeys.com/)?  I can basically always use these three things, and if other specific needs come up I can add them in my blog when I get around to updating that (at least by the time we have matches): Medium chili powder (1/2 cup jar may be best): https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/medium-hot-chili-powder/c-24/p-61/pd-s Seasoned salt (again, 1/2 cup jar may be best... I'd also try the smoky version): https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/penzeys-seasoned-salt/c-24/p-636/pd-s Vanilla (2oz. is fine, the Mexican Vanilla I will link to is the cheapest, but I certainly wouldn't say "no" to their two more expensive varieties): https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/vanilla-mexican/c-24/p-3086/pd-s   Would you rather receive supplies/tools for your own craft/hobby or receive something you can't make yourself? The dichotomy of choosing between supplies for crafts/hobbies (which for me would be cooking/baking, basically), and things that I "can't make" myself is not one that I'm enjoying... I mean, usually Switch Witch involves receiving more than one gift (not being greedy, it's just not usually a one and done swap even if one or ones Witch tries to proceed frugally), and about the only commonly gifted thing in this swap that I CAN'T make is knitted or crocheted stuff (okay, I forgot about jewelry-making, which sometimes comes up... whether I want jewelry that someone makes really depends on whether it's my style so those things will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis), which I usually say I don't want since I live in a hot climate so just don't need more scarves, hats, etc. and am not really interested in home-produced washcloths and the like... which means I'm probably overthinking things and it's okay if that question is not for me.   Is there something that you're especially hoping to receive for this round?  For example, a brand you've heard of that you're especially wanting to try, or a certain "thing" that you really want but just cant bring yourself to buy for yourself?? I don't really know of a specific thing I really want to receive in this swap. I mean, I think I already mentioned lip balm but If my Witch isn't really into lip balm tubes or doesn't think they can access good ones I don't want to force things, it wouldn't be that hard to get for myself.   Are you familiar with https://www.a-natural-alternative.com/ ?  Take a peek & let me know if you might like to try something. I'd try any of the lip balms other than Chocolate Cherry, I think. Hand & Body Wash could be nice, Orange Cinnamon is a particularly intriguing-sounding scent, but the others sound nice too. Or the following soaps: Black Amber & Lavender, Tomato Leaf, Mint Julep, or Orange Cinnamon.    Is there anything you want from Japan? Current kit kat flavors are... Salty Lemon, Salty Lychee, Sweet Potato, Chestnut and possibly still some Cookies and Cream Ice Cream or Strawberry Ice Cream from summer. Other than that, anime goods, cute stationery, other Japanese snacks, lay it on me! As for the kitkats, they all sound interesting, especially the Chestnut and Salty Lychee ones. Other snacks I'd be interested in include Meltykiss chocolate, I haven't bought any in forever. I definitely use "letter set" type stationery so I'd love some of that.      Cross stitch patch or pin sounds somewhat intriguing, actually.      Dollar store with $20 is an interesting one. Usually I would say nail polish or glittery Halloween stickers, maybe some fun-colored mechanical pencils to give out to students. But these days I have COVID-related food anxieties so honestly at a dollar store I would be grabbing various types of canned tomatoes, spam (yes I eat it, especially the low sodium version, no, I'm not ashamed), cans of coconut water, stuff like that. You probably don't want to send me (literally) heavy stuff like that though. Maybe some dried pasta if I'm thinking of food anxiety related stuff that doesn't weigh too much.    UK: I will take a Crunchie chocolate bar as usual.    To partially answer one of  @wendyb1063's questions, I still have incense left over from Switch Witch 2 years ago because I had a Witch who absolutely spoiled me with it! But... I will never say no to incense from my favorite incense company, Devonshire. They are a multigenerational and highly acclaimed company, they used to make incense for the Vatican, etc. Their main websites are down right now, but I messaged them and their etsy is active... https://www.etsy.com/shop/devonshireorganics . Anyhow, I'm always up for an incense sampler from them, I'm sure I've been buying them for at least 20 years at this point.    I feel like my original questionnaire or answers to other in-thread questions have already covered things like family members/other living beings in my household, candles, atmos, tea, etc., but I will check to make sure. My cat likes some cat toys and catnip but not others, and my husband likes most consumable items (I mean like food and drinks, the word "edible" means something else now and "potable" isn't used often except on "Jeopardy!"). If you get me coffee, he (the husband, not the cat) will drink more of it than I will, he drinks 2-3x more coffee than I do. Not sure if this is in my questionnaire so, we like medium roast coffee best, whole bean or ground is fine, and the only flavored coffee we really like is coconut coffee. *EDIT* Okay, I dug up a little thing I wrote years ago about candle scents: "If we're talking candle scents, I like most of them, just not ones that are super-fruity or super-seaside-y or very "holiday spice." Hope that helps!"   Does anyone like the prints or items from www.ElissaMarieCreative.com ? I have a few of her prints and the notebooks and they are quality! I haven't tried this type of face covering and am curious because many people use them at my workplace, so maybe this? https://www.elissamariecreative.com/product-page/face-cover-midnight-garden   What about www.drawingsbynicole.com? Anything specific? This is cute (the one I'm actually linking to, not the one that says "Weird Mother" on it, since I'm not a mother): https://drawingsbynicole.com/collections/bags/products/strawberry-and-daisy-tote-bag-with-rainbow-nylon-strap   Does anything from www.vapidlacquer.com stick out to you?  Like I said in my original questionnaire, I need nail polish because I have a bunch of it that's about to give up the ghost. Looking at the nail polish, these seem nice: Nonsense and Cryogenic Refrigerant. Most of their other stuff either isn't my thing or is sold out. They have like 2 bar soaps in stock right now, of which Night Sky sounds nice. If others come back in stock and my witch wants to get me a different soap scent from this company because there's one they think I'd like, that'd be fine.   *Dear Witch, wanted to let you know that I finally found my lip balm! I only have 3 unused tubes of it, so you can still get me some, but I know I went on and on about it earlier in the answers, so wanted to let you know it's not the most crucial thing ever now. I have absolutely no bubble bars now though, so if you're looking for those fabled "under-$20" things for me, again, that'd be another great place to start!*   I enjoy historical reproductions and am a fan of LBCC Historical Apothecary. Is there something in her store you might be interested in? Maybe the Red Rose Vinegar, Four Thieves Vinegar or 1930's Vintage Dry Shampoo.    Artists I like:  Victor Vasarely Auguste Herbin  Jules Olitski Toyen (there are lots of artists with similar names, so here's her wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyen) Odilon Redon Agnes Pelton Hilma af Klint   One of the things I do is make nifty things from sweaters that I cut up & upcycle into things like super warm mittens, arm warmers, striped arm warmers, cowls, teapot cozies, & French press cozies.  So, which of these things might you like?  Give me some thoughts on colors you like & if for a teapot or press, I need to know a size. I'm actually finding this really intriguing, but mostly just in the arm-warmer category, striped or otherwise. Predictably, and also addressed in my original questionnaire, I am into many different color schemes. Main color families would be something like, generic fall, which would be like, brick/mustard/tan/chocolate, or, I dunno, gloomy bodies of water, which would be like, navy, light grey, dark grey (charcoal), black. But I like other colors too which would be in less defined families in my mind, like deep jewel toned purple/mauve/burgundy with or without some charcoal, or maybe substituting duller or brighter olive green for the "brick" in the fall colors. And it's not like I don't like turquoise or light blue either. Finally, I used to really have a thing for lighter grey paired with either sunny yellow or chartreuse (or to a lesser extent, darker grey/charcoal paired with teal). Hopefully that would be enough for some ideas!   Is there anything you want from Lush? Bewitched bubble bar Lord of Misrule bath bomb Very Very Frightening Shower Gel Golden Pear Bubbleroon Rose Jam Bubbleroon Bubble Bubble Toil & Trouble bubble bar Gold FInger bubble bar Unicorn Horn bubble bar Figs in Honey bubble bar Rose Clay salt cube Intergalactic bath bomb Groovy Kind of Love bath bomb Marshmallow World bath bomb Melusine bath bomb Blue Gardenia salt cube FIgs & Leaves bar soap Goddess bar soap D'Fluff shaving soap (didn't know this was leaving  ) Dirty shaving cream Happy Hippy shower gel  Ginger shower gel  No Drought dry shampoo    Okay, it's 9/14 and I'm sure I must have a Witch, so it's time to try to address the questions I've skipped so far, even if it's in a somewhat haphazard fashion    I do NOT have an etsy wishlist that is public, but I recently added some relatively-inexpensive etsy faves near the beginning of this entry.    Future Primitive: soaps: cracked coconut, elijah's comfort, festival, indian sandalwood, luxury jamaican mocha, smoke & mirrors, sparklebox, the orangery, the warrior bath salts: cordwainer, rook & raven, sparklebox, sylph whipped soap: lavender ice cream   Cat Coven:  I own and enjoy some items from these folks already, but most of their items appear to be sold out now. Maybe a gift certificate?   Mineral G___y (there's a slur in the shop's name, unfortunately): Many of their interesting items are sold out as well. I like the "sphere stands" other than the pentagram and hamsa ones. I also like the smokey quartz palmstones, rainbow flourite carved lotus, and smokey quartz 50 mm spheres.     thelatestkate on redbubble: the "[slow?] progress is still progress" acrylic block   marika paz shop: magical red panda sticker   faunwood: the sold-out "snailipede" pin is cute.   shannatrumbly:  no thanks   fiddler's green zine: "wandering wizards welcome" sticker   hedgespoken press (not sure if I spelled that right, can't read my own writing): no thanks   Okay, now we are at the tea section. Sorry to yell and also to repeat myself, but past Witches have disregarded this, unfortunately, so... DO NOT BUY ME LOOSE TEA. I WILL NOT USE IT. I AM SORRY.   With that out of the way... David's Tea, sachets... Most interested in: cream of earl grey, buddha's blend. also interested in: organic saigon chai, valerian nights, s'mores chai, japanese sencha, silk dragon jasmine, breakfast blend, cinnamon rooibos chai, bee the change. Steepology, bagged... Most interested in:  citrus lavender sage. Also interested in: moroccan mint, mintylicious, mao feng, lapsang souchong, breakfast earl grey, katana chai, pinhead gunpowder Bird & Blend, bags...  Most interested in: earl grey creme, assam house blend. Also interested in: dozy girl, cold weather warrior, liquor-licious liquorice, peppy mint, nearly nirvana Tea company I like: Capital Teas/Anchor Beverages (https://capitalteas.com/). Sachets...Most interested in royal wedding tea. Also interested in: earl grey, french lavender earl grey, young hyson, and nile chamomile.    As for the herb'neden question, here are some things from their site that looked nice:  sore muscles bath soak; and the following soaps: vanilla mint coffee, coconut & kaolin clay, everything, rosemary lavender, chamomile & calendula, rosewater kefir & lavender, cedarwood & sea clay   Haus of Gloi (only looking at in-stock items):  soap: Enchanted Forest or Lavender Vanilla linen spray: Cozy Sweater or Moon Dog   Adagio Teas: (again, bags, no loose tea):  most interested in: Oolong Goddess also interested in: jasmine pearls, earl grey, foxtrot, wuyi oolong   Dandelion Chocolate:  bars: Hacienda Azul, Wampu, Zorzal Estate, Costa Esmeraldas, Anamala, Japan version of Wampu chips: Maya Mountain treats: Black Sesame Toffee Brittle, hot chocolate mix, sea salt caramels   Though they are all very nice, the items in the April Gloom, twinklentwilight, and BrianSerwayArt etsy shops are not my thing.    As for socks, I know I mentioned in my original questionnaire that I have way too many socks considering how often I actually wear socks. I do have one pair of socks I'm interested in, that are linked in the etsy section of my blog. Otherwise I have all of the socks that I need, probably for my whole life.    If you're not near one, is there anything from Trader Joe's you'd like? Funny you should mention this, because I haven't been been there since prior to the pandemic-panic, but I'm going this weekend!  I mean, I wouldn't say "no" to whatever they have there that you thought I'd like, but I'm running into the same thing as the "dollar store" question where some of the things I'd be interested in aren't great to ship. But here are some things I enjoy from there that are at least fairly nonperishable... Reduced fat coconut milk Dark chocolate covered blueberries Chocolate covered Joe-Joe's, especially if this thing is back I've purchased some really nice short pasta there before My husband really enjoys whatever their Fig Newton analog is, and their spicy ginger cookies Giant Peruvian Inca Corn!  Organic Elote Corn Chip Dippers!  Red Honey Processed El Salvador Coffee    How do you feel about local items from my city, like spicy (think chili) things or local coffee?  I don't know what city this is? I already mentioned always needing chili powder, and my/our coffee preferences, though.    They're not my jam, but do you have good feelings about Funko Pop? I'm asking because I realize many people like them. I guess they are okay, but they also are not really "my jam."   Candles! Anything from these places catch your fancy? https://cantripcandles.com/collections they're all sold out!  https://miruscandles.com/collections max, hopper, newt, wand shop, jon, and manon sound interesting.  https://briarwickcandles.com/collections cassian, just chill, chaol, lethe house, jareth, angel, ghost stories   Is there something from your fandom that popped up in another country you'd be particularly interested in?  What, and what store? I... would have to have a fandom for this to make sense? The closest thing I can think of is that if Lush UK or Japan or whatever had items you think I'd like, of course I'd want them.    Would you be interested in some boozy chocolates (or anything else) from https://www.chocolatemoonshine.com/ ? maple walnut fudge, original classics truffle bars, cafe au lait truffle bars, or fruit & nut truffle bars   Witchee, assuming you like home made/home canned condiment goodies, what is your spice level preference?   addressed in original questionnaire   I went ahead and took a look at Cellar Door's candles. I'm interested in the following: Birchwood & Spiced Rum, Dapper Dan, Lavender Pumpkin, Manistee Sands, Morning Dew, Once Bitten (a favorite soap scent), Sanderson Spice, Sex Machine, Tobacco+Oakmoss, and Tupelo Honey.    Recipes: This is another somewhat complex one. I have some cookbooks on my Amazon wishlist, that would probably be the best place to start. At least one past Witch sent me some sort of cookbook in an electronic file format (maybe a pdf, can't remember), but that turned out to be a not-so-great format for me... I think I thought to make one recipe from it and that's all, and I've changed computers since then so I don't know if I even still have access to it. Sorry, former Witch, if you're reading this!   Life is a mess sometimes! Anyhow, other than cookbooks on my wishlist, I'd be fine with my Witch sharing a favorite recipe or two that they think I'd like in any format (from computer printout to handwritten recipe card to just a link in an email, etc.). Hope that helps!    Buc-ees: I have all the access I need to this store, there's one around a mile away from me, one in the town where my mom lives, at least one in between my town and the one where my mom lives, etc. I do enjoy many of their things (though I think the Beaver Nuggets are just okay), but most of them are fresh foods so it'd be more convenient for me to get them myself. Back when I lived in a small town (less than 10K population), Buc-ees was where I got my kombucha (and I also got some nice earrings and such there, their stuff is definitely not limited to the beaver-centric)! Maybe the link might help for people who aren't familiar? https://buc-ees.com/   Snag tights: all I have of theirs so far are chub rub shorts, which I like decently. I actually don't have a pair of black fishnets somehow, so I'd take some of the "fishies" I guess (actually the "broken dreams" fishnets are also interesting)... size stunning? Maybe the black mock garter or the witch tights (I had some striped ones like this in 7th/8th grade that I loved!) in F?    Wouldn't mind trying some of @skyelyric's shortbread (sweet or savory) now that she's mentioned it.    Ooh! As an addendum to the Trading Post etsy question above, I just saw that Shipwreck bath oil is there now. I love that stuff so thought I'd mention it just in case....   https://www.gcv.org/shop/ : straight-sided mug honey & goat milk soap   https://www.kbshimmer.com/all-the-fall-things/ : Fully Booked and Washed Up look nice.     Twilighteyes' treats: Brown Sugar Plum Butter: sure!  Pflaumenmus (also Plum Butter): sure!  Cardamom Plum Jam: Oh yes please!  Star Anise Plum Jam: Oh yes please!  Ginger Peach Butter: not so much for me, but my husband (aka CatBear) would love this!  Vanilla Peach Jam: not so much for me, but my husband (aka CatBear) would love this!  Sweet Green Tomato Relish: no thanks Dill Green Tomato Relish: sure!  Huckleberry Jam: sure!  Apple Butter: not so much for me, but my husband (aka CatBear) would love this!  Catnip (well, it grew and we dried it...): we can try this... my cat was NOT into the Colorado catnip from @Greenwoodtree, sadly, but he might like this.... Candied Jalapenos (delicious with cream cheese on burgers or crackers): nah, plenty of these around in occupied Aztlan where I live  Lavender Vanilla Bean liqueur: maybe a little Rose Petal liqueur: sure! 

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch 2019!

My BPAL wishlist is linked in my signature, so if you have gotten here, you have probably been there as well.... Here's my Amazon wishlist: http://amzn.com/w/6D1ZI60Y3H6P Here's Modcloth (I know Modcloth's stuff is often expensive and sells out quickly, but I thought it might be helpful to give you an idea of what I like... no promises on updating this particular wishlist regularly during the round though) As for etsy, my faves are not public, so here are some examples of relatively-inexpensive stuff I like there: orgone pyramid, soutache earrings, more soutache earrings, even more soutache earrings, key earrings, 80s earrings, more 80s earrings, even more 80s earrings, poppy milk shower gel, blue sky necklace, infinity rainbow pin, rainbow resin ring size 6, crater lake socks (I know I said I didn't want socks, but just look at these!), cosmic jam pin, pastel shirt, neutral good pin, milk tea keychain, letter set.    Maybe for the in-thread questions I'll try this thing out where folks sort their answers out by date...   9/20 Will do condensed versions of certain questions because I think my original questionnaire was pretty equivocal on certain topics. With that in mind, I don't do horror movies at all and am not really interested in owning movies in general, I don't have much of a use for knitted things (exceptions will be noted when appropriate), and I am definitely fine with used items, of which thrift store items are a large subset.    So... what specifics does that leave...   Future Primitive:  The Cordwainer, Rook & Raven, Sparklebox, Sylph, Tombstone, and Marshmallow Eggnog sound like nice scents. As for actual products, I looked at the soap bars but many of them seem to be in scents that were not on the scent list. So I guess you can use your judgment about those, dear Witch! I can always use bar soap! Whipped soap seems promising too... again, any of the scents I listed, anything you think I'd like, or Opium Den.    Out of yewberry's list of possible knitted items, the "Rikke Slouch Hat" does appeal to me. It probably wouldn't be worn often if I received it, since I wear warm hats approximately twice a year and already have at least two, but I would still like it.   Rituel de Fille: So... I think I talked about my feelings about eyeshadow in my original questionnaire? The eye soot is definitely the best fit for me from this site. Looking at the ones listed, Cassiopeia looks the most amazing, but they all look pretty nice.    Trying different skincare products from higher end, clean brands? Prettymuch only if they're face masks, I'm otherwise happy with my current skincare regimen (Lush: Coalface, Tea Tree Water, Grease Lightening, Vanishing Cream).   Any interest in anything from Torrid, noting their "fangirl" and Halloween collections are updated? Probably going to have to come back to this one. I like that ridiculous kitty-eared corset, but I would never wear/use something like that these days (I wore stuff like that as outerwear when I was 19, but don't now that I'm 38... no judgement on others' behavior/presentation implied, just speaking for myself) so please don't get it for me!  Update:  Foxy boat neck top, size 2 Another foxy boat neck top, size 2 Alice in Wonderland dress size 1 Harry Potter constellation shirt size 2 Purple Rain shirt size 1 Grey Chevron sparkle pant, size 18 (these are quite expensive, so please don't feel obligated!) Nautical pant, size 18, would try either short or regular inseam ('') Brown ponte pant, size 18 ('') Black and Grey plaid pant, size 18 ('') Raglan skater dress, size 1 Shirt dress, size 1 Jersey fluted dress, size 1 Another jersey fluted dress, size 1 Lightning bolt shirt size 1 Pencil skirt, size 2 Anchor midi skirt, size 2   9/21/19 NEW QUESTION: I'll be going to Seattle, London and Paris during this round- anything you'd love to have from any of these locations? Anything would be great if it's in line with my already-stated preferences... the only specific thing I can think of is that we like medium-roast coffee... whole bean or ground are both fine.    Is there anything you would particularly like from Japan? Stationary, bento supplies, a particular snack, etc. The fall flavors for kitkats this year are Chestnut, Sweet Potato and Apple Pie. All of the above are fine though I'm not sure I'd like apple pie kitkats specifically. As for other snax, I always mention Meltykiss chocolate treats and never get any... used to order them from jlist/jbox back in the day. Hope that helps!    [Also, have updated the Torrid question above and the info about things I like on etsy.]   9/23   Liliths: Storge, Health Goth, My Tiger, Social Justice Paladin, and Utter Sophistication sounded best to me, I'd love decants. The last 2 are the most likely to work on me, I think.   Lush: I'm interested in basically any bubble bar out there, they are probably your best bet. Bath bombs are okay too, I love Hi Ho Silver but am open to others as well. Any of the shower gels/jellies/slimes would be great (except for the Naked shower gel, not into that format), but my favorites of the currently-available ones are The Olive Branch and Rose Jam. For facial products Coalface is a pretty safe bet because my husband and I both use it. I currently use D'Fluff for shaving but would be interested in trying their other shaving products. Finally, the Silky Underwear dusting powder is also a favorite.   Thinking about really good natural food stores like Natural Grocers or Whole Foods, if you could have ANY bath and beauty or body care items, what would you love? So I feel like I was pretty clear about this in my original questionnaire. I will reiterate that I can definitely use bar soap (preference to ones that are somewhat local to my Witch, in scents/with ingredients my Witch thinks I'd like), and also enjoy sheet masks (the single-use packaged face masks that are available everywhere these days). And I know I mentioned my love for nail polish and went into specifics about that as well.   Also what kind of treats, snacks, foods, condiments, bulk items, teas, housewares from the same natural food stores would you love? Also, are there any particular sustainable kitchen or household items you would love to receive? I know I was pretty comprehensive about this stuff too in my original questionnaire. The only specific beloved snacks I can think of that I didn't explicitly mention in my questionnaire are dark chocolate covered blueberries (we usually buy containers of these at Trader Joe's, but just found out they are also available in the bulk section of my local grocery store), and the stuff that's usually sold as "Giant Peruvian Inca Corn" or similar. It's another thing that we usually buy at Trader Joe's (I think they call it "Inka Corn?") but I have also seen a similar product at Whole Foods. It is sort of like the classic gas station snack, Corn Nuts, but the corn is even bigger and usually just has salt instead of whatever weird flavorings that are usually on corn nuts. Hmm... if you have access to curry paste (red or green) that is NOT Thai Kitchen brand, that'd be cool... I can only get that brand easily, and it's a pale imitation at best of real curry paste. Bulk items: if you have access to nutritional yeast as a powder rather than flakes, that'd be cool... even the health food stores here seem to only have it in flake form these days, and I prefer it as powder because I put it on popcorn before popping (yes, I know I could just whirl the flakes in my spice grinder or food chopper, but that's an extra step). Finally, I do need a new flexible silicon spoon and silicon spatula for cooking/baking, but I'm pretty picky... for the spoon I like a slightly angled bowl (I hope that's what the wide part of a spoon is called, anyway) rather than totally straight, and for both I'd like the handles to not be humongous because they'd be going into a holder with various other implements. Hope that helps! (I may give some more thought to spices later, or may ask or wait for a Penzey's question, I haven't decided yet. So watch this space as usual!)   9/28/19 Does anything from Bird & Blend take your fancy? Again, I will really only use tea in bag form at this point, so I am looking at what is available in tea bags on the site. The Liquor-licious Licorice sounds nice. The Early Grey Creme sounds amazing. I would definitely try the Nearly Nirvana as well.    Knitting questions have have been asked, but how about wash cloths, anyone need any?  What colors??  No thanx.     is there anything from World Market that tickles your fancy? Love World Market. I always buy a bunch of ridiculous snax there, but also enjoy some of their decorative and kitchen items. Use your judgement but I could easily do a shopping spree there, and I have a hard time buying less than $50 of stuff every time I go. I can't think of any particular items and brands other than Clearly Canadian and New York Seltzer, but I understand that you may want to get something less heavy than those since we're talking about items to be mailed.

There's a special thing happening over at Rituel de Fille this weekend, where some gorgeous makeup items are coming back for just a couple of days. I'll be placing an order Sunday or Monday- anything that might strike your fancy, either from the special sale or from the site in general? (https://ritueldefille.com) Andromeda eye soot looks amazing.   9/29: Not interested in tarot/oracle decks, or (makeup) pigment samples, unfortunately.    In happier news, I was feeling bad about only mentioning things that'd be difficult to mail in the World Market question yesterday, but couldn't remember any specific products to list in addition. But then I remembered Crunchie, which I've bought there from time to time, so that's a thought, not that they don't have plenty of other interesting chocolate bars as well....    9/30 Quotes I like:  BKS Iyengar: "The hardness of a diamond is part of its usefulness, but its true value is in the light that shines through it." or one I dunno the attribution of: "If you find a solution and become attached to it, that solution may become your next problem."   Not interested in coloring books, sorry.    Adding to what I said in my original questionnaire about spicy foods:  I know I addressed in my original questionnaire that I don't like things that are just spicy for the sake of spicy, so I think that should cover this? I do order my Indian food, etc., medium spicy, and enjoy eating plenty of salsa of various spice levels when I eat/cook Mexican food and such, but I don't enjoy eating stuff like hot wings or jalapeno potato chips or whatever, and generally only use Sriracha, Tabasco, etc. as recipe ingredients rather than adding them to finished dishes to up the spice level.    10/1: Also here to sing the praises of Greenwoodtree's penuche....   So for the boozy question, another one that I answered thoroughly in my original questionnaire. So yes, anything from hard cider to straight whiskey is cool with me, and ditto to the unusual variations. I/my household don't drink much though, like sometimes it takes us a month to go through a six-pack of beer or several years to go through a bottle of rum. The liqueur we go through the quickest is probably Frangelico because it gets added to milk, coffee, hot chocolate, etc., but we have an almost full good-sized bottle currently.    And yeah, Weenies!  So I couldn't request getting a handful of decants:  Perfumes: The Listeners (sounds perfect!), Flesh of my Flesh, Pumpkin Spice Antikythera Mechanism (this one was mostly for my husband but I'm a bit curious too) Hair Gloss: Just a tiny decant of Picturesque Figures since I have more than a lifetime's worth of hair gloss already Atmo Spray: got an ounce of the Undead Home one, sounds amazing!    But... second tier, of stuff I'm curious about but didn't spring for, so Witch, feel free to snag some decants for me if you'd like: Candy Corn Snake Oil Popcorn Ball Snake Oil (so curious!) Come Sister Sea of Wonders Sleeping Draught Anthocyanin   10/3 Yes, I'd love baked goods, caramels, and catnip.   But still no on knitted/crocheted wearables in general, I'm afraid....  (And I just realized that there was a question from izile about whether anyone else does nail wraps... I personally don't.)   Do you like to cook and do you need/want any spices for such pursuits? I might need to give some more thought to needed supplies. I know I could use some chili powder from Penzey's... I currently have/am running low on the Regular Chili Powder and Ancho Chili Pepper. I'd also try the Medium Chili Powder. But I'm sure there's other stuff....   What kind of vegan snacks do you like? And vegan chocolate...favorites? I'm pretty sure that some of the snax I've mentioned already are... "accidentally vegan," I think is the term... like the Giant Peruvian Inca Corn. And there's other stuff around that I enjoy like the bags of crispy spiced chickpeas and such. I did receive a plethora of vegan chocolate bars from a past Witch and yeah, some of them did seem to be a bit past their prime/dry, but that can be the case with the ones that include dairy as well. So I'm certainly not going to reject all vegan snax out of hand, but I'm not sure there's something specific that I've been leaving out....   How do you feel about salt? I don’t mean, like, salted nuts or potato chips. I mean straight-up salt, like alder-smoked finishing salt or Hana Flake sea salt.  I do buy fancy salt from time to time, but I'm not really interested in flavored salt (smoked, spicy, etc.), and have a big bag of flake style sea salt already that I use for topping baked goods and such, so I'm not sure if I really need any right now....   About utilitarian needs or whatever, I know I've already mentioned some (like hand soap and some cooking utensils and such), so I should be covered there....   10/7 So I thought of another thing that'd possibly fit in the spices/utilitarian area: vanilla bean paste. I needed some for a recipe awhile back and couldn't get any in my town, so just used extract. Again, I have access to the extract and the actual beans, so it's just the paste that I really need.    On to questions:   How do you celebrate Halloween/Samhain? We usually have a bowl of candy ready to hand out, but usually don't get trick-or-treaters, or only have one or two.    Do you dress up? I wore cat ears to work last year, but other than doing something easy like that, I don't usually dress up these days.    Would you like something for your costume? n/a   And am I the only person left on the planet who wears socks?  Another thing I was fairly descriptive about in my original questionnaire. To recap, I only wear socks ~10x per year and have a drawer overflowing with them. And I do have a couple of pairs of Halloween socks already, so that's probably enough for me.   Are you interested in anything from Art Of Tea or Adagio Teas? Art of Tea: I'd try the "Pyramid Teabags" in Earl Grey Creme, White Coconut Creme, English Breakfast, Mint Green Tea, Orchid Oolong, or Jasmine Reserve. Adagio Teas: Would try teabags of Blueberry White or Oolong Goddess.    I make light-weight hairfalls, doll-style, using a variety of fun stuff, like ribbons, lace and soft batting. Would you be interested in receiving a set in the colors of your choosing? No thanks.   10/8 How do you feel about enamel pins?  Love them, hate them, slightly interested, totally indifferent? I do like them, and in my blog entry I even linked to a couple of specific ones that I like on etsy. If you see a different one you think I'd like though, go for it, dear Witch! I actually just bought a couple of new jackets last weekend, so I guess they need pins.    10/10 Witches and Witchees, what is your T-shirt/shirt of choice Size? Mens/unisex sizes: usually M, possibly L Womens sizes: usually L, possibly XL Juniors/babydoll sizes: usually XL, possibly XXL For example, in regular BPAL ladies' tees, I need an XXL, but in their tissue tees, I just need an XL.   (If you're unsure, I'd go with the larger of the two sizes for each category)   10/12 Witchee, are you interested in any kinds of things from the Blood Moon Botanica update? The Breast Massage oil and the Pain/Healing salve sound interesting.   also I took some beading classes and have been making bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.  Would you be interested in any?  If so, how big is your wrist or how long would you like your bracelet?  Any preferred styles of beads? a.I'm not against beaded items by any means, but would have to know more about the style of the items to know whether I'd wear them... there is a link in the question but since I'm not on Ravelry it doesn't work for me. So... maybe? b. This info was in my original questionnaire c. There are so many styles of beads that it would be hard to narrow things down. I guess the beaded earrings I wear most often are either seed beads, semiprecious stones, or mother of pearl type stuff, if that helps.    10/13 If I was to donate to an animal rescue on your behalf as the "lucyboo" component of this swap, is there one in particular that you would choose?  To answer my own question just in case, I'm thinking maybe this one, though there are many other good choices. I got my sweet kitty Marisol there many years ago (summer 2002 I think), and we were the best of friends until she passed away 3 years ago.    10/15 Hmm... I think I already talked about Halloween candy but I can try to consider whether there is anything else should add. I like these things but as far as I can tell from googling, they aren't available in snack size this year, just in full size bars. I'd take a full size bar though!    As for Lush Christmas stuff... wow, so many!  Fly Me to the Moon Happy Chris the Camel Yog Nog or the shower gel version Holly Golightly Polar Bear Plunge Santas Workshop Golden Pear Shoot for the Stars Polar Bear Nose Jingle Bells Night Bloom Snowman Dreaming Don't let the Bells End   10/18 If you were my witchee, would you enjoy home made (canned) preserves?  I'm going home to Can All The Things & I'm thinking some bananas foster butter/sauce might be a nifty thing for you. Yes please! Though I think my husband would probably hoard that butter/sauce if he found out about it....   10/20 Las Vegas: I'm another person who hasn't been and isn't into gambling. Yes, I know there is a bunch of other cool stuff going on there these days such as good restaurants. But I don't really know how that'd translate to this swap. The only thing I can think of is a penholder/paperweight like this (I was wondering if there were Las Vegas themed ones and apparently yes because that's basically all that came up in my search even though I usually see them at beachy destinations) if you come across one.

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch '18 -- Hi Witch!

My BPAL wishlist is linked in my signature, so if you have gotten here, you have probably been there as well.... Here's my Amazon wishlist: http://amzn.com/w/6D1ZI60Y3H6P Here's Modcloth (I know Modcloth's stuff is often expensive and sells out quickly, but I thought it might be helpful to give you an idea of what I like) etsy is unfortunately another story. My etsy faves are not public, so I can just try listing some ~$30-&-under things I like there... polyester shirt, bat toy (purple, not keychain), leaf ring, moon towel, fluorite crystal, bee you brooch (pastel), fuerza candle (whatever color), dangle studs (12), cosmic ray pin


I guess this is as good of a time as any to say that I will try to semi-ignore questions that I've already addressed thoroughly in my questionnaire, or that don't apply at all. I can do a little collection of the topics here just for quick reference though (and dear Witch, if you need more info, just let me know): possibly interested, but covered thoroughly in my original questionnaire: alcohol not interested, whether or not mentioned in original questionnaire: knitted items (yes, I guess the little bat toy I linked to on etsy is a knitted item, but it can be the exception that proves the rule, right? I already have a plainer small black knitted bat but that very cute one on etsy just really caught my eye!), socks, NaNoWriMo, re-watching or owning movies.


On to actual questions I've actually answered...

I just recently discovered MoonMagic -jewelry with a focus on moonstones but also opals and labradorite. They currently have a sale. Anything that stands out to you?
I like the Moonlighters earrings, Edged Lustre silver/moonstone ring, Petite Double silver/labradorite ring. From the sale, I like the Knowing Eye necklace and the Moon Eclipse ring.

Are there any old favorites from no longer operating companies that you would like if either anyone had a stash OR could find a reasonable dupe?
I waited awhile to answer this one because I was giving it some thought. As sometimes happens, this led to another question. So I remembered a couple of super-glittery nail polish brands I used to be into, Nerdlacquer and Rainbow Honey. I wanted to make sure I correctly typed whether the company names were one word or two words, and lo and behold, Nerdlacquer is back. So I'll do a separate question about that. But I do miss Rainbow Honey's glittery nail polishes. Once I have a blog post for this round, I can update this question if I think of anything else.

Are you interested in anything from Nerdlacquer (nerdlacquer.com)?
I personally would like (sorry for weird formatting, I wanted to leave the special character in the first product name): Strålen Monstres Grootslang Phaya Naga Take A Look, It's In A Book! from the Vintage Archive: All of Time & Space, Pinin' for the Fjords, Hyperspace Bypass, Exterminate, The Lando System, Batcave, The Quantum Bluniverse Hanna Nazi Punks F... Off I Just Do Eyes Shut Up, Wesley * mini quads are also available for $18, where one gets 4 mini nail polishes to try. I ordered one from Nerdlacquer back in the day, and definitely wouldn't mind trying the things listed above in mini-form

St. Pancras Renaissance hotel postcard?
Why not?

Future Primitive?
Soap: Gringotts, Potages Cauldrons, The Gloaming, Cordwainer, Cracked Coconut, Rook & Raven, Rose Cardamom, White Witch
Whipped Soap: Cordwainer, Rook & Raven, Orange Coconut Mallow, Sylph
Bubbling Bathing Grains: Bell Book & Candle, Cordwainer, Orange Coconut Mallow, Rook & Raven, Sparklebox, Sylph

Feelings re: Lewis Carroll/Alice in Wonderland? Love it, hate it, meh it?
Somewhere in between "meh" and "love," which I guess would be "like?" I think I usually say that if the Alice in Wonderland themed thing seems like something I'd like based on my other interests/preferences, go for it.

Are you witchy or like witchy things like incense, sage, palo santo, crystals, tarot, altar supplies, candles, etc.? Whatcha like/need?
I am low-key witchy I guess. I mean, at least I'm not not-witchy.... In my Switch Witch '18 blog I've already linked to a crystal and a candle that I like, so I guess that fits this question. I also enjoy stick incense, but I already have a large amount of it because the Witch I had last year sent me the motherlode. My favorite incense by far is the classic sampler from https://incense.net/ .

Lush-xmas? Puddy Holly Yog Nog Yule Log Rudolph Snow Fairy Cold-pressed soap The North Polar Bear Left the Tap on for the Northern Lights soap and, y'know... if you're already there and all, I also like non-yule items such as Ectoplasm shower cream, Happy Hippy/Plum Rain/Olive Branch shower gels, and the Rose Jam bubbleroon.


Does anyone have a favorite source for vintage or handmade jewelry?
I dunno if it makes sense to answer this like it is about me, but on etsy I like Katofmanycolors (in case my Witch is peeping this, I especially like this) and urbanlegend (I really like these though they are a bit pricy).

Is there anything you want from Japan? Some kind of food, cute stationary, fandom merch, maybe you collect lucky cats, anything!
I like green tea kitkats quite a bit, and I also like the Meltykiss chocolate I've tried in the past. Things have kind of dried up on the penpal front so I guess I don't need any stationery really, but I would still like cute/weird stickers even though I likely don't have much of a use for them. Sanrio-wise I'm a Chococat/My Melody type. San-X-wise, I like Kutusita Nyanko. If I think of anything else, I can update in my blog.

Do you need decanting supplies? Sample vials? Pipettes? Standard labels?
Wouldn't mind some pipettes.

How do you feel about buttons, pins, and badges?
They are fine and I have some? I don't wear them often or change them out often on the few garments I have them on though. I think I linked to one I like in my blog... but since they are usually relatively inexpensive, if you find one you think I'd like, it's up to you....

Is there any scents from the more current releases you have been wanting to try (Weenies, Motherhood/Fatherhood)?
Hmm... here we go with a time-consuming one. So, I've gotten or requested decants from all of these releases that I thought I had a good chance of liking, but there's usually a "second tier" of things I'm curious about but not sure enough to even get a decant for myself. Breaking it down:
Weenies: Illimitable Dominion Over All (I just smelled this at a meet&sniff and it was lovely!), Jacob w/the Daughters of Laban, Lithograph of a Mountain Goat, Midnight Bonfire, Pomegranate Grove: Snake Oil, Pumpkin Musk & Black Oudh, Ruhende Ziege mit Kitzchen, Studie Einer Ziege.
Fatherhood: tried Family Resemblance at the same meet&sniff, it was pretty nice so I wouldn't mind owning some.
Motherhood: Wouldn't mind more Don't Tell me Heaven is Under the Earth.

Spooky stuff! D'ya like... ghosts? Skeletons? Aliens? Bigfoot? Unsolved mysteries?
Not hugely into that stuff. I mean, there are some cute things out there with ghosts/skeletons, so I don't want to discount them entirely though. My fave cryptid is probably Mothman... I saw a cool "Mothman is my copilot" sticker on a car yesterday, in fact.

What are your DISO BPAL dreams?
Oh, you don't wanna know. I will dig that up from last year's blog just in case though. Goth Queen The Laughter of Loki

Coffee or Tea?
Okay, I know I talked about this in my original questionnaire, let me see if I can think of anything else important on this subject though. My household does drink coffee. Whole-bean and ground are both fine. We prefer medium roast rather than darker roasts. The only flavored coffees we really like are cinnamon and coconut (have only tried this separately but I guess I'd try them together if that exists). As for tea, I think I've already said that bags/sachets are much preferred to loose tea, but I'll mention it just in case. I don't think I want stuff from David's Teas... I was briefly excited that they had Cream Earl Grey but then I saw that people were majorly upset that they had changed the formulation so I decided I'd better steer clear. I do like the Cream Earl Grey from Capital Teas though (looks to be out of stock in sachets at the moment).

Are there any subscription/subscription style boxes you have an interest in?
Would like to subscribe to one for Japanese treats and such. I know Bokksu is one, I'm sure there are others. *EDIT* I remembered another one, the Kizuna box.

Is there something (either a specific item, or type of item, like bath/body, perfume, candy etc) you're really looking forward to or hoping to get?
Whatever my Witch thinks I would like would be great. If I really have to pick something, I guess bar soap? I mean, nice ones are everywhere and they usually aren't that expensive, and I don't have a huge stash of it right now, so that would definitely work if that helps.

Hmm... long paragraph incoming... I'm still updating the semi-ignored topics section above, so I almost put this near that section because it goes back to the original questionnaire rather than the in-thread questions, but then I decided to just put it here. Anyway, the original questionnaire mentioned under $10 and over $10 things we wanted. I will use this opportunity to ask for cooking and baking related stuff because there hasn't really been a question about that yet. So from Penzey's I'd like some Bold Taco Seasoning, or Sandwich Sprinkle, or Special Seasoned Sea Salt. I prefer jars to bags, and jars of all of those are less than $10. You could also get me some Vietnamese Cinnamon or vanilla extract from Penzey's, I go through those really quickly (the Vietnamese cinnamon is under $10, I think vanilla extract is slightly over, so it can count as the over-$10 part of this question. I'd rather have either double-acting or Mexican vanilla extract than the regular single-acting one). My mind then turns to extremely fancy sprinkles from a website I just discovered. They are just under or just over $10 depending on the amount and type. I like Little Prince, Purple Pony Party, Dark Rainbow, Smitten Kitten, Starry Night, and Blue Tinsel. Hope that helps since I didn't answer that question in my original questionnaire!

So it looks like there was a question about spices. I guess I already mentioned some things in my last huge paragraph. The only other thing I can think of is sumac, I've been wanting some of that since I have a few recipes that call for it.

Dreadful Curiousities:
The framed "vintage Halloween" stuff with cats/bats is pretty cute. The other stuff pictured is not really my style.

Alchemy & Dust:
I'd wear these earrings, I like these too.

When I was looking over my original questionnaire recently, I saw that I said that if there wasn't a Haus of Gloi question, I'd address this in my blog, so I guess I need to do that as time is short. From the Fall II section, I'd like White Lodge soap, or the whipped soap in Spider Silk or Cozy Pumpkin. From the Fall section, I'd like Cozy Pumpkin soap. Looking at soap listed by product, Violet, Warm Mahogany, Coconut Jasmine, and Orange Ginger Patchouli sound nice.

board games:
So I think I have some Trivial Pursuit related stuff on my Amazon wishlist? Would also consider Perquackey (Amazon usually has it used for okay prices). Otherwise I'm really not a board game person.

RenFaire:
I'm prettymuch always interested in bar soap, earrings, and stick incense from Renaissance Faires. But like I said, I have way too much stick incense right now so I don't really need any unless it's from Devonshire/incense.net (I know she sells at some faires up north, but not sure about that one). So the other two things, maybe? Otherwise, usually there are cool wooden boxes for sale too, but I usually think they are too expensive for me. So I guess I'm saying, use your judgment, Dear Witch...

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch '17: Still Happening (i.e., Part 2)

Witch!

Hopefully you've seen my first entry.
I've decided to make a second entry since that first one was really long.
So here goes...


What style/make/etc of phone do you have? What about size of tablet? Laptop? Would you like decals, skins, or cases for any of these?
I just got a Samsung Galaxy S7... as in, yesterday! Before that, I didn't even have a smartphone. I have some kind of iPad through work, but I don't know exactly which type. And I'm really tired now so I'm probably not going to measure my laptop right now, though I think I did in my SW blog entry from last year. I can try to update this entry with information about the work iPad and my laptop's measurements. But I had to get kind of a goofy case for my phone yesterday because the store only had 3 in stock. I looked at cases on etsy and I like these 3: Geometric, Geometrical, Mountains. So anyway, interested....

Do you need any kind of dice bag, tote, project bag, cosmetic bag, pencil bag, or whatever? I have lots of bag patterns and fabric. We make bags under the name Twinkle N Twilight. Or how about a couple of pillowcases?
I don't think I'd use a dice bag or pencil bag, but the other things sound nice.

Let me know if you are interested in any "Apple Crips" (as voodoocatwoman calls them!) I wash, peel, core, and slice before dehydrating.
Sure.

Would you like some homemade jam? I have blackberry, rose petal, strawberry rhubarb, peach, and cherry.
I personally would eat everything but the peach, but my husband would like it, so any of these would be fine.

Want some honey from the bees on our property?
Sure.

Interested in trying some of our rose petal (rose petals, sugar, everclear) or lavender vanilla bean (lavender, vanilla bean, vodka) liqueur?
Sure, but small amounts.

Could you use a muscle rub? (We make ours on the lunar cycle and it has menthol, wintergreen, habanero, cayenne, olive oil, st. john's wort, arnica, beeswax, calendula, and ginger. It tingles. We call it "Thunder Butter". If you have really really super sensitive skin, I would recommend against it. And don't take a hot shower or open all of your pores before using it.)
Definitely.

Pumpkin or Zucchini bread?
Zucchini, as pumpkin would have to have something else going for it too since I'm not the hugest pumpkin fan ever. I'm actually curious to try chocolate zucchini bread because I only make a "very zucchini" type that has 3 cups of zucchini in it and no chocolate.

I am possibly going to a crystal / gem show tomorrow. I can't afford expensive gem stones, but...
What kind of crystals would you like?
Not sure. Wouldn't mind something paperweight-ish (I just mean like, something that would sit by itself on a table rather than only looking good with a bunch of other similar stuff) if you see something you think I'd like.

Are you interested in anything from Bath & Bodyworks? Which products and scents do you like? www.bathandbodyworks.com/
Okay, I took a look. I like the Mentha stuff decently, you could get me the bar soap, lip balm (not lip shine or lip tint, those don't work as well for my purposes), or bodywash/shower gel (I forget which one it's classifed as, but I'm sure you know what I mean).
Other thoughts: candles: would try spiced coconut, lavender cedar, or clove varieties bodywashes/shower gels: almond milk, cocoshea coconut, cocoshea honey, magic in the air, sensual amber, french lavender & honey


Favorite animals or wild creatures or mythological creatures?
Too tired to look up my past answer to this that I usually just copy and paste every year. I think I say hedgehogs/bees/deer/foxes if I remember right (can update if I left something out). I also like axolotls lately. I don't usually want stuff with mythological animals unless I link to something specific or you see something very like something I've already shown interest in, BUT... the mascot of my new (since 8/1/17) workplace is the unicorn. Trying to roll with it, I got a shiny necklace that said "UNICORN" like a nameplate or something but then I broke it the first day I wore it to work. The thing is, we're supposed to be like tough intimidating unicorns and not cutesy delicate ones (and the color scheme is like a medium blue and white, not like a fun rainbow). So I kinda felt like I had to mention that since mythological animals were brought up.

Ten Thousand Villages:
contessa earrings
panorama earrings
dynasty earrings
cats tea towel
dish carrier
coconut soap
dove garland

Would anyone be interested in having any of Abigail Larson's artwork (either as a print or on something, like a pillow, blanket, or t-shirt)?
The categories mentioned don't particularly appeal to me, but some of the tote bags look nice, like performers, dark unicorn or cats of ulthar.

I already talked about stationery, but I can answer a couple of other questions that were related:
Anyone like/want calendars or dayplanners?
We have several wall calendars in the house so that's a thought. I'm not really into ones with inspirational messages or cute animal photos if that helps.
What about general desk stuff like cool colored paperclips and post it pads?
Sure, those would work, I use them both at home and at school.


Weenies are live! anything you are lusting after?
Yes, a few! I am going to get myself decants of I Heard Many Things in Hell, The Mournful Influence of the Unperceived Shadow, and Nebulaphobia.
Dear Witch, You could get me decants (or even half-decants, honestly because I'm mostly just curious about these) of (in rough order of how interested I am): Cinnamon Chai Cupcake Pumpkin Spice Snake Oil Pumpkin Spice Cathedral Pumpkin Spice Opium Poppy Dead Leaves, Coconut, & Champaca Dead Leaves, Tuscan Leather, White Amber, & Mimosa Blossom Dead Leaves, Violet Candy, & Sugar Crystals


What are your top three most wanted DC'd or previous LE BPALs?
Well, you asked for it. Our Lady of Pain (I have a bottle already, still about 75% full, but haven't been able to locate a backup because they get snapped up super-quickly) Goth Queen (might even be for sale on the forum right now because there's a sales post that mentions it, but I haven't been able to look because the sales post also mentions the word "lace" and apparently pages with that word are blocked at my work ) The Laughter of Loki (all I have is a decant that I paid about $10 for... I wish I wasn't too hipster-y to get this when it came out)


Freshly released! Who wants it? I can't be the only one! (Ask Baba Yaga by Taisia Kitaiskaia)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449486819/
Hmm... maybe. I think I used to read this column on the Hairpin website back in the day.

And... it looks like I missed a couple of pertinent questions somewhere along the way:

If I were to find an adorable autumnal/Halloween-y dish/flatware/etc. design, how many settings would be needed in your household?
I guess two if possible so that my husband could join the fun. But if you find something that there's just one of, that'd be fine too.

Starbucks collectibles:
I don't think I've ever bought anything from Starbucks other than drinks, though once in awhile I admire the tchotchkes. But I don't think I really need/want any of that stuff right now unless you find the thing that you know is absolutely perfect for me or something. I'd use a Starbucks gift card though... I mean, I only go once a month or less, but am always surprised by how much the drinks cost since I only get fancy stuff there as it's an occasional treat and not an every-day sort of thing.

*Just a note that I edited the Bath & Body Works question above*

*Also, I thought of some possibly-under-$10 things I'd like... I think I said I'd come back to that in my original questionnaire. I just finished up a jar of Penzey's Taco Seasoning, but maybe I'd go for their Bold Taco Seasoning next time instead... it's pretty inexpensive still. Another small thing I need is page flags to use to mark recipes. Currently I just tear up post-its but obviously it'd be nicer/easier to have something that was already in small strips to use.

Would you be interested in anything from Orange Thyme? https://shoporangethyme.com/ If so, which products/scents/flavors?
Yep, the interesting lip balms seem to be sold out right now. Out of the sold out ones, Earl Grey, Lavender Sweet Orange, Sweet Milk & Clove, and Vanilla Coffee sound cool. For currently-available, I guess I'd pick Orange Clove.


Would you like anything from the Haus of Gloi Fall Part II update?
Cool, it's finally up! I kept checking earlier and seeing "page not found" and wondering if it was just me. So, I'd try the whipped soap in Blood Orange Marshmallow, Ghost Puffs, or Spider Silk I know the Butterbombs go ridic-fast but I'd be into Amber Vanilla, Leaf Pile, or Sleepy Time Finally, Cathedral Park sounds like a nice candle


​Witchee, I have a small but awesome farmer's market by my house. They have a local honey stand (which also sells things made from local honey like Propolis tincture!); there's a small apothecary and she additionally makes soaps and hand-made, hand-poured scented candles; plus a guy that makes an array of BBQ and Hot Sauces. Does any of this appeal? Would you like anything from my local farmer's market?
VioletChaos! I've had the pleasure of being VioletChaos' Witchee twice already, so I doubt this question is for me this time, but... I think I've already been pretty clear about wanting to try local honey and liking soaps and candles. Not sure about the BBQ or hot sauces... being a Texan, I'm kinda well stocked already when it comes to those two condiments. Even so, if there's a barbecue sauce that you are sure I'd love, I'll give it a try.

​Witchee, I'm about to place an order with Smolder Cosmetics. Do any of their products (glitter, eye dusts etc) appeal to you? https://smoldercosmetics.com
Desert Nude, Sensual, and Sterling dusts look pretty nice. But I only wear eyeshadow a handful of times a year and already own several colors, so I'm not sure if it would make sense for me to receive them?

Witchee, would you be interested in anything from Strobe Cosmetics (?
Druid looks pretty neat, as do Fit for a Queen and Sea of Ghosts. But... see my prior answer about how often I actually wear eyeshadow.

Also, How would you feel about getting Hello Kitty stuff?
Fine I guess. I've been buying HK merchandise occasionally for 20+ years at this point, so I don't need a bunch more of it, but one or two interesting things would be fine.

Witchee, would you like anything from the Trading Post Halloween update? https://blackphoenix...y/weenies-2017/
Sure... I'd just decided on a couple of decants to get for myself (and maybe a bath bomb), but realized I'd sort of overlooked the Pomegranate Clove bath oil, which could actually be really nice. So that's a thought!

Would any witchees be interested in NASA swag?
Wouldn't mind a shirt or magnets. I also remember my husband really liking things that said "Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory" if that helps.

The new 13 isn't so much my thing, but the Lunacy sounds very nice. Trouble is, I don't really wear the super-foodie scents that I have, even when I love them. So it probably wouldn't make sense for me to have a bottle, but it would be cool to try a decant.

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch '17: It's Happening

INTRO: Here's my Amazon wishlist: http://amzn.com/w/6D1ZI60Y3H6P Here's Modcloth (which hopefully I'll update soon... I know Modcloth's stuff is expensive and sells out quickly, but I thought it might be helpful to give you an idea of what I like) etsy is unfortunately another story. My etsy faves are not public, so I can just try listing some ~$30-&-under things I like there (etsy is having a sale as I type this, so it's possible the prices may be slightly higher by the time you look, sorry)... black spinel hoops, poppy seed earrings, triangle hoops, cat shoelace charms, red stone ring, cat ring, popcorn lip balm, grey holo polish, nocturn alley candle.

Oh, and I should mention... I actually enjoy answering the in-thread questions and copying/pasting them here, but I may ignore questions if a.] I've already written a detailed response about them in the initial questionnaire (which I think applies for things like coffee/tea preferences) or b.] they are about something I'm not interested in at all and have already indicated as such (so that would apply to questions about things like DVDs or nail wraps, which seem common). However, Dear Witch, please don't hesitate to ask for more information/clarification if you need it, I'll be happy to help.

Do you enjoy stationery? I'm thinking cute/quality notebooks, washi tape, stickers, fun pens etc.
Sure! Here's a place I order stationery from sometimes: Kawaii Gifts.

Are you interested in anything from Cocoa Pink?
- Or Haus of Gloi?
Cocoa Pink: Wow, too many scents! I guess I'd give the Whipped Dream or Voluptuous Body Butter a try. From a quick scan, Genevieve, Phantom Kiss, and Sensory Deprivation Tank sound like they could be promising scents.
Haus of Gloi: I have tried their soaps, lip balms, and pumpkin butter before and I like them all. But I think I'm good on everything other than soap, and the soaps always seem to be sold out now. Oh, the Cozy Sweater candle sounds nice though, so maybe that?

Would you be interested in a Halloween wreath?
I definitely would as long as it's not overly Nightmare-Before-Christmas like one of the pictured ones is.

Are you interested in anything from the Moonalisa Halloween update?
I'd try the "4in1" product... maybe the Full Moon scent would be good?

What are your coffee and/or tea preferences?
Skipping as answered thoroughly in original questionnaire!

How would you feel about receiving a hand-painted container for your bpal and/or other treasures?
- would you want a big wood box (~50 bottles), a small wood box (~20 bottles) or a tin for carrying imps around?
Big box or small box would work.

Who is into K-Beauty (Korean beauty products like sheet masks)
Not my thing.

What are some NEW things you've gotten interested in this year? Could be anything, from a new hobby, new genre of book, new healthy way of living, new fav brand of whatever...
Nothing comes to mind though I'm sure there's something... I can come back to this later in my blog I guess.

What are your feelings about Scooby Doo?
I guess it's sort of fun to make fun of, but even that seems overdone at this point, so I've probably already given enough info here.

How do you feel about indie makeup (read: loose eyeshadow, blush, highlighter)?
I don't wear blush or highlighter, and I feel like the way I usually receive loose eyeshadow is the opposite of user-friendly (it's usually in a tiny baggie and I don't really want to mess with that). If you have some loose eyeshadow you think I'd like and it's actually in a little pot or whatever, I wouldn't mind receiving it.

I drink this stuff almost everyday would anyone else be interested in trying it out? https://www.criobru.com/
Sure, that sounds very interesting.

Would you like one of the Halloween Teeturtle shirts?
I think I already mentioned liking the Dia De Los Foxes one and the women's relaxed fit. I guess size-wise XL would be safest... from the measurements it looks like an L would fit, but someone said they run small, so I guess I'd err on the side of caution.


New question: Sooo... have you seen this!? And what would you like?
Yes, I saw that on facebook awhile back. I'd try any jelly bomb or bubble bar listed.

Would you be interested in things from Future Primitive?
Their soaps all sound quite nice, so sure, I wouldn't mind trying them.

Are there any UK things you'd like to get?
My husband mentioned a travel guide to Wales? Whenever I get this question, the only thing I think of is Crunchie.

New question: Are you into podcasts? If so, what are your favorites? Would you like any merch related to any of them?
No, I still don't really know what they are even though people have tried to explain them to me at least twice. So they must not be for me.

New question: Would you like something from Nui Cobalt Designs? Or maybe some of Christina's lovely Halloween candles at Sihaya & Co.?
Nui Cobalt: Justice, Liberty, and Health candles sound nice.
Sihaya: Scrying Stone and Sisterhood of the Moon candles sound nice.

ILNP? Who would love one of their awesome holos like Mega, or beautiful chromes??
They all look really lovely. Ava is catching my eye today, but really any of them!

* I am not really a hobbies, crafts, or socks person, but I think all of that is covered in my initial questionnaire.

Would you want to receive a custom spell kit or magical tea? If so, for what purpose would you want it to be made?
I need people to talk to and I need my job to become reasonable (as in, there's too much work to go around right now and not enough guidelines), could you help with either of those?

Do you like poetry?
I may be over-thinking this question but I'm having trouble figuring out what it's getting at, as most people like some sort of poetry, be it rap lyrics, Robert Frost, or Rimbaud. I do like some poetry but I can't think of any poetry-related items that I would like to obtain right now.

Anyone like handmade critters, stuffed animals, or custom repaints?
The first 2 things sound okay, maybe not the last one.

Would anyone like a donation made in their name to a cause or charity?
Last year I mentioned the Lilith Fund and my Witch made a donation there, still a worthy cause for sure.

Please provide wishes from the last two updates? Some of us, some where, somehow can obtain those desired scents!
Hmm... which last 2 updates? From the BPAL Liliths I wouldn't mind decants or 1/2 decants of Storyboard: Julius Caesar and Vampire Princess since I was curious about them but didn't get them, but I wasn't really interested in anything from the BPTP "Dog Days" one. Hoping for BPTP Liliths soon!

Question! I'm in Japan, is there anything specific from here you would want?
I'm one of the many fans of green tea kitkats. I also really like Meltykiss Chocolate... I've tried some of the unusual flavors before like Milk Tea and liked them. I've already mentioned liking Japanese stickers and stationery and such. And... I do like My Melody and Chococat Sanrio-wise, and these kitties San-X-wise.

I live in too warm of a climate for most knitted items... about the only thing I can think of that I'd actually get use of would be something like a cup cozy or whatever (like, a thing that goes on a hot mug or travelcup so that it's easier to hold... I bought a past swap partner a cute one from etsy before), and I'd be pretty open about color/style for that sort of thing... I mean, not neon colors I guess, but whatever else should be fine.


Elements & Artifacts: silver squirrel earrings apparition necklace

Here's a great local soapmaker I love--y'all see anything you would like? https://littleseedfarm.com/
The deodorant cream sounds interesting -- I'd try any of the scents. The liquid soap sounds nice in anything but the patchouli scent. For bar soaps, the "Bearwalker Beer Bar" sounds great, as does the Cocoa Spice.

What are your favorite/preferred Halloween/autumn icons/images? Any to specifically stay away from?
Though I no longer actually like to eat candy corn, I like it as a decor theme. I also like the usual cats/owls/skulls/bats/spiders (rough order of preference), especially if glittery. Also, someone mentioned the recent prevalence of eyeballs in Halloween decor. I'm all for that -- I have eyeball socks (which I actually wear even though I wear socks less than 10x/year) and eyeball washi tape already, other items would be welcome. I haven't really seen Halloween wolves yet (they were also mentioned earlier), but I do like wolves, foxes and such, so those would be welcome too. I'm not really into gory/grotesque things though, and I abhor zombies!

Do you eat candy, and if so would Halloween candy be welcome?
I know I talked about candy a lot in my original questionnaire, so I'm just answering the Halloween part of this. Halloween candy that is in line with preferences stated previously is fine. I do also like the special orange kitkats that come out for Halloween and the thing that's kind of like Hershey's cookies&cream but with little orange bits or whatever (to be clear, in this sentence I'm talking about orange color and not orange flavor, but I do like orange-flavored chocolate anyway so if some shows up that'd be fine too).

Do you want Fidget spinners, desk toys, or other frivolous things that you look at and decide you don't need enough to spend $ on but would make you happy to have?
Maybe if you find something you think I'd really like. I technically have at least 2 offices (though they're sort of shared), and neither of them have huge amounts of knickknacks.

Any zentangle lovers, people who would like to try it, or would you want a piece of someone else's zentangle art?
It sounds neat but I probably wouldn't try it because I am very busy and therefore very lazy on the odd occasion that I'm not busy. Wouldn't mind a piece of someone else's art if you think I'd like it.

Any love of hair toys, clips, ribbons, fascinators, mini hats, etc?
I wish I still wore stuff in my hair but I just don't. I have a drawerful of cool barrettes and such and maybe wear one once or twice a year.

What local goodies may be of interest? Local Honey, jams,candy?
All of this sounds great. I especially love honey and have never received any in a swap.

Are you interested in any subscription services like serial magazines, Birch box, ipsy?
I know there are some for Japanese snacks, I'd be interested in those.

Would you like funky Halloweenie costume makeup like Gothic eyelashes, nail effects, black lipstick, etc.?
Probably not but I'm always up for wacky shades of nail polish (just not like the sand-textured or crackle stuff or whatever).

Candles, Incense, or wax tarts?
Candles or incense (stick not cone for incense), not wax tarts.

Petz:
I got a kitten this summer and he would love just about anything (he has all manner of toys, but currently his favorite is a small bouncy ball... he's also just starting to appreciate catnip since that takes awhile). My dog, on the other hand, mostly likes stuffed squeaky toys. If you are planning to send edible treats (which are the only thing my other cat, who is somewhat elderly, might enjoy), please only send a small amount since I'm not sure how the animals will like them and we don't give out treats super-often.

Post Liliths:
Just pre-ordered decants of My Little Themysciran Princess and Spinning on Graves. Others I'd be interested in trying are Wednesday's Child... and Zip Line.

Trader Joe's:
There are a few of these stores within 30 minutes to an hour of my house, but I don't really consider that to be very close I guess. Just went to one a week or so ago (before that it had been several years) and it turns out that I really love this Peruvian Corn stuff. The question specifically asked about pumpkin stuff though and pumpkin really isn't my thing to be honest. But if you see something else at Trader Joe's you think I might like, go for it!

Is there anything you want from the trading post (or trading post etsy) that is available to order right now?
Sure! I use the bath oils as a sort of bodywash-enhancement, so I go through them fairly quickly these days. From the BPTP etsy I wouldn't mind trying the Bloodbath one, and on the main BPTP site bath-oils-wise I would mind the Morocco, Hedonism, Intensity, Invidia, Luxuria, Patientia, or some more Snake Oil (I do have a little bit of Snake Oil bath oil, but I'm running really low). Would also take an XXL v-neck of the Irretrievable Time shirt.

Who would love some USPS eclipse stamps?
me!

Do you like to cook and/or bake? Could you use any specific ingredients (spices, oils, salts, extracts, etc.) or kitchen utensils/gadgets?
Yes indeed, I could use all kinds of weird stuff. Ingredients-wise: ground flaxseed, nutritional yeast (powder form), hemp seeds (ones that would be legal in Texas, to be clear! ), gochujang, harissa, ras al hanout, za'atar, um... are you sorry you asked? Gadgets... maybe a mandoline? I'll edit this in my blog if I think of more.

I'm at Ocean City MD for bike week......would a witches want anything from here? Bike or beach related??
We have an old Holden Beach souvenir that we need to replace, I asked my husband to look up what it's called and it's called something like a "souvenir waterglobe pyramid pencilholder" or a "cone floating paperweight pencilholder." So if you find one of those, that would be great!

Would you like some Halloween or other themed decor in the form of a banner, something like this http://www.etsy.com/...n-decor-vintage? If so, would you prefer a traditional style or a vertical door type?
I don't really like the one linked to, but the Trick or Treat one from the same etsy shop is okay. I think traditional would be better than vertical-door.


If there are specific fragrance oils or products my Witchee would like from any of the OCYL Fall updates, it would be good to add those to their blog, ketchup, or signature.
This is a really broad question since there are so many companies, so I think I can only really give general guidance (I mean, there have already been specific questions about a few companies [such as Lush] and I tried my best for those, but I don't really think I can do it for every company). So... in general, I'd like to mention that I don't really wear OCYL perfume oils, or at least not more than once or twice a year. So if there is one decant from another company you think I'd really like, go ahead and include it, but I probably wouldn't use up a bottle from another company or try many decants. Otherwise... I think this question mentioned Yankee Candle which I don't really think of as an indie brand, but... I do like some of their gourmand type scents like Vanilla Cupcake and Peppermint Bark and such, so I wouldn't mind something in that vein I suppose.


This has also sort of been mentioned but what are your favorite homemade treats?
For shippable things, cookies/brownies are good bets, I guess.

Favorite gemstones?
Garnet, moonstone, labradorite, lapis, opal... and my birthstone is ruby but since it's literally the most expensive thing there is, I don't expect you to get me rubies.

Are you a Potterhead? If so, to which house do you belong?
Mildly. And I'm an almost completely even split between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, I'm afraid. I alternate between the 2 pretty evenly when I take the usual quizzes, and on the "more scientific" recent quiz I took that took into account personality research, I was... 39.7% Ravenclaw, 39% Hufflepuff, 19.8% Gryffindor, 1.6% Slytherin.

How do you feel about chokers?
I don't really wear the ones I own so they probably aren't a good bet.

I'm in France at the moment, is there anything here you might like? I'm in Provence, the land of lavender, so if you like flower in particular just say so!
I'd especially like culinary lavender (like, to use in baking and such), but whatever is good, really.

If you enjoy jewelry do you like discrete and elegant, flashy and gaudy, small and light, or large and chunky?
Um, it depends on what mood I'm in!



Would my Witchee be interested in a Tarot or Astrology reading done personally?
Sure. I don't do divination myself (not since I was a teenager, anyway), but I still appreciate it. And I've been wanting to get my chart done for years so that'd be especially great. I know all of the specific time and place and such stuff about my birth so can provide that if needed.

Does my Witchee need any magical supplies?
I don't think so but I can try to think of if there are any TAL oils or the like, and update in my blog if so.

Would you be interested in any of the seasonal (or regular) soaps from Cellar Door (https://cellardoorbathsupply.com)?
Aw yeah! I even mentioned them in my initial questionnaire. I'm especially interested in Almond Vanilla, Acadian Driftwood, Good Vibrations, Lavender, Lavender Pumpkin, Merry Manhattans, Midnight Mocha, Once Bitten, Orange Clove, Pumpkin Chai Latte, Tobacco+Oakmoss, and Sandalwood+Amber.

Partial BPAL bottles are fine.

Are you interested in anything from Think Geek?
Hmm... this is an interesting one. A past Witch got me a giftcard or whatever from them and their policy was really weird and caused me to be overdrawn for awhile (my purchase went very slightly over the giftcard amount but their policy, at least last year, was to freeze $50 from the bank account no matter the actual amount of the charge, which wasn't cool when I needed to get a couple of things at the grocery store right before payday and had had only about $20 in my account, not over $50). So I might enjoy actual items from there, but please no giftcards as I'm not messing with that again. So anyway, here are some fairly-reasonably-priced things you could purchase/procure for me if you'd like: Pikachu apron Mixology Cocktail Shaker Jiji coin purse Highball glass


If you could decorate your house (or one room) in any one theme, what would it be?
Going to take the easy way out here and say mid-century modern

aprons:
Yep, I wear an apron sometimes, and I'm trying to do so more often when I'm cooking or baking. The one I have is fine but nowhere near new. I guess I like more feminine ones that are still functional for cooking/baking (i.e., no problem with ruffles or cutesy prints or etc, but the material shouldn't be especially flammable or extremely flimsy or whatever).

Do you like Broadway shows/music? If so what are some of your favorites and/or ones that you hope to see or listen to eventually? Would you like merch from your favorite shows or CDs from shows you want to listen to?
Can't think of any though I don't think I dislike the entire genre.

I'm heading to NYCC in October! Is there anything I can get my Witchee while I'm there?
Ironically, BPAL's Broadway scent sounds really nice. Of course I dunno if I'd like it enough for a bottle, but I'd love a decant. I know they were on offer at Crown and Tulip.

I just realized - I'm going to Edmonton Expo this weekend (It's Edmonton's version of comic con). Would a witchee like anything from there?
I... don't know what they have at those, I've been ignoring the fandom questions because I'm not really "fannish." But if you see something you think I'd like, sure!


- Anything catch your eye from this site (globalgirlfriend.com)?
Wow, apparently yes! Will probably go back to this site for Christmas-wish purposes! raindrops top huipil sling bag (in multi) envelope clutch beaded coin purse (not teal) loop beaded earrings (in grey) teardrop earrings (in Zambezi) swallow and stone earrings sky collection earrings (any color) rococo earrings peridot earrings beaded bracelet (in arrow) daybreak earrings citrine square earrings blue crush earrings sacred mark soap (lavender coconut or chai masala) trunk scrub soap (cocomango) drinking chocolate nepali woven dish towel (blue) waxcloth apron bees dish towel dot dish towel

- Do you have any favorite, lesser-known stores? Especially ones that sell hand-crafted or independently made items.
I usually plug Devonshire Organics at some point during Switch Witch, so I guess this can be that time. I have been buying stick incense from them for at least 15 years and feel like nothing else compares (apparently the Vatican agrees since their incense is used there). My favorite is the general incense wand sampler, but I also order the "woodsy" or "cathedral" ones sometimes for winter.

Imagine you're going to the most gigantic art & craft show imaginable, and money is no object - what kind of things would you gravitate towards and probably spend money on? Include as specific as you want to get!
Well, when I go to art/craft shows or Renaissance festivals with my normal limited budget, I always end up buying earrings and bar soap, so that's a first thought. I also gravitate toward stick incense. Pricier things that catch my eye at times but that I don't buy would include the fancy wooden boxes or cutting boards (usually with different colors/patterns of wood), and the fancy coffee cups at pottery places... but I'd still want the coffee cup(s) to be regular shape and not with weird dents or globs of fake crystals or dragons or whatever as I keep seeing those on etsy and wondering how somebody would actually drink out of them.


See's Candy. They have special Halloween candy..any of these pique your interest?? Cinnamon Apple Scotch Mallows, Pumpkin spice truffles, pumpkinspice lollypops, caramel apple lollypops, or any other of their chocolates, etc?
I checked out the "Fall Gifts & Treats" on the site, and the Sweet Harvest Box, Brittle & Crunch, Orange Krispys, Orange & Chocolate Wafers, and Autumn Delights sound amazing.

And... after we get Witchees I'm probably going to start a second entry because this is already so long!

Witch! Nice to see you! Like I said earlier, I will probably start a second blog entry for any new questions.

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch 2016, already!

Okay, first of all in my original questionnaire I said I'd have to come back to the question about an under-$10 thing and an over-$10 thing that I'd like. So, for under-$10, I like these earrings. For over-$10, I like this shirt in a size L yellow v-neck. (I'll update here again if I think of something that's more general for either category.)

So, you wanted some links to wishlists, right? Well, my BPAL one is linked in my signature, right near the link to this blog, so you probably already found that one.

Other than that, I have an amazon one for books and one for non-books, but the non-books one has a lot of random junk on it right now (I briefly decided I liked phone charms again and went a little crazy, for example, plus I'm good on moleskines right now, etc.), so I'll only put that link here if I have time to clean it up some.

Like I said earlier, I don't really need any stuff from SockDreams even though I think it's a very cool business, so no wishlist from there.

I've got a ModCloth wishlist but their stuff is mostly kind of expensive and sells out fairly fast. I can try to link to it here anyway though in case it helps... can't guarantee it will work for you because I basically had to email it to myself so I'm not totally sure that what I received in email was a direct link, sigh....

Plus, to make things even more difficult, I have a huge etsy wishlist but it's not public. So maybe I'll just link to a few things I like there that aren't all that expensive (I'll try to keep it to under $30, at least):
macaron pin
bee necklace
lavender sunshine soap
acorn earrings
chevron deco earrings
colorful clock
#1 earrings here, silver is fine
apple earrings
rosewater lemonade soap
indigo ring

Actual in-thread questions start here:

Liliths...
The BPAL ones I haven't ordered decants of but would be interested in testing (so yeah, half-decants or so would be ideal I guess) are: A Little More Tea Heavenly Spark O the Joy of My Spirit The Library of John Dee

Oh, and I haven't gotten any BPTP Liliths. I'm super-interested in Tag-Upon-Avon.



How do you feel about knitted stuff? Fancy? Plain? What types of things do you like to wear?
Well, I like knitted stuff, but I'm in balmy South Central Texas. For example, I have several scarves (including a full-length 4th doctor scarf that I share with my husband) because I love scarves, but I didn't wear a single one last year because it never got cold enough. Same for the lovely new pair of fingerless gloves I got in a swap last year. So knitted wearables are out, sadly. I guess I might not mind something like a coffee cup/travel cup cozy, I know knitted versions of those exist. If I think of something else, I'll update this answer in my blog.

I'm into beer. How 'bout you? Styles? And booze?
I addressed this in my original questionnaire. I'd be happy to give more info if needed, though.

How do you feel about caramel? Salt or no? With chocolate or without?
Whatever's fine as long as it isn't the kind that breaks your teeth.

Hibiscus seeds?
Nope, not into growing things.


Off-color needlepoint?
Possibly if it's not misogynistic or glorifying drinking to excess (yep, boring person here!).

Would you be interested in home made food items?

- garlic dill pickles YES
- blackberry jam YES
- dried honey crisp apples YES
- applesauce (with or without red hots) NO THANKS
- elderberry syrup (with honey and apple cider vinegar - great for immune boosting) PERHAPS IF YOU TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO WITH IT
- honey from our bees ABSOLUTELY
- rose petal liquor (made with our own rose petals and everclear but diluted down a bit so it doesn't knock you over) DEFINITELY
- baked goods of your choice, what do you like or dislike? YES MOSTLY, NO MARSHMALLOWS THOUGH.

Would you be interested in project bags/pouches?
sounds pretty nice

And to go along with the previous knitting question...
Are you allergic to any fiber or do you know what kind of yarn you prefer?
nope but again, I don't really have much use for knitted items.

Would you want a quilted pot holder? (for me no because i make them)
sure!


Do you have any prefered flavour of shortbread?
Lavender or tea-flavored (or both) could be nice. But of course vanilla is great too.

Is there anything you'd particularly like to get from the UK?
I'm sure there is, but the only thing I can think of right now is Crunchie. Probably I will think of other stuff and update this in my blog.

Socks/sockdreams/etc:
This is addressed in my original questionnaire, but nope, no sox for me. I love them, but don't actually wear them more than 10x per year, which means that the overflowing drawer I currently have represents a lifetime's worth of socks.

I just saw that Zoya is having their trade in sale. Anyone a nail polish fan? What colored interest you?
Neato. I'm pretty sure I mentioned being into nail polish in my original questionnaire. Regarding Zoya in specific, I already have quite a bit, so it'd probably be best for me to list the ones I already have. Will do that in my blog.
*EDIT* Here are Zoyas I have... this might not be totally exhaustive, there could be some hiding somewhere else. FeiFei Sooki Ivanka Dove Casey Leslie Petra Dream Edyta Valerie Raven Ling Trixie Cynthia Manon Charla Kennedy Purity Norra

Thingz from Japan?
I've probably covered this elsewhere, but I love Japanese stationery. Stickers are also welcome. US folks may want to check out Kawaii Gifts for ordering stuff like that, just saying! I also love green tea flavored chocolate (green tea kitkats, etc.), and I remember liking MeltyKiss stuff, including some of their odd flavors.

Re-used mailing materials are fine.

Harry Potter is something I used to be very interested in (back when the original books were coming out, I used to go to the midnight release parties and all of that), but I'm not really interested in the new movie or Cursed Child or whatever. I always wanted to be a Ravenclaw but had finally come to terms with the fact that I am really a Hufflepuff, when the new Pottermore Sorting Hat quiz (which I took just for fun as someone put it up on facebook) I think put me in Slytherin? Or was it Gryffindor? Either way it was something preposterous that I'd never been sorted into before by any other quiz. Anyway, I should stop rambling and get to the point: I don't actually have the books anymore (my house has burned down twice since the series finished)! So if you have a spare set gathering dust, I'll take them....

Speaking of snarky, who's a fan of The Mincing Mockingbird?
He seems fine, I think I used to have a couple of magnets from his friend the meerkat.

Do you decorate for Halloween all year? If not, what level of decor do you have for Halloween?
Outside I have a sparkly orange and black "Welcome" sign (decorated with skulls and pumpkins) hanging on the door. I also have a couple of rubber bats that I'll hang up on either side of the door pretty soon, and I'll also buy a fancy pumpkin this weekend to put out. I'm not sure if I have Halloween decorations inside (I don't really discriminate), but I wouldn't mind having some, I guess.


Indoor/outdoor Halloween decorations? What do you do, and what would you prefer to receive?
I think I answered this above.

What's your preferred Halloween decor style: classic/traditional (skulls, pumpkins, bats), kitchsy/cute, retro, elegant/Victorian, horror/macabre?
Any of that stuff would be fine except for horror/macabre.

What's your candy preference?
Pretty sure I answered this is my original questionnaire (plus we've already had another question about candy), but I guess I could try to go into more detail if needed... let me know!

Candles or wax melts/wax tarts?
Candles, not wax melts/tarts! If we're talking candle scents, I like most of them, just not ones that are super-fruity or super-seaside-y or very "holiday spice." Hope that helps!

[Okay, here's where I start trying to catch up. I'm going through the list and answering the stuff that strikes my fancy. But if I've already detailed preferences for something (bath/shower stuff would be an example), or it's already on my wishlist (BPTP products would be an example), I may not answer the question, even if it is about a category of items I'm interested in. Hope that makes sense!]

Essential oils and aromatherapy oils- yay, or nay?
Possibly? If you're knowledgeable about this and there's something you think I'd benefit from, sure! But I'd need to know how to use it and what it was intended for.

Skincare- do you use a particular routine? What products would you absolutely not use?
I did already mention my skincare regimen, but wanted to be sure to say that I can always use more Tea Tree Water toner from Lush. I usually buy their smaller size spray-bottle because the pump on the larger one seems to give out way before I finish the bottle, so that means I run out fairly quickly. As for what skincare products I absolutely wouldn't use, who knows (though I'm pretty happy with my current routine so other stuff might just languish)? I don't currently use anti-aging stuff or undereye cream, but that's about all I can think of.

If you could receive one handmade item - everything from knitted or crocheted gloves and scarves to sewn bags to fanart or original art, what would you prefer?
Out of that list, I guess it'd be "sewn bags," even though I dunno what that'd be like really. But if homemade edible goodies count, I might say those instead.

What are your tea and/or coffee preferences? Loose leaf / whole bean or bagged / ground? Do you have a favorite type? Flavor? Retailer?
I talked a lot about tea flavors in my original questionnaire, I know because I just checked. I am too lazy to use loose tea most of the time though, I need it in bags. I really like Capital Teas. As for coffee, I didn't really talk about that. My husband is the main coffee drinker in the house... he drinks a few cups a day, and I drink that many in a week. We have a coffee grinder so whole bean is fine. We actually prefer light/medium roasts since those have more caffeine than dark ones. The only flavored coffees we really like are coconut and cinnamon.

If striping, what two (or more) colors together?
This was one of the only questions about knitted things that I thought would maybe make sense to answer. For some reason I immediately pictured teal and grey stripes (both dark versions of the colors), so I guess I'll go with that.

would you like notebooks or journals? Utilitarian or fancy? Lined or blank? Tell me of your stationery lustings.
This question is funny because only the very end really pertains. I don't really need notebooks or journals because I only use them at work and the moleskine I got for work last year is still going strong, plus (because my husband got me a Tolkien-themed one for Christmas) I have another one waiting for me when I finish this one (which will probably take years at this rate). Actual letter-writing stationery though, yep, I'm interested. I like letter sets more than I like card/envelope sets, but I might consider the latter anyhow. I already linked to this website, but I'll go ahead and specifically link to their letter set section in case that helps.

Would you like any brown paper bags of "seconds" from Seattle Chocolates?
Yes, please!

[Also wanted to let you know that I edited my answer to the Zoya question above.]

Elements & Artifacts has a fall/halloween collection up? Anything catch your eye?
These earrings look kinda nice. And I love this necklace.

And speaking of shops from BPAL folks, any favorites in the stores on the SW Stalking and Services Spreadsheet?
Well, I've wanted an astrology birth chart from Greenwoodtree for ages and ages. I do know all the specifics of my birth because I have my long-form birth certificate, so if you need that info, just ask! Other than that, I think I've already mentioned some stuff about baked goods and green tea kitkats.

The second part of the Haus of Gloi update is live tomorrow (the 25th)- is there anything you're interested in?
Maybe some Pumpkin butter? Scents that sound nice are Ghost Puffs and Spider Silk.
*EDIT*
So when I answered the Haus of Gloi question earlier, they only had Part I of their fall update up. Now Part II is up as well. Looks like quite a bit of stuff is already sold out, but I thought I'd take a look anyway to see if there was anything else I was interested in (I'm not sure if they re-stock stuff that sells out or not, but oh well).
Anyhow, the Burnished Amber, Pumpkin, and Sleepytime butterbombs sounded nice. So do the Hazelnut Latte and Maple Sugar lip balms. Finally, I'm interested in Blood Orange Marshmallow whipped soap.

​I'm going to the NY Renaissance Faire tomorrow- anything you'd like me to look for?
Well, when I go to faires myself, I always end up buying earrings and/or soap, so I guess those would be good starting points. Stick incense is another thought.

Would you be interested in any of the following: jigsaw puzzles; puzzle books (like word searches or crossword puzzles or suduko); coloring books; card games; board games? Feel free to elaborate on preferences for any of the above!
Some of these are maybes: Jigsaw puzzles, perhaps but they'd have to be under 1000 pieces... we usually just do 500-piece ones (wimps, I know!) but have discussed trying a 750-piece one or whatever the next level up is. And usually we like the ones where the picture is a photo (like nature scenes or hot air balloons or Venice canals, etc.) and not a painting or whatever. Puzzle books... we have a crossword one right now, wouldn't mind another. Board games... Perquackey or Trivial Pursuit (we have the Genus edition, wouldn't mind getting the Master edition again, or the RPM [Music] expansion pack). Used is fine for these, just to be clear.


Anything from http://www.beefolks.com/default.aspsuit your fancy in particular (honey or otherwise since they have other products?)
Much of their stuff looks very nice, I do love honey. Maybe I should just list the things I wouldn't use. So... no bath salts, scrubs, beeswax blocks, or kids' books.

Cryptozoology/cryptids (Big Foot, lake monsters, chupacabra, etc.) - yay or nay? If yay, any favourites?
Mothman, duh! (my husband is from West Virginia)
Anyway, you could totally get me this shirt in a size XL

I'm with voodoocatwoman about packaging:

As for Weenies, I will be getting decants of the 7 I'm interested in (or one blind bottle and 6 decants, haven't decided). If there turns out to be no room left for one of them in a decant circle but I'd still like to try it, I'll let you know. I am also the tiniest bit curious about Cheesecloth Ghosts, but could get by with just a testable sniffie or something because I doubt it's actually my thing.

Sure, I wouldn't mind some milk pocky.

As for BPTP Weenies, I have signed up for a ridiculous amount of decants, so I'm good there.

As for NYCC, I'm not sure. I'm still kinda interested in the BPTP Lilith perfume Tag-Upon-Avon, but I have no idea if it will really be my thing. I'd certainly take a chance on a bottle if that's what made the most sense, though. The only GC I can think of that I could really use is Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo... I'm not exactly low on it per se (I think my current bottle is 2/3 to 3/4 full), but I wear it in my hair every workday, so I go through quite a bit of it regardless. The only other thing I can think of is claw polishes... the problem is that the glittery BPTP ones don't really work on me for whatever reason... most people report amazing staying power with them, but mine chip off within the same day. So I can only have solid-colored ones. I already own Hail Satin, as well as Insatiable and Fear (I... think it's Fear and not Lullaby... not at home to check ) from the Crimson Peak line. I know I'm way interested in Belladonna, but as long as it's not glittery, you can surprise me!

Would you be interested in anything from the market? http://www.fairwoodfarmersmarket.org
Well, some of the cool stuff doesn't seem especially ship-able. But the raspberry wit from Big Barn Brewing sounds nice, and so do the home-made chips from Mama Torrez and the Inland Empire cider from Twilight Cider Works. And of course I've already said that I like spices/jams/jellies/coffee/soaps.

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch 2015 the sequel

Soo... like I said in-thread, I don't have a public etsy wishlist. But I thought it might be nice to link to some stuff that I like on etsy, in case that would be helpful to my Dear Witch. I'll update this list if I come across additional pertinent things during the round. Midnight titanium earrings Blue Glitter Bracelet Tea & Books pin Smile patch Wooden necklace Zeppelin switch plate Nail Polish earrings Blue nail polish

The questionnaire asked about gold & silver jewelry, but how do you feel about copper jewelry? Do you like colorful jewelry, or do you prefer to keep it neutral?
I'd consider copper jewelry (not rings, but earrings and possibly necklaces), but as I mentioned originally, I do wear silver much more often. As for colorful jewelry, sure. But I know I don't need any more earrings or necklaces that pair blue with gold (or copper), because I have quite a few of those already and have a hard time incorporating them into my wardrobe as it is. Hope that helps!

Office supplies hound? Pens, pencils, journals, any preference, or favorites?
I don't need any of the specific things listed. I do use stationery pretty often (stuff like this, not like cards that are blank inside) though. As usual, if I think of something else, I'll update in my blog.

How do you feel about animal products? Not so much animal toys or food, but more like furs, paws, bones, etc.
Not especially interested.

Are you interested in receiving any restaurant.com gift certificates for your area?
I looked, and in the town where I live there is only one restaurant I'm interested in, Underground Pizza.

How do you feel about "toys" - stuffed animals and the like?
They're okay? I have a handful of stuffed animals (prefer small ones to large ones). I wouldn't mind one more if you found something cool you think I'd really like. Same with little plastic figurines or whatever.


Did you see the eclipse last night? How do you feel about astrological events, like eclipses? Any interest in the Blood Moon Eclipse scent from BPAL?
I sortof saw it; it was a bit cloudy where I live. The moon was gorgeous this morning though. Astrological events are nice. I wouldn't mind a decant of the Blood Moon Eclipse scent.



Witchees, how tall are you? And perhaps, what's your arm span (from wrist to wrist)?
5'4" and no idea of arm span.

How do you feel about the 4 elements? Or are you more of an Asian 5 elements person? Do you feel strongly about any of the elements, like a connection or a preference?
Neither conceptualization particularly resonates with me, to be honest. I'm much more into my zodiac sign of Leo than I am into any element (yes, I do know Leo is a fire sign).

Bento boxes:
Cool, but I probably wouldn't use them

Online classes:
I had been doing duolingo for Spanish, not sure if that counts... but I've been neglecting it for probably like a month. Anyhow, not really interested in online classes since I apparently don't even have time for duolingo right now!

What do we want from Paintbox Soapworks?
I'd love to try any of the hot process soaps other than Fusilier or The Nihilist. I am also interested in the Bookkeeper's Butter.


Normally I'd say "no," but the ones from that place actually look good/interesting. Though I admit the macarons on the same site look even better...

Sure!


slatherer or dabber?
Much more often a dabber.

nitty-gritty about tea preferences/needs?
I really feel like I've already answered all of the specific stuff mentioned. But... I did forget about one particular kind of tea that I really liked. Sorry, it was because I only had it one time like 2 years ago... but I just remembered about it. I'd love to have some of this particular Cream Earl Grey Black Tea (*EDIT* in sachets, please... like I said earlier, I won't drink loose tea often enough). It's from a fairly local place too so that is nice. I definitely do not want to try the Teavana version of the same, for example, because apparently the ingredients have been changed so it probably isn't all that similar.


Think Geek wishes: Dr. Who beach towel (like the 4th doctor one best, of course, but the other two are cool as well) Dr. Who ice cube tray Pi fleece blanket


Villainess update:
Gingerleaf and Honeyleaf soaps sound nice.

Are there any flowers you especially like?
I feel like saying "why?" to this, I guess because I'm not especially flower-oriented. I have good memories associated with dogwoods....

Would you be interested in any cozies or cases (yarn o fabric, not hard cases) for tech stuff (phone, laptop' etc) or for cups/mugs/bottles or anything else similar.
Maybe for laptop (it appears to be almost-10 inches by almost-15 inches)... mug/cup ones sound nice but I'm not sure I'd actually use them.

Would you like Halloween or Day of the Dead themed ornaments or a "bunting" ?
sure to any of these

How does everyone feel about duct tape crafts? Any favorite patterns?
I... honestly don't know enough about such things to give an informed answer. I think I have only seen the duct tape wallets and duct tape prom dresses, and don't need either one of those. But if you think I'd really like something that you can make, have at it!

Are there witchees who would like book related gifts like a booklight, bookmark, bookseat or something for your reading gadget, like a cover or a light for example?
I don't think I'd use any of these things except for a bookmark.


I make handmade journals, mini albums and similar items. Would my witchee be interested in something like that?
I probably wouldn't use something like that unless it had plain lined paper inside (and was around/at least half the size of a normal sheet of US notebook paper), and I guess that kind of defeats the point?

What songs/music/artists/CD's do you like to listen to around Halloween?
Nothing particularly comes to mind.

Are you interested in leg warmers at all?
Now this is an interesting one. I might be interested in them if they were some sort of neutral color (I guess black is safest, but who knows) and could cover up the rather large tattoo I have on one of my calves... I currently don't wear skirts/dresses to work unless they are ankle-length because that's too much body art to be showing off in such a setting. But I guess this would again call for measurements, because my calves are pretty big. Hopefully I'll get it together enough to measure stuff sometime soon. *EDIT* calf measurement appears to be around 18 inches.

Is your Halloween style scary, cutesy, folksy, grotesque . . .?
Definitely not scary (and I'm not sure of the differential between scary and grotesque... I mean, grotesque stuff is scary, right?), maybe cutesy or folksy...

Have you read The Martian? Or do you plan on watching the movie?
Haven't read it... someone I know said it was really boring (the book, not the movie... this was before the movie came out)? Probably going to see it with my husband on Saturday.


Honey or beeswax products? Discuss.
Yes please! I'd love some honey, especially if it was local to you. I probably wouldn't know what to do with plain beeswax though, but I like beeswax products.

How do you feel about bumper stickers and car magnets? What do you like--cute, pretty, snarky, geeky/fandomy?
I... might like them depending on what they are? I'm not really into decorating my car with fairies or butterflies or stuff like that though. For example, right now on my car I have a vaguely political sticker from back in 2008, a sugar skull sticker that my best friend sent to me (more due to sentimental value than being a fan of such things... it's the only thing I have left from the birthday presents she sent in 2011 because that was right before the second time my house burned down), and a relatively discreet sticker for my favorite roller derby team (Las Putas del Fuego). Hope that helps....

Trading Post Weenies are live! Anything calling to you?
Already bought a bottle of Dr. Janice. I'm actually pretty safe otherwise, though I wouldn't say no to certain hair gloss decants, namely MPF13 or Dead Leaves, Red Musk, & Neroli.


Looks like I missed questions about phobias and NaNoWriMo stuff somewhere... Pictures of some underwater things like the Vampire Squid and Gulper Eel freak me out. I also do not like walking sticks (the insect, not the assistive device or whatever). Probably you weren't going to send me stuff that has to do with those creatures anyway though.... I am not a NaNoWriMo person so I am not interested in any related items, sorry!


Of course one can answer a question however one likes, and I get that it can sometimes be good to broaden the in-thread questions so they fit for more people/situations, but I did want to mention that initially I was asking about current BPTP nail polish that had been used for one manicure, not about used cosmetics other than nail polish. Since some folks are adding cosmetics to the question and that's not how I answered it, I guess I should specify that I'm not interested in used cosmetics other than nail polish.

Are there any DISCONTINUED (not LE) BPAL oils that you wish you had, or had a little more of?
Well, I have some Salons on my wishlist and I guess they'd fit. Glancing at my wishlist quickly, I see Orpheus, Melancholia, and Resurrection of the Flesh.

Is there anything fairly basic that you're always running out of and need to buy more of?
You know, I'm sure there is, but I might not be able to figure it out since obviously it'd be something I often forget. If I do remember I'll answer this in my blog. *EDIT* all I can think of is Chinese cooking wine. That probably isn't easily ship-able though....


Blooddrop update:
Bath truffles in Cafe Mocha or Late Summer, Jord bath oil (hey, maybe her fig will work for me when BPAL's doesn't?), Softly Falling/Nighty/Quaint bubble bars, Candy Bats soap, maybe I Love Paris in the Fall perfume (but I very rarely wear non-BPAL perfumes... like once a year or so, so I might not use the perfume that much even if it's awesome)

How to you feel about foreign spices/flavorings? I'm going to be looking for kitchen oddities while I'm traveling - should I keep an eye out for you, too? I don't even know what I might find, so it's hard to list specifics, but like I had an international friend send me sakura sugar a couple of years ago to play with in the kitchen, that was fun... so maybe stuff like that?
Sure, sounds cool. I know I've wanted ras al hanout and harissa and stuff like that for quite awhile, but I'm open to whatever really.

Dearest Witchee, can I get you anything from Shiro Cosmetics? I'm going to place an order soon and perhaps you are interested in some of their goodies? https://shirocosmetics.com
If you see an eyeshadow or lip balm (just one of either) that you think I'd like, go ahead!




neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch 2015 Help

Okay, so wishlists: My BPAL wishlist is linked in my signature like this blog is, so if you got here, you can probably get there too
Amazon *EDIT* Okay, so since my Amazon wishlist was so unwieldy, I've now moved the non-book items to another Amazon wishlist, here you go.
Sock Dreams
If I make any more I'll put them here
Pumpkin? Generally I think pumpkin is just okay, but I have had good pumpkin bread in the past, and do like these treats, for example. Toiletries sound fine, decor might be okay in limited doses. Pumpkin perfume usually isn't my thing, I think I liked plain old Jack from BPAL the one time I tried it, but haven't liked any other pumpkin scents I've tried so far.   Yellowstone stuff: Sure, any of the usual touristy stuff would be okay, I guess. Huckleberries sound nice too.   Penny Dreadful: I know it's a TV show, but that's about it. I'm not much for modern scripted television.   Tea/Coffee: I definitely covered tea in my initial questionnaire, but it looks like I didn't say much about coffee. I do drink coffee (bags not the little cups... as for whole-bean or ground, either one is fine since we have a coffee grinder), but my husband is the big coffee-drinker in the house (as in, I drink one or two cups in a week, he drinks at least twice that much a day), so if you buy that for me it will mostly go to him. Not a bad thing, just saying. The only flavored coffees we are really into are coconut and cinnamon, in case you were wondering that.   Sense of humor: I don't really like comedians or funny movies or anything like that for the most part. I do have the "The Kids in the Hall" boxed set and I enjoy watching the episodes, so I guess I must like that at least. I guess I myself am pretty dry/sarcastic humor-wise, but who knows.   Board Games: I mention Perquackey every time this question comes up, so yep, that's one I like/want (I definitely don't need the newest version or anything, used would be just fine). I'm also sortof into Trivial Pursuit and wouldn't mind having the newest version, or the old music expansion pack (the music one shows up at thrift stores for like $2 pretty often it seems).   Is there anything that you specifically do NOT want to receive? I mentioned some things along those lines in my initial questionnaire... the only other things I can think of right now are still-in-shell pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds. If I think of more, I'll update in my blog.   Plain or fun socks? Both! I linked my SockDreams wishlist in my blog, so check it out for more info.   Name one (or as many as you would like) thing you would like to learn more about? For the most part I think that I go ahead and learn about the things I want to know about. I guess I'm sort of interested in family tree/family history stuff and have only explored that in a cursory way so far.   What one thing would you like to do more of? I know I mentioned this in my questionnaire, but it's yoga. I did yoga regularly from 2008-2012, but have only gone to a few classes and done a few youtube videos since then. I'd love to have a regular practice again and am hoping that I will soon. I need to do a few videos at home before trying to go to actual classes again though... right now even downward dog for more than a few seconds would seem challenging to me, I think.   Would you like any cookie butter (just to be clear, store-bought, not home-made, and does contain wheat since it's, y'know, cookie butter)? my answer would be "sure"... especially as you're likely to have access to different brands of it than I do   Is there any particular piece (or pieces) of art (painting, photograph, etc) that speaks to you in some way? There are so many that I could probably go on listing forever, honestly. I go to museums pretty often and there is almost always something that strikes me. The Rothko Chapel is an "oldie but a goodie" in that regard, though. His stuff in general has so much more of a presence in person than it does on a computer screen or even in a print.   What kinds of things would you like from the Lilith BPAL or BPTP update (or are you joining a decant circle?) I joined a decant circle for a few things. If you end up having/getting an extra decant of Little Lady Macbeth though I wouldn't mind trying it.   Do you want to received knit or crocheted items? If so, could you describe or even link to a couple of items similar to what you would like to receive? Something wearable would be cool, specifically socks, fingerless gloves/armwarmers, or possibly a scarf. Grey might be your best bet color-wise, but if that isn't really in the cards, I guess refer to the info in my original questionnaire about color preferences.   Would you like anything from Lush? I could use some shower gel -- the new "Beautiful" one, or the "Lord of Misrule" one that's out for Halloween, or the old mainstays of Olive Branch and Happy Hippy
I'd also be happy with basically any bubble bar you think I'd like
I'm not as much into bath bombs, but I'd like to try the Lord of Misrule one anyway, and possibly Sex Bomb or Twilight
Haltija -- I couldn't have put it better.   What is your BPAL "Holy Grail?" I had a little bit of a hard time with this one because in general I eventually find the stuff I'm looking for. But I finally thought of a few things that might fit the bill: I was initially too hipster-y to try The Laughter of Loki but am now regretting it. Even a partial decant would be cool just so I'd know what it was like.
Then there's Shortbread Snowflakes. As far as I know, the perfume version was only available in imp form. Well, I had an imp and I loved the scent... but then somehow it ended up going through the laundry. I was left with an empty imp and some very nice-smelling laundry. So it would be great if that could be replaced!
Then there is sort of a third tier of stuff that's currently hard to find but might not be that way forever... because it includes Carnaval scents. I'd love to have some more Temple Viper and King Cobra, because all I have are decants. And my husband has been pining for more Hand of Glory for awhile (yes, I know this swap is supposed to be stuff for me only, but I would feel weird not mentioning that when discussing other Carnaval desires).
SPICY! Scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "oh, that's a bit too much black pepper for me" and 10 being "ghost pepper? scorpion pepper? I laugh at these! I love as much heat as you can throw my way!" Where are you? I order my Indian food medium-spicy, and eat Mexican food including salsa and such on a regular basis, so I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. I'm not really into "spicy for the sake of spicy" type stuff though.   Analog or Digital? Or Both? Both I guess, but honestly I really lean analog.   Do you have an affinity for any specific animals? cats of course, foxes (like just about everyone else, right?) bees, deer, hedgehogs, red pandas I guess   Kitchen Needs or Wants: Do you need (or want) anything for your kitchen, either in the way of simple gadgets, supplies you always run out of, or never remember to get, kitchen decor (functional or purely decorative), or dry goods like special spices or spice blends? Well, I have some apple corers and an apple peeler on my Amazon wishlist right now. I think I might also like some espresso powder to use for baking. I will add to this in my blog if I think of additional things... I probably will. *EDIT* Yep, I need a candy thermometer too... and if you can get soba noodles for relatively cheap, that might be cool (in my town they are only at the very overpriced natural food store).   Makeup? I don't wear makeup often so don't need much, if any. For example, if you find one or two very cool eyeshadows in a user-friendly format (so not a tiny baggie of loose pigment, though a little jar would work okay for that), that would be fine... but if I got some kind of blush/lipstick/whateverelse combination set, or a bunch of makeup in general, I just wouldn't use it.   Would you be opposed to receiving a ton of Halloween themed items? A ton, not so much. A couple of things, sure! Other folks (sensibly) seem to be using this to describe their taste in Halloween items, so I'll see if I can dig something up about that from a past blog entry... here we go: "I like halloween decorations that depict cats or candy corn, and also like purple or black glittery stuff (I've seen glittery foam skulls or spiders, for example)."   "Special little thing" from the Great Lakes Bat Festival? Out of what was linked to, I thought the tote bag was pretty cute.   What's your favorite scary movie? Or movies, either way. If you don't like horror, what are your favorite movies to watch this time of year? Whenever I am in one of these swaps, I always conclude that I am the least movie-ish person around, at least when it comes to owning movies at home and watching them more than once. I like to see movies in the theatre, and if I really like a movie I might want to introduce a friend to it years later or something, but otherwise I'm really not even into re-watching movies. Sorry I am such a freak!   As for the question about Weenies, usually what I do is figure out a "first tier" of stuff that's likely to work, and get decants (or bottles, I guess) of those, then list the second tier (of stuff that I'm curious about but less sure as to whether it will work on me) for Switch Witch possibilities. So here is that second tier, decants would be great (*EDIT* the things I have already ordered are decants of Second Spring, Dead Leaves Honey & Oudh, Apple III, Depart Pour le Sabbat, Magic Circle, and La Femme de Satan... and a bottle of The Sorceress): The Unquiet Grave
Dead Leaves, Bourbon Vanilla, & Myrrh
Dead Leaves, Frankincense, & Copal
Dead Leaves, Red Musk, & Neroli
A Witch Riding on a Dragon
The Witch & the Mandrake
Satan Summoning his Legions
Blu-ray or DVD? Our player does both I guess. But I think I have already said that I don't really want anything in the way of movies/DVDs unless there is something on my Amazon wishlist.     Game systems - console or computer? Mac/PC? Which console? I don't play those sorts of games at all.   Are you dressing up for Halloween and if so do you need any accessories for it? Hmm... my husband and I are actually both free on Halloween this year, so might go out, but I doubt we will be wearing costumes. I will update in my blog if this changes.   Talk to me about bags, what kinds do you like? Sizes and styles? I'm ridiculously picky about purses, so I'd rather pick those out for myself. I wouldn't mind some new tote bags though, either the smaller canvas ones that have a cool picture or saying on them, or larger grocery totes (not too fussed about stylishness when it comes to the grocery version).   What are your favorite fandoms and do you want to receive anything related to such? Not really "fannish," sorry!   Last Huzzah of the NY Renaissance Faire: is there anything you might want? I go to one (actually two) near where I live at least once a year usually, and the things I generally get for myself are soap and earrings. So I'm sure the one you go to probably has nice soap and earrings as well... that might be a good place to start? But if you see something else you think I'd like (hmm... maybe stick incense? that's another thought), that'd be fine too.   Do you like comics or graphic novels? Any issues or collections you want to read? Not really. Even the ones I do like are not things I should probably get as gifts (for example, I've liked Tank Girl since 7th or 8th grade, but have never even looked at the collection of it that my husband got me for Christmas 2 years ago.     Where do you have wishlists at? If you could please link to them or to a post that links to them. I did that in my blog already but I am one of those weirdos that does not have a public etsy one. I will try to pick out some selections from my etsy favorites and link to them in my blog soon though.   Do you like fanfic? Would you like a story written for you as part of your gift? What characters/fandoms/pairings etc do you like? Not my thing, but thanks.   Would you rather receive a bunch of little packages through the round, a couple of medium packages, or one big package at the end? Honestly, what I'd like best is one or two little things during the round, then a larger box at the end. But if that's not your style or isn't practical, that's fine, just do whatever works for you. I will be happy regardless! Small   Can we update our BPAL wishlists, or put a quick note in them stating if they are up to date or not. I'm going on the assumption anything that hasn't been updated in the last month or so is out of date. I am not sure when mine was last updated, but it is basically current. I don't update mine constantly because I no longer have many GCs on it, and there's no way I am going to get that many past LEs/Discontinueds any time soon (especially since so much great new stuff keeps coming out). Dear Witch, if you need me to narrow it down or something, please ask!     If/when you go to the mall, for which store(s) do you beeline? I guess J Crew and Williams Sonoma. If I think of something else I will update in my blog.   I also have a question: Do you receive any subscription boxes (julep, lootcrate, ipsy, birchbox, etc.)? No, and I'm not really interested in the ones listed. There used to be one called Oishiibox that was for Japanese snacks that I was interested in, but it seems to now be defunct. However, there are other Japanese snackbox subscriptions available, I just haven't looked into them much.   Would Witchees like something from IKEA? (Or any other not always accessible by everyone store?) My husband and I used to exclusively use Ikea napkins. So if you'd like to get me some of those for old times' sake, go ahead. The square ones with prints or pictures on them, not the rectangular or plain ones.   Do you like tarts/candles/incense? If so, what type of scents? I do not use tarts. I do like candles and incense. For candles, I like everything from fresh herbal-smelling to cozy fireplace to vanilla cupcake type stuff... the only stuff I don't really like would be I guess super-seaside-y or generic holiday spice types. I only use stick incense and my favorite brand by far is Devonshire. I usually just get the general sampler, but might also be interested in the "Cathedral" one.   Is there a GC you've been dying to try but haven't got around to yet? I would really like to try The Cat from the Coraline series.

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch 2014 Help (the sequel)

Not sure if there are going to be that many more questions, but I was tired of scrolling down to the bottom of that other entry in order to add new answers, so here we are, Witch!   Spiders (as in cute knit kind) yes or no? sure   Pillows (the mostly decorative type)? sure   Any kind of bags - big, small, medium, purse, grocery, etc? grocery or tote would be better for me I think   If you happen to be my witchee, would you be interested in any of the items in my etsy shop? You can favorite them on etsy or mention the specifics in your blog https://www.etsy.com...f=hdr_shop_menu I do kinda like this, but as mentioned earlier about scarves, I'm not sure I would get much use out of it here in South Central Texas, considering that I already have way more scarves than I need.   If your witch was going to Salem Massachusetts, would you want anything from there? I was thinking mugs, keychains, postcards, etc. But what about witchy supplies like incense, candles, books, etc? Hmm, I dunno much about Salem. I mean, I took History of Witchcraft in undergrad and I think I made an A, but tourism-wise I have no idea. Mugs or postcards sound okay. And I've already mentioned that I like candles and (stick) incense, and my preferences for those things, so if you find something there you think I'd like, go for it! Witchy books, probably not. I don't really read the "esoteric" books I do own.     Which one scent would you want from each of the following updates: Metamorphosis, Lilith and GC??? (I'm going to ask this about weenies once they launch too!) No idea, haven't gotten my decants yet
As mentioned yesterday, decant of Venustas would be nice
Listed 3 or so earlier in the round when there was a similar question... to add another, Blockbuster would be nice
  On a whim I have decided to go to the Tokyo Game Show this weekend. There will presumably be lots of silly free swag like postcards and stupid fans. Would something like that possibly interest you, witchee mine? Sure, that sounds cool.     If you have a significant other (or even a close friend that will laugh at the implications), would you enjoy any of these couple rings? How about anything from the same store's Halloween collection? No to these two specific questions (my husband and I do have wedding rings, but even those don't actually match since he insisted on yellow gold and I on white gold... and otherwise he's not a jewelry person). But, looking at it, I do think that store has some cool stuff in general. I have been upping my cardigan game recently and no longer have any sweater clips, so some of those interest me, like this one and this one. Hope that helps!   So - IF you imbibe at all ... preference between: wine/beer/cocktails and then glassware and/or bar-ware? cocktail gadgetry? Books on the subject/recipes? would you want sample bottles of local/regional/small batch craft spirits if they were home decanted and labeled? (I can't think of any craft distillery that makes minis.. at least not around here). Ooh, multi-part question! For actual alcohol preferences, I feel like I was really thorough in my original questionnaire. The only glassware/barware/"cocktail gadgetry" I can think of that I need is a martini shaker... I can't believe I don't own one anymore! And I guess just a regular old bartending dictionary would be nice because that's another thing I used to have but don't anymore. Home decanted and labeled small batch craft spirits (wow, that's a mouthful!) sound intriguing... but again, you'd have to be into "living on the edge" since it's not technically legal to ship them to my state.   My question, I make sugar cubes, would my witch like some chai, lemon, rose water or other flavored sugar cubes or am I the only one who wants to put on my gloves and BPAL and go to a tea party? Chai, or rosewater (or lavender as someone else mentioned) would be great, but not lemon.   So I went to a Jamberry nail party tonight, and now I am wondering if this would be something other would like? Same as my answer to the last nail wrap question... not my thing.   If you had to choose one currently available book (used-but-obtainable counts if you do used) costing $20 or under for your Witch to buy for you, what would it be? Well, other than the two specific ones I mentioned in my questionnaire, maybe Indigo Springs by Dellamonica?   Are there five things under $25 at Birchbox (here's the men's page for that. Not sure why some of these things aren't in both sections!) you would like? Yeah, that's a bunch of products. Guess I'll just look until I find 5 I like. Simple Syrup (not the raspberry one but all of the others sound cool) Neoprene Bag Dry Shampoo Eyeshadow Quad (not in Black Magic or Taupetation though) Nail Lacquer Remover (and that was in the first 10 pages... may check out some more pages at some point and update this....)   Do you want anything from the Fatherhood update at the Post? Naw, not really a straight-up foodie or floral person. I'd be curious to smell A Stroll Through the Quarter, but I doubt it'd actually work on me.   Street art! Into it? Not into it? Meh? Yeah, it's cool.   If you could only pick one note that you love (e.g. Vanilla, Orange, Lavender, Rose) & you could only wear/have perfume, etc in that note, what would it be? Gosh, I dunno, not much of a single note person here. Maybe some kind of incense/resin, or maybe some kind of non-white musk.   Weenies I'm interested in trying (but did not already request decants of): White Witch
Witch Bride
Pumpkin II
Caffeine or no? And is this a health or preference? Caffeine is fine, but I do like herbal teas and such too. I was unable to have caffeine for medical reasons for several years (due to a heart condition that has since been surgically corrected), so I'm not quite as addicted as some folks, but I do usually have one soda, cup of coffee, or tea (either hot or iced) per day.   As for Rocky Horror/Disney makeup collections, I guess refer to my previous answers which describe makeup preferences.   Would you be interested in a custom painted miniature? No thanks, I never did "get" those things.   I know a lot of people here are very passionate about different causes. Are there any local or national charities that are close to your heart that you know would appreciate a donation in your name? I donate to various things when I can and like choosing them for myself, but if my Witch really wants to do something in my name, well, there's always The Lilith Fund.   I have two partial (Backup) bottles of some scents on your wishlist, Witchee. However, the labels aren't perfect, due to a tragic imp explosion. Would you still be ok with getting them? Absolutely.   Do you like incense? Or are you more of a fan of essential oil aromatherapy/fragrance oils a la Yankee Candle/B&BW? Or all of the above? What scents do you prefer for those kinds of things? Nag champa? Lemongrass EO for the house? PUMPKIN SPICE EERYTHANG. What companies do you like specifically (if any) - links? I know we've already had/I've already answered an incense question in this thread, and I've already linked to my favorite incense company... I just checked and that stuff is in my first blog entry from this SW round. The only thing I left out in that question that might be important is that I probably wouldn't like overly fake-fruity smells for incense. As for the rest of this question, I don't use essential oils other than BPAL. Basically for home-scenting I use candles, stick incense, and BPTP atmo sprays (not all at once, though!).   Also - Trading Post Weenies are up!! What's everyone interested in? I signed up for a decant of Boo Hair Gloss already... hopefully I'll get it! As for things I can hold off on if needed, I also really want the Dead Leaves & Dark Incense Candle, and, even though I have way too many atmo sprays for how long they last, would be interested in a decant of Chrysanthemum Tea atmo spray. No thanks.
Also no thanks
Sure!
Sure, Sure (no square rims though), sure, no, maybe (I've never really used coffee or tea syrups, think I already found a couple I was interested in when I answered an earlier question though), maybe.
  desired Lush holiday items: all of the Christmas bubble bars!
Lord of Misrule bath bomb
Fairy Ring soap
Butterbear bath bomb
Snow Angel bath bomb
Yog Nog soap
First Snow dusting powder
Snow Fairy shower gel
Snowcake soap
  desired Villainess items (not sure if this was an official question, but someone did bring it up here): Killer Tomatoez soap (this would be soooo awesome)
Mudslide soap
Dulces en Fuego soap
Vale soap
Silk & Cyanide soap
  http://www.eatchocolateconspiracy.com/ items: All of the chocolate bars sound really good, and so do the truffles (though they are out of stock right now).    

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch 2014 Help (Part 1?)

So, here's where I'll collect my answers to the various in-thread questions so that my Witch can easily access them. If this entry becomes especially unwieldly, I'll do a Part 2.   I'll actually start off with wishlists since they may not copy correctly. Amazon BPAL *updated 9/14!* (also, dear Witch, wanted to let you know that I can always use wand caps!) *EDIT* SockDreams!   All things pumpkin: Generally I think pumpkin is just okay, but I have had good pumpkin bread in the past, and do like these treats, for example. Toiletries sound fine, decor might be okay in limited doses. Pumpkin perfume usually isn't my thing, I think I liked plain old Jack from BPAL the one time I tried it, but haven't liked any other pumpkin scents I've tried so far.   Canned goods and baked goods made from CSA veggies: This all sounds pretty good, actually. I love salsa and we go through it pretty quickly in my household. For pickles, I basically only like cucumber ones, and the dill/sour variety, not sweet or hot or bread-and-butter or whatever. Also, I love zucchini bread, and haven't had squash bread, but am assuming that I'd like that too. I don't have gluten sensitivity and am not vegetarian or vegan, but of course that'd be covered in my original questionnaire.   Trading Post wants: I have a BPTP section on my wishlist that is linked in my signature (and at the beginning of my SW 2014 blog post, I believe), but I get that it could be unwieldy and that some of the stuff on it may not be easy to find, so I can try to narrow it down some and just pick a few currently-available things I guess, just know that more stuff is listed on the wishlist. The pink and black or red/purple/black socks would be cool.
I haven't had any BPTP soap in a long while, any scent but Embalming Fluid would be nice
candles: Miskatonic University or Perversion would be nice
atmo sprays: would like a squirt of Down the Rabbit Hole
I'd also love one of those lanyards that people are getting as freebies with orders!
*EDIT* As for past LEs, I would love more Patchouli Clove Massage oil. I think there was something else too, hopefully I'll remember it eventually....
Disliked direct sellers or retail brands: For the most part, I'd say that if a product fits in with my tastes as I've explained them in my question answers, I'm not too fussed about where it came from. That means, for example, that something like Scentsy is lost on me because I don't enjoy that type of product, and explained that in my questionnaire. And I am not a big "makeup" person, so... say if my Witch found one really cool eyeshadow from one of the cosmetic companies listed, that would be fine, but if I got some kind of blush/lipstick/whateverelse combination set, or a bunch of makeup in general, I just wouldn't use it. As for Bath and Body Works, I think if my Witch really wants to get me one of their products, a candle in something other than a "generic holiday spice" scent would probably be okay, but that's about it... I feel like their stuff is a pretty common "gift of last resort" if one does not know what to get somebody, so I usually end up with some of their stuff every year anyway as gifts from co-workers or relatives.   Coffee & tea preferences: Hmm... I went into quite a bit of detail about this stuff in my questionnaire, but I can try to think of any additional info that might be helpful on the subject. I do have a little coffee grinder and a non-fancy tea ball. Don't remember if I said this or not, but I prefer bagged to loose tea... I have a bunch of cool loose tea sitting in my pantry right now because I'm usually too lazy to make it that way. No preference really about places to buy coffee and tea... I guess most of the time we get it at the grocery store, but it is nice to get different stuff at World Market or similar once in awhile. I don't usually order them online. I think I talked about flavors quite a bit in my questionnaire, the only thing I don't remember saying is that I like cinnamon coffee as well as coconut coffee.   Do you cook? Would kitchen accessories make you happy? Yes, and probably? I may need to give some thought as to what specific kitchen accessories I am in need of, and update this in my blog if I think of specific things. A mandolin does sound good though. *EDIT* A spice grinder or mortar and pestle would be nice.   How do people feel about creative endeavours? Would you like to receive one? Or supplies to make your own? What do you like? Drawings, stories, poems? "Creative endeavors" seems to be a pretty broad category that could include things covered by many other questions (fiber arts, baked goods, paintings, etc.), so I'd have a hard time saying yea or nay in general. As for drawings/stories/poems, since they are mentioned specifically, that wouldn't really be my thing, sorry. As for crafting supplies and the like, as I mentioned in my questionnaire, I'm not into such things. What culture or country (doesn’t have to be modern) do you feel an innate connection with? What about it makes it special to you?
Is there any sort of art commission you would like: cartoony, pin-up, fantasy, realistic, etc? If so, what subject would you like drawn (a picture of you, a character, a loved one or pet)?
Kind of amazed this wasn’t directly addressed on the questionnaire… but what do you find yourself doing for fun in your free time? What are your main hobbies and interests?
Not sure if there is a culture/country I have a particular connection to. I like many aspects of many different ones, I think. But I can update in my blog if something specific does occur to me.
Probably not, but again, I can update in my blog if I think of something.
Hmm... in the questionnaire I filled out to join this swap, I answered "Hobbies/crafts done:" with this information. Other than those things, I like hanging out here on the forum, and, uh, shopping? taking my dog for walks? Nothing else I can really think of that should make a difference for gift-giving....
  1) Table-top gaming? If yes, what kind, edition, etc? Gaming accessories you long for?   2) DVD movies or games that you wish would magically appear in your hands? Can they be used, through AMazon?   I think I can answer both of these together. First of all, I'm fine with used stuff in general. The only games I actually own and play are Trivial Pursuit and Mastermind. I'm good on Mastermind, but for Trivial Pursuit, wouldn't mind either the newest version, or the old music expansion pack (my husband and I used to have both of these before the second time that our house burned down). As for additional games, Perquackey might be okay (doesn't have to be the newest version). Of course, I understand if my Witch doesn't want to get me a $50 game or a $20 set of cards though... the music cards do show up at thrift stores for like $2 sometimes. And I think I mentioned in my questionnaire that I'm not really into owning DVDs.   What kind of snacks or candy from other countries/states would you like to try? I can't think of any that I want to try but haven't. I do like green tea kitkats and Meltykiss chocolate (I think the last flavor I tried was milk tea but I've tried others) from Japan, and various types of pocky and pretz... I guess that's in line with what I've already said in my questionnaire though.   do you have a Facebook profile (or other social media) that you are comfortable linking to aid your witch in stalking? Please note whether you are willing to add BPALers as friends I have already added my information to the spreadsheet provided for this purpose earlier in the round so hopefully I'm good here. I agree with Lady_Fire (including the Sailor Moon part).   So, hey, RCCC. As long as I'm mentioning it, anything you're interested in there, whether it's con-exclusive merch or from a particular exhibitor or artist? If something catches your eye and it's in line with my already-stated preferences, sure, but I can't think of anything in particular.   When I do this swap, I really, really do it because I want to connect with another forumite, make friends with them, and communicate with my witchee. So, everyone, how do you personally feel about this? Hmm... as I said in my questionnaire, I consider myself medium-low in terms of contact level. But I do have an email address that I use specifically for swaps, and do use it to communicate with swapees in almost every swap that I participate in. And during Switch Witch rounds I've sent e-cards and sent more than one package, and included notes and descriptions of items/why I chose them as appropriate. Now I feel like my witchee might figure out who I am based on this. Eh, I'm just paranoid. Do you like puzzles/riddles/treasure hunts and that sort of thing?
If you were to receive music, would you want a physical CD or digital versions?
What’s a current problem/annoyance you have that could be remedied but you haven’t had time to address it?
How do you feel about having some sort of trinket to carry around for good luck/wishes? I.e. a small figurine, symbol, card, coin…
Puzzles... if you mean actual jigsaw ones, they'd need to be less than 1000 pieces, 500 would be ideal. Riddles are... okay I guess? Treasure hunts, definitely not.
CD, but I might not get much use out of it....
Having some co-worker trouble that I need to discuss with my boss. I've been considering doing the honey jar thing too.
Sounds great!
Are YOU superstitious about anything? Any things you can't have in your house for that reason--bad associations? Um, I like the TV or radio volume to be on an even number and not an odd one, but I'm not sure whether that's a superstition. I asked my husband if there are things we don't want in the house due to superstitions, but he couldn't think of anything either. I can update this in my blog if I think of anything though.   Ok, so we've covered pumpkin. How do you feel about the other fall classic – apples? I'm not really into apple as a scent... I mean, I don't hate it, but there aren't any apple-heavy BPAL/candle/incense scents that I particularly love. Now, I remember talk of "apple crips" (not apple crisps) as a snack in a past round, and they sounded intriguing, so I'd try those if they were available. I do make a very nice Granny Smith apple pie with a great crumb topping, but unless you are in South Central TX and want to stop by my place sometime, you're just going to have to imagine it.... As for decorations depicting apples if that would count, they aren't really my thing... my deceased mother-in-law decorated her kitchen like that so that would be weird for me.   Do you have any fabric or skin-contact aversions? Hmm... I usually say that wool stuff is fine as long as it isn't super-itchy, but this has me wondering how someone who wasn't me would determine that. Oh well. And I guess in general I'm more into natural fibers, but I own a variety of fabrics so it'd be difficult for me to figure out some kind of hard-and-fast rule there.   how do you feel about Christmas/Yule ornaments? Yes, this a Halloween swap, just answer the question! They are fine. I like blue and silver, or peacock-type colors best I guess. I think I only own like 2 ornaments or something so definitely wouldn't mind getting more.   How do you feel about Hello Kitty, and Hello Kitty accessories (including mugs, cups, etc)? I like Hello Kitty, and some of her other friends such as Chococat and My Melody. Mugs and cups sound fine too.   How do you feel about cute things as decorations or accessories? (Example: Would you enjoy this stationary - or do you prefer elegant/creepy/neutral stuff?) Okay, I'm getting out of sequence here, but just wanted to answer/comment on this one: I mentioned that site in my SW questionnaire, actually, and own quite a bit of stationery from them, and even a couple from that same brand! But I wouldn't particularly enjoy the specific stationery you linked to because I don't really like parakeets or whatever those are! I'd like something like this stationery from the same brand though. So I guess I do like cute in general, but well, elegant/creepy/neutral is also good. *EDIT* If I got "not-particularly-enjoyed" stationery I would still use it though, to be honest, because I do have a handful of penpals and sometimes get sad about mailing away all of my coolest stationery.   If you had a week free where you could learn anything, with no financial restrictions, what would you want to study? I'd love to put something esoteric and interesting here, but all I can think of in my barely-awake sinus-headache state right now is Spanish. I'm doing the Duolingo thing right now, which is free and online and seems really great, but it's going to be a pretty long road. I don't really think I need any learning-Spanish stuff from my Witch though. Same as usual, I'll update in my blog if I think of a better answer. Do you enjoy poetry? Who are your favorite poets and what type of subject matter do you like?
Would you enjoy receiving something related to a favorite Disney character?
What is something you'd really like to recieve from your witch? Please be as specific as possible - no, "Oh whatever she thinks is fine!"
Yes, but like many of us, I was more into it in high school. I know I still like E. E. Cummings, Baudelaire, and Rimbaud. I think my husband and I used to have almost everything by Rilke too but I haven't read as much of his stuff. I don't spend much time reading poetry these days though. I have a hard time describing subject matter, but I'm probably not very much into like, straight-up nature poetry.
Nope, I'm not really a Disney person.
Well, as some others have said, I'd like my witch to have some leeway here. I think it'd be great if I could get something edible (could be anything from home-made baked goods to interesting candy from a store to salsa from the farmers' market, or anything else that wouldn't be counter to the food preferences I've mentioned), and something wearable (could be earrings, socks, fancy bobby pins, etc.), but if that isn't in the cards, that's fine too.
Do you have a Celeb crush? or someone who you just can't get enough of....other than your SO No celeb crush.   Glitter? are you okay with it, or hate it like the plague? I do like glitter, especially glittery nail polish, but I don't want, like, an envelope full of loose glitter. And I don't wear body glitter, though I'm not sure whether that even still exists (ah, raver days!).   What is your favorite Halloween animal or other symbol/decoration? I like cats and owls. I also like anything in a candy corn print.   Makeup, especially of the indie variety. Nail polish, nail wraps, eyeshadow, lipstick/gloss, etc. Y/N? Specific preferences (color, finish, product, brand, etc.)? I went over this quite a bit in my questionnaire and previous questions, I think. I don't wear makeup often so don't need much, if any. Like I said, if you find one or two very cool eyeshadows in a user-friendly format (like I said, not a tiny baggie of loose pigment, though a little jar would work okay for that), that would be fine. I do not use/own lipstick, blush, or nail wraps. I do like lipgloss and lip balm, not in a pot or tin though, in a tube. I love nail polish in basically all colors, including wacky glitters, but I do not like the matte kind, or the stuff that's supposed to be like a "sand" texture, or the crackle or magnetic stuff that was popular awhile back. Hope that helps!   I make hairsticks...would you like/use them? I think my hair is too short for those, sadly.   girasol, on 12 Sept 2014 - 12:47 AM, said: I'm with girasol on the profanity/off-color humor thing.   Does anyone here LARP? If so, what kind of LARP? And what kind of character do you play? Nope.   Would you completely freak out if I sent you a chocolate covered scorpion or some other food oddity? This includes things like 'bacon powder' from thinkgeek.com. I don't really want bugs to eat, it's more the texture than anything else (same reason I can't eat lettuce!). Other food oddities that are not bugs and not super-spicy would probably be fine though.   This has kind of been covered, but, are you ok with receiving canned jam (from a veteran jammer!) and if so, what flavors would you like and not like? Canned jam would be great. The only kind that I don't really like is jalapeno (yes, I know that's usually jelly and not jam, but I still thought it might apply here), mostly because people usually dump it over a block of cream cheese and eat it with crackers, which is unappealing to me.   Meaganola kinda covered this above, but I want to ask a little more in depth. Let's talk nail polish. What colors do you love? Hate? Which brands are you dying to try? Have you ever used indies? Do you like glitter? Any textures to avoid (glitter, sand, etc)? I think I went into a lot of detail about this already both in these questions and in the questionnaire. I have definitely used indies, for example I have ordered several brands from llarowe. The only brands I can think of that I didn't really like are Julep and Contrary Polish, everything else has been cool. And I mentioned textures to avoid above.   I make little monster plushes, from felt and yarn and buttons. How do you feel about getting a special Halloween plushie? That sounds very cool!   I'm in Japan, anything specific you might want from the land of the rising sun? Another thing I've talked about quite a bit in my question answers and in my questionnaire. I like Japanese candy like green tea kitkats and Meltykiss chocolate (would love to try any of their limited edition stuff in addition to the "normal" kinds... I know I liked their milk tea kind when it was available), and would of course try other Japanese candy too. I buy Japanese stationery and stickers online already but definitely wouldn't mind receiving more. I used to love phone charms but my current phone doesn't have a space for one... but I could use one of those decorations for the headphone outlet/jack or whatever it's called. Are there any GC scents that you know you love, but for whatever reason, keep putting off buying bottles of?
I know not everyone likes Lush products, but if you do, which Lush items would you like to get from your Witch?
I need another bottle of Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo, and am also interested in a bottle of High John the Conqueror (currently just have an imp). I'd also love a bottle of No. 93 Engine... I used to have one but sold it a couple of years back because I needed money to get my nephew a graduation gift.
I may run out of time on this one so please check in my blog later if you are interested... a version of this question usually gets asked in these swaps so there should be previous answers there too. I need some shower gel right now, I know I like Flying Fox and Happy Hippy out of the currently-available stuff. I also like Freeze and Slammer which are Retro but sold out right now. Bubble bars: I definitely like Dorothy and Pop in the Bath.
  airline miles: That's very generous, but I don't think my husband and I are planning to fly anywhere in the next year. I won't really have time for long trips until summer, and I'm almost certain that we decided that this summer we'd do a road trip instead of a plane trip.   If you are ok with receiving t-shirts, what size are you, do you prefer tissue tees, normal crew tees, babydoll etc? Hmm, thought I already answered something like this, but I guess it was a previous swap. T-shirts would be nice, but... it's complicated. Mens/unisex sizes: usually M, possibly L Womens sizes: usually L, possibly XL Juniors/babydoll sizes: usually XL, possibly XXL For example, in regular BPAL ladies' tees, I need an XXL, but in their tissue tees, I just need an XL.   Would you like arm warmers/fingerless gloves? If so, what length? just beyond the wrist, almost to the elbow, full sleeves? I think fingerless gloves would be better than arm-warmers but either would be nice I guess. No full sleeves, but either just-below-the-wrist or almost-to-the-elbow would be fine.   MeiLin, on 12 Sept 2014 - 3:52 PM, said: I'm with MeiLin on this one!   do you feel a particular affinity for a specific animal/s? Not sure. I like many animals... here's something I wrote for a swap back in 2011: "how do you pick just one? I like cats, foxes, red pandas, and wombats (and a bunch of other animals I'm forgetting!). EDIT: yep, I forgot hedgehogs, bees, and deer, and got reminded reading someone else's post! I guess I like many fantasy creatures as well... but I can't think of anything but, like, kirins and, uh, owlbears right now."   Anyone have any paintbox loves? I'm most interested in the hot process soaps... Rice Pudding, Mandinka, Whiskers, The Crofter's Bar, and Black Bart all sound awesome. Lotions sound nice too though, especially Blackbird.   ThinkGeek whatnots ~$20 Limited Edition Hobbit Moleskine Cover Blubber Fabled Axe Tea Infuser   Knitted items like scarves, shawls, dishclothes....yay or nay? Favorite fibers? Favorite colors? Scarves would be okay, usually we don't get much of a winter here, but last winter was sorta something and I hear this winter may be too. I want this (full size though), but I think it's probably too much for this swap (counting both time and money)... I think my husband and I are going to go in on one for Christmas. So more in line with reality, a scarf in a cream or grey color would be nice.   I know we already had a question about needed kitchen accessories, but what about spices? I need some black mustard seeds and some nigella seeds (yeah, I cook Indian food!), but that's about it.   If you were to receive handmade caramels, would it matter if they were made with raw cream (unpasteurized)? That sounds fine.   Would you enjoy getting a sampling of quality incense taken from various sources? Are there types of incense you know you don't like? Would you want a burner for loose incense and a few charcoals to get you started with that, or would you rather stick to simpler types? I'm really only interested in stick incense, but otherwise this sounds great. I might as well plug my favorite incense company here too... they make incense for the Vatican, and are the best I've ever used... smell awesome, long burn time, etc. But of course I'll try other kinds!   Would you like handmade stationary or cards? How about a quill pen? Maybe on the stationery or cards, as long as they were easily mail-able anyway... I do have penpals, as mentioned previously, so I'd probably use them. No on the quill pen though.   What is your favorite type of Halloween candy? I don't really have particular Halloween faves... so I guess I'll just say that overall, it's best if it contains chocolate!   Do you need or want any cosy footwear, like fluffy slippers, or slipper socks etc? I'm not really a "houseshoes" person but I do like slipper socks -- for example the maryjane style kinda like this, Target usually has similar ones with seasonal themes. I only have one pair so wouldn't mind another. It'd also be nice to get some warm wool socks to wear with boots -- I think I have only one pair right now.   What is your favorite halloween candy/snack? (you don't have to pick one) What do you most look forward to each Fall? Oh boy, I'm probably going to give the un-helpfullest answer ever here (and yep, making up words = time to go to bed)! So, I already answered a question about Halloween candy here yesterday. As for what I look forward to each fall, uh, I make these once a year (only once a year, but definitely every year) so I guess it's them. Trying to think of something vaguely fall-food-like that a person could actually purchase for me, I do like maple sandwich cookies, the ones that are shaped like a maple leaf and have maple creme inside. I think I got some at Trader Joe's last year but I could be mis-remembering and have actually bought them at a Kroger's or Randall's even longer ago. Great, I'm rambling too. Gotta go to bed!   What gadgets do you use in your everyday life and would you like a cool case for them - with your favourite fandom or artwork or saying? Um, I have an ipad for work (as in, all new employees get them, so I got one last year... but I do own it... they made us "earn" them through technology-related professional development), but it already has a nice case including a bluetooth keyboard (yeah, I paid for that... not sure how some of my co-workers get by without keyboards). I don't have a smartphone so don't need a case for that either. Sorry!   Are there any beauty accessories you need or would like? For example make-up brushes, facial brushes or eyelash curlers. Um, do wandcaps for BPAL count? I don't think I've ever used a makeup brush unless those little eyeshadow applicators count, and I'm good on those. Never used an eyelash curler either. I guess I'd like to try Zoya's Renew or Armour if those count though.   Would you be disappointed to get one big box, or would you prefer a bunch of little ones? And would you be disappointed if your witch actually had it together early and sent it to you sooner than later? I'm probably not your Witchee based on various things, but this is probably worth answering anyway. First of all, ultimately, whatever my Witch wants is cool, I want people to be themselves as much as possible! But if I really get down to the nittygritty of what I'd prefer, I guess it would be somewhere between "one big box" and "a bunch of little ones." Basically I think it's cool to get one or two little things early in the round, and a box of multiple things at the end. So I guess that answers the second of these questions too. But Witch, if an early reveal/one big box works best for you, then that's what you should do! I won't be disappointed either way.   Stores are putting out their halloween PJs and undies! Would you be happy to get any in a package? And if so, what size? For PJ pants, do you like cotton or flannel? Undies, not so much, I'd rather pick those out for myself. PJs, yes! I especially need (boxer-like?) shorts, but I understand that Halloween ones are probably pants so that's okay too. About sizing, I think LadyWench said it pretty well, at least for junior-type sizes: "XXL is probably better at this point, sometimes XL can be fine but it depends on the brand, and I'd rather have too big than too small!" Old Navy or something similar, I could do an XL though. I think I already said this, but for number sizes, I'm usually a 16 or 18 depending on the brand. Finally, definitely cotton and not flannel or the even fuzzier stuff.   Do you like M&Ms? Yeah, I like them. I do not like peanut M&Ms though (peanut butter ones are fine, on the other hand). I'd be fine with trying other wacky flavors.   What scents from the Lillith update would you like to try? I will likely buy myself a bottle of (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene, so please don't get me that, Dear Witch! But I'd like to try Venustas too, so if you'd like to pick up a decant of that for me or something, that'd be cool.   I'm not sure if they gift streaming subscriptions, but would you like one? Would it even be useful for you or do you prefer having real music in your hands? count me among the folks who don't understand this concept, so I don't think it'd be useful for me, sorry.   Sugar Skull cubes on Etsy? They'd be fine. I think my husband is usually the sugar-cube user in the house though.   Skin care routine? Fave cleanser? Toner? Moisturizer? What about body lotions? Any particular brand or scent? Lip balms? Yay or nay? I think I've addressed most of this stuff in my questionnaire and such. I really don't need any facial maintenance items... Witch, I'd let you know if there was something I was running low on, but I'm not. I could actually use a small body lotion for work... I thought I had one at work but I actually don't. Probably one that, uh, squeezes out would be better for this purpose than one in a jar with a screw-off lid, because that just seems less weird thinking about using it at work. As for lotion scent, I'm pretty open, the only things I can think of that I wouldn't like would be cherry blossom (I had some BBW lotion in that scent years ago that just didn't agree with me) or some sort of very sweet bakery type scent. Dear Witch, if you need to know anything more specific about this stuff, please just let me know.

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch Fall 2013 Help #2

Here I will collect the answers to in-thread questions for the Fall 2013 Switch Witch round (until I decide this is too long and make a third entry about it).   Hey, Witchee, it's getting cold. Socks, scarves, hats or arm warmers? No hats please. Otherwise, sure. Though honestly, due to the mild weather where I live, I so rarely wear scarves that I think I'm already pretty well served in that department.   Halloween Candy, Decorations, and Costume supplies - What kind are your idea of FUN and which ones would you thoroughly dislike?
 
candy: maybe if it's chocolate? some more info about candy preferences is included in my questionnaire as far as I know.
decorations: I like halloween decorations that depict cats or candy corn, and also like purple or black glittery stuff (I've seen glittery foam skulls or spiders, for example).
costume supplies: can't really think of anything, haven't dressed up for for Halloween in quite awhile. I used to wear cat ears all year round, but I think I personally am about 10 years too old for that now (I'm 32), not that I have problems with others older than me wanting to dress up or anything.
  WHAT traditions to you partake in for Halloween? Don't really have any. My husband and I would like to stay in and have trick-or-treaters, but we didn't really get any in the town where we lived for the last 4 years. Since we moved over the summer, hopefully our new neighborhood will be different... many of our neighbors have elaborate decorations, so hopefully that is a good sign.   Are you a fan of anything that you would like a tshirt of? If so, what size would you wear? Not sure about fandom tees in general. Here are tees I like on etsy that are under $20, can edit with others if I find others: DJ John Leo constellation tee As for t-shirt sizes, womens would be L or XL, juniors would be XL or XXL, and mens would be M or L   Do you love, hate, or are indifferent to.....pumpkin flavored things? Mostly indifferent, I guess.   Dear future Witchee, did you get anything from the Beaver Moon or Weenie updates that I need to know about, so I don't accidentally repeat anything? I did not purchase anything from those updates.   As for recent questions, I'm not really into owning DVDs/movies (if there are any exceptions they would be on my amazon wish list, but I'm not sure whether any are even listed there), and will need to give the Starbucks/Teavana question some more thought, so will update that one later. *EDIT* about Starbucks/Teavana: maybe the green tea concentrate? And I can't really find anything at Teavana, it all seems a bit too expensive given the spending limit for this swap.   Oh, and I don't have a Pinterest... I guess I'm "an old."   Say your witch works at a used bookstore. what kinds of things might you like from there? cool old pulp fiction paperbacks? tarot cards? (we have those.) a dr who pen? books about haunted cemeteries in seattle? you may have all of these things:) oh, and also movies. and cds. As another has mentioned already, I'm pretty sure you are talking about Half Price Books, a place that my husband and I frequent. I may sound like a broken record here, but this would probably be another good time to look to my Amazon wishlist. I would be fine with receiving anything on it in used form. As for the specific examples listed, I guess I wouldn't mind a Dr. Who pen, though I'm not much of a fan of modern Dr. Who due to the scary monsters.   Witchee, the Haunt Halloween update goes live tomorrow! When it does, please post right away and let me know your dreams and wishes! Not sure if this is what you're talking about, but I guess I'll assume so. The Candy Corn lip balm sounds nice. Out of the scents listed, Gloomy Sunday sounds best, but I don't really use non-BPAL perfumes even if I own them, and am not sure that I like the idea of Sugar Polish or Skin Glossing Oil. Maybe if there was something more like a lotion?   I've got some canned goods put up -- mostly jams/jellies, some apple butter, some applesauce. Want some? If so, what kind(s)? That would be very cool. My husband loves apple butter but I just like it okay. Neither of us like applesauce. So maybe the jams/jellies?   How feel you about lip balms, glosses, and lipsticks? Any particular favourite scents/flavours? Any favourite makers/sellers? I do not own or wear lipstick. I do wear lipgloss and lip balms... I like the tube/stick form better than the stuff that's in a jar or pot. I used to really like the "chai rose" lip balm from Badger brand, but I am not sure whether that stuff is still around.   Actually, this isn't much of a question, more of a request: Since wishlist links never seem to work in forum mail, won't you please re-post your wishlist links here, so they're readable? I mentioned this in my last post here... these can be accessed via my signature. My BPAL wishlist is linked there, and there is also a link to my blog on the forum... the first "Fall 2013 Switch Witch" entry has the other links in it (the second has my answers to these questions so far).   Table Games - do you play them? If so, which ones, and which versions, and are there any goodies you might like related to them? I own/play Mastermind and Trivial Pursuit, and would play Perquackey if I had it (looks like it's pretty inexpensive online right now, too). My husband and I used to have a couple of expansion-pack type things for Trivial Pursuit, one was about music, and the other was this one. If you find those hanging around at a thrift store or something I wouldn't mind having them again. In general I hate playing games so would not really be interested in other games of any kind.   Witchee, are you in need of any particular spices? I personally can't think of any that I need right now, but will definitely update this in my blog if I do. *UPDATE* If you find some good chile/chili powder or have a favorite one, I wouldn't mind receiving some.   What do you think of hair sticks? Would you like a set? I think they are nice in theory... I may sort of have enough hair for them, but don't think I would actually use hair sticks if I had them, considering that I already have a nice collection of barrettes that I no longer wear.   Are there any craft project/s you are working on now that you need supplies for? Or rather, is there a craft project you've been wanting to do but need stuff to start? I need a plate-hanger to hang up a really big plate, but I guess that's not really a "craft" since I didn't make the plate. Nothing else comes to mind.   Is there anything you'd really like to have/try from Trader Joe's, or any other popular-but-not-available-everywhere store? Hmm... someone has already mentioned Cookie Butter... I went to a Trader Joe's 2 days ago but that substance was sadly nowhere to be found. I'd definitely still like to try it if it is available. I will try to think of whether I am desiring other items from faraway stores and will update if I think of something. Oh! Ikea often has napkins (the larger square ones, not the smaller rectangular ones) with cute prints, and I live pretty far away from Ikea now....   Witchee, would you like a set of Cards Against Humanity? No thanks!   Would you rather have something fun or practical? Either or both.   Are you okay with semi-spicy foods right now? I'm thinking like curry or chipotle? If you were to choose a chili powder would you go Hot, Medium, or Mild? Semi-spicy is fine, and for chili powder/salsa type stuff I usually go with Medium. I know this wasn't actually part of the question, but I do like chocolate with chile... of course, that's pretty standard in Texas.     If you were this mystery witch's witchee, would you be interested in Spoonfudge or any other such "ordered online" sweet? Hmm... not sure. Spoonfudge does not seem all that intriguing to me. As for other brands, I had ordered some caramels from Fusion Sweets for my husband for Christmas and really liked them, but I just looked at their website and their etsy, and they seem to have drastically pared down their selection, so there really doesn't seem to be anything interesting there right now.   Double checking everyone's baked goods status. Home-made baked goods or other food stuffs OK? A-O-K as long as they fit in with preferences previously stated.   Speak to me of jewelry! If you like earrings, what kind? Dangly earrings, hoops, studs - what kind do you like? How long do you like your necklaces? Or would you prefer to just get a pendent, so you can size the chain yourself? Details, they make me happy. earrings: any and all would be fine. necklaces: I would rather have necklaces than just pendants. I do not usually wear necklaces of super-short choker length due to comfort issues. I believe I put necklace measurements in my original questionnaire.     Is there anything you'd like from Lush, witchee? Christmas Eve bubble bar Shoot for the Stars bath bomb Lord of Misrule bath bomb Demon in the Dark soap (I think that shower gels are kind of priced out of this round unless one gets the tiny size, but if you really want to know, look at my answers for past swaps in earlier blog entries....)   If I were your witch and were to paint you something, what would you absolutely love, what would you feel ambivalent toward, and what would you not like to see or receive? not really into this, sorry.   Miskatonic update? Interested in decants of Marche Funebre and Totentanz. Probably buying a bottle of La Lugubre for myself, so don't get me that.   Dear Witchee: Do you have any upcoming away time I should be aware of, for shipping purposes? Not so much. It's possible that I may stay overnight somewhere once or something, but not really probable and I doubt that'd seriously affect shipping.   New Question:Would you like anything from Sock Dreams? Yes, definitely... but I haven't looked at that site in awhile so probably need to figure out exactly what. I think there are some guidelines in past blog entries for other swaps... there's also the gift certificate option as someone has already mentioned. I'll try to look at SockDreams today or tomorrow and post with specifics, hopefully I will get around to it. *EDIT* here are some I like/want: these in the colors that are neutral or blue need another pair of these in ivory, though the caviar and graphite colors look nice as well wouldn't mind another pair of these in either available color these look very nice hmm... these in mocha these look really pretty in navy Hope that helps!     -Your feelings on Adagio teas: If you've never had anything from them, would you be open to trying them? If you HAVE had them and like them, name some favorites blends. I've never had them but would definitely be open to trying them. I think I said some stuff about tea type preferences in my original questionnaire?   -Do you like video games? Are there any you want to play? Do you have a large library? Never have and likely never will, sorry!   -Name three BPAL scents you have tried, but are dying to get more of. I have a wishlist section of this, but I guess narrowing down from that I'd choose Banshee Beat, Shortbread Snowflakes, and either Eat me or No. 93 Engine.   -Have you ever tried anything from Paintbox Soapworks? Which products or scents would you prefer? I've had some of the sample-size glycerin-type soaps and liked some of them. But I maybe go through one of those a year since I use that size only for handwashing and they last a long time. I'm really more interested in the hot process/coconut-free soaps (not because they're coconut-free though, I love coconut... I just like this kind of soap better than glycerin soap)... out of what's in stock now, The Natural, Second Breakfast, The Olive Tree, Nekisse, Mandinka, and Whiskers sound nice.   -Do you like/have space to garden? If so, what do you grow? not a fan. gave up on growing things after the second time my house burned down.   -Gift cards/vouchers - yay or nay? If you like them - which stores would you like one for? I guess the ones I've already mentioned? The only other ones I can think of are Lush and maybe ThinkGeek.   --Seen anything lately that makes you go OH HOLY FUCK THAT'S AWESOME!! ? nothing specific comes to mind.   --Name five small things you could use, but might not think to get for yourself?
 
maybe some cookbook page flags?
or a new flashdrive?
or glitter food?
I've also been interested in Zoya's Renew
And I'd still love some address labels to put on outgoing mail, even if you just typed them on your computer and printed them out onto a sheet of labels.
  -Is there anything from a farmer's market you might like? Hmm... I've already mentioned jams and jellies, can't really think of much else that would be ship-able. Maybe chocolate stuff or baked goods if you think they'd survive the journey. *EDIT* Honey would be nice too.   How do you feel about nail polish? If you like it, are there any brands or colors in which you are interested? I think I talked some about nail polish in my original questionnaire. I constantly have my nails painted... if they aren't painted I will pick at them in public which is obviously no good. Prettymuch any color but pink would work... I just think I already have enough pink. I think I originally said I really wanted Rainbow Honey's Mare of the Moon polish in a larger size since I just had the mini, but when I checked the site last week the whole Equestria collection was gone. So use your own judgement if you want to get me nail polish, I guess! I do like glitter and I don't like matte or textured (sand, etc.) nail polishes.   What about makeup? What brands do you prefer and which products would you most enjoy receiving? I do own makeup (well, powder, concealer, mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, anyway... I don't own lipstick or blush), but I basically only wear it to job interviews (which hopefully I won't be going to for awhile) or a couple of times a year for special occasions, so I don't really need more.   Are you interested in anything from the Haus of Gloi yule update on November 3rd? Which products and which scents? Will update later in blog because I'm too tired to go through the list right now. *EDIT* Three Treasures soap Eggnoggin Pumpkin butter Plotters Breakfast soap   If I made fairy, dragon or butterfly wing earrings, would you wear them? If so, which would you prefer? I'm finding this a bit hard to picture so would probably need to see an example, sorry.   Is there anything you would like from the Blooddrop Halloween update? Will also update this one later in my blog. *EDIT* no Hallween items are "jumping out at me," haha, but I wouldn't mind trying the lip balm in Candied Violet or Green Tea & Honey, or the Flutter in Lavender Honey.   New question: Do you prefer to receive whole coffee beans or ground? Also, if you like flavoured blends, what sort of flavours? (caramels, nuts, chocolate, etc.) Either whole or ground would be fine. I'm a big fan of coconut coffee and also like cinnamon coffee. Otherwise probably not much on flavors.   New question: How do you feel about robots? They are fine but somehow kind of remind me of the "emo" trend from the early 00s.   What are you guys doing for Halloween? Going to hope for trick-or-treaters and also hopefully make/eat ramen burgers.   I feel much the same as mermaidsdream.   Dear Witch: Are there any GC scents that you love, but for whatever reason, you keep putting off buying bottles of? I think I mentioned some in answer to a previous question, but I'd like to add Satyr and Kumari Kandam to those. Hmm... and I sold my bottle of The White Rider awhile back when I really needed money, so wouldn't mind having that again either.   If your Witch were to create a cookbook of recipes she thought you'd like, would you be interested in that sort of thing? And if so, what sort of recipes would you be interested in? a. sure! b. whatever's fine, I guess, but I don't really mess with yeast (the live stuff, I mean, I'm cool with nutritional yeast) so wouldn't get much use out of recipes that use it. Well, and I don't eat much red meat other than the occasional crockpot roast... just not my thing. Hope that helps.   Also witch do you like use candles? Yes, definitely. I'm not much for the votive or tealight size though, I don't really use those if I receive them, so something a little bigger than that would be better. If you are wondering about scented candles, I like most types of scents other than ones that are like generic holiday spice or extremely berry-scented.   Would you be interested in getting a kit of sorts to learn how to do a craft or make something, with some basic starter materials and instructions? And if yes, what sorts of things would you be interested in learning? Nope, I wish I had the energy for something like that, but I just don't.

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch Fall 2013 Help #1

Here are some links from my original questionnaire since I know that the long ones can get cut off when copied and pasted.  
 
BPAL wishlist
$10-ish item that I mentioned wanting (15ml bottle of Rainbow Honey's Mare of the Moon nail polish) *EDIT* Oh, and I thought of another thing, that might even be under $10 depending... some good (unpopped/non-microwave) popcorn! I used to have some of the Renaissance-Festival type stuff that pops up really huge and puffy, but ran out of it over the summer and bought a small jar at TJ Maxx or something which was okay, but I'll probably be out of it fairly soon as well. So if you have the hookup for some good popcorn, that'd be great!
I think the amazon wishlist link is actually short enough but here it is anyway
  Not going to link to my blog since you're obviously already here.

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch 2012 Help Part II

Candy Corn: yes, no? I'm debating attempting to make some. I'd love to try homemade candy corn. I like the store-bought stuff okay too, but can't eat nearly as much as I could when I was younger since it's just so sweet.   I live in Japan. Anything you would be interested in from there? green tea kitkats or any green tea flavored chocolate stuff. I also love meltykiss chocolate... I've tried a few different flavors of it and they are great, I think last year I had milk tea flavor or something? Oh, and are "hard minty eye drops" still a thing in Japan? Those are useful for waking up sometimes. And I think I already mentioned cute/kawaii stickers/stationery, right?   Oh, and about tea, I really think I've talked about it a lot already in past questions, but please just let me know if you want more specifics.   What is your holy grail "I'd kill to just have one drop in an imp" bpal scent? Senelion (the BPAL version, not the TAL) or Clockwork Couture: Male   if you wear earrings, do you have pierced ears? yep.   You are meeting up with someone on a casual lunch/early afternoon thing. This person is someone you want to impress/look good for (for whatever reason, not necessarily romantic, and not necessarily for business either). What would you look like, given the contents of your wardrobe/etc? I don't think I'm good with this kind of hypothetical. My outfits are really specific to the details of the occasion. For example, I might want to dress to cover my tattoos in some situations, or might not want to show cleavage, etc. Makeup (which I rarely wear) and accessories are also very situation-specific... I can look young and "quirky" or older and more grown-up/conservative/serious depending on specifics. Sorry! The only thing I can say for sure is that I'd be unlikely to wear heels (higher than an inch, anyway) to something described in this way.   You are to be let loose in a clothing store of your choice, to pick a full outfit, down to the shoes, the accessories, etc. and things would be altered to fit you if needed. What store would that be, and what would you look like? I think I've done that before at a vintage store in Austin called "feathers." Some kind of 60s/70s vintage dress that is fit and flare/a-line since that's flattering (in a color scheme I've mentioned liking, or some crazy mod geometric print), and maybe they still have a lot of vintage deadstock rhinestone barrettes like they used to, and I got some nice vintage leather heels there before too (I think they were black and white peeptoe slingbacks) so maybe they still have good shoes... ah, memories....   You open a box from the post office to reveal the 3 things you want most right now. What are they? (caveats: size doesn't matter, but they have to be tangible/buyable). this shirt that's currently sold out on the anthropologie website & this dress (both magically fitting me in size L when in reality I might need a non-existant XL in these), and one of the 3 books I mentioned in my original questionnaire as being my most desired at this time.   WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH YOUR ASS OFF!!! movies, comedians, black humor, your partner, a comic strip? what? 2 websites: Cake Wrecks and Damnyouautocorrect. Can't think of anything else right now, sorry.   Are there any existing Weenies that you have your eye on, but haven't gotten around to getting? nope, joined a decant circle for the ones I was interested in   My new job is at a consignment store where we have all kinds of designer brands for very reasonable prices. Are there designer clothes/purses/sunglasses that you desire/love? (Give some indication as to your "style" as well. For example, do you like bohemian-style frocks in lavender? Crossbody purses in black? Sunglasses that are round and bug-like?) In my first life (before the first time my house burned down... I'm on my 3rd life now), I had a ruffley very pale pink leather Betsey Johnson wristlet purse (like the link but just a different color... I actually would have bought it in white if they had it) that I loved. Haven't really seen anything like that from that brand since though. I like many Betsey Johnson earrings too though, I have these on right now. I can't think of anything else really but I will update in my blog if I do.   I realize that we had a similar question in the ?aire, but I need you Witchee-s to list at least 5 items, each ranging $20 and under from Amazon.com or Walmart.com.
 
book #1
book #2
book #3
book #4 (very cheap indeed right now)
book #5
  In the meantime, let me know what you like to do on the Internet to kill time. Flash games? What are your daily websites/blog visits, or favorite YouTube videos? Mostly I read stuff. I never play games and rarely listen to music (I fell out of the music habit since my old computer didn't have working sound for the last year or so I had it). So I read stuff on the BPAL forum (obviously), xojane, jezebel (not as often now as I used to since the comment section is so far from user-friendly now), alternet, uh, hmm, not sure where else since I haven't re-built my bookmarks yet either. I do keep up with facebook and twitter too. Oh, and I look at tor.com sometimes... most often for the Dark Tower read that's going on right now, but for other stuff too.   And what are your favourite characters from your fandoms? not really fannish (?) but I will edit this if I think of anything appropriate.   I have another question!!My Little Pony... Cute or meh? When I was a kid I had like 50 of them and they had their own complicated kingdom and everything (including wars), but I haven't been interested in them much in the last 20 years. My husband and I tried to watch the new show but I don't really get the appeal, it seems a bit simple/saccharine. Really wanted to like it though. And it's not like we're generally against cartoons (almost wrote cardoons ), we love "Adventure Time."   Lip balm - tube or tin? I think I already mentioned this, but... tube please! Tin or "pot" just doesn't work out well for me.   Would you like to receive a journal or sketchbook? How about other pretty paper goods like post-its, notepads, bookmarks, letter paper/envelopes? I wouldn't use a journal or sketchbook, and probably would not use a notepad since I have a few and may be picky or even fickle about them. But I would love post-its or stationery, especially if cute/interesting, and would probably use a bookmark as well.   Are you interested in audiobooks? If so, any specific titles? No thanks.   Bar soaps with some scrubby bits, yes or no? yes please! As long as there is still more soap than scrubby bits, ratio-wise.   Do you need any small electronic gadgets like flash drives and the like? I wouldn't mind another flash drive... will update if I think of anything else.   Would you like a pair of knitted socks? Maybe? My feet do get cold sometimes in winter.   Do you have any use for knitted dishcloths, facecloths, etc, especially if they were fandom related? I'm not sure. Might need to see an example?   Do you subscribe to any sample boxes, and if so, which ones? Would you like to receive some samples? (perfume, eco/"green," skin care, hair, music downloads, cosmetics, soap...) Another maybe. As mentioned in my original questionnaire, I don't like samples of skin moisturizers or undereye creams or stuff like that. And I don't like the Julep nail polish I've tried (I think maybe they have a box, that's why I'm mentioning). Also not really interested in music downloads. So within those parameters....   Good Afternoon Witches & Witchees:I have a question:do you have a problem with nudes???sub-question if your answer is yes-Male or Female? I'm prettymuch with skyelyric here: I mean, I used to collect pin-up art and such, and had some of Bunny Yeager's photographs (well, postcards anyway) displayed in my house, but I've kind of gotten away from it as I've gotten older. I might actually prefer female nudes to male ones, but if you have something you think I'd really like, go for it!   How would you feel about hammocks or toys for your rats/hamsters/gerbils/etc.? I don't have rodent pets.   What's one thing you want, right now, that you're having difficulty finding? Hellman's dijonnaise? But it's okay if you don't want to send me that   Are there any e-tailers you're desperately wanting to try? If so, any specific items/scents/etc? I'd like to try Villainess soap. I've tried one of her Whipped(s), and a candle, and the soap from BPTP that's co-branded, but never an actual Villainess soap. Current Villainess soaps of interest would be Triple Mint, Asphyxiate, Chloroform, Ginger Snapped, Jade, Killer Beez, Pearl Diver, and, of course, Villainess.   What do you do to take care of yourself when you're having a rough day (sick, life not going your way, whatever)? I usually make myself some popcorn (on the stove, not the nasty microwave stuff)... I have some really good quality stuff that pops up huge, and top it with butter, parmesan, and curry powder. I agree with others that that is a good time to watch stupid stuff on TV. I probably drink a cup of hot tea (most common choice would be jasmine green, but perhaps earl grey or constant comment instead) with honey at some point too. And yeah, laze about on the couch. It's possible that I might read, but I don't always have a conducive book around, and therefore TV often takes less effort.   Who here is going to be picking up JK Rowling's new book on Thursday I wasn't planning on it... I'm not really into reading mysteries if that's what it is... but I'd probably read it if I somehow ended up with it/might eventually check it out from the library (usually I only go to the library in summer since I'm too busy during the school year, this also gives my small-town library time to "recover" since the collection is not that big).   favorite and least favorite baked goods? favorite - gosh, I dunno, I like a lot of baked goods. moist chocolate cake with ganache frosting? Italian cream cake? Tres Leches cake? French macarons (NOT macaroons, those are just okay)? cinnamon king cake? I could go on forever so I should just stop now (but I'll update if I realize I'm leaving out something glaringly obvious). least favorite - pecan pie, pumpkin pie, strawberry shortcake   what size T-Shirt do you wear (standard AND babydoll)? Hmm... this is complicated. well, in men's t-shirt type sizes, I probably wear a medium. Maybe a small if it is 50-50 cotton-poly and not 100% cotton. In regular women's sizes, probably a large. In juniors/babydoll sizes, probably an XL or XXL. So it really depends!   Paintbox? The Blackbird goat milk hand and body cream sounds nice. The Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, Bluebird in the Lilacs, and Olive Tree slips that are on sale sound nice too. The hot process soaps Mandinka, the Natural, and Whiskers also sound nice.   I found a fantastic little shop while traveling that had unusual jellies and jams. Would you be interested in trying something like Georgia Moonshine Jelly or TOE Jam (each letter stands for some kind of fruit, I don't remember which ones) or something similar? How about homemade jam in general? I'm not really into boozy or spicy jams/jellies. Otherwise, I like most kinds. And we just used the last of the nice cherry butter we got the last time I visited the in-laws in West Virginia, so if they have anything like that....   Would you be interested in homemade herbal remedies and tinctures? Sure!   Do any of Villainness' Soap Box exclusive scents interest you, especially any of the Smooches/Whippeds? I am not interested in smooches because smooches are scrubs and I don't like scrubs at all. I am really more interested in soaps than in Whippeds simply because I go through lotions more slowly than I do soaps and therefore have more lotions. But either way, the Soap Box exclusive scents I am most interested in are Kill Switch, Masala, Sol Bacio, and Xia.   Puddin' just put a shitton of old Lunacy shirts on the BPTP Etsy! Any ones interest you? Looks like just the V-neck babydoll type are up so far. In these I would need an XXL (if tissue tees go up I will just need an XL, I know from experience, but I will edit this in my blog if/when they go up). So of what's available now I like Whirling Wind, Sugar, and Long Night moons.   Haunt/Oct. update? Not familiar with this company, and of course, would need to check out the preview when it happens in order to what they'll have after the update. Of the products they have now, Milkflower soap sounds nice, and Gloaming perfume oil actually sounds interesting too.   And I think I already mentioned that I don't garden. I sure appreciate people who do though, like my mom, and the people who sell veggies at the farmers' market that I go to   Do you use or would like to try loose eyeshadow pigments? I used to... I had some fyrinnae stuff back before it was called fyrinnae (this was back in 2006 or something and I believe the company was called "bombshell bath" at the time?), but didn't replace that after losing everything the first time since I don't wear makeup that often. I remember having a color of eyeshadow that mostly looked beige but had subtle hints of florescent pink, that was cool. And I remember looking at the site last year (I think?) and liking a color that was unfortunately called "half-elf hottie." Okay, not sure why I started rambling in response to that question. Yes, I'm interested in such things, and they probably qualify as something nice that I wouldn't actually buy for myself.   Also, I dunno if the cookie butter thing was an official question, but I'd love to try it! I'm sure my husband would like it if I didn't.   Is there anything you might want from the latest update (Lab or TP)? There are a few things that I may get decants of right off the bat (is that a Halloween pun, or do I just need to go to bed? ), so I won't include those. Otherwise I'm interested in (BPAL first):
 
Monastery in the Mountains
Hotrun Dath
Waves of Mist
Tears of Lilith
Pandemonium
Buen Viage
Tomb of Zai
Die Sunde...
As for BPTP, I'm only interested in the Spider Silk Bath Oil and Substratum soap. *EDIT* Okay, fine... with all this talk of candles... sure, I want All Souls! (and I already know the BPTP candles are awesome, because I had a Samhain one/used it up/loved it, and am currently working on a Snow White one.)   Not really interested in a witch pendant, sorry.   I'm looking at the Arcana Limited Edition things on the Soap Box website. Not sure which of these are Halloween and which aren't, but here are a bunch of things that sound nice (please note, however, that I rarely wear non-BPAL perfumes, even great-smelling ones, so would be much more likely to get actual use out of the non-perfume items I've listed):
 
Alec D'Urberville Perfume Oil
Blue Geisha soap
Bonfires at Dusk (my husband is very intrigued by this scent description)
Darkling Soap
Dia de los Muertos soap
Eostre Perfume Oil
Goat God Soap
Haint Soap
Holy Terror Perfume Oil & Soap
Little Ghoulie Soap
Queen Crossbones Perfume
Skeleton Key Soap
Tess Perfume Oil
Drool, Keel, and Surf body lotions
Sting Perfume
Barbados, Sel Gris, and Zingiber soaps
The Heart Duo perfumes
  Don't forget that the Haunt update preview is going up today. There is a bunch of stuff being loaded now!http://www.haunt.bigcartel.com/products The Batty and Candy Corn lusts sound nice.   If you had a fairy for NYCC, what exclusive scent would you kill to own? Joining the chorus of Badger-lovers here   Godiva chocolate (Halloween, etc.)? Would be okay if it fits in with the parameters I've already mentioned for chocolate, but it's not one of my favorite brands or anything. None of the Halloween stuff sounds like my thing, really.   Shiro cosmetics? I couldn't look at this at work because it was classified as "games," I found that funny. But I can look at it now that I'm at home... here are some eyeshadows I like:
 
Pumpkin King
Ragdoll
Homunculus
Master Sword
Deku
Enrichment Center
Your Best Friend
Sweet Honey
Repel
I like shorts
 
  Comics? nope. Maybe I don't like them because I read so fast?   California? I'd love some kind of souvenir from City Lights bookstore, but it looks like San Francisco (where the bookstore is) is really far away from Disneyland and such, so that probably won't work out, which is fine.   Apple Crips: Sound freaking awesome!   FusionSweets? things that sound nice (not comprehensive bc I don't have time to look at the whole website, so if you see something else you know I'd like, and want to buy it, have at it!):
 
Roasted black sesame caramels
Rose, Orange Blossom, Vanilla Caramels
French Sea Salt Caramels
Matcha Green Tea Caramels
French Lavender, Vanilla, Honey, Sea Salt Caramels
Masala Chai Caramels
Taro Root Caramels
Chocolate Peanut Butter Caramels
Old Fashioned English Toffee
Matcha And Black Sesame White Chocolate
  Poe scents? Alone sounds okay   Are you dressing up for Halloween, Witchee? Well, my husband and I are going out to a Leonard Cohen concert on that night. So I will be dressing up in the sense of "wearing nice clothes," but not in the sense of "wearing a costume." So I guess not.   Do you need any accessories for your smartphone (case, skin, etc)? also sticking with yewberry's answer of "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! "Smart phone!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!"   Do you like mustache stuff, Witchee? Um... it's okay? I guess if it would be cool independent of the moustache then it's okay if a moustache is involved? That probably doesn't make any sense, sorry.   Super ultra soft fuzzy socks? Hmm... I think I know the type of socks this is referring to, and I'm not really a fan. Any socks that aren't really made to go inside shoes/boots and be worn out walking around are not really my thing. But if my witch wants to buy me, say, some thick wool socks that are also pretty, then sure, I would like that (I think I only have one pair of nice warm wool socks right now, some purple argyle ones I got from J. Crew last year, and they came in handy when I went to West Virginia for Christmas/made me wish I had more).   Confounding Confections? No thanks. They sound okay, but there are so many things I'd rather have than fancy hard candies... and I'm sure I've listed a lot of those other things already as answers to questions.   As for the stuff from last night's (Snow Moon) update, I'd eventually like to sample Bard, Druid, and Lich's Laboratory, but I don't really feel like there's any hurry since they're GC.

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

Switch Witch 2012 Help

Do you like s'mores and s'mores-flavored things? not particularly since I don't really like marshmallows or graham crackers.   Would you enjoy receiving cute but useful items like colorful kitchen utensils/gadgets, or bento supplies? (boxes, chopsticks, accessories, etc?) What about things like spice mixes (homemade, or Penzey's for example)? Sure on the kitchen utensils/gadgets (might update this in my blog entry with specifics once I know what I do and don't receive in the UnBirthday swap) *EDIT: I'd like a cherry/olive pitter, please, I really miss my old one... and I could still use a small coffee grinder or mortar and pestle*, I like to have a lot of those. Bento stuff... not sure. Sometimes I'm into style over substance with food, but not always. Could definitely use some pretty chopsticks though. Spice mixes... it depends. I'd rather get a good version of an "established" spice mix (like garam masala, Chinese 5 spice powder, ras al hanout, or herbes de provence) than something that was like... "throw these 7 things on a potroast and it will be good," because I kind of like to figure that out for myself, if that makes sense.   What's the neatest freebie you've gotten? It can be cool or thoughtful or just totally unexpected, and not limited to BPALdom. My memory is not in tip-top shape right now so I can't come up with one good example. In general, after I lost everything (including 98% of my BPAL collection) in the Bastrop fire a little over a year ago, I was very impressed with the generosity of various forumites. I posted an ISO for my "most loved and lost," of course saying that I had paypal at the ready, but so many people refused payment and just sent me bottles for free. I'm still so grateful for this!   Do you like cute, seasonal or fluffy PJ bottoms? Like they sell at Target, Old Navy (they have had cute Halloween ones!) If so, what size do you wear? no fluffy ones. Otherwise, yes, please! I wear something between a 14 and 18 depending on the brand, so I guess size XL would be the safest bet in terms of size.   What kind of chocolate do you like? Nuts, no nuts, white,dark, etc? I said in my original questionnaire that I prefer dark or white chocolate to milk chocolate, but that doesn't mean I dislike it, just that I like it less. I guess I'm not much for chocolate-covered cherries (and again, my questionnaire and one of the questions above mention my dislike of marshmallows), but otherwise, whatever! And again, this is covered by my questionnaire, but I'm cool with weird additions like lavender or rose or curry (just no wasabi since I also mentioned my dislike of that!). Nuts are also fine, I guess my favorite nuts to have in chocolate are almonds or hazelnuts.   I live near a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Penzeys! What does your little heart desire from any or all of these places? Hmm... I also have access to Whole Foods and Penzey's, and I think a Trader Joe's is opening up nearby too. I need some tamarind paste for making pad thai at home... if any of those stores have that, that's cool. I also hear good things all of the time about various sweets at Trader Joe's, so if they have something you think I'd like, I'd love to try it! Oh, and I'd love some Vietnamese/Saigon cinnamon from Penzey's or in general (but only Vietnamese/Saigon cinnamon, not regular old cinnamon).   Are home made foods acceptable or does the idea of eating strange mailed food disturb you? Pretty sure I mentioned my love of homemade goodies in the original questionnaire!   I just gave you $20 and sent you into a "has everything" store ala Walmart and told you that you have to come out having spent it all, and none of it on anything you need. What would you buy? Be as specific as possible! I'd probably spend it all on nail polish. As mentioned in my original questionnaire, I basically would like any color but purple (just because I already have enough purple polish). I'd love to have a good nude color that wasn't too sheer if we're talking specifics, but I love fun colors too!   What kind of cuisines do you like? And, what are your favorite restaurants? cuisines... mentioned in questionnaire so more details there, but I love Indian, Vietnamese, and Mexican (I think I just said Tex-Mex in the questionnaire but I actually love Interior Mexican too) the most I think. But I like basically everything else too except for Ethiopian food which I've had a couple of bad experiences with. Favorite restaurants: I'm not much for chain restaurants. If I had to pick something, it would be Chili's (because there is one in my small town and we sometimes go since there aren't that many dinner choices), or Macaroni Grill because it seems okay. My actual favorite restaurants are probably Magnolia Cafe and Enoteca Vespaio in Austin.   I'm from Canada - is there anything specifically a witchee might like that is only available here? don't think poutine is really ship-able, so maybe maple syrup?   What are your "fandoms" and would you like a t-shirt from TeeFury if an appropriate one came up? not really a "fandom" type person, so this doesn't really apply to me.   Do you have an eReader and if so which one? nope.   Do you like candles, or tart burners, or something? If so, what's your favorite scent to burn? candles not tarts, and I'm pretty eclectic about scents ( I like a good variety of smells from vanilla cupcake type to woodsy cedar stuff to lavender herby stuff), though I don't really like the "holiday spice" type.   Marzipan? not really a fan.   Would you be interested in washable/reusable muslin “paper” towels (basically muslin squares hemmed around the edge)? Maybe in some sort of box to put on your kitchen or bathroom counter? not so much, thanks.   Do you drink alcohol and if so, would you be OK with your witch sending you homemade infused vodka? Also, does your state allow alcohol to be shipped through the mail?. I do drink alcohol, and preferences are detailed in my questionnaire. As someone else has mentioned, liquor is not supposed to be mailed to Texas, though I know I got some airline-bottle-size stuff from skyelyric (you rebel you!) in last year's Winter Holiday Fun Swap, so I guess it's possible.   If you get me (or a fellow Aussie, if there are any playing this round) as a witch or witch's minion, would you like to try some Australian specialties, such as TimTams (delicious chocolately cookies), Caramello Koalas (koala shaped chocolates filled with gloopy caramel), Australian native spices or anything like that? not so much into TimTams. Caramello Koalas sound nice. Australian native spices sound really cool!   If your witch is a knitter, crocheter or sewer, is there a particular type of garment you would love to receive (hat, scarf, wrap, cowl, socks, fingerless gloves, arm warmers etc)? would really love fingerless gloves. scarf would be nice though I have a lot of them already and it's not that cold where I live. arm-warmers sound intriguing as well.   Is there anyone else in your house (kids, pets, partner) that would really appreciate a small gift being included for them in the switchwitchy haul so they don't feel left out? My Schipperke dog, Potemkin, wouldn't mind some kind of squeaky toy without stuffing -- a cloth toy is fine, just not a cloth one with fluffy stuff inside (well, actually he'd love one WITH stuffing but that doesn't work out too well). My two kitties, Marisol and Penelope, would like to try some of that Kitty Demon Crack (superstrong catnip I've heard about on-forum) if anyone has access to that. My husband will probably get to try some of any food I receive anyway. He also especially likes tea of just about any kind, but then again, so do I.   How would you feel about a taste of (insert witch location here) box? Sounds good to me!   Since it's been mentioned several times, and I've also offered to nacho witch some, would you you like to receive wild rice and or maple syrup? I promise to include recipe ideas with the wild rice. yes, that'd be great!   I have 5 bushels of tomatoes sitting in the kitchen right now that are supposed to turn into red sauce tomorrow, so would anyone like a basic red sauce (spaghetti sauce) to make its way to them? That'd also be great!   Would you be interested in having a bat adopted in your name? Usually I say no to charity stuff but this is actually really cool, so sure.   Some of your favorite artists? Classic and modern? (I know for a fact that this isn't really representative, but will try to type something anyway) Andy Warhol's earlier, advertising-type stuff (example)
Odilon Redon
Mucha's stuff that isn't advertisements
Jules Olitski
My husband really likes Rothko and Cy Twombly and I'm also a fan to some extent
  (I may edit this later in my blog entry with more examples.)   If you could have an image or certain subject painted for you on any type of "canvas" (on a box, on paper, on a canvas, and so on) - could you point your witch to some of these images? I'm not really interested in this, sorry.   Is there a GC scent that's been on your list for ages but keeps falling off the bottom of your order because of the LEs? I sold my bottle of No. 93 Engine this summer (I was trying to raise money to buy my nephew a graduation present), and really miss it. I'd also like to acquire bottles of Mr. Jaquel, Tombstone, Eat Me, and Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo at some point.   I've been getting into indie nail polish brands recently. What's your favorite indie brand of nail polish? Or what's your favorite mainstream brand of nail polish? Or are you not big on polish? I'm really into sparkly nail polish. I like the look of a lot of the stuff carried on the llarowe website but haven't tried much. I also recently came across Rainbow Honey's website and I really want to try "Sakura Matsui Namesake," "Mare of the Moon," and "Pinkie Promise" (I wouldn't mind the smaller sample-type size if that'd work better for you). Oh, and I really want to try Dollish Polish Dino-mite Yoshi. Whew!   mix-in-a-jar? How to you feel about cookie or cake or soup mixes that come in jars and you just add, like, an egg or water or what have you? not really my thing. I mean, if it's really good, I'll just be sad that I can never replicate it again, right?   Would you be interested in beer, wine, or other specialty beverages from your Witch's area? Yes, that'd be fine, please see the questionnaire for specifics on alcohol/drink preferences.   Are there any crafts/skills you've wanted to learn but haven't gotten around to? And if so, would you be interested in supplies and tutorials? nope. I'm lazy and have little free time.   Who here would be happy to get a lil' sumthin sumthin from Adagio Teas? Sure, I'm interested in prettymuch whatever as long as it isn't super-fruity/acidic/sour. I love hot tea and so does my husband... I'm drinking a cup of jasmine green tea right now!   Do you Ravelry? And if so, what's your handle over there? Would you be interested in gift patterns from your queue? Nope.   I live near this very cool Retro store (you can order online too) - are there things from it that would make you squee if your witch sent them?
 
classic cherry towels
popsicle girl earrings
peppermint bark bar
 
Who likes Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses? Sorry, I don't really like Pumpkin Spice anything   What does your kitchen look like? Colors/style? I don't think my kitchen has a specific style or colour scheme. Since my house burned down last September and I'm fairly into cooking (uh, those aren't related in the least!), I needed to stock it up with useful stuff pretty quickly after we stopped being homeless. So it's a mixture of charity stuff we received without picking it out, grab-what-you-can-from-the-free-pile, and "OMG -- renters' insurance money came, must fill in what we didn't receive from charity right away!" I guess that means that getting kitchen stuff for me will be easy since nothing matches or anything?   Witchee, what are your favorite quotes? Stuff I have in my info on facebook: "She's a hypnotist collector, and you are a walking antique" (Bob Dylan), "before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. after enlightenment: chop wood, carry water." (Lao Tzu ?), "a coward dies a thousand deaths" (apparently a Shakespeare paraphrase, not sure where this version comes from originally). I used to also be partial to "I'm a disturbed and bitter herb like salt water and parsley" which is from a Deltron 3030 song, but that might be a little snarky for me these days since I'm trying to do the responsible adult thing and all. Finally, I think I have the Belle and Sebastian paraphrase "(s)he dances in secret, (s)he's a part-time punk" as my description on twitter, which may still be technically true. I'm sure I have even more but that's probably enough for now!   Put your iPod/MP3 player/what-have-you on random and list the first 10 songs it plays! I can't do that; I just got a new computer and hadn't updated itunes on my old one for forever (since the sound stopped working on my old computer well before it died), so I have no idea whether I can transfer my music library when they take stuff off of the hard drive of my old dead computer, or what. And I haven't used an ipod or mp3 player since my house burned down last year   Hey Witchee! I want to send you a delivery. It could be cupcakes from a local bakery, it could be a singing hugging bear-a-gram, it could be a bouquet of flowers. But it will be something that you need to be there to receive.a) Are you OK with "special deliveries"? *waggles eyebrows* Is the address in your questionnaire the best place to reach you for said deliveries?c) If the delivery requires a phone number (as say, some florists do) would you be OK with that information being tracked down by your Witch or asked of you anonymously? Agreed with angelamaria (I think, this attempted multi-quote got out of hand quickly ) that "Cupcakes are good, singing hugging bear-a-gram is not, flowers are good." Also agreed that if this is to happen, you may want to try my work address (at least for deliveries between 7:30am and 3:30pm central time Monday-Friday)... I'm in and out of the office fairly often, but there are usually other people there during normal business hours so cupcakes or flowers would be safe until I returned to the office. Saturdays I am almost never at home after 1pm (so I guess I could have a Saturday morning home delivery if it arrived between like 10am and 1pm, haha), Sundays I'm usually home but what would you have delivered to me on Sunday?   What are some things you are OK with receiving gently used or homemade, and some things you absolutely do not want if they are gently used or homemade? I agree with yewberry: "I don't care much about gentleness. For the most part, if it's not covered with bodily fluids, I'm pretty much okay with it." Again, most of the stuff that I own is used due to the whole disaster recovery process, and I also worked at thrift stores for several years before getting a "professional" job, so used is more than okay with me!   I'm about to be near a Lush store next week, is there anything you might like from there? Oh, thank you for asking this so I didn't have to!!! I do use Lush skincare, but since that's part of an everyday regimen for me I'm pretty well set there. The shower gels I know I like are the Olive Branch, Flying Fox, Happy Hippy, Slammer, and Freeze. I'd also like to try It's Raining Men, B Never too Busy to Be Beautiful, Back for Breakfast, Flying Saucers, Happy 4 Sad, Dirty, Chai, and Tramp. As for bubble bars, any would be cool, actually, but particularly yuzu & cocoa, rose jam, Dorothy, Pop in the Bath, Happy Bubble, Temple of Truth, Phoenix, or Hot Toddy. Well, and I wouldn't say no to a Fairy Jasmine, Twilight, Ne Worry Pas, or Dragon's Egg bath bomb either, though I prefer bubble bars to bath bombs. Soaps I'd like: Dirty, Lust, Lily Savon, Red Rooster, Canadian Maple, Demon in the Dark (love this one!), Honey Waffle.   Songs that you keep meaning to buy but never get round to it? I don't think I've ever bought songs ... I guess I'm "an old."   Movies that you love but forgot to put in your questionaire? again, not into owning movies, sorry.   Name one movie you keep meaning to buy, but just never get around to getting? please see above question.   Any favorite Bath & Body Works scents/products? I used to like their "Rice Flower & Shea" stuff (bodywash/shower gel specifically), but I don't think that's usually available these days. I guess if I was to pick something from there I would want a candle that was something other than a holiday spice/pumpkin spice type scent.   Haus of Gloi is offering custom perfumes - would you like one? What would your ideal blend be? Okay. I came up with lavender, orange blossom, clove, and labdanum. Will edit if I think of more possibilities.   Any Bath, Body or nutritional type items you would love to try from a Natural and Organic food store (similar to Whole Foods) that you don't buy because they are a bit too pricey? Another one I may need to update after some thought. I do like honey quite a bit and go through it quickly, so that'd probably be a safe bet!   What's one random thing you really like and one random thing you really dislike? dislike: zombies. I actually don't like horror movies/gore in general, but I know that zombies are popular independently from those. Random like: address labels, like to put on outgoing mail so I don't have to write my address every time. Even if you just printed some out from your computer or something, I'd like that.   Are there any herbs that you haven't been able to lay hands on that I could send you? There's an herbal shop I really like here in NYC called Flower Power that has quite a wide selection. Maybe some juniper berries or valerian root?   If there are no "witchy" shops near you, is there anything I can pick up for you from Enchantments? Conquering Glory oil sounds interesting. Leo oil might be nice. I probably need Lucky Job oil, sigh.   Ninjas or Pirates? ninjas   I have an extra room spray and 2 extra bath oils (one Cephalopod, one Exhibit Hall Fatigue) from Dragon*Con - would anybody like a decant? that would be great, especially the Cephalopod!   I live near a Mast General Store. It has lots of vintage-y toys, southern foods (jams, jellies, spices) and vintage candy. Is there anything I can get for you? I like jams and jellies (no jalapeno jelly though, just not my thing). I dunno if they have these, but my husband loves apple butter and I love cherry butter. I also wouldn't mind trying different types of salsa. But the only thing I liked pickled is pickles (cucumbers), and not the sweet kind, either!   Do you have any Fall or Halloween traditions? not really. My husband and I would like to stay home on Halloween and have trick-or-treaters, but we usually only get one or two groups no matter where we live. This year we are going to a Leonard Cohen concert on Halloween! Back on topic, I do like to get a pumpkin, but for the last couple of years I've bought a pretty one (I like the white-ish ones) and left it as-is rather than carving a jack-o-lantern.   Witchee, will you be gone from your normal mailing address at any point during the round? Not that I know of. If I am it will only be for one night (might go to visit some friends a couple of hours away), which shouldn't really affect anything, right?   Are you a Disney fan or does even thinking about Disney make your head hurt? If you're into Disney, would you like something from the Happiest Place on Earth ? ambivalent about Disney, really.   Also, I think I missed a question about "stuffed things" that seemed to be referring to stuffed animals... so yep, stuffed animals would be fine. Might prefer something a bit "quirkier" than a plain white bunny or plain brown bear or something, but otherwise, sure.   [answer to detailed alcohol preference question is here in brackets:   Here is some more info about my beer preferences: I like doppelbocks, pale ales, amber/red ales, belgians (but not really Chimay), tripels, some hefeweizens, and IPAs. My husband likes stouts (oatmeal stout and milk stout as well, maybe not so much chocolate stout) and porters (especially coffee porters) as well as these things. I also liked the one raspberry lambic I've tried, but it was more like drinking a jam than trying a new beer. Examples of brands/specific beers I like: Newcastle, Magic Hat #9, Thirsty Goat, Spaten Optimator, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Delirium Tremens, Maredsous, Red Hook ESB. My favorite brewery in my state is probably Live Oak, though I like St. Arnold and Real Ale (Devil's Backbone was really good recently) too. Out of state, I also really like some of the New Belgium stuff like their recent Belgo and Ranger offerings. I probably do NOT want to try a sour beer. I also do NOT like barleywine style.   With wine I'm not so picky maybe. Reds: I like Chianti best I think. I also like Merlot, Shiraz/Syrah, Cabernet, Tempranillo (might have spelled that wrong), and Malbec. I feel like I'm leaving out some other dark red wine but oh well (EDIT: yep, pinot noir!). White: I like Pinot Grigio, Viognier (again, that might be spelled wrong, don't want to google alcohol stuff on my work computer to get correct spelling), Rieslings that aren't too sweet, Vinho Verde, Cava, Prosecco.   Wouldn't mind trying some fruit wines. My father-in-law used to make elderberry wine and I liked it okay, but that's the only fruit wine I've tried.   I like mead in theory but when I had it in the house it has just languished since I'm rarely in the mood to drink such a sweet alcoholic drink.]   mixtape? Maybe, if you have some stuff you think I might like to listen to whilst driving around rural areas for my job. In the form of a CD, please, if you decide to do this.   space to garden? after losing my home to fire for the second time, I decided to give up on having plants, much less edible ones or pretty flowers. So no thanks on such things.   socks/tights? I have enough socks that just come up to the ankle. Otherwise I like most socks. I could use more argyle ones I think. I do wear socks with silly stuff on them, and I do wear kneesocks if they fit on big calves (I know SockDreams has a whole category for that). I think I'd rather pick out my own tights though... so socks it is!   electric candle warmer: nope, I can have open flames both at home and at work, so I'm good, thanks.   are there any of MeiLin's books (e-book or print) you'd be interested in? I've heard tell of a garlic cookbook of some kind... that sounds nice!   Are you a gamer (of any sort - video, casual, tabletop) and are there any games you want? Not a gamer per se, but I wouldn't mind receiving the current Trivial Pursuit, or Perquackey (you can get used older editions of Perquackey for cheaper though, and that'd be fine with me).   Would you be interested in BPTP CANDY? it'd be okay but I'm not super-enthused about it.   Do you like coffee? If so, what kinds? Flavored, fancy, basic? Beans or ground? sure. My favorite flavored coffees are cinnamon and coconut. ground would be better unless you are getting me a coffee grinder.   Would a Starbucks gift card make you happy or do you prefer your local place? Starbucks gift card would be good. I'm an equal opportunity caffeine drinker!   CUSTOM-Made Pottery?? yea or nay? coffee mugs, rustic or more elegant? a set of bowls? soap dish? bird feeder? something alltogether different? and lastly, good colors for glazes...? [/size] Coffee mug(s) (either rustic or elegant would be fine) or bowl(s) would be best. As for color, I think blue/brown or black/green would be nice.   Do you have a forum buddy? Someone who knows you and/or your tastes well enough to answer questions on your behalf? don't think so.   If you are on Livejournal, would you appreciate LJ stuff like paid time, custom userheads, stuff like that? If you are NOT on LJ but are on other sites that have similar paid-for services (Flickr, for example?) would you, and what are those sites/etc? don't think I need anything like this.   if you are into tarot, what is your favorite card? And another question: would you like your own set of handmade rune stones or worry stones? The Queen of Wands is the court card corresponding to my zodiac symbol, and also my favorite card. I think I even considered getting a tattoo of that card at some point, but that was when I was waaaaaaay more into tarot... by choice I haven't read tarot in 10 years or so, and haven't owned a deck since 2008, I probably won't ever start up again. Oh, and I guess no on the rune stones/worry stones... I wouldn't use rune stones, and I'm not sure what a set of worry stones rather than a single worry stone would mean/would be used for.   Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cider, or none of the above? Not really a cider person except for hard cider (I loved Hard Core cider but don't think it exists anymore, like Strongbow okay these days). Love tea of almost all kinds (though I don't usually make iced tea at home), like coffee and hot chocolate.   Gum, hard candy, soft candy, or none of the above? The only time I chew gum is when I chop onions (because it helps with the crying), and I have enough gum for that. I think I'm more into chocolate (preferences for this have already been detailed) than other types of candy, but I'll edit this in my blog if I think of anything in particular that I'd like candy-wise. *EDIT* as of 9/25/12 I remembered more stuff: I like Tootsie Roll pops (the suckers, I mean), Chupa-Chups (especially the strawberry & cream ones), and vanilla tootsie rolls if those still exist.   Loose tea or tea bags? Do you need anything for your loose tea? I prefer tea bags out of laziness... I have a lot of loose tea that I don't use because of this. But maybe if I had a good tea ball I would use loose tea more?   Do you do Goodreads or LibraryThing or a site like that? If so, can I see your to-read list, please? Nope. My amazon wishlist should give you a pretty good idea though... and I mentioned a few books in my questionnaire that I want to read the most.   If you have cats, do they like catnip toys? If you have doggies, would they like a super-reinforced canvas toy with a squeaker in it? cats would love catnip toys. my dog loves to rip stuffing out of toys, but might not be able to do that with a "super-reinforced" one, so maybe.   If you have kids, what are they into? no kids.   How do you feel about wearable knitted lace? Shawls, wraps, and the like? not sure. I don't even know what that would look like.   I notice that our lovely Greenwoodtree is able to do chart readings and/or forecasts at a very reasonable rate. Is this something you would want? That would be so, so awesome! I have my official birth certificate so I know exactly when I was born, so please ask if you need this info!!!   Witch: after this I'm probably going to start a new blog entry as a "Switch Witch answers part II" or whatever, because this is already so, so long!

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

UnBirthday Swap Questions

Here I will collect all of the questions posted (after the original questionnaire) in-thread for the UnBirthday Swap.   What magazines do you read/ have subscriptions to? Cooking Light, Scientific American, & Scientific American Mind. Oh, and my husband gets Texas Highways, if that counts....   Second question: What kind of socks or tights do you like? I have enough socks that just come up to the ankle. Otherwise I like most socks. I could use more argyle ones I think. I do wear socks with silly stuff on them, and I do wear kneesocks if they fit on big calves (I know SockDreams has a whole category for that). I like tights too, but even more than with kneesocks, I'd need plus-sized ones... I think I got some on super-sale from Lane Bryant at the end of spring? For tights I like either patterned or solid colors.   Third Question: Who would like to get a box in the mail with different teas in them? If so, what kinds? I would really love that. I own a decent amount of tea, but I like variety and mostly we have boxes with several tea bags apiece.   Do you use loose leaf or tea bags? Do you need any tea supplies, like bags, pots, or infusers? I like tea bags better than loose tea but use both. And I would use loose tea more if I had a decent tea ball (which I guess is an infuser?), so you could get me one of those....   would you like anything (small) handknitted? if so, fiber sensitivities? Sure, as long as it isn't mittens because I dislike those. No fiber sensitivities but if it's a wearable item I probably don't want something super-itchy!   Do you like knitted items? Any allergies or preferences when it comes to the yarn? What colors? Mostly see the above question... but in terms of colors, other than what I've said in questionnaire about what colors I like, I guess I'd get the most use out of something wearable if it was in fall colors or blue.   wrapping paper: It doesn't matter, really, but my preference would be something that isn't super, super girly. As in, glitter is fine, pink is fine, flowers are fine, but if it was the intersection of all three, an entirely pink glittery floral print, that might be a bit much.   Alice-in-Wonderland/Unbirthday themed: I don't think I would mind something like that, as long as it isn't a t-shirt that would look better on a small child or something.   What are your art preferences? I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about this and still not give a good representation of what I like. But here are some examples:
 
Many of the decorations in my house are 70s-textile type stuff... think nature scenes done with needlepoint or latchhook in weird color schemes (no, I don't make them, we buy them at vintage or thrift stores).
Odilon Redon
Mucha's stuff that isn't advertisements
Jules Olitski
My husband really likes Rothko and Cy Twombly and I'm also a fan to some extent
  (I may edit this later with more examples.)   Oh, and I like Andy Warhol's earlier, advertising-type stuff... this is an example, and I figured it fit this swap since it's a pretty cake:     How do you feel about sample sizes or testers of things? (Obviously I mean new, things that I've never opened kind of samples) Well, for me it depends on what they are samples of... I'm not much on skincare samples (moisturizing/undereye creams or stuff like that) because I already have a skincare regimen that works well for me. I might try makeup samples or I might not. Lotion/soap/shampoo/conditioner samples might also actually be used by me. Obviously I am cool with BPAL samples... not really a fan of most "other e-tailer"/OCYL perfume oil samples that I've been sent, I usually just end up passing them on.   Villainess: The only full-sized products I've ever had from this company are a Whipped (lotion) in Scintillating and a Burn (candle) in Jai Mahal. Wasn't all that impressed with Jai Mahal (the scent was more straight-up foodie than "exotic" or whatever for me), but love the other item. I wouldn't mind something else from the company, maybe a soap because so far I've only had soap samples and not an entire bar (yeah, I've had/used BPTP soaps which I'm aware are a collaboration, but no full-sized "just Villainess" soaps). Scents I'm interested in for soap would include Quick or Dead (which is a Limited Edition), Trauma (also limited), Triple Mint (also limited), Asphyxiate, Chloroform, Ginger Snapped, Jade, Killer Beez, Pearl Diver, and, of course, Villainess. I also saw that currently "Pipevine Swallowtail" Burn and soap are on sale (Clearance section), and I'd love to have either of those... can't even imagine how awesome a candle with tomato leaf would be!!!   Favorite movies: I'm not really into owning movies; I prettymuch never have the urge to re-watch things after I've seen them once. There was also already a question about what type of movies one likes in the orginal questionnaire for this swap, so the person who "has" me can look there if needed.   Do you have any hobbies that you need supplies for? Or anything you would like to learn to do? Does BPAL count as a hobby? I need some of the tiny plastic baggies that a bottle or a few imps fit in (I don't go to headshops and those are the only places I know of that have them, since they are also drug paraphernalia) so that I can use them for swaps or sales. I also need some wand caps for bottles (yes, I know they can be ordered from the lab; I just keep forgetting when I order). Other than that, I mentioned wanting stickers in my original questionnaire, and I wouldn't mind some cute (Japanese?) stationery or notepads or something.   Kitchen supplies: Yeah, I prettymuch always need these! I've already mentioned needing a tea ball. We also need a coffee grinder (I've seen little ones at Wal-Mart or whatever for like $10) and a small mortar & pestle set. I would like a cherry/olive pitter as well. Finally, not sure if spices count as kitchen supplies or not, but I could use some ground cardamom (again, ground, not the pods, I have plenty of those!) or some Vietnamese/Saigon cinnamon (not just regular cinnamon, the good stuff!).   Halloween stuff: Mixed on this one too. I had some glittery foamstuff Halloween stickers (cats/witches/ghosts/graves/etc.) that I loved, up until a couple of months ago when I finally ran out of them from sticking a couple in every swap or sales package I sent out. I love black cats in general, and anything with a candy corn print. I really, really don't like pumpkin spice anything though (candles, drinks, whatever), so I don't want any of that.   Not a knitter or crochet-er, alas!   how do you like your incense, oil burners, or candles? Would you use an oil burner and essential oils? If so, what would be some longed-for essential oils? I guess I'm lazy in this regard. In terms of home-scenting, I like stick/wand incense and scented candles (though the only Yankee Candle scent I've ever liked is plain old "Vanilla Cupcake" ... I'm more into candles by Voluspa or Illume or, uh, smaller businesses than those). I honestly feel like I live right by the best incense place ever, Devonshire (they make incense for the Vatican, etc., and I've also recently tried their soap and lotion), but I'd try other stick incense as well. I'm really not interested in oil burners or tart warmers or those reed diffuser sticks.   Collage or scrap-booking supplies? Hmm... I guess not. I'd like to think that I make collages, but in reality I've made exactly one over the last several years. And I'm the kind that uses old magazines for that, and I can't really see myself asking for or getting old magazines as a birthday gift, even an UnBirthday one. Definitely not interested in origami paper or things primarily associated with scrap-booking, though as I mentioned previously, I'd love more stickers, especially Japanese/kawaii type ones!   Recently-released BPAL? Well, I'm among the multitudes who love Silver-Haired Bat and would love to have more of it (I have less than 1/2 of a decant currently). I also wouldn't mind a decant of Pandy; didn't order that one with my other recent decants and have regretted this.   how would you feel about a small jar of jam/jelly/pickles/etc? That'd be awesome. Not really into jalapeno jelly (I guess because of the usual way it's eaten with a block of cream cheese and crackers ), and really only like sour or dill pickles (none of that bread-and-butter or hot pickle business), but otherwise, I'd appreciate whatever!   NYC or Philadelphia stuff? As another has mentioned above, I can't think of anything other than a "touristy magnet" from either. I mean, I'd love to try Big Gay Ice Cream in NYC, but obviously that won't ship and I wouldn't really want any of their "swag" without actually trying the ice cream treats.   One large gift or several small ones? I'm in the "whatever's fine" camp I guess. Maybe with a slight preference toward more than one thing, but within reason (like, I'd rather have a $5 thing and a $20 thing than 25 $1 things, etc.). But if you find the one thing that's perfect for me, then have at it!   Maple syrup? Yes please!   British treats: I like honeycomb candy bars like Crunchie. Will update if I can think of anything else.   Ah, Think Geek... I've been a fan for several years. Within the bounds of this swap's suggested expenditure amount, I'd like:
 
Blue Canary
Geek Chic Sexy in Suspenders eyeshadow
TeaGo Tea Inufuser
Bacon Jam
Edible Wild Hibiscus Flowers
Inanimate Character Stickers
 

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

 

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

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

neptuneanblues

neptuneanblues

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