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This Is Halloween 2022 Questions and Answers

I just have to start this ....Cellar Door just posted their Halloween goodies - I love their scents, soaps and candles - which of these might you fancy? https://cellardoorbathsupply.com/collections/halloween-fall-collection?_kx=wJHWHTN2OASY0k5c5ZR301X0_-q-0iaglCjL2XDqO-E%3D.SE8AhX Cellar Door is very local to me, so no need to worry about getting me anything from here!  They have a booth at a local farmers market and I'm planning on hitting it tomorrow to pick up some Halloween goodies.  Looking forward to re-stocking my supply of Zombie Repellant and Once Bitten soaps, plus adding in some of the new scents.    If you'd like handmade knit items, are you good with soft wools or do you prefer acrylic only?  I think either one would be fine!    Are there any items you'd love for fall/halloweenie? (Ie mittens, hat, fingerless mitts, cowl, legwarmers) I've never had a cowl, so that could be neat!   Anyone fancying the new Paintbox Soapworks or Witch Baby Soap Halloween launches? Maybe Once For Yes, Twice For No Bath Sorbetto (sample size)?  Not a Halloween launch, but the Pussy Hat Sorbetto (sample size again) definitely sounds good!  As far as Witch Baby, those leaves falling all over the screen while I try to browse are driving me crazy, so feel free to surprise me.   Would you be interested in an adult Halloween coloring book? I recently backed on kickstarter for one by a local gothic art market near me and it's due in during the swap period. Sure, I do like coloring books!
  What are some OCYL brands you've been wanting to dabble in?  Nothing really comes to mind.  I’ve already dabbled in Nocturne Alchemy, but I’d be open to decant sizes if you’ve got some you’re looking to re-home.

 I am working on making bath bombs.  Would you be willing to try my creations?  How about wax tarts?  What type of scents do you favor? Sure on the bath bombs!  I like spice scents like cinnamon and clove, as well as mints, and vanilla.  Or maybe cherry?  I don’t use wax tarts.

What kinds of home smell good things do you like? (I.e. incense, candles, wax melts, felt scent balls, essential oils, linen spray)  I mostly use incense and candles, but right now I have more candles than I have storage space for, so I’m trying to avoid bringing in more.  Incense sticks are much easier to find room for.  
  My question for the fellow pumpkins would you like anything from the bath and bodyworks Halloween line? 🤔   I can always use more PocketBacs.     Do you have any interest in spooky squishmallows? Not sure I saw all of them that are available, but of the ones I did, the bat one is cute and I like the cat vampire too!   And would you enjoy spooky stationary?  I would like it, but honestly I have so much stationary already that I never use….  Maybe spooky postcards or stickers or washi tape would be better?  More likely to get used, at any rate.   I know a lot of us are witchy and have deeply held beliefs about the materials we use as part of our practice. If you're one of those individuals, are there certain herbs, crystals, etc that you do not want to receive?   I’m not particularly witchy in terms of practice, so no deeply held beliefs.   When you have a distinct preference for one holiday over another, What are some cross over items that actually work for both?  Bats work for everything!  So do rats, mice, ravens/crows, and owls.  Pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns.   One question (that is actually several questions) -- Local honey? Infused/flavored honey? Local infused/flavored honey with Southwest notes (jalapeno, other pepper, mesquite, acacia)?  No thank you; I love bees but don’t like honey.   Does anything from JiJi Knight spark your interest? https://jijiknight.com/  No thanks; not my style.   Any spooky/weenie DVDs you're missing and would like in your collection? NMBC? the Crow? An old Hammer film? Dark Shadows? The Omen? Sleepy Hallow?...?  I’d be up for Dark Shadows.  I liked the revival series with Ben Cross back in the day.  I have mostly old horror movies in my collection, so if you have a newer (like post-1970s) one you like and think I should see, I’d be up for that.  Gore is ok, just no gratuitous torture/sadism please!   Dang (or good!), another serious question -- Shampoo and/or conditioner bars and if so, for what type of hair (dry, fine, oily, curly, normal)? I don’t use shampoo/conditioner bars.   I just got the email that the Ectogasm Halloween Collection is live. Does anything interest you? https://www.ectogasm.net/collections/halloween The stained glass bat suncatcher is pretty.  The bat collar pin set looks great, but I don’t have any shirts with that kind of collar to wear them on, so they’d be wasted on me.   On a scale from Paprika Is a Heatwave to Let Me Eat a Peck of Pickled Ghost Chiles, how spicy is too spicy, and how spicy is just right?  I’m not a big fan of spicy foods, so I’m way on the low end of the scale.   I make lightweight hairfalls- would you be interested in some? Either to incorporate into a costume or just for your own year-round use? If so, name your colors and preferred length, and if you have any fiber allergies you want me to take note of!  No thank you.   Hello all, I have a question. I make things from old sweaters. If I were to make you a set of arm warmers/ fingerless mitts, what color(s) & style would you like? Options- Long or short? Solid - one fabric Stripes- bands of colors sewn together- like fun black & red, black & purple etc.  I currently have some nice cashmeres. Making things from old sweaters sounds like a very cool thing to do, and I do love cashmere!  Short would be good, and stripes would be fun - black & red; black & purple (or magenta); black & lime; or purple & lime all sound good to me.   Homemade canned and baked and concocted goodies? Any aversions?  If I could make you some of my fudge, what would you prefer? Aversions – I don’t like nuts or raisins in my baked goods.  I do love fudge, though!  Plain chocolate would be fabulous, and the brown sugar penuche sounds delicious too!   Are you open to trying different indie perfume houses if I find a scent that I think you'd enjoy?  Absolutely!   I love making stickers!! If I could design you some stickers, what would you love to have? It could be halloween themed or not! My art style is a bit simplistic, cartoony, and cutesy, I usually draw fairies but last year I did a swap on reddit and made someone a bunch of halloween dog stickers lol. (Sidenote: They probably won't be waterproof, but they're glossy vinyl!)  Halloween-themed is always good.     I've got a bunch of small round labels perfect for bpal 5ml label lid art! Name your top 5-10 scents that you'd love to have lid art made for! Just as a fun little extra in your package if desired (Could also work for other companies with lids just like the BPAL bottles)  All of my keeper bottles already have labels on them.   I'm going to Disneyworld in late September! I'll be going to all four parks and attending both the Not-So-Scary Halloween Bash and Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. Is there ANYTHING from Disney that you would like? Is there something you collect that perhaps you'd enjoy a Disney version of (tea, socks, enamel pins, plushies etc etc etc)???  Maybe something Haunted Mansion related?   Would you like any decor from Say Target, Homewood, or William and Sonoma?  If you see something you think I’d like, I’m open to it.   I am going to Dragon Con for the first time! Which of these BPALs do you want? https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=50266fc02a3b75767125e0ed2&id=9bf4d797e8 Sadly, I wouldn’t get much use out of a peach scent.  I’d probably only wear it once in a blue moon (if that often).   But, I am going to Dragon Con this weekend. Is there anything you would like? Lab wise or just general geekery.  I took a look at the Dragon Con site and there were way too many vendors to go through!  So I guess if you see something you think I’d like and you want to surprise me, go for it. If by some chance you have extra time to kill (which I don’t imagine you will, but if you do…) and you see Sam J. Jones and there’s no line in front of him, and you can get some little bit of memorabilia, well, I used to watch him in The Highwayman and was a fan.  (In fact, I actually bought the series on DVD about 9 years ago when I was feeling nostalgic for some 80s shows, and I still enjoy watching it!)  Have lots of fun!    Would you be interested in a bag like we sell in our etsy shop?   https://twinklentwilight.etsy.com - if so, but you don't see fabric you like maybe link to some photos of fabric you like? - we can do small box bags or pencil / cosmetic / notions type bags too.  or with a drawstring on top instead of a zipper. - you don't HAVE to use them just for knitting/crochet, you can use them for cross stitch or even not as project bags. I like the shiny bats fabric!  The wedge bags do look nice, but a smaller bag would also be nice.  I do already have a lot of small pencil/cosmetic bags that I don’t use and that mostly just sit around and look pretty, though, so I guess I probably don’t need another one of those.   If you are a yarnie, are you interested in a ceramic yarn bowl?  I have an extra Harry Potter (I know, I know) one from Lennymud that I bought before the whole JKR debacle and it didn't profit her in any form anyway.  I believe it's Gryffindor themed.  Not a yarnie.   If you are a yarnie, I'd love to gift some yarn from my stash so give me an idea of colors / weight / material / yardage you'd like.     Are you interested in trying some of our "thunder butter"?  It's like tiger balm or icy hot, but with herbs, beeswax, cayenne or ghost pepper, menthol, wintergreen.  cbd version or no?  Sure!  I bet my dad would be interested in trying it, too.  He’s been complaining about knee pain lately, and even expressed interest in cbd stuff for the pain, so the cbd version would be fine.   I need to inventory our canned goods but do you like things like peach jam, cardamom plum jam, peach butter, plum butter, pickles, applesauce with nothing added, applesauce with red hots, dried apples or pears, bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, blackberry jam, huckleberry jam, candied jalapenos?  Blackberry jam and huckleberry jam both sound good!    Any interest in things from our garden like dried mint, catnip, lavender, rose petals, dill weed or dill seeds, sage, rue, mugwort, rosemary?  Hmmm, I don’t think I’d use any of those.   How about alcoholic things like rose petal liqueur, lavender vanilla bean liqueur, various flavors of mead (chocolate orange, strawberry mango, whatever my son is making)?  I've been lucky enough to get to try your rose petal liqueur and really enjoyed it.  I'm not a big fan of lavender, but I'd still be up for trying the lavender vanilla bean liqueur.  No thank you on the mead.   Pumpkin bread or zucchini bread?  How about blueberry zucchini bread with a lemon glaze?  Pumpkin bread!   I make specialty simple syrups. You can use them in teas or cocktails (and desserts).  How do you feel about a Hibiscus simple syrup? I use 2 ounce bottles for these so its just a fun amount.  Sounds fun to try!   Format for tea? e.g. teabag vs loose  I prefer teabags for convenience, but I can do loose as well.   Do you like spooky themed tights? If so, what are your measurements?  I do have some BlackMilk Halloween dresses that are a little too short for my personal comfort to wear without tights, so although ordinarily I'd have no occasion to wear tights, I could probably use a pair.  Right now I just have a plain pair of black tights to wear with them, so a spooky themed pair would be fun.  I guess I'd probably wear a Plus Size fit. A standard "One Size Fits Most" wouldn't work, unfortunately.   Pls post your book wishlist!  Should be covered by my Amazon wishlist.   Would you like to receive a 2D collage art piece? What overall vibe would you be into? (spooky, autumnal, whimsical, eerie, lovely, occult, bizarre, smutty etc.?)  Maybe a small one?  I really don’t have much wall space left at all.  Vintage Halloween would be a fun vibe. Or spooky apothecary labels and such?   Do you like rocks/gemstone jewelry? Prefer polished/smooth rocks or raw/rough? Any favorite stones, rocks, colors that you'd like?  I do!  I prefer polished rocks.     Any interest in the August releases that got announced today? https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-tag/august-2022/  I don’t see anything that I’d necessarily want a full bottle of, but I wouldn’t say no to decants of TAL Empowering or Moon When the Cherries Turn Black.  I don’t really care for lavender scents, but I am slightly curious about Lavender Buttercream –¼ imp size or even less would be more than enough to satisfy said curiosity.   Luvmilks seasonal goodies are out! What scents and formats appeal to you, my little pumpkin?  Pegasus with Girlfried would probably be the most appealing scent-wise, and dusting powder format-wise. Clown with Girlfriend might actually work too?  Popcorn and marshmallow might be interesting…   Would you like a Pyrex 4-cup Nightmare Before Christmas bowl with lid?   (Can also get Starwars and various Disney ones.)   No thank you.  I already have some Pyrex with just normal Halloween designs, which I prefer to more brand-specific designs like NMBC, SW, Disney, etc.   August Tea's fall sale starts tomorrow, 20% off everything on the site with code FALL20.  Is there anything you would like to try, my Pumpkin? https://august.la/  Painted Desert sounds most appealing, and I’m a little curious about Civil Disobedience and Low Country.   I've recently taken up embroidery, would you like a small (I embroider on 4" hoops) embroidered piece? What sort of design would you like?  Anything Halloween would be nice.  Bats are always good, or maybe a happy jack-o-lantern.  Or a frog! Frogs are nice, as are lizards and turtles.  I bet any of those would make for a cute embroidery.   Would you like either a basket or a tablemat (that works as a place to put hot dishes as well as being decorative). I make both from fabric wrapped rope that is sewn together.  Could be a bread/rolls basket, a yarn bowl for knitting or crochet, or a big flat mat.  Not sure I can envision it properly, but sure?  I could use a mat to put hot dishes on; my dining room table is unfortunately already marred by marks left from hot dishes put down without sufficient protection.   Do you wear nail polish, and if so, would you like some? What colors or finishes?  I do wear nail polish, but seriously, I DO NOT need any more.  I have more than I could ever wear in 10 lifetimes.  And I don't wear it anywhere near often enough to warrant owning as much as I do.   I'm going to the farmer's market tomorrow, and there are lots of great vendors. Would you be interested in soap or chapstick or bath/body products?  I'm always interested in soap!  Please no chapstick; that's another thing that I have WAY too much of already.   Would you be interested in a tumbler like these? If so, what theme would you like it to be? Glitter or no glitter? What color do you want the liquid to be or would you prefer the blood drip look?   Oh wow, I really love the glittery one!  So cool!  But I'm really trying to not add any new glasses/tumblers/mugs to my overstuffed kitchen.  I already have a bunch that have spilled out onto the dining room table because I've run out of cupboard space.      How do you feel about ribbons?  Is there anything in particular you are looking for if you'd want some?  What about ribbon remnants?  Colors/textures?  I don't think I'd have much use for ribbons.  I have a bunch of rolls of Halloween ribbons that I've purchased in the past intending to use them in crafts, and they've been sitting unused for years, so I think I'd be better off not acquiring any more.   Would you be interested in any skincare items?  Anything you would not want?  Probably not.  I bought a few things fairly recently and I'd rather not get any more until I've used these up.   Is anyone else interested in the latest Sphere & Sundry release? https://sphereandsundry.com/offerings/bpals-of-exalted-venus-ii/ Or other S&S offerings?  I'd definitely be interested in a decant of Lepos or Pompilus.  I'd also like to try a bit of their Vanilla Bean Pearl Polish or a decant of Mantle of Concealing Night or decants of pretty much any of the Venus’ Aerial Delight BPALs.  I'm sure there are lots of other things on the site that I would also like, but if I continue to browse through I might end up buying something (Special OOPSIE! Edition: Empress *Scented* Venus’ Aerial Delight Whipped Body Butter, maybe?), and my wallet has already been strained enough lately.     Do you have any interest in trying my infused moonshine whiskey? I've been thinking of experimenting with autumn spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove) and maybe a chocolate chai.   Yes, both sound yummy!   Any interest in spooky shape wax melts in your favorite candle scents? (What are your favorite candle scents?)  No thank you.  I don't use wax melts.   How about lotion bars?  No thanks.  I have a couple already and I never use them.   Bird and Blend tea just did their Autumn drop! Anything look good to you? https://www.birdandblendtea.us  (Also, if you're not a pumpkin person, I invite you to check out the rest of their offerings, which are always exceptional!)  Not a pumpkin person, so I did check out some other stuff, and Dark Choc Chilli Chai, Brighton Rock, and Campfires & Vampires look most interesting.   Arcana Craves halloween drop! Anything catching your eye? https://arcanacraves.com/ If only it were Vanilla that craved Black Swallowers instead of Pumpkin doing the craving!  The Vanilla ones are the only cravers that I'm interested in, and of those Grind Shows, Terror, or Sugar Cookies are probably the best bets.   I feel like with some of the witchy/seasonal stuff it might be helpful to know everyone's signs.  If you're interested in that kind of thing, what's your sign?  I’m a Capricorn! Sorry, I don't know any of the more specific moon/rising sign-type stuff that some people have been including.    Would you like anything from The Pickety Witch? (I'm going to the Vegas Oddities and Curiosities Expo next weekend, and she's vending there, so it may not matter if an item is in stock or not on the website!) https://www.thepicketywitch.com/  I like the Potion of Halloween pin.  The Mabon Witch’s Hat pin is also nice.    so these nail polishes keep showing up on my instagram and they are kinda vampy--do you wear polish and do any of these float your boat?  NOTE I have never worn Holo Taco stuff so cannot vouch for quality just the vibes are super witchy 🙂 https://www.holotaco.com/collections/dark-rainbow-collection I do love holographic nail polishes!  They all look great; my favorites are probably Dead Petals, Burnt Bridges, and Crimson Void, but honestly, I’d love any one of them.  The least interesting to me is Sunken Secrets, and even that one looks pretty nice.   I have another new question! Favorite bands/artists? Perhaps you'd be interested in a DIY patch to sew onto your jacket/pants/bag or maybe pins or a sticker or anything DIY-ish?  I don’t think I’d use a patch, so a pin or sticker would be better.  My favorite singer is Marc Almond, but that’s not very Halloween-y. In a more Halloween-y vein, better choices might be Alkaline Trio or Alice Cooper.   oooh I am reviewing my switch witch help answers from 2017 and was reminded of Lush--there used to be a big Lushie/BPALista crossover at one point.  Is that still the case?  If so dearest pumpkin are you a Lushie?  Is there anything from Lush you are coveting?  Their halloweenie stuff is out here: https://www.lushusa.com/halloween/?cgid=halloween&pmid=604&start=0&sz=28  Lush isn’t really my thing, but I took a look at the Halloween stuff and there are some cute bath bombs: mummy, ghostie, bat, vampire.     Because clothing sizing is so notoriously random &&& my idea of cute may be entirely different from your cute... sock dreams?  yea or nay?  Anything in particular catch your eyes?  I am definitely going to have to come back to this one!  But short answer, socks are great - crew or ankle are best.  Halloween or cute animal designs are always good!   I have been buying soap from https://rockytopsoap.com for at least a decade as they are unscented and less likely to affect which perfume I pull out.... I realize they are not colored and swirly and as pretty but they tend to be super hydrating and luxurious.  Do you have any interest in these?  I buy my soaps more for the scent than for anything else, so probably not.   Nocturne Alchemy just dropped their Halloween 2022 limited collection! I am popping in here to see if anything would strike the fancy of my pumpkin? 😁 https://nocturnealchemy.com/collections/limited-collection/products/new-halloween-2022-limited-collection I already placed an order for the ones I most wanted, but there’s a bunch that didn’t make it into my order but that I’d still like to try a little bit of: Vampire Wine: Lilac Blood Wine, Dancing with The Devil, Sugar Cat, Mr. Hessian,  Dia de los Muertos – Fuego, or Dia de los Muertos – Viento.   Here's a question... there's sooooooo many on here about tea but for my fellow coffee gals... do you prefer whole bean or ground??  if there's a choice how do you like your coffee ground??  I’m definitely not a coffee gal.  

bookworm

bookworm

 

13 Nights of Halloween 2021 Questions and Answers

8/8/21   Would you be interested in a cross stitched Halloween ornament?  That would be lovely! I cross-stitch myself, so it’d be really special to get something that someone else cross-stitched for me.     8/11/21   Are there any collage artists in the mix?   I would LOVE to curate one of spooky autumn goodness if my person were to be interested!  Unfortunately I’m not a collage artist. I’m not that great at putting stuff together in a creative way; I’m much better at working from a pattern that someone else created.   Have you seen the Dragon con list?  & would any of them appeal to you?  I wouldn’t mind a small decant of Peach Brandy Snake Oil, Vanilla Wafers and Peach Cream, or Fuzzy Peach Sweater and a Mug of London Fog, just to see what they’re like.   Which Harry Potter house are you? No idea. Sorry, but I’ve never read the books or seen the movies, and have no interest in doing so.   8/12/21   Do you like any art from these two sellers? They are local artists and I will probably pick up some stuff for myself soon! 
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CaitlinMcCarthyArt  I can see the appeal, but they’re not quite to my taste.  I do like the Capricorn print, though.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BatinYourBelfry  As I was looking through the listings, they seemed kind of familiar, then I realized why that was when I saw the Black Plague print, which was already on my Etsy wishlist.    So many cool things in this shop - I especially like the Black Plague Doctor enamel pin, the Halloween Danse print, the Macabre Plague Doctor print, the Monster Party print, and the Bat Cave print.  Too bad they’re sold out of the Badge of Honor Plague Doctor Vaccine enamel pins; I would have liked one of those!   I make beautiful and very lightweight yarn-and-ribbon hairfalls - would you like a set in the colors and length of your choice? If yes, name up to four colors and length in inches! Remember- this can be part of your Halloween costume!  No, thank you.   Would you appreciate a skein of handspun yarn? If yes, what weight? What colors? How do you feel about beads? Any allergies to typical fibers?  No thanks, it would be wasted on me because I can’t knit or crochet or anything else that one would do with yarn.   Do you like stickers? Patches? Buttons?  I like stickers and buttons!  I like patches in theory, but I really don’t have any place to put them.   Do you spend time in the outdoors?  Kind of?  I have a small garden in my front yard, so I suppose that counts as outdoors. I usually like to spend time in the summer on the bridge in my back yard watching the bats, but the mosquitos have just been way too bad this year for me to enjoy doing that.  There’s a wooded area behind my yard that’s nice to walk through, too.  So basically my time in the outdoors is pretty much spent in my own yard or right next to it.    Do you enjoy cooking and/or baking?  Not really, but I have been baking a bit lately.  I made two batches of muffins, a batch of cupcakes, and an apple cinnamon slab pie a couple weekends ago, and I’m thinking of making a peach pandowdy this week.  I’m not great at baking, so I only do simple recipes, and more for other people than for myself – I don’t even eat fruit pies, so the apple cinnamon slab pie and peach pandowdy were/would be for family, not for me.  I don’t really cook at all.     8/13/21   The Paintbox Soapworks Weenie collection went live today! Would you like anything?  Maybe Once for Yes, Twice for No sample size sorbetto.   The Pickety Witch is taking pre-orders for their new Halloween pins (estimated ship date: early September). Have any caught your eye?  I like the Mabon Witch’s Hat and the Vampire Bat best. The Serpent of Astrology, Anubis, Starlight Rabbit, Winged Isis, Rat King, and Peony Witch Hat pins are really cool too, as are the Baby Capricorn, Baby Goat & Jack-o-Lantern, and L’empire de la Mort prints.   Zeep's Spooky Collection drops some time next week. Here's the scent list. Would you like any wax melts, candles, whipped soaps, sugar whips (whipped soap/scrub hybrid), body butter sugar scrubs (moisturizing scrub), meringues (lotion), bath bombs, or bath rocks from Zeep?  The sugar whips and bath rocks sound fun, or a candle could be nice too.  Most appealing scents are Boo-nilla Scream, County Fair, Hocus Pocus, andSeason of the Witch.   8/14/21   Does anyone here like vintage halloween?  I do like vintage Halloween!  I have some vintage Halloween metal noisemakers from my grandparents’ attic that I think are really cool.  (Just for the record, I’m also fine with modern Halloween and some gore. I find gore makeup effects kind of fascinating.)   New question: It seems like a lot of shops’ Halloween lines have items related to the same standard fandoms, such as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Disney’s Haunted Mansion, Beetlejuice, Addams Family, etc.  Do any of those (or other ones) particularly resonate with you?   I’m sort of fond of Disney’s Haunted Mansion myself, and I love the Addams Family tv series with John Astin and Carolyn Jones (and of course the original Charles Addams cartoons).  (No interest in any other iteration.)   If you like tea, how do you want it delivered? Loose? Bags? Tiny little messenger pigeons (subject to availability)?  Either loose leaf or bags is fine; I do tend to use bags more often and loose leaf only when I am specifically making special time for tea.  Yes, please tiny messenger pigeons or squirrel post (great idea, rhonorv!) or bat mail! 🦇    Would you prefer to receive ONE HUGE (more expensive) GIFT and 12 inexpensive ones, a few more expensive, or all about the same price?  I’ll leave that up to you if you have an idea in mind; that said, I’d probably prefer one of the second two options so things are more balanced.    What are your fandoms, if any? My current obsession is Bungo Stray Dogs (anime/manga), and my favourite characters are Akutagawa and Kunikida.  Favourite pairings are Akutagawa/Atsushi, Kunikida/Dazai, and Ranpo/Poe. I’ve detailed all my other anime interests in previous years of SW and other swaps, so that info should be available in my blogs from previous years. Although Bungo Stray Dogs is my main fandom focus at the moment, I’m open to stuff from any of the other fandoms I mentioned at any point previously – I may not be paying as much attention to them right now, but I really never completely let go of old fandoms.  Also, not sure it counts as a fandom the same way, but I am a huge Marc Almond fan and totally adore him.     Do you collect things like tarot decks?  If so do you have a wishlist or a list of ones you already have?  Would you like a silk tarot bag?  Not seriously, but I have picked up quite a few tarot and oracle decks over the years.  I have some on my Amazon wishlist, also.  I have a weakness for bags and pouches, so a silk tarot bag would be lovely.   Do you like rocks/crystals?  What colors kinds?  Would you like them in bead format (holes drilled?)  Oh my gosh yes!  I’m forever collecting more.  I’m especially drawn to calcite in all colors.  Other favorites are garnets (my birthstone), labradorite, tiger's eye (all colors), goldstone, and hematite.  I’m not opposed to bead format, but I do have a ton of gemstone beads (mostly garnet & hematite) that I bought for jewelry making but have never actually used for anything, so it may not be the best choice.    My mom has an etsy store - she makes bags.  Do you love anything from it?  We can also do box bags, draw string bags, dice bags, etc. and if you want a different type of material or a different fabric pattern, I'm open to links to specific things.   (yes, we have harry potter things.  We bought most of it before JKR showed herself to be a twat since we buy lots of bolts at the same time - yes, we have a whole room stuffed full of fabric.) Despite my efforts, I never learned to crochet, so I don’t really have any need for a knitting/crocheting bag.  I think I probably have way too many bags anyway, if I’m being honest with myself.   Let's say you want something knitted.  What are you most interested in?  (hat, fingerless mitts, scarf, shawl, cowl, infinity scarf, shawlette, gnome, doily, coffee mug cozy, talisman bag, dice bag, soap sack, washcloth (I have a pattern with the leviathan cross for bpal), amigurumi / toy, bracelet, cuff, necklace, other?)   (Can you link to a photo of what you envision or a pattern on ravelry?  Or put it on pinterest or something if you have that.)   I would adore amigurumi!  I have some on my non-book Amazon wishlist, but really anything that fits any of my interests would be great.  A leviathan cross pattern washcloth would also be fabulous. * What colors would you prefer said knitted object in?  For amigurumi, anything that fits the subject. For a washcloth, maybe some combination of black with purple, red, magneta, or lime green. * Stripes, gradient, semi solid, variegated? * What type of yarn would you prefer?  ("wool", BFL, merino, merino/silk, merino/silk/cashmere, merino/cashmere, just silk, just cashmere, tencel (non-animal, plant based), other?   I also have non-dyed organic wool (mill spun) from our own sheep - finnsheep and shetland.  The finnsheep is dark brown (sun bleached black sheep from Sarge and our two black ewes we can't tell apart so they're ewe 1 and ewe 2) or a lighter silvery beige (from freckles) and the shetland is white.  (we just call her shetland.  They're mom's sheep, she should have named them, lol.)  Most of my stripy yarn is either merino or merino cashmere.) No idea; whatever works best for the project.  Although I do love the idea of something made with wool from your own sheep!  That’s so cool! You can check out some of my finished projects on Ravelry if you like (click on the project for more photos)  (I'll have to make a list of which items are available  because I knit a lot of things and then just put them in a cabinet and gift or sell them.) Ravelry won’t let me view anything because I’m not a member.    Are you interested in receiving any of the following homemade / home dried / home canned goodies?  (just erase the ones you don't want when you answer to make it easy?) (see list in this post under spoiler because long) Dried elderberries (wildcrafted) Vanilla peach jam  (maybe a tiny little sample jar, just enough for a couple pieces of toast?) Plum Brandy (Slivovitz) (small sample) pumpkin bread or pumpkin gingerbread As far as baked or homemade treats go, I would love pretty much any type of cookie that doesn’t have nuts or raisins in it, chocolate fudge (no nuts), or marshmallows.     8/15/2021   how do you feel about atmospheric/novelty scents and novelty food items? Things like "new car candle" or "eyeball jawbreaker" or whatever.  I’m not big on novelty scents, and even less interested in novelty food items, unless they’re like sour gummy snakes or something like that.  Novelty shapes are fine, novelty flavors (like bacon flavored gum or dill pickle flavored popcorn or potato chips)  are not.   How do you feel about oracle decks?  I have a number of them, either because I liked the art or because they were a gift from a friend.  I tend not to use them on any sort of regular basis.  I have a couple on my Amazon wishlist.   Would you like witchy/ritual oils/sundries? Any limitations (e.g. deities you won't work with)?  I’m not particularly ritualistic, so simpler is better.  Basic things like candles or incense or possibly oils would be more than enough.  Instructions on how to conduct a particular ritual (like how to use the objects and what words to say when doing the ritual) would be very helpful if you wanted to send me stuff to use for a ritual.  Or a small ritual kit with all the components and instructions?  Something for good health would be great.  I would steer clear of any chaos deities or even any harsher deities – I’m not built to follow a particular deity and I wouldn’t want to draw the attention of one that has high expectations of anyone who reaches out toward them.  I’m also pretty transactional in the sense that I might light a candle for a specific problem, for instance, but it’s not directed toward any one deity and I don’t expect to maintain an ongoing relationship with any deity beyond that interaction. So anything I do is directed more toward a generic idea of goddess or universal energy than a specific deity.  Samples of TAL oils are always good, or any other ritual oils you think are good.   Is there anything you would like to try from the UK specifically? (e.g. Lush exclusives)  Not UK specific, I guess, because we can now get them in some stores here, but I do love Aero bars.  Cadbury Dairy Milk bars, too.  As I mentioned before, I love Marc Almond, so any magazines or newspaper articles or whatever about him would be spectacular!   Oh, and are you into astrology?  Not hardcore by any means, but I find it interesting.  I would love to have some sort of in-depth astrological reading done for me someday.   What size shoe do you wear (inc wide/narrow, etc)?  If this is for sock-making purposes, I wear between a 7 ½ and 8, usually narrow.  If this is for actual shoe purposes, then I’m going to have to try to dissuade you.  I have incredibly picky feet and it’s a struggle for me to find shoes that fit and don’t hurt.  I literally have nearly a dozen pairs of shoes sitting in my living room waiting to be sent back to Zappos because NONE of them fit right. Brands that I’ve successfully bought before, brands that I’ve never tried, of various sizes and widths, and not a single one was comfortable enough for me to keep.  Most of the shoes I do have are wearable for a little while, but extended periods of walking in them leave me limping.  Shoes are a sore spot for me (literally).   Do you like/would you want to receive comic books? Any favorite genres or characters?  I’d definitely be fine with getting comic books!  I love the old horror comics (Tales from the Crypt type stuff). Favorite character is the Punisher, and I don’t think I’ve bought any new Punisher in years, so anything remotely recent would be fine.  Vampirella or Elvira comics could be fun for the Halloween season.  There’s also some stuff on my Amazon wishlist that should give you an idea of what I like.    Would you like a palm stone, or anything else, from Haute Macabre? Oh, the snakeskin carnelian heart is calling my name!  Some of the black heart rhodonite palm stones are lovely too, the ones with the purples or reds.  I also like the spiderweb obsidian, the ruby kyanite, the obsidian (golden sheen), and the rhodonite.  I’d add the septarian, but I already have one quite like the ones shown here.  The mini faceted garnets are cute too; I have a special love for them as my birthstone.  I kind of wish I hadn’t looked at this site, because now I want to buy a bunch of the spheres – the red tiger’s eye, the dragon blood jasper, the lepidolite, the obsidian (golden sheen), the tiger’s eye, and the rhodonite. I’m always so tempted by crystals!   What's your favorite flower(s)?  Carnations and roses.   What's your favorite woodland creature?  I absolutely cannot choose.  I love so many critters: bunnies, bats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, groundhogs, muskrats, skunks, foxes, owls, moles, voles, rats, snakes, frogs, toads, deer – if it’s not an insect, I probably like it.  I'm even good with some insects - I love bees and dragonflies are cool too.   Do you prefer receiving a big box with all of your goodies, or is it okay if one or two things are shipped directly to you separately (with notice!!) for customs/shipping cost purposes (i.e. if there's something customs might not allow in from the States that can be shipped from within your country)?  Whatever works best for you!   Would you like a fabric face mask? If so, do you prefer a dome shape or a pleated shape?  I certainly don’t NEED any face masks; I have a ton.  But if you like to make them and you want to make one for me, then a dome shape probably works best.  I have a few pleated ones but never wear them because they never seem to fit right.   I have a literal stockpile of skincare products.  Can I interest you in cleanser, sheet masks, moisturizer, sample things etc etc.?  Or a general pampering package? What is your skin type?  Sorry, but I have so many things already and I’m trying not to collect any more.     Anything from here?  ChocolateStorybook on Etsy  Cotton candy isn’t really my treat of choice, but I’d be open to trying the Pancakes & Maple Syrup, the Caramel Apple, or the Churros.   I have been enjoying the incense from here hand-dipped incense sticks | Hexennacht and here Hand-dipped incense sticks | Mr. Hex (mr-hex.com)  Any thing interesting from either site?  From Hexennacht, All Soul’s Night sounds good; Rumrunner is a maybe.  From Mr. Hex, maybe Gingerbread Noel Incense?   8/16/21   Would you like some delicious coffee? If so, do you prefer whole bean or ground? If ground, what grind? Also, light or dark roast? Flavor preferences?  No thanks, I don’t drink coffee.   8/17/21   I may be going to the Renaissance Fair this weekend (if not this weekend then soon and multiple times), any Ren Faire goodies you may like?  It’s been so long since I’ve been to one that I really have no idea what kinds of goodies they have, so I would leave it up to your discretion.   I always go to my town's local Farmer's Market and they have booths selling things like candles, Gourmet Pickles, Flavored Oils and Vinegars, dog treats (like bones and animal feet), honey, and bath products. Would you like any of these things?  I love bars of soap and beeswax candles.   Do you have a preference for numbered packages for each night of the swap vs randomly selecting from unlabeled goodies?  Not really, so please do whatever works best for you.   If you didn't say much about your reading preferences in your survey but would be interested in receiving books, can you elaborate a bit? Um, not really sure how to answer this.  I’ve got books on my Amazon wishlist, but the majority of what I read (other than fan fiction) is manga, and I pretty much keep up with the series I collect and get the stuff I read but don’t collect from the library.  In fitting with the Halloween theme, I’d be open to a book of spooky short stories.  (Sadly, my attention span is painfully short these days, so short stories would work better than novels.)    Are you interested in cocktails, be it recipes, infusion kits, tools, supplies, specialty bitters?  Recipes or infusion kits could be fun.  I don’t drink much anymore (my alcohol tolerance is way down), but I did collect a whole lot of different boozes over the years that I could use with cocktail recipes.   8/18/2021   Is there something that you definitely prefer to not receive in any category (anything to avoid if you hadn't/forgotten to mention)? Water bottles and beverage koozies would have never occurred to me to mention, but now that Thuy put that in my head, I can agree that I have no need for those either, nor for headbands.  But all the glitter is definitely 100% ok!  (Yes, I do have teeturtle’s “Glitter Is My Favorite Color” shirt!  )  No dead things/taxidermy, please.    Are there patterns/prints (more guidance than general Halloween/Autumn) you like for things or are you open to whatever I may find that speaks to me?  I’m open to whatever you decide.  I do like simple, clear designs – not too busy or chaotic, and I'm not a big fan of paisley, for one.  Print-wise, it’s hard to go wrong with bats or bunnies or lake/sea monsters. I do have some fabric on my Etsy wishlist that you can use as an indication of what I like.   Any significant other or other special person? Like if I wanted to send you specialty cocoa for a date night, would that be OK? I am making up the cocoa part, but you get my drift.  No significant other.  Nothing you could send would get used on a date night, because those don’t exist for me.   8/20/21   I make homemade fire ciders, would that be of interest? Non-alcoholic and they are quite fiery.   No thank you; I’m not really good with hot/spicy peppers.   Are you interested in getting other BPAL items besides perfume, like hair gloss, bath oils or T-shirts?    8/21/21   I do quilting along with everything  else.  In a quilting group we are doing a swap of Frankenbags - they are sturdy quilted  tote bags made by collaging fabrics for the outermost layer. (Google Frankenbag to see examples).  So partner, would you be interested in a Frankenbag done in Halloween prints? Ok, I know I said earlier that I already had more than enough bags, but I love quilts/quilted things and a quilted bag made with Halloween prints sounds amazing!  I would love one!   Y'all with furbabies... Are there any food allergies/sensitivities or quirks to know about?  No furbabies here.   how do you feel about (ethically sourced) butterfly / moth art (in a jar or shadowbox)  I have to agree with whoahorsey: “I like the aesthetic, but dead animals make me sad.”  That includes insects.     I may have preemptively picked out 2 Halloween-themed mugs with cute matching spoons, before I knew who my match was going to be! So I leave it to you: Bat, or Cat?  Well, I know that Violetchaos (hi, fabulous former Witch! ) doesn’t have me as a swapee, as I’m pretty sure my preference is quite obvious given previous answers.  But just in case there’s any confusion, I like both, but bats are best!   8/22/21   If you mentioned aversions to any common Halloween decor items (skeletons, witches, spiders, etc.), how encompassing is that? Specifically, is a "kid friendly" drawing of that same item on a piece of decor (like, a book cover or wrapping paper) still a preferred pass? Kid-friendly is totally fine for most things; I just don’t want realistic renditions of, say, spiders.  The one exception is scorpions – they just totally creep me out and I think that even a kid-friendly version would be icky.   Would you be interested in receiving a never-used eyeshadow palette from Notoriously Morbid (gothy colors) and/or a never-used eyeshadow palette from Pretty Vulgar (romantic neutrals)?  I have a weakness for eyeshadow palettes and have a hard time resisting collecting them.  I would absolutely be interested!  (And after checking out the Notoriously Morbid site, I’m now mentally compiling my wishlist for there!  All those lovely multichromes!)   8/23/21   I live in Japan. Are you interested in anything specifically Japanese I could get for you here (doesn't necessarily have to be Halloween themed)? For example, are you a fan of the anime Demon Slayer and want merch? Are you interested in trying some fun kit-kat flavors? Do you need a new set of pretty chopsticks?  I would love Halloween themed stuff from Japan!  Also, anything related to the Bungo Stray Dogs anime/manga.  (Especially the BSD pirates design glasses case! https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEOGDS-487417 When I went to order it the other day I discovered that the pre-order for it had already ended and I was very sad.)  I collect lucky cat / maneki neko stuff.  Anything from any of the anime/manga that I have previously mentioned.  Fun kit-kat flavors and candy-type snacks could be good; not so much on the chip-type snacks or anything shrimp- or seaweed-flavored.  Sort of a weird ask, but I got a bag of ume jintan todo ame cough drops in one of my Kizuna Boxes and they're really good, so it would be great to get more.  Another Kizuna Box find that I'd love to get more of is honey & renge flower powder bath packets.  One thing I really don’t need is a set of chopsticks; I already have dozens.  I have a monthly Kizuna Box subscription and they include a set of chopsticks every single time.  Oh, and I would really love something from/representative of your particular area of Japan!   there is an excellent chance teeturtle will have a sale in time for this swap: anything (particularly tshirts or socks) that appeal? Sizes?  I’m a frequent teeturtle shopper, so there’s an excellent chance that I’ll be taking advantage of the next sale myself, which means that it’s probably best that I not point out anything that appeals, as I’ll likely end up picking it up myself.   Haus of Gloi Fall Part 1 drops soon, anything here you like?  https://www.hausofgloi.com/blogs/blog/fall-lineup-2021  Maybe the Blood Orange Marshmallow bubbling scrub?    8/24/21   Could you use a journal or sketchbook?  Please, no journals or sketchbooks.  I don’t sketch and I’m drowning in journals and blank books that I have never used and most likely never will.   Do you need BPAL storage?  Imps?  Bottles?  I could probably use either one.  I have two full bottle boxes and the rest of my bottles are just hanging out in a cardboard box waiting to be sorted through, so I could use a box for the ones that I decide to keep.  I’ve not yet found a good way to store imps, so decent imp storage could be really good.   Do you wear socks?  What kind?  No show, ankle, knee high, over the knee?  Fibers?  Anything under the knee is good.  Knee highs and higher tend to be too constricting.  I wear both plain and patterned socks; anything with cute designs is cool, especially Halloween designs (especially bat or Hello Kitty Halloween designs).  I think bamboo is my favorite fiber for socks (can always use plain black bamboo socks!), but I’m open to pretty much anything.   Do you have a favorite candy(ies) [or prepacked individual snacks] that you wouldn't mind filling up your box as packing material? Or teas/coffee blends you'd enjoy? If you prefer none of this, that's fine too!  Most favorite candies would probably end up melted or crushed.  The only things I can think of that might make good packing material are SweeTarts, Smarties, and fruit snacks (like the kind you put in kids’ lunch boxes).  Hmmm, now that I think about it, maybe Starbursts would work as well.  Or maybe popcorn/caramel corn/cheese corn?  Popcorn balls!  Please rest assured that if you do use standard packing material, it will be re-used.  One of my brother’s neighbors has a eBay business and I dump off almost all of my boxes and packing materials to him to use in his business.   I'm going down the Shore for a few days! Any treats you'd like from a cute beach town- salt water taffy? Fudge? Wrist fans? Tie-dye beach dress...?  Plain chocolate fudge is always a winner!     How do you feel about fancy marshmallows?  Are we talking homemade/small indie store  marshmallows? Because I feel great love for those! Cinnamon, plain vanilla, vanilla brown sugar, peppermint, etc. are all good; not so much the fruity flavors.  (I’d love to try a clove marshmallow if anyone makes them!)  Extra love for fun shapes, too!   8/25/21   We've asked about candy, but let's talk specifically about gummies. Do you like crazy shapes, sweet/sour?  I’m really not wild about gummies.  Crazy shapes are fine, I guess, and I probably like sour marginally more than sweet, but they’re not something that I generally tend to buy or eat all that often (we’re talking like a few times a year at most), so I really don’t have strong opinions on them.   Anything from these Etsy shops?  Kodiak Sea Charms– I really like the glass bottles filled with seaglass! Halloween Hill Studio– I like the  October Days sticker! Grave Markings– Hmmm, I don’t think so.   What about the Mutter Museum's gift shop? I like the Plague Doctor enamel pin!  The “Spit spreads death” button is kind of cool, too – I’d definitely wear it when going out among the possibly infectious masses at the grocery store, bank, library, etc. The Highlights from the Mutter Museum book or one of the other books about death (except the manual of things that might kill you, because if I read that I’d probably turn into a total hypochondriac) or plagues/pandemics.     8/27/21   I grow mugwort and it's harvest season. Would you like dried leaves for bathing or tea? Or a bound bundle for smoke cleansing? (Its said to be excellent for divination or lucid dreaming, but do not use if pregnant.)  its also a digestive bitter and tastes great on chicken.  Sure, I wouldn’t mind trying some dried leaves for bathing or tea.     I grow loads of other herbs and I'm drying them now. Any favorites you might like? Mint, basil, oregano, chives, lemon balm or others?  No thank you, I don’t use dried herbs for anything. I have mint, basil, and lemon balm growing in my yard, but it’s all for my dad’s 3 bunnies and the outdoor critters (if they want it).   I grew a huge load of onions and garlic. Any interest?   Nope.   Feathers? I have geese, ducks, peafowl, chickens and quail. So I collect their shed feathers and share them with people I like.  I like pretty feathers.  We have a large flock of wild ducks (plus my neighbors’ 2 or 3 domestic ducks) in the neighborhood (there’s a creek running through the backyards on my street, so they’re pretty much always around, and I put out corn for them, so they’re right up by my house almost every day) so sometimes I pick up their feathers or feathers from other birds like blue jays, cardinals, or doves.  I think peafowl or quail feathers could be neat.   I grew a boatload of Green Shiso this year and plan to make a shiso pesto with it. Would you like some? (Nut wise it has pistachios)  I’m envious!  I tried to grow shiso this year (mostly for ume shiso sushi) and none of it came up. I would love to try some shiso pesto!   I also plan to experiment with infusing it in vodka. I'm planning a plain shiso infusion and a shiso citrus infusion. If they turn out would you like some?  Oh, yes please!  I would be interested in trying anything you do with shiso!  (Also, thank you for the idea!  I might just pick up some shiso the next time I’m at the Japanese market and try that myself.  I’m curious as to whether if I could do a shiso ume infusion….)   8/28/21   Would you be interested in this hand sanitizer dispenser/keychain that doubles as a light (its eyes light up when you press between its eyes!)?  (see photo here) I would!  I almost ordered one online earlier this year after seeing it in one of his YouTube videos, but ultimately talked myself out of it because I already have two hand sanitizer dispensers with cute little jack o’ lantern charms that coltostallion sent me in an earlier 13 Nights of Halloween swap.   If you're into tabletop games, what games do you already own, and/or what type are you interested in?  None of my family or friends are interested in playing tabletop games with me, so anything requiring more than one player (which is basically everything) is a no go.   8/29/21    DO YOU LIKE TRUE CRIME STORIES? Maybe if they’re very old crimes?  I don’t like the ones that are too current – I don’t need any extra nightmare fuel!  Also, I hate unsolved true crime stories.  I like stories to have a conclusive ending.    DO YOU LIKE SEASONAL MAGAZINES ON BAKING AND DECORATING?  I like Halloween ones all right.   If you are enthused by the idea of receiving coffee, do you want whole bean or ground? AND do you have flavors that you like (or definitely hate and never want again)?  Clearly not asked by my swapper!     8/30/21   Would you be interested in some very size-inclusive tights? There are Halloween patterns, but also most colours under the sun, and are very comfy.  Sorry, I don’t wear tights.   What about indie chilli sauces/chutneys/jams? What type of chilli/spice level?  No thank you.
  In case anyone else shares a love for adorable tiny plushies, any interest in v soft and cute vegetable/fruit plushies? There are also small animals.   I do like tiny adorable plushies.  Animals are much better than fruits and veggies.   The Polish Pickup/Indie Pickup is live for wishlisting, and will ship in time for this swap (this year). Anything strike your fancy? (It's not just nail polish...there's jewelry and bath scrubs and wax tarts and all manner of things. It's fun!)  https://polishpickup.com/  No need to pick up anything for me; I’ll definitely be placing my own order! The only thing I would ask for from there is a gift card, since I’ve been placing an order every month since I first learned that this lovely little marketplace existed.   8/31/21   Anything here sound good to you? https://gryffonridge.com/  The lemon sugar or Tahitian vanilla sugar.  I use flavored sugars on my Cream of Wheat during the winter.  I also occasionally top baked goods with it.   Hayden Evens Art has released some new Halloween and Disney-themed prints and stickers.  Do any spark your interest?  Not really my style.   So would you hate or be into more miscreant Halloween vibe decor - like wholesome figurines repainted, creepy dolls, goats with horns, (fake) animal skeletons, things in jars? Is anything too dark, morbid, or recoil worthy?  Probably wouldn’t be into any of those things, except maybe the fake animal skeletons.  I especially hate creepy dolls.   do you use any sorts of semipermanent dyes or do anything fun/wild to your hair? are there any hair products you like?  No. I’m always thinking about adding some lime green or magenta, but I haven’t found any hair dyes that promise to wash out right away.  I don’t want to be stuck with any weird colors for more than a day or two.   what about skincare? i am pretty into k beauty and am curious if others are interested in any aspects of this.  Sorry, not really.   9/2/21   Regarding tea, what type of tea do you prefer? Black tea, green tea, herbal tea? Any type of tea you really don’t enjoy? Flavored black or green tea, I suppose.  My favorite is Harney & Sons’ Hot Cinnamon Spice; I also love their Dragon Pearl Jasmine.  I like spicy teas and the occasional mint tea.  I really liked Good Earth’s Cocoa Tango tea, but sadly they discontinued it ages ago and I haven’t found a good substitute.  As far as what I don’t enjoy, that would be most rooibos teas and plain black or green tea (although I do like fresh matcha when it’s all foamy and lovely – but I can never seem to make it right myself).   9/4/21   are you interested in eco-friendly menstrual products? There are some beautiful gothic print reuseable pads I'm looking at specifically.  No thank you.  I am hoping every day that menopause is finally kicking in and I won’t have to deal with that crap anymore.   9/6/21   Bath and Body Works? I know this is a bit of a love em or hate em company, but I really love their foaming hand soaps and scented hand sanitizers and my kids like their body wash, so I'll be placing an order with the next good sale. Anything that catches your eye?  Perhaps answering this too late, as the good sale may have already come and gone, but I am a heavy user of the PocketBacs and will always take more.   9/14/21   I'm making homemade applesauce this weekend with apples I picked last weekend. I'm going to try my hand at canning for the first time (got my mom, the experienced canner, on speed dial lol) If I succeed would you like a jar?  No thanks, applesauce isn’t something that I eat.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch 2020 questions and answers

8/29/20   Does anything from Paintbox Soapworks catch your eye (http://paintboxsoapworks.com/)? Journey in Satchidananda sounds very pretty.  An emulsifying sugar scrub would be my first product choice; The White Rose of York also sounds quite pretty and it even comes in a sample size.   Does anything from the Trading Post's etsy page catch your eye (https://www.etsy.com/shop/bptradingpost)? There’s nothing that really catches my eye up right now, except the artwork for the Oktobernacht hair gloss! Too bad the dry leaves, musk, and vetiver make the hair gloss itself extremely unappealing to me.   8/30/20   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! I’ve already been lucky enough to have coltostallion gifting me in a past 13 Nights of Halloween swap, so I’m sure she won’t be my Witch and thus need me to answer this question, but I’ll go ahead and answer it anyway.    I wouldn’t mind trying a couple of Sweet Potato or Chestnut kit kats.  Anime goods – yes please!  My current obsession is Bungo Stray Dogs, and my favourite characters are Akutagawa and Kunikida.  Favourite pairings are Akutagawa/Atsushi, Kunikida/Dazai, and Ranpo/Poe.  I love the Ani-Art designs; I’m still kicking myself for not buying the mini illustration board box from CDJapan before it sold out, and I’m stalking eBay for the Kunikida mug (and would most likely snap up most other characters if I see them as well).  I have the Akutagawa mug and adore it.  I’ve detailed all my other anime interests in previous years of SW and other swaps, so that info should be available in my blogs from previous years.  Cute stationery is always nice; and I’ve found that Japan makes some fantastic pens.  In that previous swap, coltostallion sent me a cute pin of her city’s mascot, Funnasyi, because I had said that I’d love something that was specifically from where my scarecrow lived or was specific/special to that area.  So yeah, something that is specific or special to where my Witch lives would be lovely.  (She also got me acquainted with the Meito fish-shaped cookies with fillings and Riska Sittori Chocolate chocolate flavored corn snacks that I now look for every time I go to the Japanese market (or did, back when just popping out to the store for fun was a thing) and am sometimes lucky enough to find.)  ETA: Just thought of something else after finding it out of stock yet again at my local Japanese market – ume shisho paste!   What are your favorite self-care items or activities? I'm especially curious about things that you hesitate to do/get because they feel like frivolous luxuries. I don’t know if it counts as self-care, exactly, but I like having flowers in the house.  Trader Joe’s usually has beautiful rose bouquets and other fresh flowers that aren’t too expensive, so I don’t feel so bad about indulging in a bouquet of roses or carnations or even a mixed bouquet of various flowers if I like the colors. Right now I have a mixed bouquet of roses in red, peach, yellow, and white with pink edges.  Before that I had light purple roses and gladioli in red and dark purple.  I’ve been going through incense like crazy every evening, too.  The Satya incense sticks are inexpensive, but I like them – tonight is Dragon’s Blood, and I’ve been enjoying the Golden Sandalwood and Nag Champa too.  Actually, I’m so much better at self-indulgence than self-care!  On the self-care side, I could really use some nice facial products since Bella Lucce has gone out of business, and that’s where I used to get most of my skin care products like face wash and moisturizer.  Something that would motivate me to get out of the house and exercise would be perfect, but I can’t imagine what such a thing would actually be.  I am quite terrible at actually taking care of myself, and unfortunately I’m at a point in my life where my lack of physical self-care has become an issue, but that’s well aside from the scope of this question.       9/1/20   are you familiar with https://www.a-natural-alternative.com/ ?  Take a peak & let me know if you might like to try something.  I’ve never heard of them, but I can always use more soap!  The Frankincense and Myrrh from the January-June 2020 section sounds really good, as does the Mint Julep.     9/2/20   Would you like a face mask from one of my favorite artists? https://akumuink.com/collections/facemasks Oh, I like the art!  Some of the designs I think are cute I probably wouldn’t wear on a face mask, but I think the Plague Seeker one would be kind of perfect for a face mask, and I would definitely wear that one.   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?  I’ve never had an ear-loop mask that fits right without adjustment.  They’re always too loose, so I always need to pull the loops past my ear and use a modified “ear saver” (which in my case is just basically a thick twist tie type thing).  I would love to try one with ties, and if I ever get around to making my own face masks I will definitely make them with ties rather than loops. Some of the Hakutaku masks are so pretty!  I love the fox one (#14?), geisha blue (#20?), silver cranes (#21?), and the blue and white fish pond one with the gold fish (#17?).  Wish she sold on Etsy, since I don’t have a Facebook account.     9/3/20   Would you like anything from here? https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaterRoundsBeauty I kind of love the look of the Crazy Jack Halloween soap bar. The Vampire Tonic facial toner sounds intriguing, the Radioactive Waste bath bomb dust looks fun, and the El Cucuy candle sounds delightful.  I wish I could smell the Holy Water body wash; from the description it sounds like it might smell wonderful.  And it’s a good thing that the Sebastian lipstick is a liquid lipstick rather than regular lipstick, or else I would totally want it, even though I know that I’d not have much if any occasion to wear black lipstick, nor would it suit me, unfortunately.     9/5/20   what are your feelings on home made/ home canned jams & pickles or syrups?  I even make things with berries I grow in my garden.  I make both brandied & bourbon cherries. Syrups good for cocktails, in lemonade or tea, flavors include Lavender, Lavender + Lemon, & Lavender + Vanilla.  Interested? Although it all sounds very cool, I really don’t use jams often enough to justify getting more (I have some from farmers markets from 2 years ago that I still haven’t gotten around to opening).  As far as pickles go, I only eat dill pickles, and I generally stick with the very basic Vlasic dill pickles – nothing fancy.  Sadly, I don’t enjoy the taste of lavender, so the syrups would be wasted on me as well.   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?? Not really; I’m going into this with no expectations.  That being said, I think it would be really nice to get something that reflects where you live or where you’re from (even a postcard would be cool!), and it would be lovely to get something that you made yourself if you’re feeling crafty.   Would you rather receive supplies/tools for your own craft/hobby or receive something you can't make yourself?  Something I can’t make myself!  If you want to share your crafty skills, I’d be delighted to receive something you made!  For most of my own hobbies, I have more than enough supplies (the only thing I’m lacking is time), but I do have some cross-stitch patterns in my Etsy favorites, so I guess I’m not ruling supplies out entirely.   Is there anything you'd like from Penzeys (https://www.penzeys.com/)?  I like Penzey’s politics and I’m on their mailing list, but I’ve never ordered anything for myself, only for gifts.  I don’t really cook and only rarely bake, but I’d love to get some good cinnamon.  Most of the things I do bake call for cinnamon, and I usually put in more than is called for in the recipe.  I also occasionally mix cinnamon into soft ice cream to make my own cinnamon ice cream, since it’s not an especially easy flavor to find in stores.  I would say vanilla extract as well, but it’s just too expensive.     9/8/20   Art and artists - anyone dig any of this?  https://www.studiodesade.com/  (They also do masks, see here.)   It’s nice enough, but not really my thing.   If you knit/crochet/weave, would you like custom dyed yarn?  And if so do you have preference on weight, fiber, colors? I can’t do any of those things, unfortunately.  I’ve tried repeatedly to learn to crochet, to no avail.  I just can’t get the hang of it.    what is one fun/frivolous thing for $20 or less that you’d enjoy? Hmmm, I'll have to think on this.  Right off the top of my head I'd say that pretty much everything on my Etsy wishlist is frivolous, and some of them are under $20.  If I think of anything specific I'll update this.   If I sent you to a dollar store with $20, what would you walk out with? This is kind of easy, since I was just in a dollar store this past weekend.  I walked out with Halloween cards, a green glass vase, sparkly gold gift wrap, and fun birthday tissue paper.  Next time I go to the dollar store, I can see myself possibly walking out with Halloween stickers if I can find any, a small glittery notebook or two, maybe a bag of Pixie Sticks or Smarties, and maybe some small Halloween trinket or other.  I live in hope that I will find Brach’s caramel apple candy corn again someday, but no luck this weekend or so far this year.     9/9/20   would anybody like a small cross stitch thing, like a patch or pin? or cross stitching notions like handmade needle minders? A Witch-made pin would be great, as would a needle minder. I’ve never used a needle minder, but I’ve seen so many cute ones in cross-stitch magazines and on Etsy, and I’ve been meaning to look into getting one for myself.   9/11/20   Is there anything you'd like from the UK?  I love Aero bars and Cadbury Dairy Milk bars.  Also, my absolute favourite singer is Marc Almond, so any magazines or newspaper articles or whatever about him would be fantastic.   Do you have a particular fandom you'd like stuff from? My current fandom obsession is Bungo Stray Dogs, as I detailed earlier.  That’s kind of my main focus at the moment, but I’m open to stuff from any of the other fandoms I mentioned at any point previously (answers to prior SW rounds, etc.) – I may not be paying as much attention to them, but I really never completely let go of old fandoms.     How do you feel about tea?  Preferences?  Would you want anything from David's Tea (https://www.davidstea.com/us_en/home/), Steepologie (https://www.steepologie.com/), Bird & Blend (https://birdandblendtea.com/us_en/), or do you have a favorite tea maker to suggest?  What about tea tools or cups?   I am very well stocked (honestly, overstocked) on tea at the moment, and lately I’ve been sticking mainly to Harney and Sons’ Hot Cinnamon Spice tea (alternating between regular and decaf) and ginger tea.  But if you have a favorite tea you’d like to share that sounds like something I would like, I would definitely be open to that. I don’t think I need any tea tools, and I’ve already got more tea cups than I have room to put them, but if you find an especially pretty tea cup that you can’t resist sending me, or a mug that ties in with one of my fandom interests, then I’d be open to that too.   How do you feel about fragrant things for the home like incense, candles, atmosphere spray? I’ve been going through a lot of stick incense lately.  I like the Satya dragon’s blood, golden sandalwood, and nag champa, and Shoyeido Eternal Treasure Hoyei-Koh.  I would be definitely be open to other brands and scents, though, and a sampler would be a great way to discover other loves.   I’ve accumulated so many candles and I really don’t use candles on a regular basis, so it would probably be best that I don’t acquire any more.  I’m overstocked on atmo spray as well, but some BPTP Burning the Blue Dark Round Their Moons atmo spray would be welcomed with open arms and grabby hands.   Do you share your home with any loved ones (human, feline, canine, etc.) who might enjoy a tiny treat too?   No, it’s just me.  Unless you want to send tiny treats to the neighborhood ducks, squirrels, groundhogs, raccoons, etc. who show up in my yard everyday expecting to be fed, and I really don’t think you want to do that!    My dad has three new bunnies that I like to spoil, but they live with him, not me, so no need to send tiny treats for them.   9/12/20   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!   She has some cute stuff, but I really don’t see anything that’s calling to me.   What about www.drawingsbynicole.com? Anything specific?   The “Wear a mask, asshole” mask definitely strikes a chord, but I’m not brave/confrontational enough to actually wear it in front of the assholes who should be reading it.  But assholes refusing to wear masks or doing the half-assed mask pulled down below the nose is totally a pet peeve of mine (to put it politely).       Does anything from www.vapidlacquer.com stick out to you?   Happy Freakin’ New Year 2020 nail polish.  I’m always up for bar soap, but they seem to be pretty much sold out right now.    I do pour painting/acrylic fluid art (with varying degrees of success, haha). Would you like a custom piece in colors of your choice (takes 3-4 weeks with curing, longer if you want it sealed, so it would arrive post-round if custom) or a piece already finished in my collection? I have mostly 12 x 12 and 10 x 10s  right now. Pics available upon request!  Right now I have a stack of about a dozen prints from various artists that I haven’t gotten framed and up on the walls yet (not to mention that I have no idea where I’ll actually put them once they are framed), so it’s probably best that I not add to that pile.       After enjoying looking at the links several others have put in the questions, I decided to add some of my own favorite independent artists who I enjoy supporting - so, what do you think of the goodies from these people? And specific items you love? Enjoy! 1) https://www.catcoven.com/  Nothing really catches my eye.
2) https://www.mineralgypsy.com  The rainbow fluorite is beautiful.  I like spheres best.  Too bad they’re sold out, or I might have been tempted to grab one.  (So maybe it’s a good thing that they’re sold out, I suppose.) The Mexican Deep Purple “Morado” opal pyramids are very tempting, but too expensive.
3) https://www.redbubble.com/people/thelatestkate/shop  The critters are really cute and I like the colorful designs, but inspirational quotes aren’t really my thing.
4) https://www.marikapaz.com/shop/  Shop is closed so I couldn’t check it out.
5) https://www.faunwood.com  I don’t see anything I can’t live without, but Lil’ Stabby is cute.
6) https://www.shannatrumbly.com/  I like The Unforgettable Kiss, Covid Love, and The Pomegranate Prince best, but honestly I really don’t need any more prints right now.
7) https://fiddlersgreenzine.com  These look neat!
8 )  No, thank you.   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.  I don't have a slipper I love yet, but I'm working on it.   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. That sounds very cool!  Winter is coming, so super warm mittens would definitely not go unappreciated.   I enjoy historical reproductions and am a fan of LBCC Historical Apothecary. Is there something in her store you might be interested in?   This shop was very cool to browse through, and I saw a lot of things that looked neat.  The things I was most interested in for myself were the 1889 Superior Bay Rum, the Vegan Solid Perfume 1893 Victorian Recipe Lady Guinevere, and the Travel Vintage Inspired Traveling Oil Blotter.  Either of the body powders would also be fun to try.     9/13/20   Do you have a favorite art style/movement/artist?  I have a vague idea that I like art deco, but I really don’t know anything about it.  For artists, I like Pierre et Gilles.        Who is your fashion icon(s)?  If you knew me or even just saw me it would be pretty obvious that I don’t have any fashion icons.  I’m hopeless when it comes to fashion.  I suppose the closet I ever came to having a fashion icon was when I saw Patricia Morrison in a Sisters of Mercy video and decided that I wanted to dress and have hair and makeup like hers when I was an adult.  And now I’m an adult and never once managed to do anything like that.   What is your favorite mythological creature?  Do sea monsters count as mythological?  Because I love sea monsters and lake monsters.  The Loch Ness Monster is my favorite cryptid.  (I know Nessie doesn’t count as mythological because Nessie is real, just very very good at hiding.  )
is there anything you want from Lush?   Not really.   Do you need any astrological work done, since thats one of my professions? Any particular areas you could utilize a consultation? I don’t have any particular areas of concern.  I don’t exactly know if it’s possible to do just a general information sort of basic chart that isn’t built around any particular areas of concern, but I’d be very interested in that.  I'll try to come back and update with my birth time and all that jazz - got to go find my baby book first.  Ok, found it!  Born on 7:06 p.m. on January 5, 1972 in Livonia, Michigan.     How do you feel about the homemade fudge I sell in my etsy shop?  https://www.etsy.com/shop/HollysRainbow -particular preferences, flavors (consider I take special flavor requests all the time!)? I LOVE fudge.  I don’t get it very often because it’s such an indulgence, but I love it. I’m boring and prefer just basic chocolate fudge with no nuts, but I’m also kind of curious about the penuche, which sounds rather tempting.     How do you feel about keto or sugar-free, low carb baked goods or treats??   I don’t follow any particular diet that requires such accommodations.  I could probably (ok, definitely) stand to lower my sugar intake, but I don’t see myself ever going completely sugar-free.   9/14/20   Anything you'd like from Future Primitive: https://futureprimitivesoap.co.uk   Their bar soaps look gorgeous!  It’s hard to pick soaps without being able to smell them, but West Indian Bay Rum, Indian Sandalwood, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, Smoke & Mirrors, Ghost Smoke, Festival, Gingerbread, and Bird of Paradise all sound promising.  I don’t need full bottles of any of the perfumes, but I’d love to try a decant of Arabian Nights or Opium Den or maybe even Dark Carnival.  The Rook & Raven conditioning hair rinse also sounds very nice.
Do you have an Etsy wishlist?   Yes, it’s at http://www.etsy.com/people/chiroptera/favorites.  It's also in my sig with my Amazon & BPAL wishlists.   I  wanted to share this link to a soapmaker I love and ask if y'all see anything you would like from them! https://www.herbneden.com/ Maybe the Jasmine & Geranium facial serum? (The 0.5 oz size would be fine.)      Nui Cobalt Designs perfumes...(just got her latest email): How about the scents being discontinued? The Critters? https://nuicobaltdesigns.com/collections/critters-2020?page=1 or other ones? I could probably put the mini Health candle to good use.     9/15/20   I have a friend who does pet caricatures. He's done ones for all of my pets. Is this something you would be interested of for your pet(s)?   I don’t have any pets.   Do you decorate seasonally/for holidays?  Is there anything in particular you would like to that end? Not as much as I should.  I have sooooo many decorations for Halloween, and only the tiniest fraction of them ever get put up.  But if you see something especially cool (especially with bats) that you think should be mine….   
  Would you like anything from House of Gloi, especially from their Autumn Update? (https://www.hausofgloi.com/collections/fall-1)  A previous Witch gifted me with a Moon Dog bubbling scrub, and it was quite nice.  The Depravity and Cozy Sweater scents also sound appealing.  A 2 oz container would be better than a 6 oz for me.  (This is generally true of any bath product – I’d rather have a small container to try out than a large one, in part because I have so much that it’s hard for me to make it through a full size container of any one thing.)  Too bad the mint marshmallow powder from the Summer collection is sold out; I would have loved to try that.   I know the tea question has been asked, but what, specifically, about Adagio teas?  I don’t really know much about Adagio teas and I have no favorites from them, and I just don’t have the patience right now to scroll through all their offerings.  Feel free to surprise me if you’d like.  Sample sizes are perfect, especially as I already have so much tea.  A previous Witch gifted me with a cute little tin of Bat Brew, and that was fun.  I just checked and I see that they have a bunch of Halloween blends on their site.  Not a Halloween blend, but a sample size of the dragon fruit dream does sound appealing.   What about anything tempting from Dandelion Chocolate? (https://store.dandelionchocolate.com/pages/home) Unfortunately, all the chocolate bars seem too dark for my tastes. The hot chocolate mix or maybe the black sesame toffee brittle look the most tempting.   9/16/20   Would you, my dear Witchee, like anything from April Gloom? https://www.etsy.com/shop/AprilGloom  (this is our @spookygrrrly - switch witch code coming soon to a spreadsheet near you.)  No, thank you.   How about from https://twinklentwilight.etsy.com ?  (This shop belongs to @twilighteyes - we can maybe crochet some of the unicorns that are sold out...)   I don’t knit or crochet, so no need for a bag designed for that.   Would you enjoy anything from my friend Brian's Etsy shop? https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrianSerwayArt?   This is a good example of art that I can admire without wanting to own.  I prefer my critter art to be cute rather than creepy.
Are you a sock person?  If so what are your favourite kinds to wear?  Do you have a sockdreams wishlist? No Sockdreams wishlist, but I am totally a sock person!  Crew or ankle height are best, as knee length are generally uncomfortably tight.  I really love bamboo socks, but I also really love socks with cute designs, which unfortunately generally aren't bamboo, so as long as they're cute, I don't worry about the material.  Design-wise, I can't resist Hello Kitty or Halloween designs (especially with bats!), and I'm always on the lookout for just the right Loch Ness monster/sea monster or octopus or squid or kraken socks.  Some basic black or other colors of bamboo socks would also be fantastic, though.     If you’re not near one, is there anything from Trader Joe’s you’d like?  I’m near one.     How do you feel about local items from my city, like spicy (think chili) things or local coffee? The coffee is not spicy lol.  The coffee is not spicy lol. Pinion things, like incense perhaps? Prickly pear jelly? I’m not really a fan of spicy, and definitely not of chili (sorry), and I don’t drink coffee. But I do love the idea of local items from my Witch’s city, like a postcard or a magnet or something emblematic of where you live.  ETA: Oops, missed the end part of the question the first time around – yes, I’d be interested in trying pinion incense, and maybe a tiny jar of prickly pear jelly (I don’t really use jelly all that much, but I think it would be fun to try some prickly pear jelly!).     Do you have good feelings about Funko Pop?  Let’s say that I don’t have bad feelings about Funko Pop. Some of them have caught my eye, but when it came down to it, I always found other places that I’d rather spend my money.     Candles! Anything from these places catch your fancy? https://cantripcandles.com/collections (restocks Friday 9/18 at 9:00 PST)  Maybe Sanctuary?  (6 oz. tin.)  Actually, with all the incense I’ve been going through, I can always use more matches. I especially like the Necromancy Spells matchbook, with the Divination Spells matchbook coming in second. https://miruscandles.com/collections  Not my fandoms, so probably wasted on me. https://briarwickcandles.com/collections  Ghost Stories 4 oz tin.  Witches Brew could be good too (and I like the color!), and it’s difficult to resist Jareth, because Jareth.     9/17/20   Is there something from your fandom that popped up in another country you'd be particularly interested in?  What, and what store? Judging from eBay, many many things from my current fandom have popped up in Japan.  I’ve seen lots of advertising tie-ins, etc. for Bungo Stray Dogs.  I can’t really point to any one thing in particular, though.  I'd probably like anything you could find, especially if it featured one of my favorite characters.   Would you be interested in some boozy chocolates (or anything else) from https://www.chocolatemoonshine.com/ ?  I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – I LOVE fudge! The Belgian chocolate fudge sounds yummy, and I’m very curious about the French vanilla fudge.  As far as the truffle bars go, top choices are hazelnut, milk chocolate, mint, and orange.   9/18/20   Witchee, assuming you like home made/home canned condiment goodies, what is your spice level preference?   Pretty low, actually.  And I like sweet rather than savory spices, if that makes sense.  I mean, if you want to bake me something with a ton of cinnamon or studded with red hots candies, then I’d most likely be fine with that, but if we’re talking hot peppers or chilis, then not so much.   While I'm here WFH I'm multi tasking & doing lots of preserving while I manage my office & those I support.  Currently I have a small batch of Smoky Tomato Jam simmering down.  I'm about 10 feet from the stove & it smells amazing.  This batch has a little more of a spicy kick than my prior batch.  Which batch would you rather have a jar of?  Spicy & Smokey, or the less.... heated version.  This stuff is amazing in a grilled cheese sammie. I’m not a fan of tomatoes (yes, my family thinks I’m totally weird).  I can do ketchup on burgers/fries and a little tomato sauce on pizzas, but nothing much more than that.     9/19/20   Lilith are up! Is there anything from the release that you want? Decant or full bottles? Perfectly Normal Childhood looks promising; also possible are Baby’s First Ballista; 2020 Aesthetic; Aoede, Melete, Mneme; and Sentence First, Verdict Afterwards.  Decants would be best; the only one I would even think of possibly blind bottling would be Perfectly Normal Childhood.     How would you feel about recipes?   I don’t cook and I bake only very rarely, so unfortunately recipes would be wasted on me.   Would anyone be interested in anything from Bucees?! It’s a magical giant beaver gas station/shop! It has spices, fudge,  Knick knacks, all things Texas, candy, beef jerky, roasted nuts, and of course beavers! Most things like the fudge and nuts are made in house.  I’ve never heard of Bucees, but I would never say no to fudge.     9/20/20   How do you guys store your decants so they are not a confused mess?  If you've got a system, please share it.  I’m no help on this, because mine are basically a confused mess.  I did at one point separate them by first letter into 26 separate baggies (+ 1 for numbers, I think), but I haven’t even been keeping up with that “system.”  I do have a bunch of the ammo trays, but have only filled one, and haven't yet figured out a way to make them really work for me.   9/21/20   I'm a knitter.  I have some knitted washcloths done, and can knit up more.  Would you like some?  Also, if answered soon enough, I can maybe get a scarf done.  Would you like one?  What colors would you like?  Thin or thick?  With or without fringe?  Are you allergic to any fibers - wool, cashmere, angora, alpaca?  Sure, knitted washcloths would be nice.  Not allergic to any fibers (well, I’m somewhat allergic to cats and bunnies, but I think I could do angora, assuming that it’s harvested without harming the bunnies).  No need to rush to make a scarf for me, though; my BFF used to knit so I’m already well supplied with scarves.     Witchee, darling, there's a *slight* chance I might be going on a trip next week and *might*, in the course of this trip, have access to Disneyworld goodies from Epcot and Magic Kingdom - any stuff you might desire?  I guess some small Haunted Mansion thing, maybe? Or a small Eeyore something; I like Eeyore.     9/22/20   Would you like any of Snag Tights’ Halloween offerings and if so, what size? No thank you; I never wear tights.   Do you prefer getting one or two really nice/more expensive things or several smaller/less expensive little things? Or do you have no preferance? No real preference; do what works best for your time and budget.  (But if you’re going to go the 1-2 more expensive things route, maybe you could send a postcard or two also, or something like that?)   Witchee, do you like tea? If so, what kind? I like tea, but I really like hot chocolate better.  I drink Harney & Sons’ decaf hot cinnamon spice tea in the mornings at work; I used to drink it all through the day, but I’ve switched over to dandelion tea in the afternoons lately.  It’s really not my favorite, but my doctor is worried about my kidneys recently and keeps making me take blood tests, so I’ve been doing the dandelion tea the last couple of weeks to try to get the numbers on my blood tests to where she wants them so that I don’t have to keep getting tested.    Witchee, do you want anything?  Shirts, mugs, postcards from Anarchist Seattle, Portland, or New York.... https://www.redbubble.com/people/litlnemo/shop?artistUserName=litlnemo Not unless my Witch wants to send me one of the postcards, which would be great. I do love getting postcards.   Would you be interested in a gently-used tarot deck (or other oracle)? If so, toss out some styles you gravitate towards, cause I have SO MANY DECKS and I'd love to send one or more along! I have a couple Jasmine Becket-Griffith ones on my Amazon wishlist.  Other than that, I’d hesitate to toss out styles, because I do already have a lot of decks, including some other Becket-Griffith ones, some anime ones, and a Halloween one.
Are you interested in receiving a burned CD of music? If so, name of genres, artists, styles that you are into or would like more of to explore. Sure!  My musical preferences are detailed in my original questionnaire, but I’d be up to explore more goth (past or present) and German or Japanese language musicians (primarily pop/rock probably).   Do you have an Amazon wishlist?  If you do and you're ok with getting stuff from it, please share the link! I have two, one predominantly books and the other mostly other stuff.  Both are in my sig.   Pumpkin/pumpkin spice – yay or nay?  Yay in food/drinks but nay in other products (soaps, perfumes, etc.) or vice versa?  What are your thoughts? I’m don’t really enjoy pumpkin or pumpkin spice as either a flavor or a scent, but I do make an exception for pumpkin muffins – those are yummy.   Candy corn – love it or loathe it?  Or just don’t care much one way or another? I like it in small quantities, but I don’t love it.  I did love the Brach’s caramel apple candy corn they had a few years back, but they seem to have dropped it from their candy corn lineup, sadly. Candy corn as a decorative element can be cute.   9/23/20   https://www.poesieperfume.com/loose-leaf-tea  <---- would you be interested in receiving tea and / or scents from Poesie?   The loose leaf tea discovery set looks perfect for me, as I would almost always rather try samples of a lot of different things than stick with one full-size item.  S’more Tea?; Albert + Victoria; Tudor Rose; Fancy A Cuppa; and Twice To Tea would be my top 5 picks.     I have been remiss--witchee (or anyone needing a minion), I am notorious for homemade caramels, shortbreads both savory and sweet, and catnip/catnip laced toys.  I've also started playing with homemade marshmallows and fruit candies.  Any interest? I am always interested in homemade marshmallows!  My cousin went through a phase of experimenting with perfecting homemade marshmallows and I loved it when she sent me the fruits of her labors.  Alas, she has since moved on to other culinary challenges, and I have been without homemade marshmallows for much too long.  I’d especially love cinnamon or clove marshmallows, but regular vanilla or mint or something else would be great also.  Homemade caramels also sound lovely.   9/25/20   I I happen to live near this amazing place.  Do you have any interest is anything that I could pick up there?  They have hand made pottery, cookie molds, cookbooks with historical recipes all sorts of good stuff.  https://www.gcv.org/shop/ The lady’s hand fan with the fanology instructions looks very cool!  And I know I’ve said that I don’t cook at all, but I’m intrigued by the Super Simple Sweet Pioneer Recipes book.  Treats that were mentioned in the Little House books?  Since I grew up reading those, I'm totally excited at the thought!  (I remember my friends and I reading the Little House cookbook, and spending recesses playing at living out on the prairie back then.  And yes, I had a Little House on the Prairie lunch box, too. )  I also like the redware candleholder.   10/3/20   Witchee, darlin', anything appeal from this goth-metal-Satanic Tea company, Pitch Black North? https://www.pitchblacknorth.com/category/all-tea The Leviathan tea ball looks cool, but just too pricy, especially since I already have a perfectly functional tea ball.  Of the teas, the vanilla earl grey looks best, but it also seems like it would taste much the same as the Moonlight Earl Grey that I'm already well stocked up on from a local place.     WITCHEE, WOULD YOU LIKE ANY OF THESE?  Don't just say "yes" -- please be specific about which ones you want the most!   Brown Sugar Plum Butter Pflaumenmus (also Plum Butter) Cardamom Plum Jam Star Anise Plum Jam Ginger Peach Butter Vanilla Peach Jam Sweet Green Tomato Relish Dill Green Tomato Relish Huckleberry Jam Apple Butter Candied Jalapenos (delicious with cream cheese on burgers or crackers) Lavender Vanilla Bean liqueur Rose Petal liqueur Well, I've gotten to try the rose petal liqueur from an earlier SW, so I know that's yummy!  I'm awfully curious about the huckleberry jam, too.  I'd be very happy to try a bit of that!   10/4/20   the other day I found the pattern I made for a small crocheted skull. I have made some before and included some herbs and oils and such, things that both smell good and are said to carry protective virtues, in the stuffing, and hooked them up to hang in a vehicle or such. Would any of y'all like one of those? Sounds very cute!  I would totally like one of those!   10/5/20   is anyone a Daredevil fan??  I'm going to be working with Christopher Brewster who is Daredevil in the suit (i.e. the stunt performer but not the FACE of the actor... but when the suit is on... its Brewster).  I worked with him on something else... and he was super cool... excited to get to work with him again... but if that's anyone's fandom... I wanna know LOL Sorry, I've never watched Daredevil.  (I assume it's a tv show, or was there a movie?  I only know the character from Punisher comics.  )   10/12/20   Darling witchee, would you like a candle or other goodies from Last Craft? https://lastcraftdesigns.com/ I like the black & white cat face mask (with the bats and skulls)!        

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch 2019 questions and answers

9/18/19
 
Would you like anything from Future Primitive? (It's fine to mention OOS things) https://futureprimitivesoap.co.uk/ The Four and Twenty Blackbirds soap looks so pretty!  The Opium Den bubbling bathing grains or conditioning hair rinse sound very nice, too.  From the scent catalogue on the site, Witch Cake sounded like something I’d want to try, but I didn’t see any products listed for it.   Does anyone have a favorite horror movie that they love? Need a copy/DVD of?  My favorite “horror” movie is probably The Raven, even though it’s not really horror at all.  I already have a copy of that, though.  I don’t really follow what’s new in the theaters or go out to the movies, so I tend to rely on what I can find at the library.  Thanks to the library, I just saw Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, which was better than I expected and pretty funny. I also watched Suck after getting from the library and not expecting much (gave it a try just because of the cast), and now it’s on my Amazon wishlist.  The library tends to fall a little short on non-comedy horror movie choices, though, and if my Witch has any favorite horror movies to share I’d definitely be open to that.  I’m fine with gore, but please no sadistic torture stuff or cruelty to animals.   Do you like smallish knitted stuff (hats, fingerless mittens, scarves, toys, etc. -- be specific!)?   I’m not really familiar with knitted toys, but I do love little crocheted amigurumi toys, so I think I’d probably like small knitted toys also.   Do any of these knitted items appeal to you? Easy Fingerless Mittens Pfeilraupe Asymmetrical Scarf Odyssey Shawl Close to You scarf Rikke Slouch Hat Simple Yet Effective Cowl Knitted Pumpkins Little Bear Stuffy  Definitely the knitted pumpkins!  I don’t know if I could actually pull off the look, but I do like the Pfeilraupe asymmetrical scarf, too.   How do you feel about thrift store finds (assuming they're in good condition and have been thoroughly cleaned before shipping)?   I’m generally fine with it.  Books, records, decorations, jewelry, teacups and glassware and the like are all fun thrift store finds that I have absolutely no problem with. I’m a little pickier about clothing type stuff from thrift stores, but I’d trust my Witch’s judgement.   9/20/19   I may have bought several full size Rituel de Fille makeup items in a frenzy over their whole vibe. If I tested something once or twice (and it can be sanitized), would you be interested?  Sure, they have some beautiful stuff!   Are you interested in trying different skincare products from higher end, clean brands?   I’m kind of stuck in my ways when it comes to skincare.  That said, most of the few products I use are from Bella Lucce, which has gone out of business, and Villainess, which I don’t buy from anymore after the ownership change.  I’m stocked up enough to last me a while, but I’ll eventually need a replacement for my Bella Lucce grapefruit foaming cleanser and multifruit regenerative face cream and Villainess Slick!, so if you know of something comparable to any of those, I’d be interested in trying a little.   Any interest in anything from Torrid, noting their "fangirl" and Halloween collections are updated?  Not really.     What on the following list would you like to receive something related to (or have something donated to in your and Joni's honor?) ·         animal rescue ·         pie ·         dogs ·         bears ·         turtles ·         inappropriate candies (either in shape or in contents—ex., boozy candies, creatively shaped peanut brittle…) Animal rescue and turtles would be my first choices.  I donate to two rabbit rescues in my area (Midwest Rabbit Rescue and Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary) and to Bat World Sanctuary as well as the Michigan Humane Society and other such organizations myself, so I’d be totally on board with anything animal rescue-related.  I really like turtles, too.     I'll be going to Seattle, London and Paris during this round- anything you'd love to have from any of these locations? I always love getting postcards from different places!  From London, if you happen to run across any music magazines or such with articles about Marc Almond, I’d love that.  He’s my favorite musician, but I almost never see him mentioned in American media.     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. I’m pretty sure I’ve answered this question in detail many times over.    There should be a complete answer already in my 13 Nights of Halloween blog entry (and other past entries). In short, lucky cats, stuff pertaining to my favorite animes and manga, cute stationery stuff like stickers, notepads, washi tape, etc.  I’m happy to try snacks, as long as they’re not seaweed-based or too weirdly flavored.  I haven’t been to my local Japanese market lately, but I’ll have to hit them up and see if I can find the Chestnut and Sweet Potato kitkats, since I think I’d like to try those.   9/22/19   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?  Nothing really comes to mind.     Also what kind of treats, snacks, foods, condiments, bulk items, teas, housewares from the same natural food stores would you love?  I like the Panda black licorice bars, and natural food stores generally have those. There’s no shortage of good natural food stores within easy driving distance of me, so there’s probably not anything that I’m really longing for that I couldn’t just pick up for myself (and probably already have).  But if my Witch has something in mind, please feel free to surprise me!   Also, are there any particular sustainable kitchen or household items you would love to receive?  I’m interested in beeswax food wraps.   9/23/19   Did anything catch your eye from the Liliths?   I didn’t see anything that I wanted a whole bottle of, but out of curiousity I wouldn't mind trying tiny bit of Generation Spooky, She Sauntered Vaguely Downwards, Social Justice Paladin, The Scottish Princess, Con Questions, or Lillith’s First Concert.   Would you like anything from Lush?  No, thank you.   9/26/19   So, there's a Euro coin of some denomination coming out with Asterix on it for the 60th anniversary and, while I'm not a coin collector, I've loved Asterix since before I could read and therefore really want one or two of the coin just to have.  Is there anything kind of weird and niche about which you feel this way, fellow witchees?   Hmm, nothing I can think of like that.      Kickstarter (and similar):  Any thoughts, witches?   I’ve contributed to a lot of Kickstarter campaigns, so my thoughts about them are good.  I’ve done Kickstarters for a new MST3k season, Hal Hartley movies on DVD, a Marc Almond record based on Huysmans’ book À reboura / Against Nature, various books and card games (Necronomicards, Unstable Unicorns, etc.), a maple tree “adoption”, and more.  I don’t mind making a pledge if it’s something that interests me and seems worthwhile.   9/28/19   Do you have an Etsy/Goodreads/Amazon or anything else wishlist you’d like to share?  Mine are all in my signature.   And what’s your preferred wrist/necklace size?  I think I wear about a 7 ½ bracelet.   Does anything from Bird & Blend take your fancy?   The reusable bamboo straw, oddly enough.  I have a weird habit of always using one of those tiny stirrer straws with my tea, and I feel guilty every time.  I bought an office size box years ago and I’ve been working through it, but I would feel so much less guilty if I wasn’t tossing out a tiny plastic straw every day. Tea-wise, I wouldn’t mind trying Campfires & Vampires, Dark Choc Chilli Chai, MojiTEA, Toffee Chai, or Rainbow Chai.   Knitting questions have have been asked, but how about wash cloths, anyone need any?  What colors??  I don’t really need any more wash clothes.      is there anything from World Market that tickles your fancy?   I love the Addams Family stuff! (The ones for the classic tv series, not the other versions.)  I adore both Morticia and Gomez, and together they’re kind of my model of the perfect couple. I also really like the vintage Halloween collection stuff and the vintage pumpkins with witch hats string lights.   9/29/19   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 looks amazing, and Serpens looks right up my alley, so either of those would be beyond lovely.  Honestly, a sample of the Fornax or Lyra eye soots or the Bloodroot lip sheer (I’m always looking for the perfect orange lipstick – everything I find that I think is going to be orange always ends up looking more coral on me for some reason)  would be more than enough.     How do you feel about tarot or oracle decks?  Would you be interested in any (for artwork or for mystical purposes)?  New or used? I have a small collection of tarot and oracle decks (mostly oracle) that I’ve gotten either for the artwork or as gifts from friends who are more mystically inclined.  I don’t use them often, and I don’t know how to read tarot cards (although I’d like to learn someday), so they’re mostly little collections of art for me.  I own a couple of Jasmine Becket-Griffith’s decks already and have a couple more on my Amazon wishlist.  Although it’s not on my wishlist, her Myths & Mermaids one looks nice, too.  Gently used decks are fine with me.   Would pigment samples from companies like M.A.C. or Notoriously Morbid tickle your fancy? If so, what colors catch you eye? I’ve never actually looked at the Notoriously Morbid website before, and wow, their multichromes look amazing!  Autumnal, Destiny, and Desire are probably the ones I’d get the most use out of, in that order, but they all look fantastic.   9/30/19   do you have a favourite saying or quote?   The one that occurs to me at the moment is “Just be true to yourself, if it lands you in Hell well at least now you know” from the song “If You Had a Bad Time” by Alkaline Trio.   How do you feel about spicy foods, and where on the Scoville scale do you hit your limit?   I generally avoid spicy foods.  On the Scoville scale I’m probably at the 100-500 level.  I’ll eat sweet peppers, but that’s about it.  The one exception would be with beer, since if I’m at a beer festival I will generally try the ones made with hot peppers, but that’s just because I want to try them at least once, not that I’ll ever buy an entire bottle.

  How do you feel about coloring books, especially those pertaining to a personal interest or fandom?   I should say that I have too many coloring books already, especially since I rarely color in them, but I do love coloring books that pertain to my personal interests and fandoms.  I think I might even have a couple on my Amazon wishlist at the moment.  I can’t seem to resist collecting artwork that I like, and coloring books fit into that category.   10/1/19   A few questions have been asked about knitted items--are crocheted equivalents acceptable?  (crocheted fingerless gloves, shawls, etc.)   Any fiber issues? I think crocheted equivalents would definitely be acceptable.  I know that knitting and crocheting are different things, but I don’t know that I could tell the difference at first glance, because I don’t do either (despite trying to learn how to crochet on multiple occasions – I always fail).  The only fiber issues I might have would be that I’m somewhat allergic to both rabbits and cats, but I don’t think that people usually knit or crochet with rabbit or cat fur, so I should be ok.  I generally prefer soft fibers, but I think that’s probably true of most people.       About the Weenies: please list what you've bought or are definitely purchasing for yourself *as well as* what you would like to possibly receive from someone else!   I don’t see anything that I’m definitely purchasing for myself.  I usually at least get Devil’s Night, but it looks like they’re not offering it this year. I’d like to get decants of Flesh of My Flesh and Voluptuous Wantonness, but I’m guessing that I'll probably be too lazy to join a decant circle to get them.   Dear Witchee, are you at all boozy?  Anywhere between hard cider to straight whisk(e)y?  And any interest in the "unusual" stuff? (unusual as in non-mainstream, local craft ciders or meads, regional fruit wines, experiments from local distilleries, etc)  I do like to try different alcoholic beverages, but I don’t drink a lot these days. My tolerance seems to be way down, unfortunately.  But I do like to try new things, so I like the little airline size bottles for just trying different boozes, and the little single-serve type wine bottles.  I wish breweries would do that same, since these days I generally don’t even finish a full can or bottle of beer at one sitting. This time of year I do like to try any new pumpkin beer I can get my hands on, though.  I’ve love to try ones from small regional breweries that I wouldn’t be able to get locally.  Regional fruit wines or experiments from local distilleries would be very nice, too.   10/2/19   Nail Polish: Do you need or want some?  If so, what colors and brands are you interested in?   Probably not. I do love nail polish, but I have soooooo much already, and I don’t seem to wear it that often.  I think there’s still some in my Etsy wishlist though, so I guess I wouldn’t say absolutely no.   Does anyone else do nail wraps?  I don’t.   What about postcards?  I always LOVE getting postcards!    Is anyone interested in anything from the Nocturne Alchemy Halloween release (or, presumably, anything else from the site)?  I already got Halloween 2020 and Poe.  I meant to order some decants from Ajevie for other scents, but never got around to it. The ones I was most interested in are: Dark Ghost Velvet, Eternal Ankh Spice, Eternal Egypt Nag Champa, Skelekin, and Witch Doctor.   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’m not really interested in salt on its own.  I don’t really cook, so I don’t need it for seasoning, and I don’t put salt on very many things – I pretty much only put it on french fries.  Plus every time I’ve had my blood pressure tested in the past few years it’s been high (when I had dental surgery earlier this year it was so high that they kept me on a monitor the entire surgery and told me that I should really see a doctor about it), so it’s probably best for me to stir clear of adding additional salt to things.     10/3/19   I am infamous for baking (shortbreads savory and sweet, poundcake, various cookies and bars), butter caramels (flavored or plain), and catnip.  Are any of these relevant to you or your household?   Homebaked treats are always relevant! Sweet shortbreads, cookies, or caramels would all be lovely.  For cookies, I especially like peanut butter, oatmeal (Scotchies, plain, or with chocolate chips), Snickerdoodles, and chocolate chip.      Do you like to cook and do you need/want any spices for such pursuits?   I don’t like to cook, and any spices I buy generally just sit around in my cupboard forever going to waste.  The only spice I use on any sort of regular basis is cinnamon for baking (which I don’t really enjoy and therefore don’t do often), and I’ve just been using the standard grocery store or Trader Joe’s cinnamon, so a better grade of cinnamon would probably be nice.  I suppose I could use good vanilla (extract, flavor, or paste) as well.    Would you wear any of these?  Fern , Nuada, Manannan, Duleek Abbey  or an infinity scarf or tube cowl tall enough for a hood (like this scarf or this cowl for shape example)?   I don’t know how often I’d wear it, since I generally don’t get dressed up and my standard wardrobe is sweatpants at home/jeans when out in public and teeshirts and hoodies, but the Fern is really pretty.     Do you have any utilitarian needs for everyday life? Things that would help or that you've been needing or wanting for work or whatever?  The only thing that comes to mind is a new set of tweezers (for tightening the tiny little screws on my glasses).     What kind of vegan snacks do you like? And vegan chocolate...favorites?   I’ve never sought out vegan snacks or vegan chocolate for myself, so I don’t even have any ideas of what I’d like.  I think Panda black licorice bars are vegan, and I really like those.   10/4/19   How would you describe your crafting style? Whimsical & Cute?  Elegantly modern?  Totally Traditional?  Precise, maybe? I’m not sure how to describe it, really – just that I like crafts like cross-stitching and card making with stamps and diecuts – crafts that result in a clean, specific look rather than stuff like mixed media that require more creativity and can have a “messier” look. I like cute stuff - my favorite stamp company is Lawn Fawn.  That and my Etsy wishlist should probably help give some ideas of what I like craft-wise.      So....we are about to process a metric f*ton of green tomato relish, which is basically bread and butter pickles but with sliced green cherry tomatoes.  Is this relevant to any witchees?  No thank you.   How do you celebrate Halloween/Samhain?  Do you dress up?  Would you like something for your costume?  And am I the only person left on the planet who wears socks?   I usually celebrate by watching old horror movies, reading some Poe, and passing out candy.  This year I’m trying to wear a different Halloween-ish shirt every day of October – I think I might just have enough Halloween-related tee shirts to do it!  I probably won’t dress up other than to throw on the old vampire cape for when I’m passing out candy.  I LOVE socks, especially Halloween socks.  Today I wore red socks with black bats.  I ended up spending time at the urgent care clinic and then the ER, and had to get a EKG both times, and each time the nurse attaching the wires on my legs complimented me on my socks.    🦇  (As an aside, my Witch, today's official diagnosis of high blood pressure pretty much cements that the answer to the earlier question about salt is that I should probably just completely avoid it.)   Are you interested in anything from Art Of Tea or Adagio Teas?   From Art of Tea, the ones that stand out most are the Passionfruit Jasmine, Bright Eyed, and Dark Chocolate Peppermint.  From Adagio – oh my gosh, those Wicked Teas look so fun!  I’d love a sample tin of the Bat Brew especially! Just from the landing page, the Bonfire and Jasmine Phoenix Pearls look good, too.  I’m sorry, there’s just so much on the site and I really don’t want to spend hours going through it all, so I’ll leave anything else up to my Witch. 
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 thank you.   And a quick question here--I'm going to this amazing looking event on Saturday--does my witchee see anything they might be interested in?  https://www.facebook.com/events/903999316607440/ (the Oddities Market)  It looks like there’ll be a lot of interesting stuff there!  Although I do think some of it looks neat, I personally really wouldn’t want anything taxidermied or anything made with dead critters or parts of dead critters, not even butterfly or moth wings.  I do like the style of the advertisement for the show – it reminds me of the stuff that Electric Vector (https://electricvector.com) makes locally.  I buy stickers and magnets from them almost every time I run into them at craft shows or at the Rust Belt Market.  I’d be open to things in that style, or something with bats (other than actual dead bats, that is), or soap or a candle, or anything else that my Witch thinks might suit my taste. 
10/10/19   what is your T-shirt/shirt of choice Size?   I usually order an XL from woot.com and TeeTurtle and an XXL from Sick On Sin.  XL is generally the best way to go for standard shirts, or 2XL if the brand is known for running small.   10/11/2019   OCTOBER LUNACY!  I know turn around time is unlikely, but just saying (JUST SAYING), dear Witchee, did anything catch your eye?   I don’t know that anything caught my eye enough for an entire bottle – Lime & White Musk, maybe, since I love lime, but then again white musk is iffy.  I wouldn’t mind trying a tiny bit of Bourbon Vanilla & Yellow Carnation or Palo Santo & Sandalwood, just out of curiosity, if you happen to order a bottle for yourself and are willing to spare just a smidgen to sniff.      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?   I don’t really know.  I’ve made some beaded bracelets and necklaces for myself in the past and I don’t seem to ever wear them.  I wear about a 7 ½ bracelet, I think.  Maybe something in orange and black?  Something Halloween-y?    10/13/19   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?   Any of the ones I mentioned in my initial questionnaire would be great.  Probably the two rabbit rescues could use a donation the most, I suppose.  I don’t know which specific animal rescues that lucyboo favored, but if my Witch does, I wouldn’t mind if the donation went there instead of to one of my favorites.   10/15/19   What is your very favorite Halloween candy? If you don't have one/don't do candy, what's a seasonal treat you love?  Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins are my very favorite.   I just got an email from Lush that their Christmas stuff is now up online! anything you might like?  No, thank you.     10/18/19   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. No, thank you.  The only form I can stand banana flavor in is a fresh banana, and even that’s only occasionally.   10/19/19   I am in Las Vegas is there anything you would want from here?  I like getting postcards from anywhere!        

bookworm

bookworm

 

13 Nights of Halloween 2019 Questions and Answers

for those who mentioned Yes to handmade items; what sort of knitted gifts would you love to receive? ie, socks, mittens, hat, cowl etc?  Socks would be fun, or maybe something decorative rather than wearable.    Witch Baby Soap, a favorite of mine, just dropped their Halloween line! Is there anything there you'd like?  Hmmm, the Hekate face soap looks very nice.  Maybe that or one of the bath bombs in Hallowmas or Dead Man's Party?  Or if we stray out of the Halloween section and into the main catalog, a Dragon's Blood or maybe Black Mass bath bomb?   Ive been feeling very autumny, and I stumbled across this artist, Camille Chew, on society6...  she has such beautiful Halloween prints! Anyone know of any other autumn/spooky artists?  Oh, I like her Lunar Pattern: Blue Moon and Lunar Pattern: Eclipse designs!  Of the other artists mentioned, the stuff at https://www.eyeris.eu/ really isn't to my taste; I do like the Abigail Larson stuff (especially Asleep in the Library and Storytime with Goblins for my library; The Cats of Ulthar; The Pumpkin Patch; and oh, gosh, that Ghosts! floor pillow! - wish I had a good space for it!); I also like some of the Iren Horrors designs; SophiaRapata's work is not my style; and how did I not know that Aurelio Voltaire had this shop until doomsday_disco mentioned it?!?  Sadly, most of his designs there are kind of leaving me uninspired, but I do like Halloween Moon!  Not really for purposes of this swap because most of her stuff is pricey, but just as a general mention in case people want to check her out for themselves, local-to-me artist Nina Friday has some Halloween-y designs at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ninafriday.  I've had her Batty and Bloodflowers design on my Etsy favorites list since I saw her work at the Ann Arbor Art Fair, and I like Departure also, but sadly her work is a bit out of my comfortable price range.

Would you be interested in any candles, wax melts, lip balms, or jewelry from Sihaya and Company? The Ember & Mallow sorbetto scrub or candle or the Gingerbread Wonderland soap or sorbetto scrub.  Her jewelry is very pretty, but I don't see anything that I like better than the two pieces of hers that I already have: a labradorite necklace I got for myself and a gorgeous Edgar Allan Poe necklace that was a gift from my wonderful Witch greylen in my very first Switch Witch round!   Anything you'd love from Haus of Gloi? I do like their bubbling scrub - I'm not really familiar with Haus of Gloi, but I was gifted a Moon Dog one during another SW round by the fabulous Jenjin, and I really liked the texture of it.  I see they also have bath bombs (a Moon Dog one would be neat!) and powder.  The only scent of theirs I know is Moon Dog, but if you're a fan of Haus of Gloi, I'm open to surprises based on what you think I might like!
 
Do you like stuff related to Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead? I do have a few things (a sugar skull I made, a ceramic sugar skull also from Jenjin), but it's not a holiday I celebrate, so I think I'm good with just the couple of little treasures I already have.   How do you feel about homemade edibles? Do you have a preference for a kind? I.E. cookies, jams, etc, or something savory? As someone who never cooks and rarely bakes (and doesn't really enjoy it when I do), I'm ecstatic to get homemade edibles.  My preferences run towards the sweet - chocolate fudge, homemade marshmallows, buckeyes, and all kinds of cookies (preferably without any nuts).  I'm not opposed to jam, but I rarely use it, and I generally stick to flavors like cherry or mulberry when I do.  Savory snacks aren't really my thing.   would you like to receive something either Pagan or Vodou in nature?  I think something like a charm to protect my home would be very nice, or a candle for a general purpose like good luck or something, with specific instructions for use.  I'm not religious, so anything more in depth or involved would probably be wasted on me.  (No disrespect to anyone's religious practices, but my understanding is that some Vodou paths include animal sacrifice, so like whoahorsey said, please nothing with dead animal parts.)   For those of you that appreciate wax melts, are you interested in anything from Zeep's Halloween update (dropping Friday the 13th) or Willow Waxcraft's Falloween update (already released)?  I don't really use wax melts anymore.   Is there anything you would particularly like from Japan? Stationary, bento supplies, a particular snack, etc.   I know this is coltostallion’s question and I’ve already been partnered with her in a previous swap, so she most likely doesn't need to know my answer, but just in case whoever is my gifter is also wondering about my answer, it’s pretty much anything, really! I read/watch a lot of manga and anime, so I’m kind of intrigued by most things Japanese, and there are so many super cute things from Japan! I’m especially fond of maneki neko stuff, and anything related to one of the manga or anime series I like would be super cool and greeted with much love and excitement. My newest/current interest is Bungo Stray Dogs (favorite characters are Akutagawa, Ranpo, Poe, and Kunikida; favorite fanfic ships are Akutagawa/Atsushi, RanPoe, and Kunikida/Dazai).  I’m sure I’ve listed all my other favorites at various times in various questionnaires, but the ones I generally remember most are Psychic Detective Yakumo / Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, Pet Shop of Horrors, Adekan, Ghost Hunt (Akuryou series & Akumu no Sumu ie), Black Butler / Kuroshitsuji (especially anything with Grell and/or Sebastian!), Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok / Matantei Loki Ragnarok (I especially love Yamino), Hellsing, Love Stage!!, Maid-sama!, and Ten Count. Stationary, Hello Kitty, or any cute stuff would be welcomed and loved. I do have a Japanese market in my area, so I’m generally set on Japanese candy and treats, but they no longer have two things I used to get - Pocky with white chocolate and a “mystery” Puccho (I think that’s what it was called) - so I’d be happy to get more of either. I'd love to try the sweet potato KitKats, too.  Really, I'd probably like just about anything from Japan, other than seaweed or weird flavored savory snacks.   what's your favourite animal (think, as a pattern on socks, bags, notebooks, etc) ?  I like bats, mice, bunnies, and Loch Ness monsters.    Are there any fandoms you’d like to receive items from? If so: are there any favorite characters you’d like to receive items from?  Apologies, I'm going to pretty much just repeat what I said in my answer to the question about whether there's anything I'd particularly like from Japan, because my fandoms are mostly anime/manga ones.  My newest/current interest is Bungo Stray Dogs (favorite characters are Akutagawa, Kunikida, Ranpo, Poe, and I suppose Dazai; favorite ships are Akutagawa/Atsushi, RanPoe, and Kunikida/Dazai).  Some of my other favorites are Psychic Detective Yakumo / Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, Pet Shop of Horrors, Adekan, Ghost Hunt (Akuryou series & Akumu no Sumu ie) (Lin is my favorite), Black Butler / Kuroshitsuji (especially anything with Grell and/or Sebastian, but definitely not anything with Sebastian/Ciel), Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok / Matantei Loki Ragnarok (I especially love Yamino), Hellsing (Integra and Alucard), Love Stage!!, Maid-sama!, and Ten Count.  Plus Reedsong's answer reminded me that I really enjoy Ouran High School Host Club too, and Mori is totally my favorite from that.   Other fandoms I guess would be Supernatural (Dean most of all; I also quite like Crowley) and Red Dwarf, and although it's probably really stretching the definition of fandom, just general Lovecraft/Cthulhu stuff and Poe stuff.   Do you prefer solid soap bars or liquid soap/shower gels? Shower oils?  Solid soap bars, definitely.  I have a slew of shower gels already, and I almost never use them.   Do you own a bath tub and would you like to receive bath products?  I do own a bath tub, and I'd be fine with receiving bath products.  That being said, I HATE cleaning the bath tub, so I'm not a fan of any really messy products, like something really oily or colored in a way that will likely leave a stain until I scrub it off.   What are your feelings about tee turtle tshirts? Any favorites?  I LOVE Tee Turtle!  They're at least a third of my total shirt wardrobe.  I just took advantage of their recent sale to place a fairly large order a few days ago, in fact.  Still, there were some things that I reluctantly dropped back out of my shopping cart to get my total cost down to a more manageable level before checking out, so I do still have a mental wishlist going.  I totally want the new Spooky Monsters shirt that they released after I placed my order (of course), and I still want the Death Is Magic, Halloween Knight, Haunted Storybook, Trash Panda, Tails of Fire and Ice, and Yin Yang Kitsune shirts.  (I get the Men's XL shirts.  I like to be able to layer a long sleeve shirt underneath the tees so that I can continue to wear them through the winter.)   I might have seen a wallet I think that suits you, but also suits the halloween theme. Would you like to receive a wallet at all?  I don't know that I'd really use another wallet.  Most of the time I just keep wallet-type contents in a pocket of my purse or in a small zippered bag with a red and black spiderweb design, so I kind of already have the Halloween theme going with that.  I also have a shiny green monster coin purse, so I'm not lacking for Halloween-appropriate wallet-y things.   Are there any BPAL’s you’re wishing to get your hands on?  I have some on my wishlist, but nothing recent.  I think I've generally bought anything I thought I would really like and not want to miss out on, but if I run across something I'm missed that looks good, I'll update.   Would you like a box to hold BPAL or other small items?  What size box?  Imps, a few bottles, a lot of bottles?  I do like boxes, but because of that I do also already have quite a lot of them in various sizes, so smaller would probably be better.  Also, I have a large box that I made in a woodworking class that's just waiting for me to do a final sand and stain or varnish before I can move quite a lot of my bottles into it, so it'd probably be better to get a small one rather than another large one.  Maybe for imps or just a few bottles or some other misc. small trinkets.   Is there a specific type of socks you prefer?  Wool, cotton, etc.?  No-show, ankle, crew, knee, thigh-high?  Crew or ankle height are best.  I really love bamboo socks, but I also really love socks with cute designs, which unfortunately generally aren't bamboo, so as long as they're cute, I don't worry about the material.  Design-wise, I can't resist Hello Kitty or Halloween designs (especially with bats!), and I'm always on the lookout for just the right Loch Ness monster/sea monster or octopus or squid or kraken socks.  Some basic black or other dark colors of bamboo socks would also be fantastic, though.     Is there any oddball small thing you need or want but haven't gotten around to buying for yourself?   Nothing comes to mind right at the moment, but I'll think on it and update if anything pops up in my brain!   Do you listen to any podcasts?  Not really.  I did listen to the 10 episode podcast The Case of Charles Dexter Ward a few months ago and enjoyed it, though.  More recently I've been listening just to individual stories, like Crispin Freeman reading Poe's The Cask of Amontillado as well as various other Poe stories read by William Control, Vincent Price, or Basil Rathbone.   Do you have any favorite Halloween or scary movies?  I always watch The Raven with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and Hazel Court.  It's silly, but I love it.  Around Halloween is when I dig out the old Roger Corman-directed Poe-based movies with Vincent Price, and the old Universal monster movies, especially Bela Lugosi's Dracula.  I love all those old movies with Vincent Price, Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, etc.  Warlock with Julian Sands and Richard E. Grant is always worth another viewing, too.  This year, I've been kind of thinking I might want to re-visit that old 80's movie The Bride starring Sting and Jennifer Beals.  I haven't seen that in decades, and I just stumbled across a listing for the DVD on Amazon a month or so ago and it's been sort of sticking in my head ever since.   I'm always in the mood to watch scary movies around Halloween, but somehow I just never seem to get out to the theater to see them.   Are there any crystals or stuff like that, that really resonates with you? I wouldn't say any really resonate with me; I'm not at all sensitive to that kind of thing.  I do have a preference for certain stones, though : garnets (my birthstone); labradorite; calcite, tiger's eye, goldstone, and hematite seem to be the stones to which I'm most drawn.   Do you drink loose leaf tea? If not, would you be up for drinking loose leaf tea if you had an infuser? I do drink loose leaf tea.  I tend to drink bagged tea most often just because it's quicker and more convenient, but I do have an infuser and also fillable tea bags to use with loose leaf tea, so I can and do drink it on occasion.   What type of books do you like to read? Is there any type of book you'd really like to have more of? I have to admit that I've been reading more fanfiction than actual books lately, to my dismay.  I have stacks of books that I should be reading that are getting ignored in favor of quick fanfic fixes.  The link to my Amazon wishlist is in my signature, and I wouldn't mind a spooky book or anthology of spooky stories for the season.     Do you prefer your gifts numbered or not? I really don't have a preference, so whatever works best for my goblin is fine with me.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Answers to Fall 2011 Switch Witch questions

September 8th   From the Weenie Update....what are you most wanting to try? BPAL: Ghosts in love; Pumpkin princess; The Gorobble; Sprinklecake; and Halloween: Las Vegas.   Who's into nail polish? What colors/brands? Me! I like all sorts of colors, as long as they’re not neutral! I have polishes in blacks, browns, purples, blues, greens, yellows, oranges, reds, golds, silvers, and more. I’ll buy any brand if I like a color, and I love duochromes, glitters, and metallics. Some day if I do something really spectacular I’m going to reward myself with Clarins 230 – I want it so, but it’s just too expensive to justify without some super special reason.   Is there a quote (or lyric or part of a poem) that really resonates with you or is your favorite? I like "just be true to yourself; if it lands you in Hell, well, at least now you know" from the Alkaline Trio song "If You Had a Bad Time." And, not a quote per se, but I find myself saying “It is what it is” a lot. My mom has a tendency to get worked up and stressed out about everything, and I’m pretty much the opposite – don’t worry, don’t stress, because it is what it is.   Dream candle? Scent, color, type (tealight, votive, pillar, jar, etc.), throw... I love beeswax candles. I think my dream candle would be a cinnamon-scented beeswax pillar with a strong throw. I don’t care what color it is, although natural, red, or black would probably be my first choices.   Do you like knitted goodies? If so, what would you like and what colors? I have a friend that knits me a scarf every year for Xmas, so I’m totally covered on that, but I’d love some fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm while I work. (Right now I just have a cheap pair of cotton gloves with the fingers cut off, and they’re prone to unraveling. ) And if you’ll pardon me a jump from knitting to crocheting, I love, love, LOVE those cute crocheted amigurumi that people make! I have a bunch in my Etsy wishlist, and I’ve love just about anything from the Creepy Cute Crochet book!   Would you be interested in homemade edibles that are NOT sweets? Any specifics? I don’t cook or bake or any of that stuff, so I’m in awe of people who do and always excited to get homemade treats! I love homemade bread (I had a great chocolate chunk sourdough from Zingerman’s once that I’ve tried to duplicate using my bread maker without success, as the chocolate chunks all melted into the dough and made a chocolate flavored sourdough that was awful), cookies (snickerdoodles, oatmeal without raisins, peanut butter, and more), and cakes/cupcakes. Homemade maple syrup would be lovely, salsa would be very nice, and jellies could be nice, too, although I don’t use jelly very often. And I know they’re sweets, but I’d be ecstatic to get homemade fudge or maple candy!   What GC do you live in mortal terror of the lab discontinuing, but never get around to buying? After a couple rounds of discontinuations a while back I went ahead and ordered backups of all the GCs I used most. I try to order more Dorian every few orders or so, because I NEED to always have Dorian available. It would break my heart if that one were discontinued.   Yo, yarnies! Do you Ravelry? If so, who are you over thar? I’m not a yarnie, so I don’t Ravelry.   Social Media? Not at all. I’m way behind the times.   Do you have wishlists for non-BPAL e-tailers? And if so, could you provide a link or a list? Yes, I have a wishlist for Etsy and two for Amazon (one is for Amazon items and the other for non-Amazon items added with Amazon’s universal wishlist feature). They're all listed in my sig. (By the way, as long as we’re on the subject of the Amazon wishlists, I should probably mention that most of my notations for particular items were written to guide my brother in Xmas and birthday shopping, so if they seem overly picky, it’s just because he’d prefer to have all the help he can get when buying gifts! )   Witchee, do you use a PC or a Mac? Mac.   What is your favorite animal? I love bats and mice, rats, gerbils, and other rodents, and bunnies.   What are you going to be for Halloween? The responsible adult handing out candy at the front door. I’ll probably at least be wearing black nail polish and a vampire cape, though.   If you could have a piece of oil painting jewelry (pendant, pair of earrings, or ring) with absolutely anything painted on it, what would it be? (If you prefer wall art instead, same question as above.) Bats or a sea monster, probably.   How do you feel about nick-knacks? I’m trying to cut down because I hate dusting, but I still have assorted ones scattered around. If you find one you think is perfect, I’m sure I can find room for it!   What traditions (family, holiday, or otherwise) are important to you? I’m pretty close to my family (my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and I all live within 20 minutes of each other), so we usually spend holidays together. One tradition I like is getting a puzzle for Xmas “from Santa” and then doing it together.   Do you like going to the movies? Sure, but I hardly ever do. The last movie I saw in the theater was Sucker Punch, because I had a friend staying over who wanted to see it. Maybe if they do some old or interesting horror movies next month I’ll go see something, but there’s nothing I’m dying to see right now.   What are your favorite restaurants? The Japanese restaurant down the street from me (Izakaya Sanpei). Whenever I’m out with friends I always vote for whatever Japanese restaurant is nearby, because I’m a bit obsessed with many things Japanese these days, so I want to try new Japanese things. Izakaya Sanpei is my favorite, though – it’s less than 5 minutes away and they have takoyaki!   Do you play any video games? Not anymore.   Do you like any anime? I LOVE anime! I stick pretty much to the fluffy girly stuff and the supernatural: Fruits Basket, Ouran High School Host Club, Maid Sama, Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, Night Walker, Pet Shop of Horrors, Hellsing, Black Butler, etc. I currently have Black Blood Brothers, Chrono Crusade, and the second volume of Maid Sama sitting on my tv cabinet waiting to be watched. I’d like to see Special A, but I’m waiting for the price to come down at Amazon before I buy.   Do you have an E-reader/iPad/something similar that you need a cover/case for? Nope.   how much do you like jewelry? like, if you were to get a shit ton of it during the round, how excited would you be? I like jewelry, and I love chain maille. I don’t wear earrings, but necklaces and bracelets are good. I don’t need a shit ton, though, because I used to make jewelry for myself, and the same friend who knits me scarves also makes me jewelry most every year. But if you make jewelry also, a special little piece or two would be most welcome!   How would you like to receive some of your Witch's favorite recipes, tailored to your likes/dietary restrictions? And specific wants? I don’t cook. I don’t do it well, and I don’t enjoy it, so recipes are pretty much wasted on me, unless they’re super simple, use just the most basic of ingredients, and don’t require any special tools or talents beyond what you’d use to boil water or heat something up in the oven. I’m pretty pathetic in the kitchen. That said, if you have really super simple recipes or crock pot recipes, I’m game to see them.   Do you need any boxes to store your smellies in? What would you store in said hypothetical box--imps, bottles, supplies, all of the above? My bottles are all well-housed, but my imps would love a nice ammo-type box to reside in!   Muppets: yea or nay? Nay.   Do you have an affinity for Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, The Far Side, and other comic strips? If so, which is your favorite? Not really. I liked Calvin and Hobbes, but I always think of that as more my brother’s comic than mine.   Favorite Mythological Creature?: Sea monsters! But I hope they’re not all mythological – I really really want the Loch Ness monster to be real!   Do you like hair things barrettes, headbands, flowers Expanding on the hair question - does anyone like those flower clips for the hair that are big right now?? My hair is so fine that most hair things don’t stay. Barrettes slide right out after not much time at all, and headbands look silly on me. The only thing I use is elastic bands for pony-tails, and I have a million of those.     September 9th   Do you like to burn incense? If so, what are your favorite kinds...sticks? cones? resins? What are your favorite scents? I like candles better, but I do burn incense on occasion, primarily sticks. I’ve never used resins, but I’d be willing to give them a try. My favorite scents are spicy ones – cinnamon, clove, that sort of thing. Citrus can be good too, but I find a lot of floral ones just too overpowering and headache-inducing.       Harry Potter - a fan? If so, what house are you? Not at all. Never read the books, never watched the movies, never had any desire to do either.   If you were to receive a gift card, what places would you like to get one from? Amazon is always good. Sephora would be a thrilling treat. Bunny Butt Apothecary or Soap Box Company would be great too (since my brother has completely ignored their presence on my wishlist every year).   Is there a particular myth/folktale/legend/fairytale/godstory that you're drawn to? I love mythology. I was originally drawn most to Greek and Roman mythology, but I love them all. I’d especially like to learn more Near Eastern mythology and Japanese mythology.   If you RP, tabletop, forum, or otherwise... Do you have any original characters you'd like to see art of? If so, please give information! Even if it's a link to a web page or a profile or picture! I don’t RP.   If you could see anything, what would it be? Can be a person, an event, a landmark or monument, an object, etc. And it doesn't have to be on this planet, or in this time period, or in this reality! There’s so many possibilities (seeing Poe or Wilde in person rank high among them), but eventually I realized that I’d most like to see the Loch Ness monster. I don’t care at all about UFOs or aliens, Bigfoots or yetis, chupacabras or Jersey Devils, but sea or lake monsters, especially Nessie…. My world needs those!   When you are having a really rough day, what do you like to do/have to make it a little brighter? Sleep, junk food, and mindless tv or cute fluffy anime generally works for me.   What are your thoughts on comics? Any you like? Any you have been wanting to try? Favorite characters? I like comics, I guess. I love the Punisher and I collected the comic books, TPBs, and merchandise (t-shirts, pins, stickers, etc.) obsessively for a couple of years. I’m not so obsessed now, but it’d be nice to get caught up on the series again. I also read Magdalena, Vampi, and Witchblade to varying degrees. Web-comic wise, I enjoy Orneryboy and Chopping Block.   Are you musical? Do you play an instrument, and if so, what? If not, what do you wish you could play or do? I wish I were, but I’m not. I have no sense of rhythm or pace. I took guitar lessons for a few years because I wanted an electric guitar, but never got any good at it. I took piano lessons for several years because my parents wanted me to, but again, I never got particularly good at it, and I never enjoyed it that much. I wish I could play guitar and bass guitar, but I simply don’t have the musical ability or the motivation to put in the work it would take to get to any sort of basically decent level.     Does anyone garden? And if you do, what do you grow? If not, would a starter garden kit be something you'd be interested in? I’m afraid that I have a black thumb. I wish I had the talent and lack of laziness required to garden, but I simply don’t. Anything that lives with me or grows in my yard has to be extremely hardy, because I have a “survival of the fittest” mentality when it comes to plants.   Do you decorate for Halloween? Is your decorating taste elegant, kitschy and fun, or scary? I don’t decorate as much as I’d like, but I have three large boxes full of Halloween decorations. It’s much more a matter of not taking the time than not having the decorations available. I have a lot of Halloween-type stuff hanging around as everyday decorations, though. I have bats everywhere, for instance. I’d say my decorating taste veers slightly more to the elegant, just because I expect my decorations to do double-duty and stick around past Halloween. I also like vintage Halloween stuff, too.   Witchee, do you have any symbols or totems that have special meaning for you? I don’t really have any that have special meaning, but I do like bats, mice, bunnies, maneki neko / lucky cats, ravens and crows, sea monsters, frog princes (frogs wearing crowns, basically) and Hello Kitty. And really, I like any cute depictions of animals.   Is anyone fond of programs like Adopt a Tree/Highway/Library/Manatee/Acre of Rainforest/etc? I loved Fright’s Adopt-A-Bat suggestion! I would totally adopt Mekki – I love hoary bats! I adopted one from the Organisation for Bat Conservation once, but when I saw the OCB director at a presentation and asked about "my" bat, I was told that he had died earlier that year. Bat Conservation International has an adopt-a-bat program too, but they send you a stuffed bat when you adopt, and I don’t need any of their stuffed bats. It’d be nice to sponsor a rabbit at a local shelter, too.     September 10th   What #1 actor, director, author and/or musician are you obsessed with? I don’t have a #1. I get obsessed way too often to pick just one!   are you interested in anything from the Villainness Bad Apples update? Apple’s not really my thing, but I wouldn’t turn down anything from Villainess.   If you have a pet, would he/she/they like to receive a treat or a toy as a gift? Does your pet have any dietary restrictions or other preferences w.r.t. said treat? I don’t have a pet. I bunny-sit for my parents’ bunny sometimes and see her a lot, but my parents are incredibly picky about what they feed her, and she really doesn’t seem to understand toys. (Makes it extremely difficult for me to Xmas shop for her!)   What are your top three "I want to try them but I think I'll never get to try them" (or, "I've tried them and I want moar moar moar, but I don't think I'll ever get any") scents/bath oils/sprays? I guess maybe Marshmallow Poof, Red Moon ’07, and Raven Moon. There’s probably a ton that I would want if I got to try them, but I try not to worry about what I can’t get. I want to try Yuki-Onna and Tanuki just because of the names, but I’m hoping I can manage to get hold of those eventually if I just put some effort into looking.   Is there a particular artist and piece that you would like a print of? If so, what is your max size that you could spare on your walls? I like Charles Addams’ creepy art, Pierre et Gilles’ work (but if I’m going to put it on my walls it can’t be any of their stuff with nudity!), and some of Nina Friday’s art (on my Etsy wishlist). Unfortunately, Friday’s stuff is pretty expensive, and I’ve not really seen any Addams or Pierre et Gilles prints around. I do have a very large poster of one of Pierre et Gilles’ painting featuring Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, purchased for me at an Erasure concert by a friend, but I’ve never seen any other posters or prints by them available, just postcards.   If you are in to beauty and makeup related stuff, what kind of stuff do you like? What is your skintone and hair color? Are there any beauty products you've wanted to try but just never purchase? I like eyeliners and eyeshadows best. I buy a lot of Urban Decay eyeliners. I’d really like to try Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy and eyeshadows, but I’ve never gotten around to purchasing them. I do have a Sephora wishlist with some stuff on it, so I’ll try to transfer those over to my New Amazon Wishlist soon so that all my wishes are in one place. I also love nail polishes – I’ll buy any brand, and the more duochrome, metallic, or glittery the better! My skintone is light, and my hair color is a brown heavily highlighted to appear more golden blonde than brown.     Do you like coffee or tea? Would you be interested in trying some different types? I don’t drink coffee ever. I’d be happy to try any teas, but I’ve never had a rooibos that I really liked.   Are there any CDs/Albums you've been wanting but haven't bought yet? What format do you prefer? (i.e. mp3, actual cd, record, etc) They’re on my Amazon wishlist! I prefer actual CDs and records, but I can deal with mp3s, too.   Are you going away for any part of this round? Not for any longer than a weekend, if at all.   Would you like to receive a mix-CD from your Witch? Sure! But please, no country or rap – I just don’t enjoy those genres at all.   If your witch were going somewhere on a vacation during the round, would you want a little souvenir? If my Witch sees something he or she’d like to send me, then I’d be happy to get it!   Do you enjoy any outdoor activities? Do you have a favorite form of "exercise"? Not really. I like to go on walks through the woods in the fall, and I just had a great time walking in the lower Falls at Tahquamenon last month, but I’m not much of an outdoor person. I like to roller skate and ice skate, but I hardly ever do. I’m about the laziest person ever.   Any witchee's with a ravelry account have any favourited patterns that cost money that would be a welcome gift? Don’t have an account.   Do you work/study at a desk and enjoy interesting or cute office supplies? Sure!   Witchee, are you a fan of musicals? If so, which ones? Not at all.   September 11th   I am fond of the thrift. Do you mind lightly used goods? Please be specific! For instance, I'm a little squicked by used clothing, but I don't mind any other used goods (i.e. books, glassware, games, DVDs, whatever.) No used clothing, please, but gently used books, board games, CDs, or DVDs are all fine. Used glassware is fine too; in fact, I bought my most recent tea cup from an antique store.   Do you have an Etsy shop? Do you know of any Etsy shops that are Switch Witch friendly? I don’t have an Etsy shop, but I have quite an Etsy wishlist! The link is in my sig.   Would a gift or a postcard from Disneyland make you squee with delight or puke into your mail box? I like Disney’s Haunted Mansion and Eeyore.   What are your favorite types of Halloween candy? Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins and Milk Maid’s evilly addictive caramel apple candy corn. While not specifically Halloween candy, I always buy Sweettarts or Pixie Stix for Halloween in addition to the usual candy bars in case I get any trick-or-treaters who can’t have chocolate, and I always hope that there’ll be plenty of left-overs, because I love both.   Do you prefer soap or shower gel? Please give examples of your favorite scents or brands. Definitely soap. Favorite brands are Haunt, Bunny Butt Apothecary, and Villainess. The BPTP ones would probably be on the list too, if they weren’t too pricey for me. I like spicy scents (cinnamon, clove, etc.) and mint scents most.   How do you like your chocolate? For example with nuts, mint, peanut butter, caramel? I like my chocolate plain, with peanuts, mint, or caramel. I love Reese’s holiday peanut butter stuff (pumpkins, eggs, trees), but that’s really the only peanut butter I like in my chocolate. I really like chocolate with coconut, too. Fannie May used to have delicious chocolate coconut squares that I loved, but they don’t seem to sell them anymore. I also love Fannie May’s dark chocolate lemon creams, their dark chocolate caramels, and their dark chocolate vanilla creams. (Despite all those dark favorites, I really like milk chocolate best!) I really wish I had a Fannie May store nearby instead of having to resort to mail order a couple of times a year!   Beads! Do you use them? Would you want some? What sorts of beads do you like? I have a lunchbox full of beads that I bought and then never used, so more beads is probably not a good idea.   Anyone here like caramels? Sea salted caramels?!?! Yes! A million yeses!   Would you like a hand dyed or hand painted scarf or wrap or other item? If so, what colors/designs/fabrics do you like? I’ve always wanted to make a hand dyed silk scarf, but I’m not that artistic. If you are, I’d love one! Good color combos are red/black, red/orange/yellow, or purple/blue/green. Individually, I like lime, magenta, black, or red best.   This was a question before, but does anyone here like stones? Just pretty polished stones for use in whatever purposes? Yes! Every time I go to my local metaphysical store I end up walking out with some polished stones, because I just can’t resist the pretty!   And another question; anyone like anything in particular from Think Geek? I’ve never really looked. If I end up looking and seeing anything that I love, I’ll add it to my Amazon wishlist.   Pinterest, do you have boards you want to share or are you following anyone with great boards you want to share? Never heard of it.     September 12th   Would you like to receive e-books? And if so, in what format? No, thank you. I’m woefully behind the times and I only read print books.   If you have kids, would you be interested in getting things for them? And if so, what are they interested and what sizes are the wearing now? I’m happily childfree.   Would you be interested in a felted handbag? Do any of these styles appeal to you? http://tinyurl.com/3o2epzl (there's at least one guy-friendly style, too!) I like #10 best, followed by #15, #13, and #2. #12 is adorable, but I don’t use backpacks.   Are there are patterns, motifs, etc that you especially like? I like simple, not too busy patterns. Motifs I like include bats, mice and other rodents, bunnies, maneki neko / lucky cats, Hello Kitty, cute skulls, and more. If it’s a cute animal or Halloween-y type thing, I’ll probably really like it.   If you're a tea drinker, is there any specific tea you would like to receive, not just the kind/flavor but also the type/packing--i.e., tea bags, loose tea, compressed, etc? Pretty much anything’s fine with me, although I’m not a fan of rooibos. I’ve never had compressed tea, but I can do either tea bags or loose tea. I just bought some matcha and a matcha whisk to make it, so I’m pretty much set to be able to handle most tea types you might want to send me!   September 13th   How would you feel about kitchen towels and other similar household objects, if they are pretty or a souvenir? I have more kitchen towels than I ever use, almost all of them decorative, but if you find something that you think I’ll love, I’ll make room in the linen closet for it.   How did you dress up for your last party or compulsory-formal-dress occasion? I had to buy a dress for my brother’s wedding two years ago. I am not a formal dress type of person, but I eventually found a below-the-knee purple dress with a v-neck that didn’t look too terrible on me.   Do you enjoy puzzles/riddles? (Cryptograms, Sudoku, Crossword, Jigsaw, etc) I like word searches, especially if the word themes are cool. I only like crosswords if they’re easy. Puzzles are great – I try to buy one to give to my family at Xmas every year for us to do together, and I also have a puzzle stash of my own. I have a tropical beach one that I like to do when I’m thoroughly sick of winter, for instance. I even have some super simple children’s puzzles that I bought just because the pictures were of cute animals.   Witchee, would you be interested in having a special tea cup/coffee mug/glass to drink out of? Yes! I would love a special tea cup! I have a little collection of sets inherited from my grandmothers and singletons of cups and saucers that I’ve acquired for myself over the years. I like having a variety of cups from which to choose.       September 14th   Can you sum yourself (whether it be personality, life's goals, ethics, whatever) in 10 words or less? Not really. The closest I came was: Enjoy life while it lasts and don’t be mean. Or more realistically, Enjoy life while it lasts; try not to be mean. (And when I say “mean”, I mean not just the “unkind” definition, but also the “petty” and “miserly”/”stingy” senses of the word.) And as I mentioned earlier, I mainly operate under the philosophy of “It is what it is.”   How about little bottles of booze? Ya wanna? What kind? Sure! But I have at least a dozen already, so don’t feel obliged. If you could find a little bottle of Jameson, though, that’d be nice! None of the liquor stores around here have any. I also like fun flavored boozes like mint and fruit and such.   What are your views on fudge and brownies? (Also, if you live in a warm place, where the fudge might melt, that'd be helpful to know. Or, if you're diabetic and fudge is death, that'd be useful to know, too.) Fudge is love. Fudge is the best. I got fudge from LunaDragonGirl as a PIF once, and it was so very wonderful!   Also, what about mochi? Love it, hate it, baffled by it? I like mochi ice cream and I’ve had daifuku a couple of times and enjoyed it. I’m a little obsessed with Japanese things lately, so I’d be excited to get mochi from my Witch!   Anything from the update ya'll are liking? BPTP UPDATE Port-au-Prince and Sugar Skull soaps; and although I’d doubt I’d ever use an entire bottle of any of them, I’d like to try just a little bit each of the Spun Sugar Spectre bath oil; the Tears of the Seraphim, Eye of Newt, and Howlet’s Wing bath brews; and the Frankincense Clove and Snake Oil hair glosses.   Does anyone like kimchi? I’ve never had it, but it really doesn’t sound like something I’d enjoy.   Would you be interested in a sample box(from somewhere like Birchbox or loosebutton)? Could be fun, I suppose, but I’m not sure how much of the stuff I’d actually use.   You have to place a Lab and Trading Post order. Right fuckin' now. No spending limits. What do you buy? One of everything! And multiples of Dorian so I can scent every room in my house with it and then bathe in it.   Paintbox Soapworks - anything you're interested in, in general or from the latest update? I haven’t really looked at it, but if I do and see something I really like, I’ll add it to my Amazon wishlist. Or if you’re a huge Paintbox Soapworks fan yourself and think you know something of theirs that would be perfect for me, I’m open to surprises!   Do you guys have any sports that you follow obsessively? How about favorite teams and/or athletes Nope, I hate sports.   How do you feel about notebooks/journals/stationery? Anything you need or particularly like? I have more than I need, but that never stops me from buying them! I just bought one last week because it had cute illustrations of owls, squirrels, bunnies, and birds along the bottoms of each page. I like mine lined, not blank.   Does confetti/glitter make you angry or fill you with glee? Glee! Especially the glitter!   Fabulous witches and witchees, perhaps you all could note of you've received MeiLin's goodies? Or if you want? I’ve never received any. I wouldn’t mind getting the crockpot recipes one, or any of her fiction.   How do you feel about stuffed animals/plushies/general soft, cuddly things? If you like them, what kind of animals would you be interested in? As with the notebooks, etc., I have more than I need, but that never stops me from getting more. In fact, I just picked up a little Ty Halloween bat at the grocery store last night, because I just couldn’t resist the cuteness. I like mice and bats primarily. You can also check out my Etsy wishlist to get an idea of what I find cute.   how interested would you be on somewhat personalized bottle cap labels? Like these that I did? All my bottle caps are already labeled.   When you're miserably sick (*sniffle, cough!*) what are the things that comfort you the most? Sleep. Sleep makes everything better. Sympathy from my family also helps, especially if they come over with food or to help me out around the house.   What constitutes ultimate luxury to you? (go crazy!) Having enough money that I never have to work again. Having a personal chef to cook for me, because I hate to cook and so my diet is terribly unhealthy. Being able to travel the world. Being able to sleep in as late as I want!   What do you really NOT want? Anything banana scented or flavored.       September 15th   Interested in anything from Lush? Not really. I prefer to get my soaps and such from independent sellers rather than a big chain.   Do you blog? Would you like a header for your blog, a layout, etc? Nope. I’m so far behind the times!   Would you be interested in a handmade bookmark? Sure!   do you like chex puppy chow or muddie buddies (ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips, PB, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, chex cereal)? would you want to get some from your witch / nacho witch? Sorry, I don’t really like chex. But if it was made with something like chow mein noodles or pretzels, then that would be a different story!   How would you feel about receiving a Groupon deal for something in your local area? If there is anything you WOULDN'T like, mention that also. I don’t use Groupon – it’s a mystery to me.       September 16th   Are you more prone to order out or cook at home? Would you be interested in cookbooks, kitchen utensils, and the like? If so, anything specific? If I could afford it, I would eat out every day, but as it is, I almost never do. Unfortunately, I’m bad at cooking and I don’t enjoy it at all, so I live mostly on pre-packaged and microwavable foods, which I know are terrible for me. Despite my not cooking, I am pretty well stocked up on all kitchen utensils, thanks to hand-me-downs from my family.   New question: How do you feel about maple syrup? Love REAL maple syrup! I won’t use the fake stuff anymore, now that I’ve experienced the real thing. I also love the maple sugar candy that people make. I have some maple cream in my refrigerator right now, too – when I was vacationing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula we stumbled across a farmers market where someone was selling maple products, and one of them was this maple cream stuff. Apparently it’s good for spreading on toast or dipping pretzels in or whatever, but I’ve been just eating it straight by the small spoonful.   How do people feel about little pocket shrines, maybe something inspirational/motivational to keep in their purses/backpacks/whatever? (Like these: http://www.art-shrin...cketshrines.htm) My purse is already pretty full; I really don’t need another thing to carry around in it.   Do you like Star Wars? Original Trilogy? Prequels? Spin-offs? Favorite characters? I liked Star Wars just fine when I saw the original trilogy in the theater, and I loved Han Solo. I haven’t seen most of the prequels or spin-offs, and when I saw Star Wars again in college, I didn’t think it had held up to my memories of it.   Do you like beef jerkey, I know some may be vegatarian, but where I live beef is a staple and beef jerkey abounds. If so do you it really thin, hard and crunchy or thicker and softer. (OK that borders on obscene)- I suppose the thicker and softer jerky, because I like hunter’s sausage types of stuff. I’d much prefer to stick to just beef; no venison or other critter.   Also do you like or racier ecards from time to time and do you need to be warned if something may be not safe to open at work. I can take it or leave it, but please do warn first if it’s racy.   Doctor Who? Yay or nay? (please don't make me cry by saying nay) Semi-yay? I started watching obsessively during Martha Jones’ season, then backtracked to watch the seasons with Rose, watched most of the season after Martha, then pretty much dropped off with the 11th Doctor. I’ve seen a few of the new ones, but they just haven’t grabbed me, especially as I’m not a fan of Amy Pond or River Song. The 10th Doctor is my Doctor, and Martha Jones my favorite Companion.   I have a couple spare Doctor Who stickers. If my witchee is a fan, would they like a couple Doctor Who stickers in their package? I don’t think I’m that big a fan – better that they go to people who would appreciate them more!   Anyone love Buffy/Angel? Liked Buffy, later seasons of Angel were ok, loved Spike!   How would you feel about gummies? Like, gummy bears? Gummy werewolves? Gummy vampires? I don’t really like the texture of gummies.   How would you feel about a totally original Gela-skin for your laptop/iPod/phone? Stickers? Decals? Not something I would use.   Since this is a Halloween round, what's your Creepy threshold? Are you a cartoon bats and smily pumpkins person or a skulls-and-bones the-dead-are-rising kind of person? Are your fairytales dark or Disney? I can handle as creepy or as cute as you want to go! I read the original super-dark versions of the Grimm’s fairy tales when I was young (well, until my mom read a couple of them, was horrified that I was reading them, and threw the book out) and I get a kick out of the gory makeup that people do for horror movies and haunted houses, but I also like cute bats and skulls and ghosts and pumpkins and such.   Are your ears pierced, Witchee? Do you have any other piercings? Would you like to receive any items of jewelry for these piercings? No piercings. I’m a coward. I love multiple piercings on other people, but I’m not that brave.     How do you all feel about Whoopie Pies? Not my thing.   September 17th   Are you looking for a certain kind of DVDs to spruce up your collection right now? Any that I’m looking for are in my Amazon wishlist.   Does anyone like postcards? Is anyone willing to be a Nacho witch for postcards? Sure, I’m always happy to get mail that’s not addressed to “Occupant”!   Anyone going to see any good concerts this fall? Yes! I’m going to see Motion City Soundtrack play two nights in a row this month – they’re playing all four of their albums in their entirety. I’m so excited! I’m really hoping to be able to make it to the Senses Fail show in November, too.   Do you like Star Trek? Original TV series, films, spinoff series, etc? Favorite characters? Not at all, sorry.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch catch-up questions September 18-19

September 18th   Do you wear t-shirts? Are there particular things you like on them? Would you like one designed by your Witch? And, if you don't mind saying, what size t-shirt do you wear? I wear t-shirts, but now that the weather is changing, not so much. Also, my drawers and closets are pretty full right now, so I don’t think that adding more t-shirts is the best idea.   How do you feel about pumpkin scented things? Not perfume related, but soap, candles, etc.... It depends on what else is mixed in with the pumpkin. I’m not the biggest fan of straight pumpkin, so I’m happiest if there is some spice mixed in with it. I think pumpkin shaped things are cool, though!   Has anyone else heard of or does anyone else love Glamourkin? It’s a cool idea and they look nice, but I didn’t see any that really resonated with me.   If you had an international witch, is there anything you would like from the UK? (Or Australia, Belgium, France any other country we have witches from. I hear that Tim Tams are fantastically delicious! I also like Cadbury chocolate, and I’d guess the UK might have some good Cadbury stuff that doesn’t show up around here. If you’re a nail polish fan and you know of some great duochrome, holographic, or glitter polishes that aren’t sold on American soil, I’m always up for new nail polishes! The pictures of a-England’s Lady of the Lake polish that Scrangie has on her site look pretty sweet, for instance. And most of all, if you happen to be in a used bookstore and find any Ouran High School Host Club or Maid Sama! books in German, that would be the best! I see them on eBay so I know they exist, but I haven’t yet taken the plunge into buying them.   Dear witchee, if you answered 'Mac' to the Mac/PC question previously issued by another participant, please tell me what kind of computer you have, what peripherals you own (like the wireless trackpad, wireless vs/wired keyboard and mouse), and whether you're interested in Apple-related items (stickers, keychains, other things with the logo, etc). I have just the standard desktop Mac set-up with wired keyboard and mouse, nothing fancy. I’m not particularly interested in Apple-related items; I like my Mac just fine, but I’m not a member of the cult of Mac by any means.   SOCK PREFERENCES?   Would you like/wear a pair of these? http://www.ravelry.c...rary/yoga-socks If so, what color? No thanks. I don’t do yoga, and I want my socks to completely cover my feet.   Is there anyone here who likes toe socks? You know, those socks with a place for each toe? Not really. I’m pretty much a sock traditionalist.     September 19th   What strange misc. items would you love to receive that you just haven't gotten for yourself?: Sealing wax and a wax stamp! I’ve wanted some since college; I don’t know why I’ve never just gone ahead and bought them.   How do you feel about franken polish? Are you okay with all chemicals, or would you prefer 3 free? Would you want glitter or holographic glitter? What colors would interest you? Yay polish! I’m fine with chemicals – I have a lot of great older polishes from before they got rid of all that noxiousness. I’m wearing Amber Ruby from Sally Hansen’s Nail Prisms line today, and before it dried, the smell was ridiculously strong, so I’m guessing it’s chock full of chemicals. But so pretty! Check it out on Scrangie’s website if you want to see! Glitter would be great; holographic glitter would be fabulous! I tend to like dark colors, but if you do something with bright lime green, I’m sure I’d love that too. I’d also love to see a black with red glitter in which the red glitter actually shows up strongly – I’ve been disappointed so many times before….   Dear witchee, how do you feel about lip balm? Favorite style (twist up tube, pot, tube with wand, etc.)? Favorite flavors? Flavors to avoid? Favorite brand? Do you need more right now or are you set? Are you one of those people who could never have enough lip balm even though you have a bowl on your dresser overflowing with them and 10 in your purse and an order for more on the way? Lip balm – such an irresistible temptation! I have more lip balms than I’ll ever be able to use, and yet I Keep. Buying. More. I like the twist up tubes best, and I’m on a seemingly endless quest for the perfect cherry flavor, whether it be sour cherry, black cherry, or just plain old cherry. I hate banana (I don’t know if anyone even makes a banana lip balm, but I hate even hypothetical banana!), and I don’t really like strawberry. Favorite brand-wise, I really like Haunt, Bunny Butt Apothecary, and some local brands like Bee All Natural (yummy cinnamon!), Kelly Hansen’s (I’m loving her cherry and root beer lip balms), and Mirror Lake Organics. The Morbid the Merrier’s Harlot (funnel cake flavor) is also delish! The Long Winter Farm stuff looks tempting, especially gingerbread, red currant, toffee, white chocolate, and lime. Really, I’m all set with enough lip balm for years, and yet will always happily make room for more.   Would you be interested in getting fountain pen inks or art supplies via JetPens and or DickBlick? (I know I have a wishlist on JetPens and just love using fountain pens in my artwork) I’d love a fountain pen! That’s another thing that I’ve always wanted and yet never actually gone ahead and bought. Other than that, I’m pretty much set on art supplies, because I love them so and always buy them.   For those interested in watercolors, how would you feel about getting a palette filled with paint from my watercolor tubes but not getting the paint tube itself? (kind of like this but without the covers for the compartments and bigger http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream) No thank you. I prefer acrylic paint, plus I actually have some watercolor paints and watercolor pencils already.   How do you feel about getting art supplies in general? (copic markers, watercolor, brushes, paint, sketchbooks etc.) Like I said, I’m pretty well set on paints, brushes, colored pencils, crayons, pastels, paper, etc.   How do you feel about Threadless tshirts? I’ve seen some that I liked, but I’m pretty well covered for t-shirts right now.   If you were turned loose in a basic drug store (CVS, Walgreens - a pharmacy with attached mini-mart, basically!) with a $20 bill, what would you pick up? Probably nail polish and eye makeup! I stopped into Walgreens tonight to pick up something and walked out with a new Revlon eye shadow that I absolutely didn’t need but couldn’t resist (Night Sky, if anyone cares. ) Now I’m contemplating going back tomorrow for the Facets of Fuchsia nail polish.   Darling Witchee, would you enjoy farmer's market pickled veggies (green beans, garlic, asparagus, etc) or fresh canned peaches or something of that nature? I don’t eat many vegetables, but crunchy dill pickles are yummy! Fresh canned peaches would be lovely – I actually toyed with the idea this summer of buying a lot of peaches from our farmer’s market and canning them myself, but I’ve never canned before and I’m not good in the kitchen, so I never followed through with it. Canned pears would be fantastic, too.   Do you prefer color or white photographs? Nature or abstract? Color photographs of nature, whether scenery (autumn colors and waterfalls especially!) or animals.   would you be interested in something like this? https://lostcrates.com/how-it-works Sounds fun, but I’d rather pick my own or have my wonderful Witch pick out something!   Amigurumi, yes or no? Yes, yes, YES!!! Love amigurumi! I want to learn to crochet just so that I can make amigurumi. I almost bought Creepy Cute Crochet just for the pictures, even though I can’t crochet at all. A quick look at my wishlists should reveal how I feel about amigurumi – I have a whole bunch wishlisted!   I have a question! What are some of your favorite paintings? (famous or undiscovered?) Feel free to link to examples!   If you could have an image painted for you - sky is the limit - what would it be?   Name your 3 favorite scents for candles Cinnamon, mulberry, and natural beeswax   Name your 3 favorite types/flavors of tea 1. The Republic of Tea’s Cardamon Cinnamon 2. Depending on my mood, either Triple Leaf Tea’s ginger tea or Lipton’s Ginger Twist. 3. Right now, it’s a toss-up between Stash’s Mojito Mint green tea with matcha and Celestial Seasonings’ Candy Cane Lane.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch catch-up questions September 20-

September 20th   Would you like any ecotools makeup brushes? They're kinda one of my favorite things ever, and they're animal-friendly and the handles are bamboo. And to top it all off, they work really well for applying makeup. Maybe a nice eyeshadow brush. Other than that, I really don’t do any makeup that would require a fancy brush.   Do you like Legos? Especially mini-fig key chains, Lego block keychains, small Lego sets, etc? I like Legos as much as the next person, but I’m already more than set for keychains, and I’m currently storing a large plastic tub of my brother’s Lego sets in my basement, so unless it’s the absolute coolest Lego set in the world, I probably wouldn’t be interested.   Since the previous question about "what would you buy from the Lab if you had unlimited funds, etc" left WAY too much to the imagination with no limitations (my answer was pretty much BUY ALL THE THINGS!), what would you do if you found a $50 bill on the ground and a nagging voice in the back of your mind told you that you HAD to spend it on BPAL or else face Death. Also, say they had free shipping (LOL) so don't factor that in. What would you get? And spend it all! Or as close to $50 as you can get. Sprinklecake; Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat; and a random imp from my wishlist, I suppose, since I don't have any one in particular that springs to mind at the moment.   Are there any characters that you love or identify with? None come to mind at the moment.   A question! If you are crafty, what's your personal art style? I'm not talking just about what art you like to look at, but what kind of art do you like creating? Do you have a "process" while you're creating beauty? I make cards occasionally, but it takes me forever because I want to be sure that every thing is perfect – every stamped image is even in color, every colored portion is within the lines, all the glitter is exactly where it should be, etc. If I’m painting something, I usually use stencils to make sure the image looks how it’s “supposed” to look. I like simple graphics or patterns – I can’t do abstract or surreal. I’m trying to get back into cross-stitch, and again, I like that there’s a set pattern to it that I can follow so that it turns out exactly as I expect.   Are there any Arcana Weenies that you MUST HAVE? I’d really like to get Hobbedy’s Lantern, the perfume and the soap. Reign in Hell and Serve in Heaven sound nice, but there’s a note or two in each that stop them from being absolute MUST HAVES. I wouldn’t take a chance on tobacco and pumpkin in a perfume, but the Ghost Pumpkin soap sounds pretty good.     So what say you? IS an "unexpected" visit/in-person witching OK? I’m not very good at meeting new people one-on-one, because I get really shy and nervous. Give me sufficient warning and a chance to rope in a friend to accompany me (believe me, I suck at small talk, so we’d need someone who could break the ice and smooth over the awkward silences), and I’d be happy to meet for coffee or drinks or ice cream or even a meal.   Witches - speak to me of shower gels! What companies/scents do you recommend/prefer? I don’t use shower gels all that much; I prefer bar soap or scrubs/Smooches.   Is there something that you wish you could do, but you keep putting it off? So many things! I want to take a class to re-learn German and another to learn Japanese. I want to learn how to use the lathe I have in my basement. I want to finish the cross-stitch I’ve been working on since college (at least). I want to spend more time at the shooting range and get better at target shooting, and also get my own handgun. I want to learn how to make chain maille. I want to learn how to crochet so I can make my own amigurumi. I want to go to Japan, Germany, and Romania, and back to Halifax and Minneapolis.   QUESTION: Do you like/own/wear/want fairy wings or something of the like? I have friends that would love them, but fairy wings aren’t really my thing.   Have I ever tried the coffee spoons, which are flavored chocolates on a spoon that you use to flavor your coffee? No, because I never drink coffee.   Ever tried a soap from Paintbox Soapworks? Nope.   How do you feel about terrariums? Nothing against them, but there’s no room left on my plant table for anything else.   Sooo...Cthulhu: yay or nay? Yay! So very much yay!   Do you have any interest in rocks? Not like, polished colorful stones.. but like... rocks. With geologic significance! Maybe if they had a fossil in them or something, but other than that, I’ve got more rocks than I know what to do with just from picking them up here and there on vacations. I’ve really got to stop doing that…. They always look prettier on the beach than they do in my house.   If your witch were to knit you a scarf/shawl/cowl, which would you prefer, and what features would you want? Would you prefer something light and drape-y or thick and warm? What kind of colors would you prefer? Do you have any fiber allergies or preferences?     If your witch was the practical type and wanted to include one or more of your everyday essentials, what would those include? I'm talking about the bath products, lotions, face lotions, teas, food, etc that you really use every day. Hmmm, I’m pretty set on most of my everyday essentials, because I tend to stockpile. The one thing I’m always running out of is bar soap, I suppose, because I use that all the time. I like the cold processed soaps, not so much the glycerin or melt-and-pour stuff.   Jane Austen .. Yay or Nay? Nay.   I put up quotes I love in my office and studio to get me going, They range from goofy to sarcastic to inspirational... Are you interested in a hand painted quote? Do you have one in mind, or a topic in mind? Not really.   Do you like period or period-styled paraphernalia? Stuff like postcards, notecards, jewelry, office supplies, what-have-you? I don’t have any particular interest in any particular period style. I like vintage Halloween graphics, but beyond that, I really couldn’t say. I don’t have much of a sense of history, so I might see something I really like the look of, but I probably wouldn’t know what era it was from, just that it was old.   If you like manga, comics, and/or graphic novels, what is it about them that you like, in general? The story, the art/style, etc? Both the story and the art/style. There are some manga I will read for the story even though the art isn’t what I’d like (Kimi ni Todoke, for instance) and some I will follow more for the art than the story (Gentleman’s Alliance), but ideally, both elements should be there. I’ll read pretty much any Punisher comic or graphic novel, but my favourites are the ones written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon. That was the perfect combo for me. I’m always disappointed when the illustrations in a graphic novel don’t live up to the story, or even detract from it.   If you could choose a Smack, what would it have in it? I’ve got about one shower’s worth left of my current Smack, which is a mix of Spice Trade x2, Incense, and Vanilla Bean, and I’d definitely re-order that one again. I’d maybe substitute Red Woods for one of the Spice Trades next time, or maybe not. I’d also be interested in trying various combinations of Buttercream Cupcake, Candy Floss, Fresh Squeezed Citrus, Lemon Meringue, Limeade, Marshmallow, and Mint Medley, because those all sound good. Maybe a mojito Smack with Limeade and Mint Medley?   SockDreams y/n/already own most of the catalog? I try not to look so that I won’t be tempted! There’s some cute stuff there, but what I really want most are some pairs of bamboo crew socks in black, and they don’t have any of those, sadly.   Art prints/cards y/n/depends? Sure, why not?   if you could have a salon scent made, based on any artwork(s) what would it be? Sorry, I'm just not very good with the artwork-focused questions. I don't have any particular favorites - I'll see a painting and I might enjoy it while I'm looking at it, but my appreciation doesn't run much deeper than that.   Are you scientifically curious and/or process-oriented? Would you like a project-type gift that allowed you to do something like make soap from scratch, take and (nontoxic-ly) develop photographs using a pinhole camera, use plant dyes on yarn or fabric, etc.? Those sorts of things sound cool, but I doubt I’d actually take the time to follow through and do them, when I already have so many other unfinished projects sitting around waiting for me to work on them.   What's 'your' song/your theme song? I don’t think I have one. I kind of pick and choose favourite lyrics from a bunch of different songs, I guess.   What would be your superpower? People already mentioned a lot of great superpowers – I especially like teleportation, invisibility and mind reading – but I think I’d have to go with the ability to understand/read/speak any language.   Witchee, would you like a gently used BPAL tshirt? I think I’ve purchased most of the BPAL tshirts I wanted, but if I do some searching and find one I want and don’t have, I’ll update!   Question: Do you like homemade snack mixes? I know Puppy Chow was mentioned in a previous question, but what about healthier and more natural type snacks like granola or trail mix? You can put a lot of delicious and fun things into trail mix, yeah? If you say "Sure, I'd love some!" what kinds of things do you like/not like in those kinds of snacks, ie coconut flakes, raisins, certain nuts (allergies??), candy, etc. Give us your list of DO's and DON'Ts! No raisins or walnuts, and I’m not particularly fond of dried fruit of any kind. Peanuts are good, as are chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, and maybe some cashews.   Do you like charm bracelets? If you had a bracelet, what sort of charms would you want on it? Favorite hobbies, symbols, whatever? Charm bracelets are cute, but I’m not sure what charms I’d put on it. Maybe a Halloween-themed one with bats, ravens, skulls, pumpkins, witch’s hats, etc., just to be sure I had enough charms to fill out the bracelet? holborne mentioned in her post a bookworm charm – that would probably be cool! And iletaitunefois’ origami jewelry sounds brilliant!   September 22nd   If you're interested in a handmade pouch/cover for an item you have (phones, tablets, books, keys, kettles...), what would your ideal pouch/cover have? Design, material, additional functionality/features like pockets or lights or secret hidey-holes? I don’t really have anything that needs a cover.   Would you like a photo collage based around your interests/favorite colors/favorite themes? No thank you; I’m not really into collages.   If you're crafty, are you interested in spoonfeather? And if so, what things there delight your eyes? I don't work a lot with fabrics.   Colors! What are your favorite colors and what colors do you not like? Pictures and links, people! Red, black, lime/acid green, magenta/fuschia. I don't particularly like neutrals or blues, and yellows are kind of iffy for me.   What is your favorite word? Brilliant! Runner-up is phantasmagorical.   What are the feelings on arm warmers? Color, style, texture, length? I’d rather have fingerless gloves that go just past the wrist, so I can wear them with long sleeves. My current DIY fingerless gloves don’t quite cover my wrists, so a pair that do would be fabulous.   Do you like tarts? tealights? jar candles? votives? Votives > tealights > jar candles > tarts. I like jar candles, but I prefer votives and tealights because I can use them all up and not have to deal with finding a new use for an empty glass jar.   What's your favorite flavor? Sour, sweet, bitter, salty? Probably sweet, although a little bit of sour is good in a candy. Sweet and salty is good, too – I like chocolate covered pretzels a lot.   So, are there any online gaming witchees who covet purchasable in-game items or other gamer-y stuff? (yup, geek question) I’m not an online gamer.   Anyone doing anything cool for Mabon (or the start of fall, if you aren't pagan?) Going to the Motion City Soundtrack concert! That was more an accident of the date rather than a plan to celebrate Mabon, but that’s what I did on Mabon. Now that fall is here, I’ll start putting out the Halloween stuff soon, probably the first week of October.   What is your favorite coffee blend at Starbucks? If you don't have one, what is your favorite roast of coffee? I don’t drink coffee. When I’m at Starbucks with a friend, I generally get a hot chocolate (I like the salted caramel hot chocolate a lot) or sometimes an iced tea with lemonade.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch catch-up questions September 23-29

September 23rd   Is there anything you'd like from the Mütter Museum Store? Much to my surprise, not really. My favorite thing in their store is the Death Mints. Mints in a coffin tin with a skull on the front – I love it! But I’m pretty sure you can get those other places than the Mütter Museum Store. The skull key caps are cute, but I’d never use them. Same thing with the giant microbes – cute, but not something I need to have laying around taking up space in my house.   I just noticed that Cocoa Pink has 5 ml Perfume Atomizers. Yay or nay? Scents you would like? Scents you would NOT like? Wow, that scent list is just overwhelming! Grapefruit sugar, Lime sugar, and Marshmallow sugar sound interesting, as do so very, very many others, especially the foody and vanilla blends. But really, there’s so many things that my brain can’t even process it all.   what's your favorite kind of pizza? Deep dish pepperoni. All a pizza needs is a good crust (deep dish or regular), a little bit of tomato sauce, a lot of cheese, and pepperoni. Nothing else. Really. Absolutely nothing else.   who are your style/fashion icons? post pics if you want!   Are there any food items you're craving/aren't able to find around your area? Nut Goodies! Also, I love Fannie May candies, but we don’t have a store around here, so I always have to order from the catalog once or twice a year. My brother and sister-in-law picked up a bunch of chocolate bars for me the last time they were in Chicago, but I asked for mostly plain chocolate, so if you have a Fannie May store near you, I’d love a couple of bars with caramel or crisped rice instead! I also love their dark chocolate lemon creams, dark caramels, and dark chocolate with vanilla cream. I also miss the beavertails I got when in Halifax on vacation, but unfortunately, I don’t think those would travel well.   September 24th   how do you feel about ethical animal fiber, i.e. wool and the like? Ethical animal fiber is a lovely idea, but not something I’ve had occasion to seek out. Certainly ethical is better than inhumane!   What about little wee creatures for your desk or mantel? They’re cute, but I think I’m content to just look at them on Etsy. I don’t need to have one sitting around my house.   Look down. What are you wearing, right now? As usual on days I don’t have to go anywhere, sweatpants and a sweatshirt.   Kerchiefs? Not my style.   It's the weekend, and you find yourself without a single chore or responsibility for a few hours. Right this very moment, what's the one thing you would do if you could do anything? Either read one of the library books sitting on my floor waiting to be read, or watch one of the anime DVDs sitting on my tv cabinet waiting to be watched. I’m so far behind on both piles!   September 25th   Stuff you've been meaning to do: Work on the cross-stitch for my niece- or nephew-to-be. S/he's due in November, and all I have done so far is Eeyore's nose.   Would you be interested in regional jams, jellies, or other preserves? It’s a lovely thought, but I almost never use jams, jellies, or preserves. Unless it was a mini-size jar, it would probably sit around unfinished for decades (I still have in my refrigerator a nearly full jar of grape jelly that I bought my first year in my house, which was probably about 15 years ago now).   Do you have any bedtime rituals? Is there any particular product you have to apply or a certain shirt you wear or an act you perform to get you in the "bedtime" mood? I’m lucky if I simply make it up to my bed at night rather than falling asleep on the couch watching tv.   Are you interested in today's/any recent Tee Fury shirts?   Princess Bride? Yay or nay? I’ve seen it once, and have no urge to see it again.   What's your favorite classic fairytale, witches     September 26th   Is there any kind of international candy you love or would like to try? I love Aero bars. A few local stores now carry them, but they always seem to be stale or worse. The current batch on the shelf at my local Meijers seems to have gotten overheated in transit, because they all seem to be a little squished and deformed (believe me, I checked every bar in the box!). For the most part, though, the stores around here have me pretty much covered.   What is something totally random (yes, that thing that just popped into your head) that hasn't been covered by any previous questions?   Is there any cheesy/non-cheesy Canadian stuff you'd be interested in? Canada’s less than an hour away, so I think I’m good on the Canadian stuff front. The stuff I want from Canada is stuff that isn’t available – I wish they’d put out DVDs of Made In Canada past the first season, and I’d dearly love to get DVDs of Adderly, but they don’t seem to be available anymore. If any Canadian tv station is still showing reruns, despite the show being over 20 years old, and someone has a DVD recorder and could record the episodes for me, I’d be ecstatic, but unfortunately I think that’s just a wild dream.   If you were to go here and create your very own chocolate bar, what might it have in it? Maybe milk chocolate with hazelnuts, roasted organic peanuts, toffee, and butterscotch, with gold flakes just for fun. Or milk chocolate with cinnamon, cardamom, and gold flakes. Or milk chocolate with white chocolate chips, butterscotch, toffee, and gold flakes. Or milk chocolate with white chocolate chips and sprinkles. I can’t decide!   Is there anything you're wanting from LPMP? I don’t know what LPMP is, so I guess not!   say you stumbled into Camp Half Blood (or whatever the Roman camp ends up being named <bounces in anticipation>), which god claims you? I have no idea what this is about, but since we’re talking about Roman gods, I’d think that Minerva would be completely justified in claiming me. When I was in elementary school Athena/Minerva was my favorite goddess, and I felt more committed to her than I ever did to the god of the Catholic religion I was raised in. Turns out that I don’t really have it in me to truly worship any gods or goddesses, but if I did, Athena would probably be one of my top 5. For the purposes of this question, I’d say that she’s the god with the strongest claim on me solely for the way I felt about her when I was younger.     September 27th   What is something people are always surprised to learn about you? Maybe that I’m older than I look? Either that or they’re just being polite when they claim to be surprised by how old I actually am!   So who else watched Babylon 5? No. I tend to prefer my scifi more funny or quirky, so more Red Dwarf or MST3K or Lexx rather than Star Trek or BSG or Babylon 5.   If you had to decide what your stripper name was, what would it be? I hope I never have to pick a stripper name!   Sooooo Witchees, have you ever taken that particular personality test? If so, are you an Analytical, a Driver, an Expressive or an Amiable? I'm apparently an Analytical.   Is anyone else afraid of or creeped out by dummies/puppets/Muppets/etc? Other things you're squicked/freaked by that's best left by the wayside? No, but other than Tom Servo, Crow, and Gypsy, I don’t have any particular interest in puppets or the like. I don’t like a lot of insects, but I’m not freaked out by most of them. Earwigs do freak me out, but not enough that I can’t scoop them up in a cup and take them outside, far away from my house, when I find them inside. I don’t use bug spray around my house, so I get a fair amount of bugs inside, and I live alone, so I have to deal with them myself, and I’ve gotten pretty decent at doing so.   Your favorite restaurant or type of food to eat out. Would you use a restaurant.com voucher? Groupon? Japanese. I don’t use restaurant.com or Groupon, although if Izakaya Sanpei offered one I would probably have to jump on it.   Are there any local museums/attractions you keep never getting around to going to? The Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Zoo, and a bunch of museums in Ann Arbor. I get to most of them every few years or so, but I wish I went more often. The first couple of years I was living in Ann Arbor I went to museums a lot of weekends.   September 28th   JONES SODA CO has LE soda packs for The Guild, Buffy, D&D, So Cute, etc. Would you be interested in these, Witchee? No, thank you.   It's Banned Books Week! Are there any books on the list you'd be interested in checking out? I keep meaning to read “Nickel and Dimed,” but just never get around to it. Maybe someday…. I’ll have to see if one of the local libraries has “And Tango Makes Three” – it sounds cute.   I have just been enlightened to THESE. Are these flavors relevant to your interests? Clove Cigarette and Cherry Bourbon sound very worth checking out! And, knowing the way I shop, if I ordered those two, Salted Caramel and Smoked Salt would probably also fall into my basket before I hit checkout.     September 29th   I have a question- What kind of purse do you prefer? Leather, cloth? over the shoulder or crossbody, or something that can do either? Do you like bold bright prints with fun things, or monochrome, solid colours? I'm not big on purses. I have one large black one in leather that desperately needs to be replaced, but I haven't found one that suits me anywhere near as well. I want a specific configuration of pockets and zippers and such, and until I find that, I'll keep carrying my crappy looking purse most places. I have a smaller black purse that I use when I'm going to a concert or something where I don't want to carry a bunch of stuff, and the strap is long enough that I can wear it over my shoulder or across my body for more security in a crowd. I wouldn't mind finding an even more streamlined one that will hold my phone, my GPS unit (don't like to leave it in the car), and maybe a few other small items like a lipstick and such. And I have a lovely little purse that Lucyboo gifted me with in another swap, and I get so many compliments on it! It would actually be perfect for concerts, except that I worry that the little gemstones will get pulled off if I'm in the middle of the crowd and people are constantly being squished up against me.   What kind of bear is best? Teddy bears!   I have a not-so-secret love for The Broship of the Rings. Are there any prints from her store you'd like? No, thank you.   Do you drink wine? Yes! But I don't drink it as fast as I buy it, so I have over a dozen bottles stockpiled in my basement right now. There are so many wineries in my state!   I recently saw candy corn in non-candy corn flavors like CHOCOLATE and CARAMEL APPLE. It's not a fancy brand, I just saw it in the drugstore, but who here would like something like that? I'm pretty sure I already declared my love for the completely addictive Milk Maid caramel apple candy corn in my questionnaire or in an answer to one of the previous questions.   Hershey's Pumpkin Spice kisses? No, thank you. I like my Hershey’s kisses to be just plain milk chocolate. The only thing I want dressing them up is pretty colored foils.   Who here likes Stephanie Pui-Min Law's artwork? It's pretty! I like the Tarot deck.   New Question: Witches, did you lament NOT getting one of the condom case/imp cases that got released with the courtesan series??? Nope. They didn’t really catch my eye.   Any thoughts on the new Villainess update? I was surprised to find nothing I was really interested in. Which I guess is good, because it means more money left for tomorrow’s Haunt shopping!   julep maven monthly boxes: No, thanks. I’d rather just pick up the nail polish I want when I want it instead of getting monthly mystery boxes.   Like commercial socks? Sure! And as I mentioned before, I’m always looking for bamboo crew socks in black (or any other dark colors, really – purple, red, brown, etc.), so if you managed to find a source of them for me, I’d love you forever!   Is anyone interested in reading The Night Circus? Maybe, but it’s not at the top of my list. I’ll keep it in mind, though, and if I see it at the library sometime I’ll probably pick it up.   Is it just me who is nervous at revealing herself to her witchee, and finding out who her witch is?! I’ve very nervous about revealing! I don’t want to disappoint my witchee! I don’t want to disappoint my witch, either! I worry when I’m answering some of the questions that my witch will think I’m too weird, or too greedy, or too boring, or that I support things/causes that s/he disagrees with (like when I mentioned wanting a handgun – I hope my witch doesn’t think I’m some sort of rabid gun nut or something! I just enjoy going to the shooting range with my dad; I would never hunt anything! Plus I live alone, and I’d feel better having something around for protection if needed). I hope my witch reveals, because s/he seems really cool and I’d like to know who s/he is, even if just so I can wave in passing when I see her (or him?) around the forum sometimes.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch catch-up questions September 30-October 13

September 30th   Witchee, would you like anything from this particular Haunt update? I already snapped up all I could get. Unfortunately, I missed out on the Corsair soap and the Witchery solid perfume, but that’s life. And hopefully I’ll be able to get the Corsair soap at the next Haunt update!   Who's interested in Halloween: Montreal? It sounds like it could be nice, if it truly does smell like a crisp Halloween night, but those types of scents never seem to live up to their description on my skin.   You get a package in the mail containing 3 things you have really wanted more than anything else you've mentioned so far in this thread. (they are all reasonably priced of course! ~$20 or less apiece). What are they? 1. Some bars of Corsair soap. I missed out during the Haunt sale. I had 5 bars in my cart, and when I went to check out, they were no longer available. Argh! And I didn't even get near the Lavender Marshmallow whipped butter my cousin wanted me to order for her - it was only the 2nd thing I tried to put in my cart, and it was already unavailable. 2. Fudge! 3. A cute amigurumi. (Sorry, I know technically I have mentioned the last two in this thread or in my answers already, but I couldn't think of anything new right now! ) And really, I'd be excited to get anything! A surprise card or a gift for no occasion, right out of the blue - what could be better?!?   how do you feel about hemp? jewelry, soap, etc? I'm not a fan, especially not of hemp jewelry.   Is there a magazine that you DON'T read because you can't find it near you, but wish you could? Not that I can think of. I'm going to have to hit up Barnes & Noble instead of Borders to get Gothic Beauty from now on, but at least I can still find it.   Describe your sense of humour. Mostly sarcastic. I also derive a fair amount of humour from exaggerating the down side of things – my cousin and I can go for hours laughing hysterically about how much our lives suck. I find that optimistic sorts of people and those who always want to look on the bright side really don’t appreciate that side of my sense of humour. They mistake it for being depressing, when it’s the exact opposite for me. According to that test that was linked, I fall into “The Wit” category, with 52% dark, 27% spontaneous, and 11% vulgar. But since in many cases I was choosing the least un-funny option out of a bunch of bad options, I can’t really say much good about that test.   Do you like reusable grocery bags? If so, do you like the kind that fold up (ie Chico Bags?) Yes! I use reusable bags all the time when shopping – I have a pile of them in my car. I’d love a bag that I could fold up small enough to store in my purse, or a mesh bag for fruit or veggies.   I'm about to make an order from Sephora (nothing off of my wishlist, witch, so don't worry about that). Is there anything for you that you would like to accompany my order, if you're my witchee? I think all the Sephora things I’m most interested in are already on one of my Amazon wishlists. But I wouldn’t want my witch to worry about tacking stuff for me on to an order, because I’m probably going to go ahead and pick up what I want at the next Sephora Friends & Family sale.   October 1st   Is there anything you either didn't like or had never heard of that you're now curious to try thanks to the discussion in this thread?   Reveal? I’m planning to; I just hope my witchee won’t be disappointed with me! And I hope that my witch reveals, too, because my witch seems really cool and I’d like to know who s/he is!   Would you be interested in the #occupywallstreet scent? I’ve been toying with the idea of ordering it, more because I support the cause than because I need another patchouli-heavy blend. I was going to order a bottle for me and one for my witchee, but since it turns out that my witchee doesn’t need it, I haven’t done anything about getting my own bottle yet.   Do Paintbox Soapworks' Goat's Milk Hand and Body Creams sound like something you'd like to try? I already have more hand and body creams than I’ll ever be able to use up!   October 2nd   Who likes silly items from Archie McPhee??? I saw the Oh No… Zombies! board game at a local store and was very interested, but passed on buying it because I can’t imagine having much luck trying to get anyone to play it with me. I need to make some friends who think it would be fun to play board games about surviving zombies! The same store also had the octopus mug, which was kind of cute. The Cthulhu water bottle looks kind of cool, as do the Cthulhu mints and Death mints. I have two of the Bone Chillers ice cube trays, and I like those a lot. I guess I like the items I can actually use, and I’m not really too excited about the silly little knick-knack-y or kitschy/tacky sorts of items that would just sit around and gather dust.   Nocturne Alchemy's NAlloween Pt. 2 update is live here! (And for a few days, last month's update too.) What do you want? I haven’t looked so that I won’t be tempted to add a new obsession to my already lengthy list of obsessions!   What are you drooling over from the Sock Dreams Halloween stuff? Again, I haven’t looked so I won’t be tempted.   Luck charms? I don’t really carry around any lucky charms, but I’m not opposed to them. I do have a Minneapolis bus token from my first solo vacation, to remind me that I can overcome my intimidation and shyness and do things on my own and have a great time, but I don’t really carry it around with me – I used to wear it on a chain sometimes, but now it mostly just sits in my jewelry box instead. Of course, I love maneki neko / lucky cats and have about half-a-dozen of them scattered around my house.   For those of you that like candles, do you like stuff from Yankee Candle? And if you had to choose, tarts or candles? I tend not to buy Yankee Candles, because I prefer to buy from independent sellers or smaller businesses, but I don’t have anything against them. I’d always choose candles over tarts, because they’re easier for me to use, but I do have a tart burner if needed.   Is there a movie you want so badly that you don’t own now? I guess if I wanted it terribly badly I’d have already bought it, but I’d really love to own Hal Hartley’s “Trust.” I have it on VHS, but I’d really like to get it on DVD eventually.   Is there a song on Itunes that you haven’t downloaded yet? Nope. I have a fair amount of money in my iTunes account thanks to gift cards from family, so whenever I want something, I just go ahead and download it right away.   Is there a rare book you’ve always wanted? I’d like to get volume 1 of the Robert Bloch trilogy (“The Lost Bloch”) that Subterranean Press put out a number of years ago (it’s on my Amazon wishlist), but I’ve managed to live without it so far, so going without for a few more years won’t hurt me.   Is there anything you want to buy yourself but have been too embarrassed (R rated or pg)? Not that I can think of.   Have you seen the Lush holiday update? Do you like the look of anything from there? I’m not really a Lush fan, so I haven’t bothered to look.   if you were my witchee, would you want some of my hot nuts my candied nuts my nuts covered in butter and brown sugar candied walnuts? No thank you, I don’t really like walnuts. I like cinnamon almonds quite a lot, but don’t really eat any other candied nuts.   October 3rd   Does anyone else like collector Barbies? I do! I have three collector Barbies: Autumn in Paris Barbie; Barbie and The Tale of Peter Rabbit; and Romantic Interlude Barbie, because at the time I just couldn’t resist the outfits. I still love them, but I don’t really have a place to display them, so they’re tucked away in drawers in the spare bedroom. Being that that’s the case, I don’t shop for any more, but if I saw the Barbie as Athena at a decent price somewhere (highly unlikely, since the original price is listed as $100! ), I might not be able to resist picking that one up, too.   What small everyday items would you like, that you keep forgetting to get? Nothing comes to mind – I guess that’s why I keep forgetting! I try to write things down on a shopping list as I remember them, so I can pick them up on my next shopping trip.   Tarot I like tarot decks! I don’t read tarot cards, although I’d like to learn how to some day, so right now I just collect decks for the pictures or because they were gifts. I have the Halloween Tarot set, two different manga tarot decks (Llewellyn’s and Selena Lin’s), and a Vampire Knight tarot entirely in Japanese. I also have some Oracle decks: Lucy Cavendish’s Oracle of Shadows & Light illustrated by Jasmin Becket-Griffith; Lucy’s Magical Spell cards deck; and Doreen Virtue’s Messages From Your Angels and Goddess Guidance decks. I’d like to get the Necronomicon Tarot deck someday. I like the idea of having someone do a general tarot reading for me, too. I don’t really have any particular questions I need answered, but if someone could do just a very general reading for me, I think that’d be fun. I have a good friend who does card and psychic readings as a business, but I always feel weird thinking about asking her to do one for me, both because she knows me so well and because it’s a business for her, not a hobby.   Tell me about something you like, and why you like it. I like so many things, and for so many reasons! I can’t think of one in particular to talk about!   If you're the MMU type of Witchee, what Geek Chic Cosmetics tickle your fancy? My standard answer – I didn’t look because I don’t want to be tempted!   Would any witchees be interested in Quinn Popcorn? None of their flavors really grab my interest.   October 5th   Are there any DIY / Crafty / Free / Budget items you'd love to get but haven't noted yet? (Or, maybe you'd just like to emphasize something you may have only noted in passing?) I think I’ve already mentioned most of the crafty stuff I’d be interested in. If you have access to any cool or cute cross-stitch patterns, I’d be happy to get a copy, or if you’re good with a craft knife, I’d love some glass etching stencils. (Right now I’m using craft punches on clear ConTact paper to make stencils, so it’d be really nice to get something that would let me create a slightly more elaborate design!)   Do you own a DSLR camera? Are you interested in a minky camera strap like these? What about anything from Photojojo? Nope.     Is anybody else into film photography? Interested in receiving film, supplies, etc from Lomography? My beloved film camera recently gave up the ghost, so I guess I’m stuck moving to digital for now. If I ever had oodles of extra money, I’d probably get a really good film camera with a great telephoto lens for photographing wildlife, but for now, I’ll be content with my little digital camera, so no, I don’t need any film photography supplies.   Are you musically inclined? Do you play an instrument or sing? If so, what? No, unfortunately. I love music, but I have absolutely no aptitude for it.   October 6th   Do you like liquorice? If so, hard or soft? Sweet or salt? Normally salted or so salt it pulls your face into a fishy shape? And which shapes do you like? I do like liquorice! I just finished off a bag of Panda soft black liquorice, and it was delicious. I used to love Switzer’s black and red licorices, but haven’t been able to get it for decades now. I did some searching a year or so back and found out that they’ve brought it back in some areas, but apparently the new stuff is nowhere near the old version, so I haven’t even bothered to try to get some. I don’t like the salty versions at all. I like all sorts of cute shapes, but since the shaped ones are usually hard, they never taste as good as they look.   Mac using witchees, what computers do you use? What peripherals/accessories do you have and what would you LIKE to have? What do you use your computer for? I have a desktop Mac with the basic accessories, and I don’t really need anything else. I mostly only use my personal computer for email, Internet shopping, and surfing the Web, so I’m already all set for that.   Do you like listening to audiobooks? Would you like to receive one, and if you would, what sort of audiobook would you like--or is there a particular audiobook you've been meaning to get? Not really. If I’m going to take the time to listen to something, it’s going to be music, not a book.   October 9th   Is there anything you would want from NYCC, something you'd like your witch to ask me to pick up? I didn’t even look because I didn’t want to be disappointed that I wasn’t going.   The best thing I ever ate...: I couldn’t possibly answer this. My memory doesn’t hold on to things like that, unfortunately. I have good short-term memory that let me do very well on tests when I was in school, but once the test was over, I never could retain the information. I think it’s only gotten worse over the years, too. I just don’t retain things long-term, and things all blur together in my mind over time.   October 11th   What is your favorite kind of cookie? My favorite kind depends on my mood at the time, but I like snickerdoodles, plain oatmeal (no raisins, no chocolate chips, etc.), peanut butter, and chocolate chip.   How many boxes are you hoping for? I was hoping to be lucky enough to get something mid-way through in addition to something at the end, and since I’ve already gotten two packages, I’ve already gotten more than I was hoping for! Thank you, my Witch!   How do you feel about loose leaf tea in baggies? I mean, I have a TON of loose leaf, would it be okay if I send you samples in some zip lock baggies? Or is that something that would squick you out? I’d be fine with that!   How would you feel about getting a custom poster with your favorite quote on it and some cool graphics? I'm an architecture student and can print posters (provided I make them) at pretty much any size using Adobe Illustrator at a low price. Also if you would be interested in this, what quotes would you like? I can’t really think of any quote dear enough to me that I’d want a poster of it.   October 13th   Are you interested in anything in the latest round of Lab auctions on eBay? I’d like to know what Romanti Goth smells like, but it’s already way too expensive for something that I don’t already know that I love. Same thing with Needlework and Gun Moll. I’d like to have some Hanami just for the name, but again, without knowing in advance how I’d like the scent, I would never bid on it. Everything else I’d be interested in I already have. Midway is one of my top 5 BPALs, but since I already have a couple of back-up bottles of that one, I’ll leave it for someone else   What favorite song(s) would you think would translate into a cool or unique scent? I can’t think of any favorite songs that I can imagine translating into scent. One of my very favorite songs is Senses Fail’s “Let It Enfold You” (please don’t judge! ), but I don’t really see much in the song that lends itself to becoming a nice scent.   Anyone interested in VApothecary's Halloween update? I haven’t even looked.   Interested in anything from the Beaver Moon Lunacy update? Batty, because I love bats! And I’d like to be able to get just an imp or half-imp of Lady Death: Savage and Halloween: Montreal, just to see what they’re like.   I sent you with $20 into a drugstore/Walmart (nothing too fancy/imported/expensive, just your average selection), and you are restricted only to the candy aisle. What would you blow it on? Cadbury dairy milk bars, Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins, a couple of Peppermint Batties, Brach’s Milk Maid caramel apple candy corn, and maybe some Smarties or SweeTarts or Chuckles.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch Fall 2012 Questions through September 19

Questions from start through September 20   Do you like s'mores and s'mores-flavored things?   What's the neatest freebie you've gotten? It can be cool or thoughtful or just totally unexpected, and not limited to BPALdom.   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) I think I already have more kitchen utensils/gadgets than I need, given my limited drawer space and the fact that I don’t really cook or bake. My not cooking or baking means that spice mixes would probably be wasted on me as well (but hot chocolate mixes would definitely be used!). I could probably find room for more cute or pretty chopsticks, although I already have more than I use. Bento supplies such as molds or shape cutters would be cool and might even inspire me to actually use them.   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, thank you. I do like Halloween PJs, but I already have a handful and I end up wearing them only rarely, plus I’m picky about fit. I tend to just wear sweat pants and Halloween shirts instead.   What kind of chocolate do you like? Nuts, no nuts, white,dark, etc? Mostly milk chocolate. Nuts sometimes – I especially like the Ritter with hazelnuts. My favourite brand is Fannie May, so if my Witch lives somewhere with a Fannie May store, I’d love a couple of chocolate bars (plain, crisped rice, or caramel)! Fannie May’s dark chocolate-covered lemon creams, dark caramels, and dark vanilla creams are some other favourites. Or if my Witch lives somewhere where s/he can buy Nut Goodies, I’d love to get some of those!   I live near a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Penzeys! What does your little heart desire from any or all of these places? I live near a Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s myself, so I’m already covered on those. I think most things from Penzeys would be wasted on me (although if I got anything I’d pass it on to my cousin who loves to bake, in the hopes that she’d bake something for me with them!). I think the only things I’d use from Penzeys would be their hot chocolate mix (they do have one, don’t they?), their cinnamon, and maybe flavored sugars (if they have those).   Are home made foods acceptable or does the idea of eating strange mailed food disturb you? As I’ve mentioned more than once, I don’t really cook or bake, so I’d be thrilled to pieces to get homemade baked goods or candies! I’m sort of picky about other foods, though, so if you have some specialty of yours in mind to send, maybe ask about it in the thread or drop me an email or something and ask?   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! Like some others here, I boycott Walmart, but at a generic “has everything” store, I’d probably be tempted to buy Halloween cards (I can’t seem to resist them, even though I already have more than I’ll ever use!); nail polish or eye shadow (ditto); and maybe a candy bar or bag of white cheddar popcorn or small box of Lorna Doone cookies. If I happened to pass something Halloween-y or with Hello Kitty on it in the stationery area (note pad, pens/pencils, stickers, etc.) I’d most likely buy that also.   What kind of cuisines do you like? (I mentioned this in my ?aire but curious what my witch may like)And, what are your favorite restaurants? I was raised in a pretty basic meat and potatoes household, so I don’t have the wide experiences with other cuisines that so many other people here seem to have. I do like Japanese and strive to try at least one new thing every time I go to a Japanese restaurant. I’d like to try more Indian food, but I don’t go out to eat very often, and when I do, I always seem to end up choosing the Japanese place instead. My love of chicken fingers and breaded/fried chicken in general is well known among my friends and family – it’s a bit of a standing joke that they already know exactly what I’ll order at most restaurants. Other than that, the usual junk food: pepperoni pizza; fast food burgers; French fries; and fried shrimp. My favourite restaurant is the Japanese one 5 minutes from me, Izakaya Sanpei.   I'm from Canada - is there anything specifically a witchee might like that is only available here? I know it’s not specific to Canada necessarily, but I do love maple candy – the yummy kind that’s just shaped maple sugar, basically. When I was in Halifax on vacations I loved the cinnamon sugar beavertails they sold down on the pier, but unfortunately they wouldn’t travel well at all.   what are your "fandoms" and would you like a t-shirt from TeeFury if an appropriate one came up? I don’t imagine that any of my fandoms would be covered on TeeFury.   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? I do like candles! My favourites are regular beeswax candles; a lot of the Dark Candles scents, especially Forbidden Fruit, Lilith, Autumn Harvest, and Clove; and B&BW’s Marshmallow Fireside (I just bought two large 3-wick candles in this scent). In general I like spicy scents like clove and cinnamon.   Marzipan? No, thank you.   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? I think that would be really nice. I always feel guilty about the number of paper towels I use, so it would be really nice to have some washable/reusable towels to use instead!   Do you drink alcohol and if so, would you be OK with your witch sending you homemade infused vodka? Oh my gosh YES!!! I’ve been thinking lately about trying to make my own infused vodka (cinnamon, maybe a cinnamon/clove/other spices, and some candy flavored ones for gifts), so if you have instructions for favourite infusions that would be great too! Homemade infused vodka would be delightful to receive, but unfortunately Michigan is one of those no-shipping-alcohol states, so you may not want to risk it.   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? I’ve had the Pepperidge Farm TimTams and thought they were delicious, and I’ve heard that the real Australian TimTams are even better, so I’d definitely be up for trying them! And Caramello Koalas sound both adorable and delicious!   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)? I have a friend who’s made me scarves for about four years running, so I’m all set on scarves, but I’d love to get fingerless gloves! My hands always get so cold at work, but I need to have my fingers clear to type, so fingerless gloves would be perfect for me. Socks or arm warmers would also be lovely.   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? Nope, it’s just me and the wild critters outside.   Since it's been mentioned several times, and I've also offered to nacho witch some, would you like to receive wild rice and or maple syrup? I promise to include recipe ideas with the wild rice. I’d love to receive a bit of maple syrup, and as long as recipes were included, I’d definitely be up to try wild rice too. I’m more tempted to eat stuff when I know where it’s from (for instance, I almost never buy or eat salad mix from the store, but I will eat it if I’ve bought it from the local farmers market).   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? No, thank you. I don’t use sauce on my spaghetti.   Would you be interested in having a bat adopted in your name? Absolutely, I love bats! I adopted one myself years ago, a hoary bat from the Organization for Bat Conservation (http://store.batconservation.org/sponsorabat.aspx).   How would you feel about a taste of (insert witch location here) box? I love the idea in theory, but in actuality I’m sort of a picky eater and a lot of the things that normally go into such boxes (jams, jellies, preserves, other condiments) would probably be wasted on me.   Some of your favorite artists? Classic and modern? Pierre et Gilles and Charles Addams. Other than that, I really don’t have much knowledge of different artistic styles or artists. I like some manga/anime styles and in general I prefer photographs and realistic drawings over surrealistic, abstract, etc.   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? Probably something simple and Halloween-y, especially with bats. I like the vintage style Halloween greeting cards images, but that’s more something to decoupage rather than paint by hand.   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? After a couple of rounds of discontinuations got me panicking, I went ahead and got bottles of all my favorite imps and backup bottles of my most favorite GCs, so I’m pretty much set. I’m thinking that I might want to get a bottle of Mouse Circus, but I’d have to try an imp first to see if I like it.   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 love nail polish, but I haven’t really gotten into indie brands. Most of them that I’ve seen seem to focus on chunky glitters, and that’s not really my thing. I do love some glitter polishes, just not the chunky glitter ones. I love duochromes and multichromes, so I buy a lot of those.   Stuffed things: yea or nay? If it’s a small stuffed thing, then yea. I already have so many stuffed things from childhood that space for stuffed things is limited.   New Question: 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? If it’s super easy to use, then I’d probably give it a try.   Would you be interested in beer, wine, or other specialty beverages from your Witch's area? Absolutely! Alas, Michigan law thwarts me by prohibiting the shipping of alcohol here.   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? I’d really like to learn how to quilt someday, but right now I have so many other unfinished craft projects sitting around that I’ve put quilting on the back burner for the time being.   Who here would be happy to get a lil' sumthin sumthin from Adagio Teas? I think I’m pretty much overloaded on tea right now. I’ve got to get through some of my existing vast stock before I even think about getting more.   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 (retrodrygoods.com) (you can order online too) - are there things from it that would make you squee if your witch sent them? Choward's Spearmints! I discovered them last summer in a store up north when I was on vacation, but to my disappointment haven’t been able to find them anywhere around here. The Choward’s Peppermints are probably good, too. And they have Nut Goodies – that would totally make me squee! (On a side note, it was fun to check out the classic toy section and see some of the toys that I had as a kid!)   Who likes Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses? Not me. I’m plain milk chocolate Kisses all the way.   What does your kitchen look like? Colors/style? The former owners decorated in a sort of pastel color scheme – cream wallpaper with a pattern of random brushes of pastel colors; the backsplash is cream-ish white tiles with a vaguely Southwestern pastel design; and the cupboards are white. I keep meaning to change it someday (replace the wallpaper with paint, for one), but it’s one of the least used rooms in my house, and I just haven’t gotten around to it.   Witchee, what are your favorite quotes?   “Just be true to yourself; if it lands you in Hell, well, at least now you know" - Alkaline Trio’s song "If You Had a Bad Time."   “I had a bad day. I had to subvert my principles and kowtow to an idiot. Television makes these daily sacrifices possible. It deadens the inner core of my being.” – Matthew Slaughter (Martin Donovan) in Hal Hartley’s movie Trust.   “Don’t forget, little snakes, if you’re going to wallow – wallow deep.” – liner notes on Marc & the Mambas’ Torment and Toreros album.   Put your iPod/MP3 player/what-have-you on random and list the first 10 songs it plays! 1. Are You Gonna Move It For Me? – The Donnas 2. Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) (Spanish version) – Voltaire 3. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out – The Smiths 4. Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows) – Fall Out Boy 5. Voulez Vous – Erasure 6. Zombie Jesus – Voltaire (spoken word bit from Voltaire Live) 7. Soul Inside – Soft Cell 8. Small Town Spree – Peter Case 9. Space Oddity – David Bowie 10. Fuck You Aurora – Alkaline Trio   What's one random thing you really like and one random thing you really dislike? Like: Maneki neko / lucky cats. Dislike: bugs that fly in the window when I open it to feed the raccoons in the back yard.   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. No, thank you.   If there are no "witchy" shops near you, is there anything I can pick up for you from Enchantments? I have a couple of sort of “witchy” shops near me, so I think I’m all set.   And now a new question: 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? Nothing really jumps out at me.   Do you have any Fall or Halloween traditions? Not really, although Fall is my favourite season and Halloween my favourite holiday. I decorate the house a little, although I usually don’t get around to doing it until the day before Halloween, and then I end up leaving the decorations up until around Thanksgiving. I do try to watch a classic horror movie (something with Vincent Price or Bela Lugosi or such) and read a little Poe on Halloween. This year I’m planning on reading Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree thanks to voodoocatwoman, who sent it to me last year in a book swap.   Ninjas or Pirates? Probably pirates, but I don’t really have any particular affinity for either.   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? I’d never turn down a chance to try something from BPAL/BPTP that I wouldn’t otherwise get to try!   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?   A. I’m with angelamaria on this one: “Cupcakes are good, singing hugging bear-a-gram is not, flowers are good.” B. Yes. I work from home, so 99% of the time I’ll be there to receive it. C. Sure. I’d happily hand over my phone number in order to get cupcakes or flowers!   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 think I’m fine with pretty much anything homemade, and gently used books, DVDs, CDs, etc. are great. I’m also fine with pre-owned BPAL and nail polish and probably other things that just aren’t coming to mind right now.   Witchee, would you like it if I made you a "mix tape" of songs that I think you might like? And if so, would you prefer mp3 or CD format? Sure! I love music! CD format is best.   I know it is totally the wrong season (for most of us), but do you like/have space to garden? If so, what do you like to grow? Unfortunately, I have a black thumb and manage to slowly but steadily kill everything I try to grow.   I'm about to be near a Lush store next week, is there anything you might like from there? No, thank you.   Songs that you keep meaning to buy but never get round to it? Thanks to gifts from family, I have enough money on iTunes gift cards to buy songs as I think of them. There’s some stuff still sitting on my iTunes gift list, but I’ll probably buy them as I feel the need.   Movies that you love but forgot to put in your questionaire? If it’s not in my questionnaire, it should be on one of my Amazon wishlists. I’d like to get The House of Long Shadows on DVD, but from the reviews on Amazon, it sounds like the DVD version currently available is absolutely terrible and I’d be better off just getting it on VHS.   Any favorite Bath & Body Works scents/products? Nothing that I don’t already have enough of. I love the Marshmallow Fireside candles and Warm Vanilla Sugar for anything else, but I’m quite well stocked up on both.   Haus of Gloi is offering custom perfumes - would you like one? What would your ideal blend be? I have no idea. Years of BPAL, and I’m still terrible at judging what notes will work on my skin – it’s always trial and error with me.   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? Nothing comes to mind.   OK, so those of you who said you wouldn't mind receiving (sneakily packaged!) beer or wine: Tell me of your taste preferences. Dry/sweet? Red/white? Lager/ale/porter/stout? Fruit? Spice? Hops? Sour (brettanomyces, etc)? For wine, mostly sweet and white. I’ve had some delicious Moscatos, and my very favourite wine is St. Julian’s Catawba. I like some reds, but on the whole I prefer whites and roses. One exception: if you happen to know what they served as the house red at The Shoe in Halifax, Nova Scotia about 10 years ago, I’d love to just find out what it was, because I have some happy memories of evenings spent at The Shoe drinking the house red while on vacation in 2001 and 2002. For beers, I tend to like porters and stouts best, then reds and maybe RyePAs, and I really don’t like IPAs/hoppy beers or sours. My favorite beers are Atwater Block Brewery’s Voodoo Vator and Decadent dark chocolate stout ; Bell’s Hell Hath No Fury; O’Fallon’s Pumpkin beer; and Unibroue’s Trois Pistoles. I love to try beers from my state’s small breweries, so if you have a favourite beer from one of your local breweries that you’d like to sneakily send my way in defiance of the stupid Michigan laws, I’d be more than happy to get it!   Witchee, will you be gone from your normal mailing address at any point during the round? Not that I know of, and if I am, it will be just over a weekend or an afternoon/overnight/next morning at my parent’s house if they go out of town for a day and need me to watch their bunny.   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? I don’t have strong feelings about Disney one way or the other. I loved the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean rides when I was a kid, but other than that, I could take it or leave it.   dear witchee, would you, could you use an electric candle warmer? No, thank you.   Do you lust after some new socks/tights? My sock drawer overfloweth, but I would never say no to black bamboo socks (I can’t find simple bamboo socks in a dark colour anywhere around here anymore!) or Halloween design socks. I never wear tights.   are there any of MeiLin's books (e-book or print) you'd be interested in? I think I remember from last year her having a crockpot recipes one that I wouldn’t mind getting, or any of her fiction.   Are you a gamer (of any sort - video, casual, tabletop) and are there any games you want? Not really. I’d love it if I had people around that I could play board games with, but I live alone and sadly my friends and family aren’t enthused about getting together to play Monopoly or Creature Castle or anything.   Do you like coffee? If so, what kinds? Flavored, fancy, basic? Beans or ground? No. It smells deceptively good, but I don’t like the taste at all.   Would a Starbucks gift card make you happy or do you prefer your local place? I only ever go to Starbucks with one friend of mine, and I have a couple of Starbucks gift cards from work that should keep me in hot chocolate for a couple of years at the rate that I visit Starbucks.   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...? Yea! A mug would be great, as would a bowl, but what I would really love most would be a matcha bowl for making green tea. I have the matcha powder and the whisk, but I don’t have a special tea bowl, and I would be thrilled to pieces to get one from my Witch. I probably lean more on the side of elegant, or rather classically simple, than toward rustic. A bird feeder does sound interesting, but I don’t think a pottery bird feeder would long survive the squirrels and raccoons who think that bird feeders should feed them too! And glazes could be any color, since it wouldn’t really have to match anything. Do they make purple glazes? Purple might be pretty cool!   Do you have a forum buddy? Someone who knows you and/or your tastes well enough to answer questions on your behalf? No, I don’t.   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 I’m not on LJ or any similar sites.   A question, witchees: if you are into tarot, what is your favorite card? I find tarot interesting, and I have a couple of decks, but I don’t know how to read them, so I don’t have a favorite card.   And another question: would you like your own set of handmade rune stones or worry stones? No, thank you. They’re probably not something that I would use.   Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cider, or none of the above? Hot chocolate, tea, and cider. Thanks to gifts from family and my own shopping, I already have a ton of hot chocolate mixes and tea, as well as a bunch of cider mixes, so I don’t really need any more. That said, I can always make room for a special/fancy hot chocolate mix.   Gum, hard candy, soft candy, or none of the above? I don’t really chew gum much anymore. I’m fine with hard candy and some soft candy, but I don’t really like gummy candy or hard candy with soft or liquid fillings. SweetTarts, Smarties, and Chuckles are some of my favourite non-chocolate candies.   Loose tea or tea bags? Do you need anything for your loose tea? (Filters, presses, etc.) I use both. I’m already all set for accessories. For the most part, though, I have more than enough tea already. On the other hand, I’m almost out of The Republic of Tea’s cardamon cinnamon and Stash’s mojito mint green tea, so I wouldn’t mind getting more of those, or something along those lines.   If you like tea, what kinds? Spicy (cinnamon, ginger, etc.) or minty black or green teas.   Do you do Goodreads or LibraryThing or a site like that? If so, can I see your to-read list, please? No, I don’t.   Zombies; Yay or Nay? Um, yea, I guess? I’m alright with zombie stuff.   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? I don’t have cats or dogs.   If you have kids, what are they into? I don’t have kids, either.   How do you feel about wearable knitted lace? Shawls, wraps, and the like? It sounds lovely, but I probably wouldn’t have occasion to wear such things more than once or twice a year.   Looking at the warehouse, 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? Absolutely! I’ve always wanted to have my chart read.   I live in Japan. Anything you would be interested in from there? Just about anything! I love anime and manga, so I tend to get excited about a lot of Japanese things. I do have a couple of Japanese markets near me, so I’m probably set for candy and treats, but I’m open to most anything else. I would especially love little trinkets, promotional items, or such from any of my favourite anime/manga: Library Wars (Toshokan Senso); Maid-Sama! (Kaichou Wa Maid Sama); Ouran High School Host Club; Pet Shop of Horrors; and Fruits Basket. Oh, a maneki neko (or something with a maneki neko theme) would be brilliant also!   WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH YOUR ASS OFF!!! movies, comedians, black humor, your partner, a comic strip? what? My cousin can keep me laughing for hours as we trade competing stories of whose life sucks most. Henry Rollins' spoken word shows. TV shows that make me laugh include Mystery Science Theater 3000, The Venture Brothers (a half-guilty pleasure), Titus, and Sledge Hammer!   The end of this month I'm going to Scarefest, the big horror and paranormal con in Kentucky. Here's the link to the site. If I were your witch, is there anything you would like from there (skull jewelry, art prints from an artist that catch your eye, etc), or anyone whose autograph or photo or such you would dig? This sounds like SO MUCH FUN!!! If I were there I would totally go see Tony Todd (love his voice!), Chris Saradon (Fright Night!), and Malcolm McDowell, but I don’t need an autograph or photo or anything (and wouldn’t want you to have to stand in line to get such things – I’m sure lines will be huge for such big names!). I love old school horror actors like Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff, so if one of the dealers had something cool and inexpensive related to one of those actors (especially Price), that’d be cool. I like bat jewelry better than skull jewelry, but skull jewelry would still be cool. You could probably get a decent idea of the types of things I like from my blog entries and stalking my posts a little.   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? Given the limited contents of my wardrobe, probably jeans and either a cashmere sweater or Sick on Sin or BPTP shirt (depending on the weather), a nice necklace, and my black boots.   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? Style is so not my thing. I don’t even know what store I would go to. If I were picking a full outfit just for fun, money no object, I think I would love to get something goth-y and elaborate and beautiful.   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). 1. A gently used copy of the 1967 or 1968 edition of Richard Scarry's Worterbuch (German-English). I've been looking for one for a while now, but it's very hard to find that particular edition in decent condition. (I know, imagine that! A children's book over 40 years old that's still in decent condition is hard to find! Who would have thought? ) I can find later editions in good or very good condition, but I want the '67 or '68 edition, and every one that I've seen for sale online has been in less than good condition. 2. Red & black swirl vinyl version of Senses Fail’s “Still Searching.” (Stupid Gmail sent the pre-order announcement to the spam folder, and by the time I found it hours later and went to order the record, they were already sold out. ) 3. Philips DVP642 DVD player, because mine has died. I'm going to try a fix I found on the Internet involving replacing a capacitor (or rather, I'm going to ask my brother to try), but just in case it doesn't work.... And if it does, then I'd have a second DVD player that I could put upstairs.   if you wear earrings, do you have pierced ears? My ears aren’t pierced and clip-ons always hurt, so I stopped trying to wear earrings years ago.   What is your holy grail "I'd kill to just have one drop in an imp" bpal scent? Maybe the original Three Witches? I got an imp of it in my first BPAL order, loved it, and was all set to buy a bottle, but it got discontinued before I did. When it was resurrected, I was thrilled and stocked up on 2 or 3 bottles, only to discover that resurrection brought with it a banana note that hadn’t been present in my original imp. I hate banana. Every couple of years I bring out the bottle in hopes that the banana note will have died off, but it was still there the last time I tested.   Are there any existing Weenies that you have your eye on, but haven't gotten around to getting? I already joined a decant circle to get the ones I was interested in.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch Fall 2012 Questions September 21-October 3

Questions and answers from September 21-October 3, 2012   9/21   My Little Pony... Cute or meh? Meh. Never got into them as a kid, so there’s no nostalgia factor with them for me.   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. 1 Already mentioned earlier, but the Human Target Season 1 DVD set. 2 3 4 5 I've bought a lot of little things recently that would probably have been on this list otherwise, so I'll have to think about this some more and come back to this question later.   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?) I’m sorry, but I’m really not a designer brand person at all. Style and I are pretty much strangers to each other.   Are there any existing Weenies that you have your eye on, but haven't gotten around to getting? I already joined a decant circle to get the ones I was interested in.   In the meantime, let me know what you like to do on the Internet to kill time. Read fanfiction: Pet Shop of Horrors (D/Leon); Black Butler (Sebastian/Grell); Hellsing (Alucard/Integra); Real Ghostbusters (esp. Egon/Janine shippy stuff, but all of it, really); Supernatural (Dean/Jo); and the occasional Ouran High School Host Club (primarily Mori/Haruhi). I also check out nail polish blogs (especially Scrangie’s); AbsolutePunk.net; and melithiel’s ongoing translation of Toshokan Kakumei (http://toshosen-tsl.livejournal.com/) daily. (Someday I’ve really got to print out the first three volumes of the series that she’s already completed so that I have actual physical copies!)   And what are your favourite characters from your fandoms? See the previous question! Most of the characters I like to see shipped are my favourite characters, but in terms of absolute favourites among those listed above, I would have to say I love Grell, Janine, and Mori the best. And since I'm sort of obsessed with Human Target right now, I'll add that my favourite character from that is definitely Guerrero!   9/23   Lip balm - tube or tin? Tube, unless the tin has some super fabulous flavor that I just can’t resist (Vintage Sister sour cherry, I’m looking at you! Why aren’t you still available?!? )   Would you like to receive a journal or sketchbook? How about other pretty paper goods like post-its, notepads, bookmarks, letter paper/envelopes? I already have a ton of journals that I don’t use very often, and I never use sketchbooks, but any other pretty paper goods would be great! (Heck, even another journal would be great. I don’t seem to ever use them, but if I see one I really like, I just can’t resist buying it!)   Are you interested in audiobooks? If so, any specific titles? No, thank you.   Bar soaps with some scrubby bits, yes or no? Sure!   Do you need any small electronic gadgets like flash drives and the like? I don’t technically need one, but a flash drive might definitely come in handy for backing up some of the stories and things that I’ve downloaded.   Would you like a pair of knitted socks? Sure!   Do you have any use for knitted dishcloths, facecloths, etc, especially if they were fandom related? I’m sure that I could find a use if I got one!   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...) No. I got a gift subscription to Birchbox last year from my cousin, but it didn’t really suit me and I didn’t renew when the subscription ended. I’ve been toying with the idea of subscribing to one of the “green”/eco-friendly ones, though, like Eco-Emi, Conscious Box, or Green Grab Bag. I’d be happy to receive some fun samples!   do you have a problem with nudes???Male or Female? I don’t have a problem with nudes, but I wouldn’t display them anywhere.   People ask a lot of questions about dogs and cats, but I know a lot of forumites have rodent pets. How would you feel about hammocks or toys for your rats/hamsters/gerbils/etc.? Hammocks for rodents sounds super cute! If my gerbils were still around, I’d totally want to get a hammock for them! But sadly, they are not, so I have no use for a rodent hammock or toys.   9/24   Paintbox Soapworks: Interested in anything from her? I haven’t even looked. But if you have a favourite that you’d like to share, my Witch, then I’d be happy to give it a try!   ThinkGeek: anything interesting to you on there? Again, I haven’t even looked. If I do and I find something of interest, I’ll update.   What's one thing you want, right now, that you're having difficulty finding? As I mentioned before, right now I’m having difficulty finding the Richard Scarry Worterbuch from the right year in the right condition. Other than that, right now I’d like to see season 2 of Human Target, but it’s not out on DVD yet and neither Amazon nor iTunes seems to have it available to download.   are there any e-tailers you're desperately wanting to try? if so, any specific items/scents/etc? I can’t think of any that I’m desperately wanting to try, but Long Winter Soap Co. has some tempting sounding lip balms, like toffee, chai, and white chocolate. There should also be a couple of things from other e-tailers listed in my Etsy favourites.   9/25   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 sleep, especially if I’m not feeling good. If it’s just a case of life not going my way, I might instead/also treat myself to more than usual amounts of junk food and do some online shopping.   Who here is going to be picking up JK Rowling's new book on Thursday Not me. I have utterly no interest in any of her stuff.   favorite and least favorite baked goods? Favourites are cookies (especially Snickerdoodles, plain oatmeal, molasses, chocolate chip, and sugar) and cake (especially red velvet and chocolate, but yellow and white are good too). I love chocolate peanut butter pie, but I don’t think you actually have to bake that, so it’s not exactly baked goods. Least favourite are anything with fruit or vegetables, pretty much. No fruit pies, carrot cakes, lemon bars, oatmeal raisin cookies, or anything else with fruit or veggies in it.   what size T-Shirt do you wear (standard AND babydoll)? Depending on the t-shirt, mostly large or extra large in standard sizes. In BPTP babydolls, XL. In Sick on Sick (American Apparel) babydolls, XXL.   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? No, thank you. I hardly ever use jellies or jams – maybe once or twice a year at most.   Would you be interested in homemade herbal remedies and tinctures? Sure, I guess. Aside from headaches and cuts, scratches, & bruises, though, I don’t really have much cause to use any remedies.   Owls? Yes, please!   9/26   Witchee, do you want anything from the Haunt update coming up on 10/3? I know it might be too early to say, but if you could look at the preview on the night of 10/2 and let me know if you want anything... Sadly, I didn’t see much that I was interested in this time. I was hoping to scoop up a few bars of Corsair soap, but it wasn’t listed. Maybe the Batty lip lust, just for the name. I’ll probably be hanging around when the store opens to grab anything that catches my eye, though, so don’t worry about needing to pick up anything for me when you’re shopping.   Do any of Villainness' Soap Box exclusive scents interest you, especially any of the Smooches/Whippeds? No. I don’t use Villainness’ Whippeds and I have a ton of Smooches already, and I’ll most likely be switching to Smacks instead of Smooches from now on, because I like them better. Scent-wise, I like Byzantium, Jai Mahal, and Ginger Snapped best, and those aren’t Soap Box exclusives.   Puddin' just put a shitton of old Lunacy shirts on the BPTP Etsy! Any ones interest you? Not really. All the ones there that I was interested in I already have.   9/27   Gardening? Unfortunately, no. Although I like the idea of having a garden, in reality there’s a million things I’d rather do than work in a garden, and my yard is a case of survival of the fittest in action when it comes to plants and flowers.   Is there anything you might want from the latest update (Lab or TP)? BPAL: Nothing that I think I’d need a bottle of, but I’d like to try an imp of Halloween in the Miskatonic University Library; Wolf Spider; and Witch Dance. Maybe Nadie Se Conoce also. BPTP: Again, no bottles, but a few decants just to try: Red Velvet Truffle bath oil; Spider Silk bath oil; and Red Pumpkin Floss. I think I’d love a Black Clove candle, and the Trick or Treat and Spanish Red Carnation soaps sound worth a try.   Is there something(s) that you consider too spendy or too frivolous for you to buy for yourself, but that you actually want Not really. I can justify just about anything for myself, eventually. Also, I have no significant other or children, so I don’t have to divert any money from myself toward others, which means no guilt when I buy things for myself.   Do you use or would like to try loose eyeshadow pigments? I actually bought a bunch of Fyrinnae loose eyeshadows last December, and I’ve ended up barely using any of them. I guess I just like pressed eyeshadows better – they’re so much easier/less messy to use. I think the loose pigments are beautiful, but I just don’t seem to reach for them all that often (probably because I’m always running late and in a hurry, and pressed shadows are just quicker and easier).   9/29   Would anyone like a witch pendant? Sure!   What's a new company to you that you most want to try a product from or what would be a new product to you that you most want to try (make-up, perfume, or bath/body)? I’d be interested in trying a vanilla- or spice-scented shampoo that was SLS-free, paraben-free, etc. I keep meaning to see if I can find any on etsy to try, but haven’t really put my mind or time to it.   If you like necklaces, what are some symbols or images that you would love to have a necklace depict? You can never go wrong with a bat necklace! I like owls, too. Cute frog princes and maneki neko would also be quite nice.   9/30   Do you want anything from Arcana's fall update? Nothing really caught my eye. The only Arcana scents I’ve really loved have been Swashbuckler and Spitfire, and the latter was discontinued long ago.   10/2/12   If you had a fairy for NYCC, what exclusive scent would you kill to own? None of them really grabbed me. I wouldn’t mind trying an imp or half-imp’s worth of Badgers, Nymphes de Pave, and Miss Jenny, just to see what they were like, but I don’t think any of them would be bottle purchases for me.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch Fall 2012 Questions October 4-

Questions and answers from October 4 on.   What do you think of Shiro Cosmetics Halloween Collection? (www.shirocosmetics.com) Pumpkin King looks lovely, and although I'm not usually a fan of lip glosses or doefoot applicators, I have to say that This Is Halloween looks very tempting!   The Godiva Halloween Collection? The Halloween pretzels and the assorted chocolates both look yummy!   Would you be interested in comic books and if so what ones do you read or what genre of comics are you interested in Oh, yes! I used to read the Punisher comics regularly, but haven’t lately. I’d be really happy to get some new ones and start to catch up again! Besides the Punisher, I really enjoy comics with female leads, like Magdalena, Vampi, and Witchblade. I read a one-off Punisher/Painkiller Jane cross-over once, and I watched the Painkiller Jane tv show when it was on, so I’d be quite interested in reading some more Painkiller Jane stuff. Horror/supernatural comics would also be cool - things like the old Tales from the Crypt are great! Or just surprise me! And if you have a favourite that you'd like to share, I'd love to give it a try! You really can't go very wrong with comic books!   WITCHEE, DO YOU WANT ANYTHING FROM CALIFORNIA? Nothing that I can think of!   IngenuiTEAs? Looks cool, but I probably don’t need one.   Honeycrisp "Apple Crips" (Dried honeycrisp apples, nothing added.) DO YOU WANT SOME WITCHEE????? Sounds yummy!   Design a tea? I already have so very much tea….   FusionSweets? (etsy) I love caramels, and I wouldn’t mind trying some marshmallows. The Spanish style hot chocolate sounds lovely. Caramel flavours that sound most yummy are: Belgian Dark Chocolate; Belgian Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt; Sweet and Creamy Vanilla; French Sea Salt; and Masala Chai. Lemon ginger; Maple syrup; and Rose, Orange Blossom, Vanilla also sound interesting. Most tempting marshmallow flavours are: Grasshopper (Mint Chocolate Swirl) and Chocolate Orange.   Poe Day? Dark Del merch in general? I got decants of all of those before, I think, and to my great disappointment, none of them really worked on me.   Kombucha? I’ve never had it, but have been interested in trying it some day. I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at making my own, if it really is easy to do!   Are you dressing up for Halloween, Witchee? If so, is there anything you're looking for to complete your costume? Probably not. I’ll just be at home passing out candy. I might throw on a vampire cape just for fun, but that and black nail polish will probably be the extent of my “dressing up.”   Do you need any accessories for your smartphone (case, skin, etc)? I don't have a smartphone.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Warm Pumpkins & Fall Leaves swap answers

Do you like fingerless mitts? Color? Length? I would love fingerless mitts or gloves! My hands are always freezing at work. I've been so desperate in the past that I just cut the fingertips off of an ordinary pair of black gloves, but they're unraveling badly by now, so I don't think they'll last much longer. Colour-wise, black is always good, but I'm up for most other colours as well. Length-wise, maybe to the wrist or a little bit past - when it's cold I wear long sleeves, so no need for mitts to go much past the wrist.   How 'bout scarves and hats? Plain or fancy? Lacey? Color/width/length? I actually already have a bunch of scarves that I've gotten as gifts, and I hardly ever wear scarves. I never wear hats.   Can you wear (very soft, fine) wool? Do you prefer not to (for whatever reason)? I don't see any reason why not, although I can't remember ever trying.   Top three favorite hot beverages? Be as specific as you like (ie not all hot cocoas are created equal!) 1. Hot chocolate, especially cinnamon or spicy. Mint is good too, and lately I've been liking white chocolate. I'll try any, from the Land o' Lakes single serve packets to "fancy" make with milk (instead of water) blends. 2. Tea. My three favourites are Republic of Tea's Cardamon Cinnamon; Stash's Mojito Mint green tea; and ginger tea - either Triple Leaf Tea's Ginger with 100% ginger root or Lipton's Ginger Twist, depending on my mood. 3. Hot spiced cider. I have some Aseltines apple cider spices for hot mulled cider in tea bags that I love, but sadly haven't been able to find any more in the past few years.   Tell me about one thing you have trouble finding for your favorite fall holiday. Nothing! I have the opposite problem - I find way too much! I love bats, so this time of year the stores are filled with temptation.   Glass pendants - any particular themes? Something Halloween-y would be nice. I'm a sucker for anything with bats, especially. I also like dichroic glass.   Any fandoms or favourite shows/movies (even if you're not overly-obsessed)? Since I cancelled my DirecTV a couple of years ago and never replaced it with anything, I've sort of lost track of what's currently on. I just re-watched season 7 of Supernatural after getting it from the library, and I'm on the waitlist for season 8. As long as they keep Dean around, I expect that I'll keep watching to the bitter end. Eternal favourites are Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the Real Ghostbusters (yep, a puppet show and a cartoon - I'm so sophisticated! ). Music-wise, I worship Marc Almond. I also love Leonard Cohen, Gene Pitney, Senses Fail, and Motion City Soundtrack, among many others. Favourite movies are The Unbelievable Truth, Trust, and Amateur, all by Hal Hartley, and I also have a fondness for old horror movies (Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, etc.).   Are you religious and if so does it influence stuff you like/collect? No, I'm not, and I tend to avoid the standard Christian imagery. I probably wouldn't have a problem with stuff from other religions outside of my own background, but I was raised Catholic, and I'd rather not have Christian symbols and such around me any more.   Commercial candy (premade)? Types, amounts, any other preferences I can't think of? My Halloween favourites are the Reese's peanut butter pumpkins and the Brach's (I think) caramel apple candy corn. I'm also a big fan of Smarties and SweeTarts and such. One thing I love that I haven't been able to find in stores around here are the C. Howard's spearmint candies. I also love Fannie May candy, but they don't have any stores in this state anymore, so I'd be excited to get one of their candy bars or some Halloween chocolate.   Other sorts of commercially-available treats (seasonal or otherwise)? I seem to be eating a lot of popcorn lately, so a flavored popcorn (white cheddar, kettle corn, cinnamon sugar, chocolate-covered, etc.) would be quite nice.   Do you have gift wishlists (Amazon, Etsy, Kaboodle, etc.) that aren't in your signature or profile? They're all in my sig.   If your Warmer Upper sent you a tiny bottle of booze, would you report them to the cops or would you high five yourself and drink it? What kind of 'hot' drinks do you like? High five! I'd be very happy to get booze! Aside from beer and wine, I mostly drink flavoured vodkas and schnapps and such, including spearmint schnapps, ginger brandy, cinnamon infused vodka, Kinky, etc., but I'll try anything!   Not sure if this has been asked BUT candles - love'em hate'em what kind do you like? Full Beeswax? scented? if scented what flavor? I like beeswax best, but if it's a nice scent, I'll take any kind. Favourite candle scents include cinnamon, clove, and mulberry - I also love Bath & Body Works' Marshmallow Fireside, but I'm pretty well stocked up on that one, so I include it just to give you an idea of what I like.   How do you feel about pictures, such as photographs you might hang on your wall? If I sent one, would you display it? I love pictures, to the point where I have scads of unhung pictures and posters stored or even just spread out on my library floor because I've run out of places to hang them. So, regrettably, if you sent one, I'd enjoy it, but I probably wouldn't have a place to display it.   Jewelry Prefs? Earrings? Necklaces? Bracelets? Necklaces, mostly. I don't wear earrings at all, and although I like bracelets, I seldom wear them, because they get in the way of my typing at work.   Speaking of - hey, Pumpkin, how do you feel about books? Is there any book, series, or genre that you've been reading lately? Love books! Lately I've been reading almost entirely manga. My latest obsession is the series Adekan, which I've been reading in unauthorized translation at MangaPark (http://www.mangapark.com/manga/Adekan/). It's not been officially published in English, so I've actually gone ahead and bought the German translations instead. My German isn't good enough anymore to just sit down and read them, so I'm sure it will be slow going, but at least I can enjoy the art while I'm slowly working my way through the words! (Now if only I could find some English fanfiction for it! I'm so used to hitting up fanfiction.net to see other people's takes on the characters if I really like a series, but the only fanfiction I could find for this series was in French! Or was it Italian? I don't even remember - all I remember is the disappointment. ) I'm also currently reading Library Wars, Oresama Teacher, Kamisama Kiss, and His Favorite, to name a few series, and I'm always on the lookout for more. And now that we're into October, I'm also looking to pick up some more seasonal things - my thoughts are turning to spooky stories!   Not just do you like/want books, but oh Punkin, do you have an e-reader/would you like e-books? I don't have an e-reader.   Would you like spooky/thematic books? Absolutely!   Favorite tree?! Leaf shape! I've never actually given it much thought. I wouldn't even know where to start on leaf shapes - almost all of them are pretty this time of year with all the beautiful colours!   Do you garden? No, unfortunately I have a black thumb. The only things growing in my yard other than the weeds are plants that have survived through sheer force of will. I wish I were the kind of person who could grow a fabulous garden, but I'm just not.   Hey, Pumpkin - the days are cooling off, do you have a preference for tea/cocoa/arm-warmers/candles? Cocoa over tea, for starters. Maybe not so much arm-warmers as fingerless gloves - the latter would be fantastic! Candles are wonderful, but I have so many already that they're not as much of a priority, although I certainly wouldn't be unhappy at all to get more!   How do you feel about bath products such as soaps, scrubs, shower gels, lotions, etc.? Any preferences (bar soap over liquid soap or shower gels; sugar scrubs over salt scrubs, etc.)? Anything you're trying to avoid? I can never get enough bar soap, although I tend to avoid the glycerin ones. Shower gels are nice, and I like the less oily scrubs - Villainess' Smacks are about the perfect consistency for me. I almost never use lotions. And I know it's the seasonal thing, but I really don't like strong pumpkin scents.   Let's talk socks. Tall? Short? Fuzzy? Wool? Whimsical? Colors? Any special fit issues? Socks are great! Crew length are probably my most worn, but I'm good with knee highs and ankle socks as well. I love bamboo blend socks in particular, but pretty much any kind of sock works for me. Patterns are fun, pretty much any color is fun, Halloween socks are extra fun, and Halloween socks that have either bats or Hello Kitty on them are extra super duper fun!   What's your Fall holiday decorating/accessories style? Cute little ghosties, baby witches, and happy faced pumpkins? Natural, with cornucopias and arrangements of gourds, pumpkins, corn, etc.? Sort of rustic or country? Classic bats and ghosts and skeletons and monsters? Total kitsch? Blood and gore and prop dismembered limbs? I'm sort of everyday goth-light, in that I tend to buy "Halloween" things that I then use all year round. Halloween purchases that have taken up year-round residence in my home include an orange and black doormat with bats, a black feather wreath, shot glasses with ravens and skulls and such, a small vulture figure that perches above my tv, black candleholders with webs and dangling spider, Skelanimals clings on my windows, etc. When it comes to decorating for the holiday, I love most classic Halloween themes: ghosts, skeletons and skulls, jack o' lanterns, witches (more the elegant than the ugly), ravens and crows, and bats, always bats! Cute spiders or spider shapes are fine, but I don't really like realistic spiders, and no scorpions or other creepy crawlers!

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch O'Ween swap questions & answers

11/5/13: 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? I’m pretty sure that the asker of this question is not my Witch! About the only type of recipes I would use are cocktail recipes.   10/31/13: Are there any GC scents that you love, but for whatever reason, you keep putting off buying bottles of? Not really. After a round of discontinuations a few years ago I made a point of getting back-up bottles of all my favourites, and I try to throw a bottle of my beloved Dorian in every few orders or so to help ensure that I never run out. One GC that does spring to mind is Mouse Circus. I want to try a decant of it to see if I’d like it enough to buy a bottle, but I’ve just never gotten around to actually purchasing a decant yet.   10/30/13: Do you want to be an early accepter or would you prefer your reveal later in the swap, say maybe closer to the deadline? Whichever my Witch prefers! I know that I personally will be revealing late in the swap, as I am perpetually slow and will go right up to the deadline. So if my Witch wants to match my speed, later is the way to go, but really, whatever works best for my Witch is fine by me!   10/29/13: Is there anything you would like from the Blooddrop Halloween update? Hmmm, it looks like it’s heavy on the pumpkin and apple scents, which aren’t really my thing, but there were a few things that looked interesting: the Bath Truffles in Black currant & tea leaves and Devil girl; the Chai tea perfume; and maybe the Candied yams or Toffee perfume. The Tabac perfume looks intriguing, but I’m sure a small half- or quarter-decant size would satisfy my curiousity.   Do you prefer to receive whole coffee beans or ground? Also, if you like flavoured blends, what sort of flavours? (caramels, nuts, chocolate, etc.) Sorry, I don’t drink coffee.   How do you feel about robots? I don’t really give them much thought. I like cute robots, and I’ve seen a robot tea infuser on Amazon that I think is kind of neat.   10/28/13: Are you interested in anything from the Haus of Gloi yule update on November 3rd? Which products and which scents? No, thank you.   If I made fairy, dragon or butterfly wing earrings, would you wear them? If so, which would you prefer? I don’t wear earrings, but I thought JazzieCazzie’s idea about a single wing as a pendant instead was pretty good. If you did that, I’d like a dragon wing best.   How do you feel about nail polish? If you like it, are there any brands or colors in which you are interested? Love it! I’ll wear pretty much any brand, and I’m a sucker for holos and duo- and multi-chromes. I also like sparkly and foil-y colours, and colours with fine glitter (not so much the chunky stuff). I prefer shiny finishes to cream finishes, but exceptions can always be made for the right shade.   What about makeup? What brands do you prefer and which products would you most enjoy receiving? Love makeup also, but really don’t need any more. I’m pretty well stocked up, and most of the things I’d like are more expensive than I’d expect to get from someone. I love eyeliners and eyeshadows best, so if you have any unloved samples sitting around that you’d like to get rid of, I’d be happy to welcome them into my home!   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 haven’t had them, but I’d be open to trying them. I noticed that Dixiehellcat mentioned Supernatural-themed teas, so I’ll definitely have to take a look at the Adagio website and check those out!   Do you like video games? Are there any you want to play? Do you have a large library? I like them all right, but I haven’t played in decades (we’re talking back in the days of Texas Instruments computer games), so I don’t really see myself getting back into them.   Name three BPAL scents you have tried, but are dying to get more of. Midway or Midway Resurrected; Temple Viper; and Lyonesse.   Have you ever tried anything from Paintbox Soapworks? Which products or scents would you prefer? I have, but glycerin soaps aren't really my thing, and I don't use lotion much at all, so despite the fact that the presentation is pretty, I've not been tempted by them.   Do you like/have space to garden? If so, what do you grow? I have the space, but not the motivation. I have a fairly thriving crop of peppermint and lemon thyme in one part of my yard, but that’s about it. If it’s something that can be planted and then ignored for years and still continue to grow, it has a chance, but I’m definitely not a gardener.   Gift cards/vouchers - yay or nay? If you like them - which stores would you like one for? Yay! Amazon or Barnes & Noble are always good, Etsy would be amazing (but unless they’ve changed things since the last time I checked, the denominations start too high), and gift cards to JoAnn’s, Michael’s, Sephora, or Ulta would also be nice and definitely get used.   Seen anything lately that makes you go OH HOLY FUCK THAT'S AWESOME!! ? I wish!   Name five small things you could use, but might not think to get for yourself? This is hard, because usually when I think of things I could use, I write them down and pick them up sooner or later. Here’s a start, and if I think of any other things I’ll come back and add them. 1. small flashdrive 2. nail clippers 3. tweezers 4. audio cassette player cleaning kit 5.   Is there anything from a farmer's market you might like? Beeswax candles, homemade baked goods or candies, or maple syrup. If your farmer’s market also has little handmade crafty stuff, that could be good too, and I always like trying new handmade soaps.   10/25/13: Do you have any upcoming away time I should be aware of, for shipping purposes? Nope!   Would you like anything from Sock Dreams? Probably, but I haven’t looked lately. If I can find the time, I’ll try to take a look and update here.   10/24/13: Is there anything in the Miskatonic Valley Philharmonic update that you're interested in? I’d like to try a bit of Und Wir Dachten der Toten and Totentanz the most, and La Lugubre Gondola second most.   Is there anything my mom's etsy shop that you're interested in? The glitter bats bag! The colored upcycled bunny feed bag is cute too, but probably not something that I would use. But cute bunny!   10/23/13: 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? I’m ok with semi-spicy in salsa or curry, but I don’t eat chili or chipotle at all, and about the only time I eat curry is when I buy curry buns from the Japanese market.   If you were this mystery witch's witchee, would you be interested in Spoonfudge (http://www.spoonfudge.com/) or any other such "ordered online" sweet? Absolutely! Even better than Spoonfudge would just be regular old fudge, but I would definitely be happy to give Spoonfudge a try. I don’t say no to sweets!   Also - Double checking everyone's baked goods status. Home-made baked goods or other food stuffs OK? Absolutely! I don’t bake more than once or twice a year myself, so I’m thrilled to pieces to get homemade treats!   Is there anything you'd like from Lush, witchee? No, thank you.   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? I don’t wear earrings. I usually wear a 14” or 16” chain with my pendents, so that’s probably a good length for necklaces as well. I have both gold and silver chains in various lengths, so just a pendent would be just fine as well.   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? Something with bats or sea monsters would be on the love side, as would a simple, clean pattern or design of some kind. Anything distorted or abstract would be more on the not like side.   10/21/13: 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? The only crafts I’m working on at the moment are cross-stitch and card-making. I think I’m set for cross-stitch supplies; for card-making, cute or pretty paper and rubber stamps always come in handy. Halloween designs would be especially welcomed, as would anything with bats, bunnies, maneki neko / lucky cats, or Hello Kitty.   What do you think of hair sticks? Would you like a set? I’m not really skilled enough to use them, plus I’m guessing they’d probably slip right out of my hair like most other hair accessories. Also, I’m really looking forward to getting my hair cut to just below the chin next month, so I guess no hair sticks for me.   Is there anything you'd really like to have/try from Trader Joe's, or any other popular-but-not-available-everywhere store? I have a Trader Joe’s nearby, but they seem to no longer be stocking the delicious crunchy black and white rice rolls that I loved. If your store still has a box or two on the shelves, I’d love to have them!   Would you rather have something fun or practical? Probably fun, but if it’s cute AND practical, then either way.   Witchee, would you like a set of Cards Against Humanity? No, thank you.   10/20/13: Table Games - do you play them? If so, which ones, and which versions, and are there any goodies you might like related to them? Not nearly as often as I’d like, because I really don’t have anyone to play with. I recently bought Elder Sign because the box said you just needed one person to play, but I haven’t sat down and played it yet. So I guess my answer to this one may as well be no, although not for lack of interest.   Witchee, are you in need of any particular spices? I neither cook nor bake, so no need for spices.   10/19/13: If you were my witchee, would you be interested in anything from my store or something similar? (Nut-made by LisaNut on etsy.) I like the rainbow knitted scarf, but I already have a ton of scarves, and I almost never wear scarves, so I guess not.   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. All those things sound cool, but especially the pulp fiction paperbacks. And if your store has any of the old Three Investigators detective books cheap, I’d love to re-read them and save them for my nephew to read some day. I was reminded of them recently and decided to borrow some from the library, only to discover that they no longer have any!   Witchee, the Haunt Halloween update goes live tomorrow! When it does, please post right away and let me know your dreams and wishes! Sorry, I’m slow and it’s already long over.   I've got some canned goods put up -- mostly jams/jellies, some apple butter, some applesauce. Want some? If so, what kind(s)? No, thank you. I love the idea of homemade canned goods, but in reality, I rarely use jams or jellies and I don’t eat applesauce or apple butter.   How feel you about lip balms, glosses, and lipsticks? Any particular favourite scents/flavours? Any favourite makers/sellers? Love lip balms! I’m always looking for the best cherry or sour cherry lip balm, but I’m open to most other scents/flavours too. I recently got a Bite Me! black cherry lip balm made by Lippincott Soap Co. on Etsy from Dominique in a swap, and I really liked it, so I’d be interested in trying some of their other flavours. Bubblegum; Black Cat; Mermaid; Zombie Love; Gingerbread Man; Chai Tea; and Vanilla Mint all sound good, and I’m sure that other companies probably have similar flavours.   Since wishlist links never seem to work in forum mail, won't you please re-post your wishlist links here, so they're readable? They’re all in my sig.   10/18/13: Are you a fan of anything that you would like a tshirt of? If so, what size would you wear? Not really.   Do you love, hate, or are indifferent to.....pumpkin flavored things? I would say hate, except that I do like pumpkin muffins and pumpkin beer. And pumpkin spice doughnuts. So I guess hate’s not the right choice, but I certainly don’t go seeking out pumpkin flavoured things (except pumpkin beer, because I’m on a quest to try as many as I can find!).   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 haven’t gotten anything, and I have no plans to do so any time soon.   Name some DVDs you wouldnt mind receiving, or are they on an Amazon list? They’re all on my Amazon list.   Do you want anything from Starbucks or Teavana? Tea, tea makers, rock sugar, tea tins, coffee, via, via refreshers, mugs, tazo tea...? Maybe a cute tea tin or rock sugar?   10/17/13: Halloween Candy, Decorations, and Costume supplies - What kind are your idea of FUN and which ones would you thoroughly dislike? Most of the standard snack size bars are fun, and I have a special love for Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins and caramel apple candy corn. I usually try to buy a bag of SweeTarts or Pixie Stix or something for trick-or-treaters who can’t have chocolate, and I’m always delighted when I have leftovers of those for me to enjoy. Decoration-wise, pretty much anything with a bat on it is love. I like most decorations, except the ones with a flattened witch or bat that you’re supposed to hang on the outside of your house like they crashed into it. I don’t really do costumes for Halloween anymore, but Halloween-themed temporary tattoos or accent stickers for nails (just the little stickers you put on top of polish, not the full polish wraps) are fun.   WHAT traditions to you partake in for Halloween? Knowing what you do our how you decorate or how you celebrate? I try to get out as many of the Halloween decorations as possible, but usually end up waiting too long and rushing to get up just a few before the trick-or-treaters arrive. (And then I leave them up for another month or so…..) I like to read some Poe and watch some old horror movies (the ones with Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, etc.). This year I’m going to my parents’ for an early pizza dinner with them, my brother and sister-in-law and little nephew, my sister-in-law’s dad, and at least one old family friend, then I’ll head back to my house to hand out candy.   10/16/13: Hey, Witchee, it's getting cold. Socks, scarves, hats or arm warmers? Socks and fingerless gloves/mittens are always welcome!

bookworm

bookworm

 

13 Nights of Halloween 2014 questions and answers

What are your thoughts on yarn and handmade yarny things? I would have no use for yarn, but I always appreciate getting handmade things!   For bath and body products: do you have a bathtub or shower? Both, and I shower and bathe about equally.   Dear Swappee: is there anything you might have forgotten to put on your survey? Hmmm, since it’s that time of year, I guess that I don’t really like the smell of pumpkin.   Are there any particular fandoms that you follow? I’m not following quite as closely now as I did in the past, but Pet Shop of Horrors, Library Wars, Black Butler, Hellsing, Real Ghostbusters, and Supernatural. Right now my fannish attentions are more devoted to delving into old movies (silent era through the 1940’s, but particularly the 1930’s and pre-Code stuff). I’m especially interested in movies featuring George Raft or Warren William.   Do you own a wax/oil burner? (If no, would you like one?) Yes, I have a wax burner, but I almost never use it. I prefer candles.   Would you like loose, fancy tea? Sure!   Incense, y/n? Maybe? I already have a lot, and I rarely burn it. Maybe something spicy or strongly vanilla-y?   What is your favorite fall activity? I don’t really have a favorite fall activity, but I enjoy going apple picking with my family, watching horror movies, enjoying all the Halloween decorations and the cooler weather, and browsing through all the cool Halloween stuff that shows up in all the stores.   I'm in Japan, anything specifically Japanese-y you want? Ohhh, just about anything! I do have a Japanese grocery near me, so I probably don’t need any food items (except vanilla pocky! they’re not carrying it anymore, and it was yummy!). Other than food, though, pretty much anything from Japan would be super exciting! I have a small maneki neko collection, so a new maneki neko to add to it would be lovely. I love a lot of anime and manga, so anything from one of my favourites (Library Wars, Pet Shop of Horrors, Hellsing, Black Butler, Ouran High School Host Club, Maid Sama!) would be great too.   Please briefly describe (color, style, preferred type of beads) or provide a picture of (if it is suitable), the type of necklace (if any) you would be interested in getting. If you do not like necklaces, what kinds of jewelry (if any) would you want to wear? I love chainmaille, or a simple Halloween-themed pendant would be nice.   What about hot chocolate/malt drinks? Hot chocolate definitely yes; I don’t know about malt drinks, but I’d be willing to give it a try!   If you said that you are interested in books (or DVDs or any relatively big standalone sort of item), would you be okay with having multiples of such items spread over a couple of days, or would you prefer 13 distinct themish packages? I’d be fine with having multiples spread out over a couple of days. Really, whatever works best for you is fine with me!   How into the day themeing mentioned in the first post are you? All themed? A few maybe if they are fun? Not at all? I was much more attracted to the Halloween aspect and not really into the day themeing, but if you find something for a theme day that you think would be up my alley, then bring it on!   Speaking of DVDs - are you interested in receiving movies and if so, what sort? Sure! I’d totally be up for some horror movies (just no torture porn type stuff or demonic possessions, please)! I’ve also gotten into old movies lately – mostly from the mid-1930’s back to the silent era. If you know of any really good ones, I’d love to check them out!   Back to the books - if you said you would like books, would you prefer I send you, say, my favorite Halloween anthology or something else spooky/scary, or something off your wishlist/want-to-read on goodreads? Either way! Favorite Halloween anthologies and spooky stories would be great!   Process question: Do you want to know who is sending to you right away, or would you prefer to be surprised on the last day, to the extent possible? Likewise, do you have a preference for specifically numbered packages or for reach in and grab according to your fancy? I’m totally flexible either way, so I’ll leave it up to you!   Would you be interested in solid perfume? What about lip balm? Yes to both!   There was a lot of mention of not wearing costumes/not being allowed to at workplaces. Would you be interested in goth style or Halloween-themed(pumpkins, ghosts,etc.) normal clothes to wear instead, and what would be suitable? I work from home, so I don’t have to worry about suitability.   I'm going to Rose City Comic Con during the shopping window. Any exhibitors/vendors/comics/etc. you're particularly interested in? OMG THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE A GOONIES "NEVER SAY DIE" T-SHIRT! I AM TOTALLY GETTING THAT! Ahem. Yes. I mean... There are things! Are any of them particularly appealing to you and/or your inner twelve-year-old (mine is calling dibs on the Goonies stuff)? Nothing really caught my eye, but if you see anything while you’re there that looks like my type of thing, I’m totally open to being surprised!   Day of the dead/ Dia de los Muertos stuff? Sure! Prettily decorated skulls and skeleton figures are pretty much always cool.   Does anything from this shop catch your eye? Black Cat bubbling scrub; Marshmallow Woods bubbling scrub or whipped soap samples; Mad Hatter Tea Cakes bubbling scrub; Chocolate Orange Truffle lip balm; Pumpkin Cupcakes lip balm; Cherry Limeade lip balm; Lime Sugar lip balm; Lemon Drop lip balm; and Cotton Candy lip balm.   Dear Pumpkin: Do you have aversions to any animals or insects? Very strong aversion to scorpions, cockroaches, centipedes, and earwigs. Honeybees and bumblebees are wonderful, but I really dislike/find scary pretty much every other stinging insect (wasps, hornets, yellowjackets, etc.).   How do you feel about canned foods like jams and things along those lines? I love the idea, but I almost never use jam or jelly, and I’m terribly particular about pickles, so I’m afraid it would be wasted on me. Canned fruits would be about the only canned thing I would probably eat.   Do you have a favourite colour scheme? I like red with black, and sometimes lime green and magenta. Purple/blue/green and red/orange/yellow combos are generally nice, too.   How do you feel about stickers (and stationery in general)? I always welcome more stickers and stationery!   How do we feel about fibercrafting (knit, crochet, etc.)? wearables? crafted critters? If you would like a scarf or something similar, would you like it to be themed, like fall colors, or have a skull or other halloweenie motif/border? I would absolutely LOVE crafted critters!!! I really don’t need another scarf, but if you made me one with a Halloweenie motif/border (especially bats) I would totally wear it so much!   What makes you feel pampered? My favourite (and most frequent) self-pamper is actually to sleep in late or nap during the day. Other things that would make me feel pampered would be a manicure, going out to eat, Fannie May chocolate, and getting a new book or DVD, or something cool from Etsy, or a new nail polish, makeup item, or bar of scented soap. My wild pie-in-the-sky fantasies of pampering include someone cooking for me, mowing the lawn, and cleaning the house while I read a book, watch a movie, or cross-stitch. New Question! We've covered what critters you don't like, but what about the critters that you DO like? What are your favorite animals/creatures, real or imagined? Gerbils, bats, bunnies, and mice are my favourites, but I like most small to medium size furry critters in general, from kangeroo rats to squirrels to oppossums and skunks to raccoons. I also really like honeybees and bumblebees. Bird-wise, I like owls and sea gulls best. I also like lake and sea monsters.     A new question from me: While I am stalking the restock of the Rice Pudding hot process soap, does anything from Paintbox Soapworks catch your eye? Mandinka hot process soap or sorbetto sample; Punkie Night hot process soap or sorbetto sample; Gingermilk sorbetto sample.   Is there anything specifically Canadian you'd like? Maple things, chocolate bars, or any of our creepy chip flavours? I love maple sugar candy and Aero bars!   Is there is any TAZO tea you have a hankering for? Zen, Awake, Passion, China Green Tips, Vanilla Roibois, Calm, Refresh? (tea bags in a tin) I wouldn’t mind trying the Refresh Mint, organic Earl Grey Blanc, or Passion.   How about any Teavana tea? (loose leaf) I haven’t been in a Teavana store since my friend and I had to slink out in shame upon reaching the register (after waiting forever in a huge line) and discovering that you couldn’t buy just one ounce of tea at a time like you can at other tea stores – so sadly, no Monkey Picked Oolong for my friend, who only wanted one ounce, no more. But I took a look at their website, and I’d love to try the Dragonfruit Devotion herbal or the Marshmallow Macaron herbal. I wouldn’t mind trying the Snow Geisha white, Moroccan Mint green, Samurai chai mate, or Limeade Twist herbal either.   How about Starbucks coffee beans? If so, ground (and for what kind of filter) or whole bean? No thank you, I don't drink coffee.   How about Starbucks coffee via (italian, columbia, anniversary, vanilla latte?) or Iced coffee via (caramel or regular?) Fruit flavored via (berry hisbiscus, cool lime, strawberry lemonade?) Pumpkin Spice Latte via? No thanks!   Starbucks K-cups or Verismo pods? Nope.   Coffee/tea travel mugs or ceramic home mugs? I’m kind of way overstocked on both already.   Coffee maker (french press) or tea steeper? No thanks.   Anything else from Starbucks/Teavana? Syrups, honey, whatever? The Teavana rock sugar would be lovely.   How would you feel about a gently-used card game? For example, something I may have purchased several years ago and maybe played with my daughter *twice* before she became a moody teenager, and too cool for card and/or board games? I'm fine with gently used, but if it requires two players, I'd probably hardly ever get to use it, unfortunately. Alcoholic beverages in your goodies-- yay or nay-- if yay, what kind? Yay! I’ll try pretty much anything alcoholic once. My favorites tend to be flavored vodkas, craft beers (especially porters or stouts), and wine.   CANDY CORN--- YAY OR NAY? Ummm, sure? The regular stuff is good once in a while. If it’s the caramel apple candy corn, then YAY!   New Question! Name at least one thing that you really wouldn't like to receive in your package. I couldn’t really think of anything until I read Usagi’s answer – definitely no taxidermy for me either, please!   I have eyeshadow pigments which have been decanted from--as in the powder tapped out into another container,never used directly. (I don't use very much makeup, though I love it, so I keep shadow pigments clean so I can safely share.) Would a jar of pigment handled thus bother you or are you ok with cosmetic-type stuff that has not been directly touched? I'm totally ok with that!   Does anyone especially like or want anything from cost plus/world market? It's been a while since I've been to the one in my area, but it looks like it's about time for me to go back! Yay for Halloween stuff! I particularly like the cats & bats gel clings, the Gingerdead Man cookie cutter, the bleeding taper and pillar candles, and the vintage postcard Halloween wood clips.   Does anyone need any small kitchen items or utensils? Not really. I barely use any in the first place, and despite that, my utensil drawer is crammed full. I don't know that I have room for anything else!   Dearest Pumpkin- do you have a preference of edible/drinkable vs. non edible items in your package? Would you prefer your package heavier on one side or the other? Hmmmm, probably a bit heavier on the non-edible items, but of course the final decision is yours! I'm sure I'll be happy either way!   Any guilty pleasures? TV show you're embarassed to admit you like? Musical group/preference that seems out-of-place for you? I try not to feel guilty about any of my pleasures, but I do feel a tinge of embarrassment sometimes about all the fanfiction I read. Oh, and it's also rather embarrassing to have to go into the Teen room at the library to get the manga books I love to read, so I guess I should feel guilty about reading things intended for people much younger than I am. I suppose the same should be true about going to concerts where much of the crowd is at least 20 years younger than me, but hey, I like what I like. Still, there's nothing quite like being nearly 40 and listening to the girl next to you lament to her friend that she was getting sooooo old, since she'd be turning 19 soon! Or having the people in line behind you get all excited by the fact that you're actually old enough to get a wristband and be able to buy alcohol inside!!!     Hey, Pumpkin! How do you feel about lounge pants/pajama pants? I like them, but already have a bunch that I never end up wearing.   Another question! Do you have long, medium, or short hair? What kids of hair accessories do you like to use? I have long hair right now, but getting a hair cut soon is high of my list of priorities. Once I finally get it done, it will probably be just below my chin. The only hair accessories I use are the elastic bands to put it in a ponytail, and I already have more of those than I need. My hair is too fine for pretty much anything else - pins, barrettes, etc., just slide right out.   If you could have a lotion/soap scented just for you, what are some notes you'd like to see? Autumn themed? or tried and true loves? Autumn themed soap would be nice, especially something autumn themed that includes a tried and true note like cinnamon or clove.   Is there something that catches your eye from this shop? If you like something, but are opposed to the colors, or like a piece of something, like a piece in general if it were bigger/smaller etc. please don't hesitate to say so. I think my favorite design shape-wise is the Swirls, but I'd prefer it with more less blue and more gold. I also like the Dot and Drape designs, and the Triple Bar bracelet in the blue and gold coloring of the Single Bar bracelet that's pictured would be fantastic. They're all very impressive, though!   If I were going to the mountains tomorrow, for the apple harvest, would you want some dehydrated apple rings??? Sure!

bookworm

bookworm

 

13 Nights of Halloween 2015 questions and answers

If you have any Chaos Theory bottles on your wishlists, would you mind getting bottles on several days of this swap? No Chaos Theory bottles on my wishlist. I was in a decant circle for some and also ordered 3 bottles of my own, so I'm not actively looking for any more, although if I were more proactive I might try to get my hands on more Gourmand 223 - I do love my decant of that.   If you listed wearables - what sizes? I think the only thing I listed for wearables was socks, and I wear a size 7 1/2 - 8 shoe, so whatever that corresponds to in socks....   Are your forearms skinny or bulky? I guess my forearms are skinny to average.   What kind of items would you like to get that are not available in your country? Chocolate from the UK or Canada (especially Aero bars!), back issues of cross-stitching magazines from the UK, or pretty much anything from Japan. Or if there's something cool from your country that you think I would like, surprise me!   How do you feel about yarn/wearables? Ok with wool as long as it's soft? Soft, non-itchy wool should be fine.   How do you feel about home baked cookies? Is there anything that should be left out (nuts, milk, eggs, gluten, etc)? I would be thrilled to get home baked cookies! I almost never bake, so any homemade goodies would be much appreciated! I don't like nuts or raisins in my cookies, but anything else is fine. I particularly like oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips, peanut butter cookies, and snickerdoodles, but really, any kind of home baked cookie would make my day.   How do you feel about receiving pens? If you like them, do you have a preferred stroke size (ie: do you prefer a thick or fine stroke)? Any preferred colors (assume the sky is the limit here)? I'd be happy to get pens. I prefer a fine to medium stroke, in any non-standard colors. Going with the premise that the sky is the limit, a nice bright magenta or rich burgundy would be cool, as would a metallic gold or silver or copper, etc.   If you are a tea lover, are there any companies or vendors that you would particularly like to try (etsy, teavana, republic, stash, adagio, etc)? Hmm, there's not really a particular company or vendor that springs to mind. I've been enjoying some Harney & Sons teas lately (love their hot cinnamon spice!), so if you already buy any of those and you have a stray teabag or two you'd be willing to share, that would be lovely. I'm pretty much open to any brands, though.   Dearest swappee, have you seen the launch of this year's Yankee Candle Boney Bunch line as well as other Halloween items from there? Are there any you'd particularly like to get? The adorbs tart warmer? The taper candle holder, perhaps? I hadn’t, so I looked them up, and they’re neat looking, but not really my style. I don’t really use tarts and I have more candle holders than I have room to store them all, so I’d probably be most pleased with just some candles if anything.   What are your favorite tv shows, movies, topics of geekery, famous persons, specific objects (like tarot or harpsichords), memes, cultures etc. that you would like to receive items themed around? TV shows: Hmmm, Supernatural is probably the only tv show I watch that I’d be interested in getting something themed around, and honestly, I’m an entire season behind because I don’t have cable or a tv antenna, so I watch each season when it comes out on DVD. Oh, and Mystery Science Theater and the Real Ghostbusters, too! I was focusing on current shows so I didn't think of them at first, but items themed around either would be cool! Movies: Lately, I’m really interested in older movies, mostly pre-code (paperdollsandbpal, I was so excited to see someone else here who is into pre-code films too!). I’m especially interested in anything with George Raft or Warren William. This past weekend I splurged and ordered a bunch of old movies on DVD: Stolen Harmony (1935) and The Trumpet Blows (1934) with George Raft; Expensive Women (1931), The Match King (1932), and The Mouthpiece (1932) with Warren William; The Wild Party (1929) with Clara Bow; Safe in Hell (1931); and Berkeley Square (1933) with Leslie Howard and because the professor mentioned it in the Lovecraft course I took this summer. I also like films by Hal Hartley (The Unbelievable Truth; Trust; Amateur; etc.). Topics of geekery: Manga and anime, if that counts as sufficiently geeky. I mostly like the shojo stuff, and supernatural themes. Famous persons: Edgar Allan Poe; Oscar Wilde; George Raft; and Marc Almond. Specific objects: maneki neko (lucky cats), frog princes, sea or lake monsters. Cultures: A little bit of Japanese, I suppose.   If you've said you like coffee: Do you prefer whole beans or ground? Do you like flavored coffees? I don’t drink coffee.   Are you a soap only, shower gel only, or an either works person? If you like soap, are you particular about type? (all natural, no glycerine, created on a full moon using the blood of virgins, etc) I have to admit, I’m intrigued by all natural, no glycerine soap created on a full moon using the blood of virgins! I do occasionally use shower gel, but I’m much more a soap person. I do like them to be fairly natural, and I prefer the non-glycerine ones. Scrubby soaps are fine, and the more scented, the better!   Is there an item that you would like but you never seem to buy for yourself as other things often take preference (darn those bills)? Things on my Etsy and Amazon lists are things that I would like to eventually buy at some point, and I whittle away at those lists whenever I feel like having a little splurge.   If you listed you like books: what kind of books? What are your favorites? Do you also like the "English classics"? Are there any books or writers that you really don't like? Lately I’ve been mostly reading shojo manga and biographies of old actors. This summer I took an online H.P. Lovecraft class, so I also worked my way through a lot of his stories as part of the assigned reading, and now I’m trying to keep reading the stories that weren’t covered in class. I do like the “English classics” (my undergrad major was English) and French and German classics (in translation) and also mythology and folklore. Edgar Allan Poe is my favourite author; I also like Oscar Wilde and H.P. Lovecraft; and I try to read everything that Andrew Vachss publishes.   What are your favorite musicians, favorite singers or bands? Anything or anyone you really don't like? Marc Almond is hands-down my favourite singer - I love him! I also like Gene Pitney; Leonard Cohen; Soft Cell; Senses Fail (mostly the stuff from Let It Enfold You to The Fire); My Chemical Romance; older Fall Out Boy; Blaqk Audio; Motion City Soundtrack; Weep; Voltaire; Lords of the New Church; Psychedelic Furs; Erasure; and more. My most recent new music interest is local band I Prevail. I like a lot of 80s “new wave” and similar catchy pop and rock; I don’t like most rap, death metal, country/western, jazz, or classical.   Do you like Japanese/Korean snackies? If so do you prefer sweet/savory or both? I like pocky, Kit Kats (but not the green tea ones), Puccho, and other candies. I definitely prefer sweet to savory.   Do you prefer light lotions or thick butters and do you like scented or unscented? I don’t use lotion often, and I already have more than I will ever use. That said, texture-wise, the lighter the better, and always scented.   Do you like small crossbody bags? Not really my thing.   Pistacchio-flavoured snacks, Y/N? I don't know, the nuts themselves are fine, but pistachio-flavoured things never really appealed to me.   Who has a birthday that will be happening during this swap? Not me; mine's not until January.   Do you collect anything? I never really thought of it as a collection, but some people have mentioned vinyl records, and I definitely do tend to accumulate those. I used to collect bookmarks, and I still like to pick them up as souvenirs if I'm traveling somewhere. I've got a bit of a small maneki neko collection started, too.   What are some of your favorite things about fall/Halloween, or what do you look forward to? I love the cooler weather, the turning leaves, and the scents in the air. I especially love all of the cool things in stores, especially all the bat stuff everywhere! The decorations, the candy, the excuse to watch old horror movies - it's all so good!   Do you bake or cook & if so (or even if not!) would you want Halloween-themed kitchen stuff or sprinkles or similar? I don't cook and rarely bake, but I do love Halloween-themed cupcake wrappers and Halloween-themed sprinkles and the like. Actually, those are the types of things that I can't resist buying, plus candy molds and cookie cutters and cake pans, despite the fact that I use such things only rarely, if at all. There are just so many cool things available this time of the year!   Would you be interested in gently used BPAL tees going back several years and/or 80s/90s goth-industrial-generally morbid tees all in crew neck/Men's style, size M - L, all black or dark gray? I'd be quite happy to get BPAL tees, and 80s/90s goth/morbid tees sound kind of cool, too. Men's size L would be good.   How do you feel about superheroes? I don't know, I'm kind of more partial to vigilantes and villains, I think - The Punisher, Loki, that sort of thing. I have enjoyed the Magdalena, Witchblade, and Vampi comics and the Witchblade and Painkiller Jane tv shows, if those characters count as superheroes.   How do you feel about Star Wars, especially extension universe comics? The last time I watched a Star Wars movie was in college over 20 years ago, and it didn't live up to my fond childhood recollections. I'm pretty much indifferent at this point.   How extensively have you sampled the Lab's Weenie wares? Any past releases you are dying to get your hands on? Years you missed? I try to pick up some every year, because Halloween scents! I do particularly like Devil's Night - I have 2005 & 2006, but I wouldn't mind imps or decants of more recent years. I also kind of wish I had tried some of the 2007 Pumpkins, especially II, III, and IV. I did get to try Pumpkin V and liked it, so I'd be happy to get a bit of that. Was Dorian in the Pumpkin Patch a Weenie? I regret not at least trying that one because I love Dorian so much, so even though I generally don't like pumpkin scents, I'm curious about that blend.    

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch 2015 questions and answers

9/17/15

Pumpkin? Aside from pumpkin beer and pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread, I’m really not interested in pumpkin flavoured things, and I tend not to like pumpkin or pumpkin spice scented things.

Booze? Yes, please! I’ll try just about anything alcoholic, as long as it doesn’t have dead things floating in it.

Want anything from Yellowstone? Be it postcards, key chains, shot glasses, pint glasses, or huckleberry what have you? A postcard would be great - I love getting postcards in the mail!

9/18/15

I know there is a question about "decorating style", but if you're comfortable, could you should us some photos of your spaces? For those of us who like to art and craft, it can be nice to have a visual sense of decorating style!

9/19/15

For those of you who don't drink alcohol, can you specify if you live with any drinkers or ever have alcohol on hand for guests, vs. abstaining and preferring not to have it around at all? A question clearly not applicable to me.

Are you a fan of the TV show Penny Dreadful? I watched the first season after borrowing the DVDs from the library, and I enjoyed watching it, but I didn’t fall in love with it or anything. I’ll probably end up watching the next season when the library has it available, but I’m not going to go out of my way for it.

What are your coffee and tea preferences? Do you prefer one, the other, both, or neither (and if it's neither, what about things like hot cider and cocoa)? Loose leaf or bags, whole bean or ground? Is caffeine OK? Any gadgetry you're in need of? Any brands or flavors that you particularly love, loathe, or want to try? I don’t drink coffee at all. I like tea, but I love hot chocolate. For tea, either loose leaf or bags is fine and caffeine is good. I prefer flavoured teas (spice, mint, jasmine, etc.) to plain black or green.

What's your sense of humor like? Do you enjoy puns? Play on words? Dirty humor? Dry humor? Who are some of your favorite comedians? Pretty sarcastic, a little gloomy, maybe a little dark. I love Mystery Science Theater 3000 and enjoy the Kids in the Hall and Christopher Titus.

Do you like board games? If so, which ones? Traditional or more unique? (like Settlers of Catan, Small World, Red Dragon Inn, etc) I love board games, especially traditional ones or supernatural/horror/Lovecraft-themed games, but I don’t really have any one to play them with. I’ve recently started having game night with my parents a few times a month, but my mom’s memory and strategic thinking skills are no longer what they were, so anything for me to play with them would have to be a fairly simple and preferably not too long game.

Is there anything that you specifically do NOT want to receive?

Plain or fun socks? I love fun socks, but I’d also really love a pair or two of plain black bamboo socks.

Name one (or as many as you would like) thing you would like to learn more about? Pre-code films and actors/actresses. I’ve read biographies of George Raft and Warren William, but I’d like to learn more about the films and the performers in general.

What one thing you would like to do more of? Garden. I’ve always said that I have a black thumb, but last year I planted some carrots and cucumbers and they actually grew and produced, so I’ve gotten really excited about growing my own vegetables. This spring I planted radishes, cucumbers, carrots, and cilantro and chard for my parents’ bunny. I still have some carrots left in the ground, and I’m still getting cucumbers and chard. I also did a second planting of radishes plus some lettuce and green beans in late summer, so I’m hoping they’ll be ready before it starts getting too cold for them. Next year I’d like to put up some planters in the back yard and some netting for beans along my garage. I wanted to do that this year, too, but never got around to it. I’m excited to watch my plants growing and to get edible stuff from them, but I don’t like the work parts (planting, weeding, getting things ready for plants to be put in, etc.) at all! I’ve been doing all organic so far, but I’d also like to do organic heirloom vegetables, and add some fruit plants (strawberries, maybe raspberries, and I’d love to plant mulberry and peach trees and maybe even a nut tree for the critters) too. I’ve collected a nice bunch of WOLF-Garten tools of which I’m rather proud, and now I’m looking for the perfect gardening gloves, because all my sets have holes in the fingertips now.

What are some things that fascinate you? Or, What would you like to know more about? I’m fascinated by the world presented in old pre-code movies, particularly for the women. I know Hollywood isn’t real life, but I’d really like to explore more of what things were like in the 1920’s and early 30’s, especially for women and in terms of social conventions and moral behaviour and that sort of thing. Also the fashion and makeup and beauty products of the time.

9/20/15

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)? No thank you.

Is there any particular piece (or pieces) of art (painting, photograph, etc) that speaks to you in some way? At the moment, this and this. I like the first one so much that I got a print of it a couple of years ago.

What kinds of things would you like from the Lilith BPAL or BPTP update (or are you joining a decant circle?) I haven’t joined a decant circle, but I ordered En Garde. I’d be interested in decants of Blood and Judgment So Well Commedled, Muddy Puddles, Little Lady Macbeth, and The Worst Pillow.

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? I would love a crocheted critter or character! I have some listed on my non-book Amazon wishlist, but any cute critter or something from the Creepy Cute Crochet book would be wonderful!

What thing do you want to do (or get) but you keep putting off for one reason or another? Hmmm, nothing comes immediately to mind. I’ll have to think more on this.

9/21/15

Would you like anything from Lush? Probably not. There’s a Lush store at one of the local malls and I’ve been in there before, but I didn’t really see anything that I was really interested in.

Do you prefer hand-made or store-bought? Either way is fine with me! Whatever works best for you, my Witch!

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? Maybe a 2 or 3? I’m not really into things that are spicy just for the sake of being spicy. I do like to try beers made with peppers, but that’s just because I like to try as many unusual beers as I can.

What is your BPAL "Holy Grail”? The first bottle of Shub-Niggurath I got when it first came out was perfection, so I ordered a second bottle. The second bottle was not quite the same - I guess it was more gingerbready or something than the first bottle. I’ve gotten other imps of it since, and none have matched up to that first bottle. So inasmuch as it’s a seemingly impossible quest, I guess that first bottle of Shub-Niggurath is my “Holy Grail.”

Analog or Digital? Or Both? More analog than digital. I like vinyl and physical books. I prefer physical CDs and DVDs (and even music and video cassettes) over MP3s and streaming video, and I’d rather read a physical book than an e-book.

What scents from other perfume companies are you really wanting to have in your collection and or are just really wanting to test? Companies like NAVA, Arcana, Solstice Scents, Possets, Haus of Gloi etc…..? I would really love to try Solstice Scents’ Cenobite! I don’t really go around checking out other perfume companies, because BPAL is overwhelming enough all by itself, but I’d be interested in trying any strong vanilla scents or spicy (cinnamon, clove, etc.) scents from other companies.

9/22

Do you have an affinity for any specific animals? I don’t know if it’s exactly an affinity, but I love most small furry critters - mice, bunnies, gerbils, bats, squirrels, and such - and lots of medium sized furry critters, like raccoons, opossums, skunks, groundhogs, cats, and foxes.

Kitchen Needs or Wants? I don’t really cook at all, and I bake only very rarely, so I don’t really need any kitchen stuff, other than maybe a cute kitchen timer.

Makeup! Do you like it, would you want some? If so what brands do you like to wear? I do like makeup! I really have more than I need, but I would never turn down more. I have my eye on more Sugarpill (Countess, Magpie, and Mint Soda loose powders and Afterparty pressed shadow); I’m just waiting for a sale. I like to wear cruelty-free brands.

Chocolate fiends ahoy! What kind of chocolate do you like? Do you like any other things in it or just plain good ole chocolate? I like plain old milk chocolate, and the occasional white chocolate (Green & Black’s). Generally I prefer it plain, but I’m ok with nuts or caramel or mint or fruit creams (lemon creams are my favourite). For mint, caramel, fruit creams, etc. I’m ok with dark chocolate, but I don’t really like just plain dark chocolate. I love Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins, but other than that I’m picky about my peanut butter (unless it’s in homemade buckeyes, in which case I’ll be great with whatever brand of peanut butter you want to use!).

Would you be opposed to receiving a ton of Halloween themed items? Absolutely not; I would LOVE receiving a ton of Halloween themed items! I’m all about the Halloween themed items!

9/23/15

What items from the Weenie update interest you, should you have to option of getting anything as a gift from your Witch??? Would you be ok with decants, or bottles? I’m most interested in La Femme de Satan, La Ronde du Sabbat, and Satan Summoning His Legions. Decants would be great. I’m curious about how some others would work on me, so if you happen to get decants of Le Revenant, Apple IV, any of the Dead Leaves except the Honey & Oudh one, or any of the other Satan ones that don’t work on you and you want to pass them along, I’d be interested in trying any of those too.

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? It’s not really scary, but I love The Raven, with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and Hazel Court. I like to re-watch the old Roger Corman Poe-inspired movies with Vincent Price this time of year. I also like to get out the Warlock DVD and re-watch it - you can’t go wrong with Julian Sands and Richard E. Grant, and it does have some genuinely scary/creepy moments.

9/24/15

Blu-ray or DVD? DVD. I don’t own a Blu-Ray player.

Game systems - console or computer? Mac/PC? Which console? I don’t play computer games, but if I did, they’d have to be Mac ones.

Are you dressing up for Halloween and if so do you need any accessories for it? Not really; I’m just going to be at home passing out candy, so I’ll probably just paint my nails black and throw on a bat shirt and maybe a cape.

Talk to me about bags, what kinds do you like? Sizes and styles? If we’re talking purse-type bags, I’m really picky and haven’t been able to find anything I really like the past couple of years. Cute tote bags of any size are great, though.

What are your favorite fandoms and do you want to receive anything related to such? None come to mind at the moment.

What are you planning to order from the Weenies update? Maybe Satan Summoning His Legions and La Femme de Satan, but I haven’t ordered yet and I don’t know when/if I will.

The Last Huzzah of the NY Renaissance Faire happens this weekend and I'm going! Is there anything you might want? (Besides a turkey leg, which won't ship well!) I haven’t been to a Ren Faire since I was a kid, so I don’t really have a good idea of what is there. Basically, if you find something you think I’d like, then that sounds good to me!

Do you like comics or graphic novels? Any issues or collections you want to read? I do! I have a few on my Amazon wishlist, and I haven’t bought any new Punisher comics in the past few years, so I’d definitely be up for getting some recent Punisher stuff. I also like Tales From the Crypt and similar things.

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? I love fanfic so much, and I’d love to have a story written for me! I’d be so thrilled to get an Adekan fanfic, since there are so few out there - Shiro/Kojiro all the way. I love Pet Shop of Horrors (D/Leon), Darker Than Black (Hei/Misaki Kirihara), Real Ghostbusters (Janine/Egon), and Person of Interest (Finch/Reese) fanfiction. I also have a fondness for Dean/Jo (Supernatural) stories and Spike & Tara (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) stories.

Where do you have wishlists at? If you could please link to them or to a post that links to them. (Amazon, Etsy, Think Geek, Pinterest, Sephora, Lush, BPAL/BPTP, Soap Box Company, everywhere and anywhere!) They’re all in my signature.

9/25/15

Let's say you have indicated interest in receiving a hand knitted item. What colors, exactly, do you like? If you could provide color swatches here or to pinterest (or something visual), that would help out a lot.

Would you rather receive a bunch of little packages through the round, a couple of medium packages, or one big package at the end? Whatever works best for you, my Witch!

For those of us with out-of-country Witchees, would you be happy with receiving a few packages from local to you merchants (say, through Etsy or equivalent)? Absolutely.

Would Witchees like something from IKEA? (Or any other not always accessible by everyone store?) I live less than 10 minutes away from an IKEA, so I’m all set there, and I can’t really think of any not-accessible-by-me stores that I’m interested in right now.

If/when you go to the mall, for which store(s) do you beeline? Usually I only go to the mall if I specifically need something from a particular store, but I do usually hit up the Hot Topic and maybe Bath & Body Works while I’m there. During a mall visit last week I made my first visit to Victoria’s Secret in probably a decade so I could check out the Vanilla Lace items, because I was wondering if the Vanilla Lace products they have now are the same as or close enough to the Vanilla Lace shampoo & conditioner they used to have that I loved, and they did seem much like I remembered, so now I’m trying to decide if I should get the fragrance mist and body wash.

Do you receive any subscription boxes (julep, lootcrate, ipsy, birchbox, etc.)? No, I don’t.

Do you like tarts/candles/incense? If so, what type of scents? I like candles. I like beeswax best, but if it's a nice scent, I'll take any kind. Favourite candle scents include cinnamon, clove, and mulberry - I also love Bath & Body Works' Marshmallow Fireside, but I'm pretty well stocked up on that one, so I include it just to give you an idea of what I like.

Is there anything you wish you could have picked up from the Dragon*Con exclusives? Not really.

Is there a GC you've been dying to try but haven't got around to yet? Nothing I’ve been really dying to try, or I would have tried it already. The stuff I’d like to try but haven’t gotten around to yet is in my wishlist.

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 don’t have any copper jewelry that I wear right now, but I’m not opposed to it. I like the colorful niobium and titanium look in jewelry (isn’t this pretty?!?).

We asked about decorating style, but are you interested in receiving decorations for your home? Are you interested in things that go on the wall or things that go on shelves? Halloween decorations would be fine, and probably things that go on shelves would be better for that. I went to a DIY Fair on Friday and bought two prints despite my lack of wall space and the fact that I already have a bunch of prints and posters that I haven’t gotten put up yet, so things that go on the wall are probably not a good idea.

Office supplies hound? Pens, pencils, journals, any preference, or favorites? I have way too many journals already, and I’m well stocked on pens and pencils, but cute post-it notes or stickers would be fun. Seals and sealing wax are also cool.

Talk to me about socks! Is there anything, dear, dear Witchee, that I can get for you from Sock Dreams? Anything from another place? I love socks, especially Halloween socks, Hello Kitty socks, or other cute socks. I prefer crew socks to knee highs, because the higher a sock goes, the tighter it tends to get, so although I’m often tempted by knee highs or higher, I’ve found it’s best to avoid them.

I live near a huuuuge candy store. What kind of candy do you like? Gummies? Caramel? Chocolate? Sour? Sugar-free? I like SweeTarts and Smarties, chocolate, caramels, sour or fruit flavored soft candies dusted with sugar, toffees, and licorice (Panda black is my favourite; I don’t care as much for their red, but I do like red licorice in general).

9/26/15

How do you feel about animal products? Not so much animal toys or food, but more like furs, paws, bones, etc. Not good. I have this thing about wanting animals to have a decent burial and not have disembodied bits of themselves stuck out in the world. For something like furs, I’d much rather have them go to help baby animals in wildlife rehabilitation programs. When the Humane Society was still running its Coats For Cubs program I sent them an old fur stole that had been my grandmother’s. I couldn't change the fact that the animal was killed for human vanity, but at least I could see that some other animals got some good out of it.

Are you interested in receiving any restaurant.com gift certificates for your area? No thank you; I didn’t see any restaurants in my area that I was interested in.

9/27/15

How do you feel about "toys" - stuffed animals and the like? I have so many stuffed animals already that it’s hard to find space for another, but if it’s something you made, dear Witch, I’ll make room for it!

9/28/15

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? Not really. I tried, but it was so overcast that you couldn’t see much of anything. I’d never turn down a chance to try a special BPAL scent!

Witchee's, how tall are you? And perhaps, what's your arm span (from wrist to wrist)? I’m 5’4”, and my arm span is approximately 55” (it’s hard to measure your own wingspan!).

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? I don’t really feel strongly about any of them.

How do you feel about bento boxes? Is it something you would use if you were to get one? I think they’re super cute! I most likely wouldn’t use it for food (I work from home and so don’t have to pack a lunch), but I could use it for other small stuff, maybe?

Scarves, shawls or cowls? Mittens, gloves, fingerless mitts or wristlets? Fingerless mitts would be nice, as would a shawl. Once winter starts, I’m almost always cold.

how do you feel about online classes? Like, say, craftsy or creativebug? Or even lynda.com? I’ve been intrigued by craftsy, but for crafting/making things type stuff, I do much better with an in-person class than an online one.

9/29/15

What do we want from Paintbox Soapworks? Maybe the Smoky Jack hot process soap? I’m leery of the pumpkin, but the roasted marshmallow and wood smoke part sounds wonderful. Or the sample size of the Gingermilk sorbetto emulsifying sugar scrub?

If I were to make you some art, would you prefer a frame that hangs or one that sits? And what color/style would you prefer? I know I'm contradicting an earlier answer, but probably a frame that hangs, unless it's a really small sitting frame (like ACEO print size).

How do you feel about gourmet marshmallows? Oh, man, I’ve been craving gourmet or homemade marshmallows for a while now! My cousin got me hooked on them when she was trying to perfect her recipe, but since moving and starting a new job she hasn’t had the time or interest to continue making them. The brown sugar cinnamon marshmallows sound delicious, as do the mint & dark chocolate, Madagascar vanilla caviar hearts, and mountain rose vanilla.

Are you a slatherer or a dabber? I slather more often than not.

Talk to me, dear witchies, about tea. I know we've covered this a little, but I really need the nitty gritty here- not just companies you like and don't like (Teavana? Adagio? David's? Some tiny place?) but I also want to know the other stuff: top 3 flavors, loose or bagged, the kinds of tea accessories you use- or have always wanted. Be specific. Provide links if necessary.
Ummm, I’m not all that hardcore about tea. I’ll drink either loose leaf or bagged, but I do tend to use bagged more often just because it’s easier. I have the usual tea accessories, including an infuser and a squeezy thing for holding a used tea bag and squeezing it dry. My top three flavors are
cinnamon (Harney & Sons’ hot cinnamon spice is my favourite, and I also really like The Republic of Tea’s cinnamon cardamon), ginger (Triple Leaf Tea’s ginger or Lipton’s ginger twist are my top two; I alternate between them depending on my mood), and mint. I also like some Earl Greys, especially ones with lavender or another flavour to soften them up a bit, like Spice Merchants’ Moonlight Earl Grey. Along those lines, the Cream of Earl Grey that mymymai mentioned sounds interesting.

Villainess is putting out brand new stuff for the first time in a while (as opposed to bringing back former lines). Sooo.... who wants it? The Gingerleaf, V2, and Fireleaf soaps sound good.

How does everyone feel about duct tape crafts? Any favorite patterns? Other than duct tape wallets, which aren’t really my thing, I’m not familiar with duct tape crafts.

Are there any flowers you especially like? Carnations are my favourite, and I also like roses, calla lilies, and Gerbera daisies. Coxcomb is cool, too - they seem like furry colorful little brains to me.

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 a laptop case? No cozies for my mugs - when it gets cold I rely on the warmth of mugs to keep my hands warm, so I don’t want a cozy getting between me and that warmth.

Would you like Halloween or Day of the Dead themed ornaments or a "bunting"? Sure!

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 really need anything, but I'd be happy to get a bookmark that you picked out or made for me!

I make handmade journals, mini albums and similar items. Would my witchee be interested in something like that?
Your work is very lovely, but I would be reluctant to actually use anything so pretty and mess it up. I'd probably just horde it, or if I were feeling really especially generous, give it to my BFF who uses journals all the time and in a productive way, rather than just hoarding them untouched and pristine like I do.

What songs/music/artists/CD's do you like to listen to around Halloween?
Same stuff as I usually do, actually. I might throw in a little extra bauhaus or Alice Cooper, or put "Every Day Is Halloween" on extra rotation, but for the most part, I don't listen to anything that I don't listen to throughout the year.

Are you interested in leg warmers at all?
Having lived through that era (I probably still have my old pair of pastel purple and white leg warmers squirreled away somewhere), my immediate knee-jerk reaction was No! But I'm trying to keep the heat off for as long as possible as the cold weather approaches, and I'm always cold, so I find myself inclined to overlook past fashion mistakes and consider the utility of something that could provide extra warmth for my limbs, and looking at it that way, I probably could find myself interested in a nice warm pair of leg warmers.

Is your Halloween style scary, cutesy, folksy, grotesque . . . ?
Maybe classic Halloween? Or sort of like Dominique said, sophisticated gothic, only in my case I guess it'd be everyday gothic, because I'm not terribly sophisticated. Definitely not folksy or grotesque, maybe a little cutesy (if you're the kind of person who thinks bats and rats are cute!), maybe a little vintage in places, but mostly just classic, with a touch of elegance at times. Think black tableclothes with silver spider web designs, black candlesticks with bats and spiders decorating them, realistic-looking bat clings on the windows, along with some less realistic-looking cute Halloween design clings, a black feather wreath, a small collection of vintage Halloween noisemakers, some small orange and white pumpkins from the local farmers market, lace drapes with bat, spider, and skull designs, etc.

10/5/15

I bought the Portal board game last week & it came with a Portal 2 steam free download code. I already have the game on another console & it's one of my favorite series of all time. Soooo, would you want it? No thank you; I don’t have a video game console.

10/6/15

Have you read The Martian? Or do you plan on watching the movie? No to both questions.

NaNo: Pertaining to that, how does everyone feel about such things? Will anyone be participating? How about NaNo swag, is there any you want? I actually have only the very vaguest idea of what that even is, so....

Honey or beeswax products? Discuss.
Despite my love of bees, I don't like honey, but I do like beeswax products. A beeswax candle would be great, and CourtCat's reply reminds me that I've been seeing mention lately of using beeswax to condition floss for cross-stitching. I wouldn't need a big block of beeswax, but if they have a little piece (I've seen them molded into cute shapes for this purpose), I'd love to give it a try. Also, pretty much anything with a bee picture or motif on it would be great. Bees are beautiful!

How do you feel about bumper stickers and car magnets? What do you like--cute, pretty, snarky, geeky/fandomy? I won’t put anything permanent on my car (like a bumper sticker), but I might use a car magnet or a removable window cling, maybe. Maybe something pertaining to one of the bands I like, or something Cthulhu- or otherwise Lovecraft-themed, or even Hello Kitty?

Do you have any phobia's that your Witch should be aware of? No.

Trading Post Weenies are live! Anything calling to you? A Fling in the Lagoon bath oil sounds kind of nice (lime!), and I’m a little intrigued by the Pumpkin Spice Everything claw polish. What I’d really like is the Yes perfume oil, but although I think the Cemetery Gates spirit board is very pretty, it’s also a little too pricy for me, so alas, no chance at the Yes perfume. I’d like to try a bit of the Boo hair gloss, but I think a little bit would be enough; the same is true of the Candiru Cove Frisbee Tournament home & linen spray and the Chocolate Pumpkin bath oil. I guess I’d also like to try the Dead Leaves, Black Fig, Cacao & Copal and Dead Leaves, White Musk & Vanilla hair glosses also, but I’d just need enough to try once or twice. An imp-sized decant of the Dr. Janice perfume might be nice.

10/7/15

Speaking of nail things, it that time of year and I am doing my jamberry order, Would you want some Lovely Jamberry's for your nails? Oh, there are so many cute ones, but my nails are small and usually short and wraps and such tend not to work well on them. I’ve found that vinyl nail decals (like those from www.etsy.com/shop/MakeitStickDesigns ) tend to work better for me.

10/8/15

Do you like or want to try Marmite? No, thank you.

Some folks have already said they do not want used nail polish. If you haven't already chimed in about that... would you be interested in a bottle of BPTP claw polish (in this case, either Event Horizon or Baku) that has been used for one manicure? I would never turn down nail polish, and used nail polish doesn’t bother me. I’m not sure that either Event Horizon or Baku are my style, but it’s so hard to tell from pictures online.

10/9/15

Are there any DISCONTINUED (not LE) BPAL oils that you wish you had, or had a little more of? Not that I can think of; I’ve been very lucky that I haven’t lost any favourites to discontinuation.

Is there anything fairly basic that you're always running out of and need to buy more of? Nothing applicable to this swap - mostly peanuts and bird seed, because the raccoons and squirrels in my neighborhood seem to be bottomless pits and go through both so fast! I’ll be picking up another 50 pound bag of peanuts this weekend, and another couple of bags of bird seed. Luckily I bought two 50 pound bags of corn instead of the usual one the last time I went to the feed store, so at least I’m set for the ducks for a while.

Blooddrop update: I’ve never tried anything from Blooddrop before, but the Ghostly bath truffles sound very nice, as does the Vanilla Marshmallow sugar bar. I’d also be interested in the Candy Bats, Uber Goth, or Apple Cider Doughnut soaps or the Moroccan Mint Tea or Apple Cider Doughnut sugar bars, and I think I’d like to try just a tiny bit of the Tooth & Claw perfume.

How do you feel about foreign spices/flavorings? Since I don't cook and barely bake, I'm afraid fancy foreign spices would be wasted on me.

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?
Oh, gosh, it's been a while since I checked them out, so I took a look and came away with such a list of things! I'd be most interested in sample sizes of Climbing Chaos, Day of Reckoning, and That Man is Playing Galaga, or if you're buying The Largest Moon of Still Not A Planet and could spare a little bit, I'd welcome it. Also of interest: Master Ball; Team Rocket; Chimera; Constant Vigilance!; Hero of Ages; and Steve O'Lantern.

bookworm

bookworm

 

13 Nights of Halloween 2016 questions and answers

Anything here: http://paintboxsoapworks.com/ looklike something you'd like to try (assuming that you're not already ordering it)?
I wouldn’t mind trying either their hot process soap or a sample size sorbetto in Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground, Gingermilk, Red Right Hand, Smoky Jack, or Whiskers.

Do you like stuff related to Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)?
It’s not really my thing, but some of the skeleton and sugar skull stuff is neat.

How about handknitted things? Especially fall themed things! Anything specific, ie socks, mitts, hats, home decor like pumpkin coasters or wall hangings?
Sure! Handknitted home decor like pumpkin coasters or a wall hanging would be great.



Are there any fandoms or specific collectible genres you would appreciate things of/for(ex: you collect shot glasses, or the ninth Doctor is your bae)?

I’m not hugely into any fandoms any more, but I still like to occasionally pick up stuff related to Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Joel era), Supernatural (with focus on Dean), and various anime (Black Butler has some cool merchandise - either Sebastian or Grell, and never ever Sebastian/Ciel!). I also have a small but growing collection of lucky cat / maneki neko stuff.



Do you have a favorite Fall/Halloween symbol?
Bats! I also like ravens and rats and mice and ghosts and skeletons and all sorts of simple or cute Halloween symbols. I like vampires a lot, too.


First, talk to me about soaps- do you like them, and what kinds of scents/lather/varieties do you like?
I love bar soaps! Not so much the glycerin/melt and pour ones, but all other kinds. I’m fine with scrubby ones, and I like pretty much most scents when it comes to soap. I love clove-scented soaps, other spicy scents, mint scents, resin scents, even some florals and herb scents (rose, lilac, lemon verbena, etc.).

Second, tell me about teas! Favorites? Anything you'd like to try?
Oh, gosh, I have so many teas that I’m trying not to acquire any more until I’ve used up what I have. That said, if you have a favourite you’d like to share, I’d be up for trying it.

Lastly, I go to Renn Faire- is there anything from there you might like?
I’ve only been to a Renn Faire type event once in my life, and that was decades ago, so I really have no idea. If you see something that you think I’d like, then I probably would!

What Weenie of years past are you seeking from the lab?
Dorian in the Pumpkin Patch is the one that comes to mind first. I wouldn’t mind trying Snake Oil in the Pumpkin Patch either, but I love Dorian, so I’ve always sort of regretted that I didn’t get a bottle of that.

Are you a shawl wearer- and if you don't wear one now, would you?
I’m not, but I could be! I’m always cold in the winter, yet I hate to turn up the heat if I can possibly avoid it, so a shawl would be lovely for some extra warmth. Of course, a purely pretty non-warm scarf would also be very nice!

Tell me about LUSH- do you like them? If so, what are some of your favorite things from there? Particularly fond scents or products? Stuff you can't stand?
I’m not really a fan of LUSH.

So, in this swap, you open a goodie every day. I have seen this gift direction done several different ways, but I am interested in which you are most keen to do. Would you rather:
A. have strict direction as to which gift is to be opened on which day(aka the number system)?
B.have a few gifts that are meant to be opened on specific days (ex: *this* one is for Halloween night only), but the rest be your choice?
C. have a free-for-all, grab bag-style box of goodies, where you are the sole arbiter of your goodie grabbing destiny(everything is wrapped but you pick the gift you want to open each day)?
D. be surprised?
I’ll be fine with however you want to do it.

Stuff from Japan?
Oh my gosh, ANYTHING! I read/watch a lot of manga and anime, so I’m kind of intrigued by most things Japanese, and there are so many super cute things from Japan! I’m especially fond of maneki neko stuff, and anything related to one of the manga or anime series I like would be super cool. I’m sure I’ve listed them all at various times in various questionnaires, but right now the ones that spring to mind are Psychic Detective Yakumo / Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, The Ancient Magus’ Bride / Mahou Tsukai no Yome, Ghost Hunt (Akuryou series & Akumu no Sumu ie), Library War / Toshokan Sensou, Black Butler / Kuroshitsuji, Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok / Matantei Loki Ragnarok, Adekan, Hellsing, Demon Prince of Momochi House, and Diabolik Lovers. I’ve managed to get CDs with the theme songs from a lot of my favourite shows, but I’m still noticeably missing the character songs from Inu X Boku (I have a copy of MUCC’s song “Nirvana”, but none of the other songs featured in the show) and Cascade’s song “sexy sexy” from Ghost Stories / Gakkou no kaidan, so copies of any of those would be great (don’t need originals - downloaded and burned onto a CD is fine). I think a mix CD of your favourite Japanese pop songs or the like if you have them would be fantastic, too. Stationary, Hello Kitty, any cute stuff would be welcomed and loved. Oh, I would love a postcard or souvenir from your part of Japan - something specific to your hometown or where you’re living now would be really cool to get.

Pumpkin Spice or No Pumpkin Spice?
I’m probably going to come down on the side of No Pumpkin Spice. I don’t really like the scent of pumpkin, and the only pumpkin flavored things I get excited about are pumpkin beers and Trader Joe’s pumpkin muffins.

Milk, white, and/or Dark Chocolate?
Milk is the best, and I like some white too (Green & Black has a very nice white chocolate bar, which unfortunately my local grocery store has apparently stopped stocking). Dark chocolate is my least favourite, and I like it less the darker it gets, but if there’s other stuff in it (mint, for instance), it works sometimes.

Do you like Yankee Candle? Anything you want from there?
Nothing I can think of, but a votive or two would be fine.

Trading Post Goodies?
My old BPTP pen is pretty beat up, so I wouldn’t mind a replacement. I’d love to try The Serpentine perfume oil - that’s the only thing really tempting me at the moment. Or if you have an unloved decant of Portrait of a Young Woman with Unicorn hair gloss or Saint Justina with the Unicorn hair gloss sitting around, I wouldn’t mind trying either one of those.

Bath and Bodyworks?
I’m overstocked on Bath & Body Works stuff for the most part, but I do go through their PocketBacs pretty quick, so I’m always happy to get more.

Tell me of your Sock Dreams, please!
The bamboo cushy lounger crew or black or charcoal striped crew socks are nice, as are a lot of the critter crew or midcalf socks (love the Mr. Fox crew!). Favourite critter socks (besides Mr. Fox, of course) are the Koi Fish crew, Shark Attack midcalf, New Zealand Sleepy Sheep bed socks, Love Bunny crew, and Monsters midcalf socks. I also like the Cotton Lace anklet socks in any of the dark colors (black, brown, navy).

i'd like to make some baked goods, would you like some? And if you have any food allergies what can I use as a substitute?
Absolutely! I love home baked stuff, and I have no food allergies to worry about.

Anything special you want from the Target dollar spot?
Nothing I’m aware of at the moment.

I live in The Netherlands. If there's anything in particular that you'd like to get from here, now's the time to tell!
I don't really know anything about the Netherlands or what special things are available there, but I'm open to anything you might want to share! A souvenir or something you think is representative of your country would be great - I'd love to learn more about it!

I'm sort of collecting Lush showergels.Regular collection, but also many Kitchen items. Are there any showergels you'd like to try? I'd be happy to make you samples!
I'm not familiar with Lush shower gels, so there's nothing I'm specifically wanting to try.

What is your stance on Glitter?
I'm pro-glitter! Most everything is better with a little (or a lot of) glitter on it!

Also, if you have a Goodreads or other online reading log, does it include a wishlist? Otherwise, is it safe to assume books on the 'to-read' section are wishlist items? Or are you less into keeping a physical copy of the book, and instead prefer to turn to the awesomeness of the library to get your to-read need accomplished.
I don't have a Goodreads or other online reading log.

how about art? (Small/mailing safe sizes, course)
As long as it's small, sure.

Tea lovers, what do you like from Whittard?
I know nothing at all about Whittard, so I checked it out. Even though the question was about tea, the first thing that caught my eye was that they have hot chocolate in addition to tea. The white hot chocolate sounds fantastic, as do the limited edition spiced flavour hot chocolate and the orange flavor hot chocolate. Tea-wise, I wouldn't mind trying the Spice Imperial, Vanilla Sundae, Regal Blend, Chilli Chai, or Petit Macaron. Or maybe the Cherry Blossom green tea?
How do you feel about reading series out of order? Obviously not in situations where the subsequent books are part of the same story arc where you will be totally lost and frustrated if you haven't read all of them, but say, standalone stories which are technically part of a series and which might obliquely reference past books, but not in such as way as to spoil the plot of the book which I happen to have in my possession that you might like.
If it can be read as a stand-alone, then sure.   Would you be interested in a Halloween themed short story anthology?
Absolutely!   Is there a limit to the number of books you'd like to receive?
Hmm, I hate to put a limit on books, but I'm so far behind on reading the books that I already have stacking up, so maybe no more than 3 or 4?   Have you read Movies in 15 Minutes by our very own Cleolinda? Would you like to?
I haven't. I see maybe one current movie a year, so I'm not sure this book would really be my sort of thing.   What kind of phone do you have?
A regular old non-smart flip phone.   Have you seen the horror film The Babadook? If so, did you like it? Would you want something Babadook-themed?
Nope.   Those who are amenable to yarnie things--ok, two questions: Any undesirable fibers (wool allergy, vegan so no critter hair at all, etc.)? and how do you feel about cowls/infinity scarves?
As long as no critters are harmed in the process of collecting their hair, I'm fine with it. One of my friends gifted me an infinity scarf last year and showed me how to use it, so I can handle an infinity scarf now.   Incense:
I like it, but I almost never burn it. Candles are just easier for me to use.

Motherhood update:
I'm really tempted by Reapers Gonna Reap. I can see myself ordering a bottle of that at some point. None of the others were as tempting, but I'd like to at least try Baby's First Krampuslauf, Heavenly Spark, My Little Grotesque, and Texare.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch 2016 questions and answers

9/14/16:

What are you interested in from the recent BPAL and BPTP updates? (Lilith, Lunacy, etc.)
I'm really tempted by Reapers Gonna Reap. I can see myself ordering a bottle of that at some point. None of the other Lilliths were as tempting, but I'd like to at least try Baby's First Krampuslauf, Heavenly Spark, My Little Grotesque, and Texare. There were so many Unicorns that I was just overwhelmed and didn’t order decants of any of them, but I wouldn’t mind trying a little bit of any of the following: Allegory of Chastity; Crucifixion; De Vos’ Unicorn; St. Clare (this one especially); The Unicorn, Rushing….; or Unicorn and Ram. From BPTP, I was most interested in The Serpentine perfume.

Would you like hibiscus seeds?
Maybe? I live in Michigan and my backyard is fairly shady from all the trees around, so I’m not sure how well a hibiscus would do in such a climate and locale, but if you think it would work, I’d be up for trying!

Off-color needlepoint?
No, thank you. I’m really not into public displays of off-color or vulgar words or sentiments, and although I might say or think some off-color things, I wouldn’t hang them on my wall for people to see.


9/15/16

How do you feel about knitted stuff? Fancy? Plain?

Something with a Halloween theme or motif would be cool! Or something that can be used, like washcloths or such.
What types of things do you like to wear?
Are we still talking about knitted stuff here? If so, then probably fingerless gloves, I suppose. Or a Halloween scarf with a bat motif or something like that, if something like that is possible?


I'm into beer. How 'bout you? Yes!
Styles? I primarily like porters and stouts, grapefruit ales, and the occasional red ale. Also, I’m on a quest to try as many pumpkin beers as I can!
And booze? I like flavored vodkas most, but I’ll try pretty much anything.

How do you feel about caramel? It’s delicious!
Salt or no? Either way is fine.
With chocolate or without? Either way!

Would you be interested in home made food items?
- garlic dill pickles - A cautious yes, ‘cause I’m not big on garlic, but I do quite like dill pickles!
- blackberry jam - Yes! I’ve started using jams and jellies more this year, so it wouldn’t sit in my refrigerator neglected for months/years as it might have in the past. I’ve not tried blackberry yet; right now I just have wild mulberry, black cherry, red currant, and the standard Welch’s grape.
- dried honey crisp apples - I don’t eat a lot of dried fruit, but a little bit sounds good.
- applesauce (with or without red hots) - No thank you, unless you have a very small jar without the red hots (and without added sugar) that you wouldn’t mind me sharing with my bunny sister (she’s my parents’ bunny) as a treat for her. I don’t like applesauce, but she does!
- elderberry syrup (with honey and apple cider vinegar - great for immune boosting) - sounds interesting!
- honey from our bees - Oh, gosh, I LOVE bees, but I don’t eat honey. I really love the idea of honey you got from your very own bees, but I’d just end up passing it along to my dad, since he’s the only one in the family who uses honey.
- rose petal liquor (made with our own rose petals and everclear but diluted down a bit so it doesn't knock you over) - Absolutely! This sounds fantastic!
- baked goods of your choice, what do you like or dislike? - I would be thrilled to get home baked cookies! I almost never bake, so any homemade goodies would be much appreciated! I don't like nuts or raisins in my cookies, but anything else is fine. I particularly like oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips, peanut butter cookies, and snickerdoodles, but really, any kind of home baked cookie would make my day. Other than cookies, I like pumpkin bread and corn bread. And I know they’re not exactly considered baked goods, but I love homemade fudge and homemade marshmallows!

Would you be interested in project bags/pouches? I usually make flat bottom round pouches with a pocket inside and a drawstring. Possibility of embroidery if we still have the huge commercial machine.
Sure! I love bags and pouches!

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? (merino, merino cashmere, merino cashmere silk, 100% silk, 100% cashmere, merino nylon, BFL, BFL silk, etc. Or do you like acrylic?)
I’m not life-threateningly allergic to any fiber that I know of, but I’m sensitive to both bunny and cat fur and will experience the usual annoying symptoms (itchy, watery eyes; runny nose, congestion, etc.). As long as you don’t brush your long-haired cat or rabbit and then use the fur in your fiber creations, it should be fine!
Would you want a quilted pot holder?
Sure! I love quilts and quilted stuff!

Do you have any preferred flavour of shortbread?
I’ve only ever had regular, chocolate, and brown butter flavours, so any of those are good, and I’m certainly open to trying other flavours! I bet a lemon shortbread would be good!


9/16/16

Is there anything you'd particularly like to get from the UK?
Magazine or newspaper articles about Marc Almond would be cool! I pretty much have all of his music and DVDs that are available, but any other miscellaneous thing would be lovely. He’s pretty much ignored or unknown around here, sadly. Also, Aero bars or other yummy British candy bars.

Socks/sockdreams/etc:
I love Halloween socks, especially any with bats or Hello Kitty! Crew is best, but shorter ones are fine as well.
For Sockdreams socks specifically, the bamboo cushy lounger crew or black or charcoal striped crew socks are nice, as are a lot of the critter crew or midcalf socks (love the Mr. Fox crew!). Favourite critter socks (besides Mr. Fox, of course) are the Koi Fish crew, Shark Attack midcalf, New Zealand Sleepy Sheep bed socks, Love Bunny crew, and Monsters midcalf socks. I also like the Cotton Lace anklet socks in any of the dark colors (black, brown, navy).

Anyone a nail polish fan? What colors interest you?
I do love nail polish, but I have so much already that I’m pretty much out of storage space for it, so I’m trying to refrain. That said, I do still have a few picks on my Etsy wishlist…. I love holographic and duochrome shades; I avoid creams.


9/17/16

Is there anything you would like to get from Japan?
Oh my gosh, ANYTHING! I read/watch a lot of manga and anime, so I’m kind of intrigued by most things Japanese, and there are so many super cute things from Japan! I’m especially fond of maneki neko stuff, and anything related to one of the manga or anime series I like would be super cool. I’m sure I’ve listed them all at various times in various questionnaires, but right now the ones that spring to mind are Psychic Detective Yakumo / Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, The Ancient Magus’ Bride / Mahou Tsukai no Yome, Ghost Hunt (Akuryou series & Akumu no Sumu ie), Library Wars / Toshokan Sensou, Black Butler / Kuroshitsuji, Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok / Matantei Loki Ragnarok, Adekan, Pet Shop of Horrors, Hellsing, Demon Prince of Momochi House, and Diabolik Lovers. I’ve managed to get CDs with the theme songs from a lot of my favourite shows, but I’m still noticeably missing the character songs from Inu X Boku (I have a copy of MUCC’s song “Nirvana”, but none of the other songs featured in the show) and Cascade’s song “sexy sexy” from Ghost Stories / Gakkou no kaidan, so copies of any of those would be great (don’t need originals - downloaded and burned onto a CD is fine). I think a mix CD of your favourite Japanese pop songs or the like if you have them would be fantastic, too. Stationary, Hello Kitty, any cute stuff would be welcomed and loved. I do have a Japanese market in my area, so I’m generally set on Japanese candy and treats, but they no longer have two things I used to get - Pocky with white chocolate and a “mystery” Puccho (I think that’s what it was called) - so I’d be happy to get more of either. Oh, I would especially love a postcard or souvenir from your part of Japan - something specific to your hometown or where you’re living now or one of your favourite places would be really cool to get. Also, the last volume of the Psychic Detective Yakumo manga series apparently came out in Japan the other day (Shinrei Tantei 14 by Kaminaga Manabu), so if you happen to find a cheap copy somewhere, I’d be happy to have it. I wouldn’t be able to read a word of it and I’d have to rely solely on the pictures until the German translation comes out sometime next year or later, but still, I just barely resisted ordering it when I got an email about it from CDJapan. If the shipping charge hadn’t been more than the price of the book itself, I probably would have.

Would you object to re-using of clean mailing materials?
Until this question came up I never even considered that someone would object to re-using mailing materials. I re-use mailing materials whenever I can, so no, I wouldn’t object at all.


9/18/16

Who here is a Raging All THINGS HARRY POTTER fan?
Not me. Never read the books, never saw the movies, never had any interest in Harry Potter whatsoever.

Do you like things with Pumpkin (or Pumpkin Spice?)
Just a few things, like pumpkin muffins or pumpkin beer. I don’t go out looking for pumpkin/pumpkin spice-flavoured everything.

9/19/16

Speaking of snarky, who's a fan of The Mincing Mockingbird?
I’ve seen cards and magnets in stores and they’re amusing, but I’m not really a fan. I’ll look, chuckle, and then move on to the next thing on the rack. I’ve never felt the need to buy or own them.

Do you decorate for Halloween all year? If not, what level of decor do you have for Halloween?
I guess I kind of have a low level Halloween vibe going all year, just because I love bats and have a lot of bat decorations around. Come October, I’ll haul out the Halloween candle holders and tablecloths and up the levels of Halloween decor. Halloween week I’ll probably put up the window clings, and Halloween night I’ll stake the outdoor tealight candle holders around out front - I have bat, owl, and pumpkin lanterns.

Indoor/outdoor Halloween decorations? What do you do, and what would you prefer to receive?
I do more indoor decorations. Outdoors I mainly just put out the aforementioned candle holders on Halloween, and I bring them back inside at the end of the night. I wouldn’t mind more outdoor decorations, but they tend to be expensive and to require more storage space, so I’ve not bothered to get any.

What's your preferred Halloween decor style: classic/traditional (skulls, pumpkins, bats), kitchsy/cute, retro, elegant/Victorian, horror/macabre?
Bats and ravens! Classic/traditional; retro; occasionally cute but not kitchsy, maybe a touch of elegant. I like seeing horror/macabre in other people’s decorations, but I prefer not to do it myself.

What's your candy preference?
Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins are my favourite Halloween treat. In general, I like Aero bars, Nut Goodies, maple sugar candy, SweeTarts, and decent chocolate bars (Ritter bars with hazelnuts or honey salt almonds, Green & Blacks white chocolate, Cadbury dairy milk or toffee bars, etc.). I love Fannie May’s dark lemon creams, dark vanilla creams, dark and milk caramels, and more - I worked at a Fannie May store between high school and college and during the holiday season my freshman year, so I will always have a fondness for their stuff.

Does anyone like fleece character hats? Like these? http://wonderlandonline.storenvy.com/collections/354444-anime-video-games/products/13089516-pusheen-like-fleece-hat Whatkinda characters would you like to see?
That Pusheen hat is adorable! For other kinds of characters, I think a bunny or a cat would be cute too! Bunny ears and cat ears - squeee! I know I’m too old to be wearing a hat like that, but I totally would anyway.

9/20/16

Authors - Jennifer Estep, Faith Hunter. Heard of them? Love them, hate them, or eh?
I’ve not heard of them, or at least not that I can recall. They’re not on my radar.

Knitted things. Specifically scarves/cowls and shawls.....grabby hands or not? Favorite colors? Are you allergic or sensitive to any textiles, ie wools, cashmere, nylon, metallic threads, mohair, alpaca? Knitted washcloths? For the kitchen or for the bath? And again, colors??
Grabby hands for a scarf with bats; knitted washcloths are good; stuff for kitchen or bath is good; knitted Halloween decorations would be cool. Bat scarf colors would probably be black and grays or browns; Halloween decoration colors would be determined by theme (orange pumpkins, for example); favourite colors for anything else would be purple, red, lime green, magenta, or combinations of purple/blue/green or red/orange/yellow, but I’d probably be good with any clear, bright colors. I shouldn’t be allergic/sensitive to any of the textiles listed above, but I’d want any animal-based textiles to be cruelty-free.

Candles or wax melts/wax tarts?
Definitely candles.

9/21/16

Do you have an Etsy wish list, and if so, what's your user name there?
Yes, my user name is chiroptera, and my wish list is linked in my sig.

Tokyo Milk? Yea or Nay?
My only experience with Tokyo Milk was buying some of their lip balms, and those were a definite Nay, so I haven’t been motivated to try anything else by them.

Would you like notebooks or journals? Utilitarian or fancy? Lined or blank? Tell me of your stationery lustings.
Honestly, I really don’t use journals or notebooks on a regular basis. I have a few cheap glittery purse-sized notebooks to make lists in or jot things down, plus some notebooks that a friend made for me that I use because she made them, but that’s it for the ones that get used. Besides those, I have hoards of notebooks and journals sitting around untouched, so it’s probably best not to add any more. That said, any notebooks or stationery pertaining to favourite anime/manga would be greeted with great glee and delight.

If you are ok with knitted things, what colors do you like?
Black, purple, red, bright lime green, magenta. I like bright, clean colors, not muddled/dusty colors. I’m fine with neons, too. I tend to stay away from yellows and navy blue, and far far away from beige.

If striping, what two (or more) colors together?
Black and red; black and lime green; black and magenta; or purple/blue/green or red/orange/yellow.

If you want yarn, what colors do you want?
I don’t do any crafts with yarn, so have no need of it.


Are you interested in fabric? Again, what colors, what themes, etc.
I do like fabrics, particularly Halloween patterns, but I don’t really do anything with them, so it would be better to get something that you’ve made with the fabric than just pieces of fabric for me to try to use (because I probably never will). I do have a weakness for some Japanese fabrics with rabbits or lucky cats or fish (I know I have some on my Etsy wishlist), as well as the aforementioned Halloween patterns (especially bats!), so even though it might be years, if ever, before I actually get around to using them, I wouldn’t say no to something like that.

What are your tea and/or coffee preferences? Loose leaf / whole bean or bagged / ground? Do you have a favorite type? Flavor? Retailer?
I don’t drink coffee at all. Tea is fine, either loose leaf or bagged. I like cinnamon teas, mint teas, and the occasional Earl Grey (including the different flavors like lavender or cream) the most, but I’ll drink other flavors too. I’m not a big fan of rooibos, though. Even more than tea, I like hot chocolate. Regular flavor, cinnamon, orange, mint, white, butterscotch - I enjoy all of those and more when it comes to hot chocolate.

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?
Probably a sewn bag made with a cool fabric, or those fantastic dragon scale gloves. If you’re a crocheter who can make amigurumi, a creepy cute or just plain cute amigurumi figure would be just the best thing ever!

What are your favorite fandoms, if any?

I’m not hugely into any fandoms any more, but I still like to occasionally pick up stuff related to Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Joel era), Supernatural (with focus on Dean), and various anime (Black Butler has some cool merchandise - either Sebastian or Grell, and never ever Sebastian/Ciel! For other anime/manga I follow, see the answer above about things from Japan). I also have a small but growing collection of lucky cat / maneki neko stuff.



Skincare- do you use a particular routine? What products would you absolutely not use?
Mornings I use Bella Lucce’s pink grapefruit foaming cleanser and their multifruit regenerative face cream. Nights I use Villainess’s Slick or Bella Lucce’s sesame-rice facial cleansing oil to remove makeup, and occasionally Bunny Butt Apothecary’s Complexion Zen cream (now somewhat reformulated and called Of Buns and Zen, I guess). If I don’t need to take off makeup or am just feeling lazy, I use Trader Joe’s tea tree oil cleansing pads followed by a splash of cold water. I don’t follow these routines a lot of the time; most mornings I don’t do anything, and the cleanser/cream routine is only for when I’m getting ready to go somewhere and putting on makeup. I don’t give much thought to skincare unless I’m having a problem with really dry skin or breakouts or something. For products I’d absolutely not use, I’m trying to go all cruelty-free, so anything not cruelty-free I’d try to avoid.

Bath/shower products?
Mostly bar soap. I have a ton of shower gels and bath oils, but I don’t use them all that often. After baths or showers, I like using dusting powder. And if you know of any good clove or cinnamon scented shampoos and conditioners made without a lot of chemicals and junk, I'd love a recommendation!

BPTP products? Pre-owned okay?
Pre-owned BPTP stuff is always ok. I have samples or full sizes of most of the hair glosses and bath oils I wanted to try, I’m only looking for one atmosphere spray right now (on my BPAL wishlist), and the two Dragon nail polishes I wanted are on their way to me thanks to Etsy. I’d still like to get the Pumpkin Spice Everything nail polish, and to try The Serpentine perfume, but I think other than that I’m mostly set. Of course, that could all change when the Weenies show up!

Essential oils and aromatherapy oils- yay, or nay?
No, thanks. I have a lot already, and I almost never use them.
Favorite animal?
Bats, bunnies, mice, and gerbils are my most favourite. I also love squirrels (including flying squirrels), raccoons, rats, foxes, opossums, and most other small mammals. Bird-wise, I like owls and ravens. I also love bees.

Twilight Alchemy Lab oils?
I think I’m mostly set for now, but I wouldn’t mind trying Bastet’s Laughter, White Light, or Peace if you have a spare imp of one of these sitting around.

9/22/16

Would you like some hair falls? I can make a single (ponytail) or double (for pigtails). Short, long, types of yarns, ribbons? Extra things (buttons, beads, wire wraps? Colors/color combinations? Stuff to avoid?
No, thank you, they’re not really my style.

9/23/16

Would you be interested in Kings Game by Lisa Millraney?
Sure! I don’t have a kindle, but I have Amazon’s free reader downloaded on my laptop, so if it will work with that, it should be fine.

Would you like any brown paper bags of "seconds" from Seattle Chocolates?
I would never say no to chocolate!

Elements & Artifacts has a fall/halloween collection up - Anything catch your eye?
The Halloween Batty, Vampire Queen, Spectre, Apparition, sugar skulls, and Vortex necklaces all caught my eye, but I wouldn’t expect my Witch to spend so much money!

And speaking of shops from BPAL folks, any favorites in the stores on the SW Stalking and Services Spreadsheet?
Oh, gosh, so many beautiful things in those stores! Still, from the spreadsheet, though they’re not in the stores, the offerings that most appealed are homemade fudge, an astrology birth chart, and the postcards that people are offering to send. I love getting a surprise postcard or note in the mail!


9/24/16

The second part of the Haus of Gloi update is live tomorrow (the 25th)- is there anything you're interested in?
I didn’t see any scents that particularly appealed to me, so I guess not. ETA: Ok, I was only looking at Part I the first time I answered. I just took a look at Part II, and the Maple Sugar lip balm sounds good. I'd also be interested in trying the Blood Orange Marshmallow, either a sample vial of the perfume or the whipped soap.

I'm going to the NY Renaissance Faire tomorrow- anything you'd like me to look for?
Nothing in particular, but I always love new bar soaps if there are any such vendors there. Or if you see some little thing that you think I might like, I’m sure I would.

New Question: Do you celebrate Mabon? Would you like "witchy" or pagan decorations and objects? For example, pentacle wall hangings, mabon poppets, corn dollies, ritual candles, etc?
Not really. It’s one of those things where I feel like I should because I like the idea, but honestly, I can’t muster up the commitment to follow any spiritual path, including witchcraft or paganism. I might use a ritual candle if it came with instructions, I suppose.

Anyone hankering for Craftsy classes? Through tomorrow all classes are $20 or under.
Hmmm, not really “hankering”, but the 40 Techniques Every Stamper Should Know class might be useful, or one of the vegetable gardening ones. Oh, one of the basic woodturning classes might be good - I own a lathe, but haven't ever used it, and I haven't used one at all since junior high, which was a very long time ago. I keep meaning to take an in-person class, but it might also be nice to have an online one I can access whenever I want.

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!
I like jigsaw puzzles (just nothing super difficult like 1000 piece puzzles that are 50% sky or something like that, and I tend to like puzzles with cute animals or birds more than puzzles that are just scenery), word searches, and mazes. I do like card games and board games, but I really don't have any one to play them with, and there aren't too many games out there for just one person. I do have dinner with my parents once a week and we play board games then, but my mom's memory is not what it should be, so we're restricted to playing really simple non-strategic games (stuff like Sorry! or Trouble or Chutes & Ladders, basically). I've been thinking about trying to add Uno or Yahtzee to the repertoire, so if you have a gently used set of either of those that you're looking to get rid of, I'd be happy to get it!

9/25

I'm a honey afficionado (I really love honey) and our renn Faire has a local honey booth we go to every year and our trip is coming up. Anything from http://www.beefolks.com/default.aspsuit your fancy in particular (honey or otherwise since they have other products?)
I love beeswax candles! Any type is good; ordinary shapes (votive, taper, etc.) will be happily used and cute or pretty molded shapes will be displayed and never ever burned. (Well, I might burn a pumpkin shaped shaped candle or something, but if it's a cute animal shape, I couldn't bear to light it and watch it melt away.) The black cherry lip balm sounds good, as does the chocolate mint one. I feel a little guilty straying from the honey and beeswax angle, but they do also have bath bombs and soap listed on their site, and the sensual vanilla bath bomb and most of the soaps (especially the bay rum and Eastern spice) sound lovely. I get my beeswax blocks for thread conditioning from a local beekeeper who has a booth at one of the local farmers markets, so I'm already set on that end.

Any other renn Faire goodies in general? I have a friend who is a wood carver there and they make adorable geeky pins amount other things and Harry Potter wands? Here are the artisans there: http://www.rennfest....ation/artisans
I like carved wood items a lot, so if your friend happens to make pins featuring something cute and non-fandom-specific like owls or dragons or something, that'd be great! The same goes for small carved Halloween or Xmas or just general decorative ornaments. In general, I like candles and soap and small art prints and polished stones and gems. I took a look at some of the artisans listed, but a lot of the stuff I liked was rather expensive, so not worth mentioning. I'm sure I've seen the Fantasy Jewelry stuff somewhere before - the bat flock ear cuff looks really familiar and right up my alley (except for the price), especially since you don't need to have pierced ears to wear it. It's nice to be reminded of it - maybe I'll have to mention it to my parents for my birthday! And since other people mentioned it, I had to check out Dancing Pig Pottery, and I can see why people like their stuff! I especially liked the arabesque and celtic vine designs. I think that's one of the really fun parts of Switch Witch - being introduced to all the cool stuff out there that I didn't know about until someone mentioned it or posted a link that led me to it!

Weenies: I just jumped on a decant circle to get the ones I wanted to try, so I should be all set for now.

Pepper powders: No, thank you.

Erotica or BDSM: Well, I guess a certain percentage of the oodles of fanfiction that I read could be considered erotica, so I guess I'm fine with it. I've been dabbling in yaoi manga lately also, although it's kind of difficult to find ones that are good in terms of consent issues. As for BDSM, it's not really my cup of tea.

Character or fandom inspired Sculpey stuff: Sure, if you have any ideas for something that you think would be good, I'm open to it!

10/16/16

Ginger, or Spearmint flavor?
I like both! Spearmint is my favourite mint flavour, and I like ginger a lot too!

10/18/16

ThinkGeek is having a big Halloween sale. Anything catch your eye?
Giant Zombie Flamingos! The Embroidered Bats Table Topper is cool, as are the Embroidered Skeleton Dance Table Topper and the Mantel Runner. I also like the Build-On Brick Mug.

10/19/16

Do you subscribe to any boxes? What kinds of things do you like from them?
I don’t. I used to get Birchbox (my cousin got me a gift subscription), but I didn’t find it interesting enough to re-up. For the kinds of things that are in Birchbox - makeup and the like - I’d rather just get things I like rather than get random samples that weren’t really tailored to me at all.

Any makeup/body/skin type stuff you'd like to get samples of?
I’m pretty well set on makeup samples, especially loose eye shadow. I guess maybe scented body powders and non-BPAL indie perfumes would be most interesting to me.

bookworm

bookworm

 

Switch Witch 2017 Questions and Answers

9/4/17

Would you like one of the Halloween Teeturtle shirts?
Oh, yes, so much so that I already pre-ordered an embarrassingly high number of them. (And then backed the Unstable Unicorns card game on the Kickstarter!) How did I not know about this site before?!? I’ve bought some of Ramy’s designs from shirt.woot.com before, but to have a choice of so many more! I foresee a lot more purchases in my future. I’m not sure exactly what size or style would work best, so I ordered three different variations to figure that out. If my tees arrive before the end of the SW round, I’ll update with the correct size here.

9/5/17

I drink this stuff almost everyday would anyone else be interested in trying it out? https://www.criobru.com/
I would be open to trying it, but my coffee maker doesn’t have a permanent gold filter and the FAQ says not to use a paper filter, so I guess it isn’t meant to be.

How do you feel about indie makeup (read: loose eyeshadow, blush, highlighter)?
I like indie makeup, but I’ve ordered a lot of loose eyeshadows from Shiro and other indie companies in the past, and I end up never using them. For some reason, about the only loose eyeshadows I use are the ones from Sugarpill, and I don’t use those anywhere near as often as I use pressed eyeshadows. I get really excited about new loose eyeshadow but when it comes to daily use, I tend to stick to pressed. I rarely use blush and I just bought a new one from Besame that should last me for years, and I don’t use highlighter (although I covet those cool unicorn ones).

What are your feelings about Scooby Doo?
I enjoyed it when I was a kid, because I liked anything with ghosts and monsters and stuff. The only interest I have in it now is that I have the book “Meddling Kids” by Edgar Cantero of my list of things I’d eventually like to get from the library and read.

9/6/17

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…
I haven’t really gotten interested in any new things, but I have been watching a lot of card making demos on YouTube lately (especially the ones from Lawn Fawn), so I’m starting to branch out into doing more than just stamping, like making pop up box cards. I’m loving the new Lawn Fawn Haunted House add on dies for their Scalloped Treat Box, so I just had to order both so I can try my hand at making some cool Halloween treat boxes!
( )

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

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?
I don’t really need any more containers, but if my Witch made one for me, I’m sure I’d love it! A small
wood box would probably work best.

9/7/17

Are you interested in anything from the Moonalisa Halloween update?
Oh, gosh, so many things look good! I’d be interested in the 4in1, dusting powder, hair conditioner, either of the scrubs, or the Maple Sugar or Dark Rum & Ginger lip butters. Scent-wise I’m interested in Carnival Cakes or Witch Wood, or maybe Conjuring Room or Durga or Witches Milk.

What are your coffee and/or tea preferences?
- Coffee: whole beans or ground?
- Flavor and roast preferences?
- Tea: black, green, herbal, flavors?
- Loose leaf or tea bags?
- Anything specific you don't like?
Are you in need of any gadgetry?
I only drink tea and hot chocolate, never coffee. I like flavored teas (spicy, minty, occasionally fruity), and I’m good with either tea bags or loose leaf. I’m not a big fan of rooibos. I don’t really need any more gadgets, but I wouldn’t say no to a cute tea infuser.

9/8/17

Do you enjoy stationery? I'm thinking cute/quality notebooks, washi tape, stickers, fun pens etc.
I’ve already got more notebooks that I can use in my lifetime, but washi tape, stickers, fun pens, or notepads would be cool!

Are you interested in anything from Cocoa Pink?
My former Witch Jenjin introduced me to Cocoa Pink last SW round, and I would love to get more of their clarifying shampoo and the Shine+ or Shine Sweetie conditioner. The smaller sizes would be great. Scent-wise, there are SO many that I’d be interested in trying, but I’m especially dying to try the Marshmallow Fireside and Flowerbomb scents. Since I’m curious about so many of the scents, maybe it might be better to get one or two in a trial dram of perfume instead? I’m most interested in the following: Spicebomb; Candyfloss; Twist of Lime; Cozy Blanket; Fear of Ghosts (Phasmophobia); Grapefruit Sugar; or Triple Vanilla Dream. Or maybe you have a favourite you think I should try? I’m open to just about anything except banana.
Or Haus of Gloi?
If the bar soap gets restocked, I’d be interested in the Moon Dog, Cozy Sweater, or Honeysuckle Lemon Curd. Jenjin was also responsible for my introduction to HoG, gifting me a soft bubbling scrub in Moondog during last year’s SW round. It was really nice, so I wouldn’t mind trying another bubbling scrub (the smaller 2 oz size would be perfect) in Cozy Sweater or Honeysuckle Lemon Curd, or maybe even Depravity.

Would you be interested in a Halloween wreath?
Oh my gosh yes! As long as it’s not too thick to fit between my front door and the storm door, a Halloween wreath would be perfect!

Have you seen this: https://www.bustle.c...llection-80733?(Lush Halloween collection.) And what would you like?
I’m not a big Lush fan.

9/9/17

Would you be interested in things from Future Primitive? (http://futureprimitivesoap.co.uk/)
Rook & Raven soap or bubbling sugar scrub look nice, as do the Festival, Indian Temple Attar, and Sylph soaps.

Are there any UK things you'd like to get?
A postcard would be great, or any little touristy thing (magnet or bookmark, perhaps) that you think is an appropriate reflection of where you are. Also, if you happen across any magazine articles or news clippings or such about Marc Almond, I would love to get them! I’m a huge fan, but he’s not very well known at all over here, so there’s never any press coverage. He’s releasing a new album this month (already pre-ordered on iTunes!), so if that leads to any press coverage in print, I’d love to get copies.

Are you into podcasts? If so, what are your favorites? Would you like any merch related to any of them?
Nope.

Would you like something from Nui Cobalt Designs (https://nuicobaltdesigns.com/)?
I think all the spells and magikal oils and such would be wasted on me.

Or maybe some of Christina's lovely Halloween candles at Sihaya & Co. (https://www.sihayaan...lection-candles)?
Sisterhood of the Moon sounds nice, as does Tortuga.

ILNP? Who would love one of their awesome holos like MEGA or one of their amazing chromes? http://www.ilnp.com/
I’m a total sucker for a strong holo, and I’ve been meaning to try ILNP polishes for a while now (I even have Black Orchid in my Etsy favourites), but have never gotten around to it. Maiden Lane, Walking Home, Missed Calls, 1Up, Caesar, Lime Light, Sticks and Stones, Mona Lisa, Deja Vu, Extra Credit, Black Orchid, Charmed all look gorgeous (well, they ALL look gorgeous, but those are my favourites), and I’d love any one of them.

9/10/17

Are there any hobbies or crafts you've been thinking of trying, but haven't had the chance yet?
I’d like to give needle felting a try.

Would you want to receive a custom spell kit or magical tea? If so, what purpose would you want it to be for?
Probably not. I’m not really suited for doing ritual types of things.

Do you like poetry?
Some, I suppose, mostly as a byproduct of liking the writer - Leonard Cohen or Edgar Allan Poe, for instance.

Anyone like handmade critters, stuffed animals, or custom repaints?
Handmade critters and stuffed animals definitely! I’d love something like that made by my Witch for me! This seems like a good time to mention my ceaseless coveting of cute (and creepy cute) amigurumi figures….

Would you enjoy any designer/specialty yarn for your own craftyness?
No thank you, I don’t do any yarn crafts.
Would anyone like a donation made in their name to a cause or charity?
Sure, if any of the causes or charities I listed in my questionnaire suit you!

Please provide wishes from the last two updates?
There have been so many updates recently that I’m not quite sure which are the last two, but from the eclipse update I’d like to try just a small decant of Mabel or maybe The Curtain of the Temple was Torn in Two.

9/11/17

I'm in Japan, is there anything specific from here you would want?
I know this is coltostallion’s question and I’ve already been partnered with her in a previous swap, so I’m sure she won’t be my Witch, but just in case whoever is my Witch is also wondering about my answer, it’s pretty much anything, really! I read/watch a lot of manga and anime, so I’m kind of intrigued by most things Japanese, and there are so many super cute things from Japan! I’m especially fond of maneki neko stuff, and anything related to one of the manga or anime series I like would be super cool. I’m sure I’ve listed them all at various times in various questionnaires, but right now the ones that spring to mind are Psychic Detective Yakumo / Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, Adekan, Pet Shop of Horrors, Ghost Hunt (Akuryou series & Akumu no Sumu ie), The Ancient Magus’ Bride / Mahou Tsukai no Yome, Library Wars / Toshokan Sensou, Black Butler / Kuroshitsuji (especially anything with Grell and/or Sebastian!), Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok / Matantei Loki Ragnarok, Hellsing, Demon Prince of Momochi House, Love Stage!!, Maid-sama!, and Ten Count. Stationary, Hello Kitty, any cute stuff would be welcomed and loved. I do have a Japanese market in my area, so I’m generally set on Japanese candy and treats, but they no longer have two things I used to get - Pocky with white chocolate and a “mystery” Puccho (I think that’s what it was called) - so I’d be happy to get more of either. Coltostallion sent me a bag of delicious chocolate cookies, but all I really know about them is that they came in a red bag with a cartoon cat in a spacesuit (?) on them, and the only thing written in English on it is Sittori Chocolate. If you recognize what I’m talking about from that description, I’d love to get some more! Also, I got a couple of eel pie cookies in my first Kizuna subscription box and they were delicious, so it’d be great to get more of those. Oh, I would especially love a postcard or souvenir from your part of Japan - something specific to your hometown or where you’re living now or one of your favourite places would be really cool to get. I think a mix CD of your favourite Japanese pop songs or the like if you have them would be fantastic, too.

How do you feel about nail wraps?
I have small nails that are generally short, so nail wraps are pretty much wasted on me. Small nail decals work much better.

if you were to receive something hand knit, what type of item would you like? hat, cowl, handwarmers, etc. and what color(s)?
would you use knitted washcloths? a scarf? Are you allergic or sensitive to any fibers?
Handwarmers would probably get the most use. Best colors would be black, magenta, lime green, or purple, but I’m open to most anything. I would also definitely use knitted washcloths! I’m not allergic to any fibers, unless you’re knitting in tufts of cat or rabbit fur. I’m not particularly sensitive to any fibers, but I really like bamboo and fibers of that softness and smoothness. Smoother and softer is just generally nicer than chunky and scratchy.

If you could be ANY character from a film, TV show or book, who would it be and why?
I’m absolutely terrible at answering these kinds of questions, so I’m just going to be totally flip and shallow and say some ancillary character hanging around the police station in the TV show Broken Badges. Just because I just got the series on DVD and I’m really enjoying watching a young Miguel Ferrer in the role of the main cop character, especially when he’s strutting around in a black leather jacket. Thinking about old TV shows also got me thinking that it would also be neat to be a random vampire in the show Forever Knight, just hanging around The Raven and watching/listening to LaCroix for hours.

If you could hop into a time machine and travel anywhere/anytime, where would it be and why?
I’d like to go back and spend some time around Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe, then I’d like to spend some time traveling to various concerts throughout the last couple of decades and see Gene Pitney, Leonard Cohen, Heaven 17, Images In Vogue, Lords of the New Church, and as many Marc Almond shows as I could. I could probably spend a few years in the1980s just going from concert to concert! It would also be fun to go back to the early 1930s to see movies on the big screen and read the fan magazines and all that to experience the actors I like during their lifetimes instead of decades later.

If you could invite 3 famous people to a BPAL meet and sniff, who would you invite?
This is another one of those questions that I'm terrible at answering. Honestly, any 3 famous people that I would want to meet, I would probably be too awed and overwhelmed by to actually enjoy a meet and sniff. I get very nervous meeting new people, and it’s even worse when it’s people I admire for any reason. If we can consider famous people no longer living as fair game for this question, I do think it would probably be very interesting to get Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft all together in one room. I think it would also be fun to get their impressions of some of the BPAL blends inspired by them and their works.

Do you like and/or want anything from Elements and Artifacts? You can be vague like "yes" or "no" or name specific past pieces you coveted or current ones you love, whatever works best.
The Halloween Batty necklace! I really like the Spirit of Imbolc ring also. The Apparition and Spectre necklaces are cute too.

Would you like something hand sewn by your Witch? A dress, shirt, skirt, infinity scarf, something else?
Sure! Something hand sewn by my Witch would be really cool! A small stuffed animal or something like that would be great, or maybe a standard pillow case or small pillow made from a fabric with a neat print?

Anyone want any kind of costuming accessories or makeup or odds and ends?
Nothing comes to mind right now.

9/12/17

Here's a great local soapmaker I love--y'all see anything you would like? https://littleseedfarm.com/
The Bearwalker Beer Bar looks good - cinnamon/vanilla/nutmeg sounds fantastic! The Cocoa Spice, Vanilla Bean, and Grapefruit Lemon also all sound really good. I love trying new soaps by local soapmakers!

What are your favorite/preferred Halloween/autumn icons/images?
Definitely bats! I love rats and owls and other Halloween-ish critters too, but I prefer my spiders to be cute rather than overly realistic. I like jack o'lanterns and skeletons and witches and ghosts and haunted houses and everything.
Any to specifically stay away from?
I can't really think of anything that you'd need to stay away from.

Do you eat candy, and if so would Halloween candy be welcome? Specialty candy from local or unusual sources? Chocolate?
I definitely do eat candy! My favourite Halloween candy is Reese's peanut butter pumpkins, and I like the York peppermint batties too. Really, though, most candy, Halloween or otherwise, would be lovingly welcomed.

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?
Zero interest in Fidget spinners, and I can’t think of any desk toys that have caught my eye. I’m not automatically opposed to frivolous things, though.

Any zentangle lovers, people who would like to try it, or would you want a piece of someone else's zentangle art?
It's not really my sort of thing.

Any love of hair toys, clips, ribbons, fascinators, mini hats, etc?
Not really. I have fine, limp hair that’s really not suited to those types of things. Anything I try to clip or tie in tends to slide out pretty quickly.

What local goodies may be of interest? Local Honey, jams, candy?
Local candy would be fun. I'm pretty well stocked up on jams, especially as I don't use them all that often, but maybe a tiny sampler size jar? I don't eat honey, although if the honey seller has beeswax candles, I'd be interested in that. A postcard from your locale would be awesome, if you don't mind revealing it early! (I promise I won't try to figure out who you are from your location, if you want to keep your identity a mystery for a while!)

Are you interested in any subscription services like serial magazines, Birch box, ipsy?
Hmmm, I'm pretty much already subscribed to all the magazines I'm interested in, and most of the subscription boxes I'm interested in are pretty spendy (plus I'm already subscribed to the two I wanted most, the Neko Box and the Kizuna Lifestyle box). Maybe if there's an inexpensive box for cruelty-free makeup and other products?

Would you like funky Halloweenie costume makeup like Gothic eyelashes, nail effects, black lipstick, etc.? I've never gotten the hang of fake eyelashes, and I have a few sheer black lipsticks already. I wouldn't mind getting an opaque black lipstick, but I don't think it would get a lot of use. Nail-wise, Halloween nail decals would be great, but they'd have to be kind of small, as my nails are usually pretty short (so all those cool nail wraps are wasted on me).

How do you like to listen to music? CD, 8 track tape, mix tape, Pandora or Spotify, I-tunes?
CD, vinyl, iTunes, or cassette. I might even be able to dig up an 8 track player if I needed to! I remember those days.....

Do you prefer reading on Kindle or actual book? What kind of books do you like? Would you like to be surprised with a scary, classic, horror book?
I can do Kindle in a pinch (using the Kindle for computers), but I vastly prefer actual books. I wouldn't mind being surprised with a classic horror book, or a horror anthology!

Candles, Incense, or wax tarts? Do you have favorite brands or Weenies scents for the home? Would you like to receive a wax tarts burner, incense burner, essential oils diffuser, or Halloweenie themed candle holders?
Candles or incense would be best. Dark Candles is about the only brand I can think of for candles, but I also like beeswax candles in general, and I'm definitely open to other brands too. Spicy scents are best, and vanilla is good too. I have a wax tart burner that I never use and some nice essential oil diffusers, but a Halloween themed or pretty incense burner would be nice, and I'm a sucker for Halloween themed candle holders.

Witchee: are you interested in crafting materials?
Sure! Stamps, dies, ink pads, cardstock and other papers, stickers, cross-stitch patterns, floss, glass etching stencils, and various other related supplies would all be welcomed with open arms.

9/13/17

Are you a gamer? If so, what games are you currently playing and is there any merch for that game you'd love to have?
-If you are a gamer do you have a steam/gamestop/amazon wishlist?
I’m not a gamer.

How do you feel about the following scarf options (assuming you're into scarves)?
• Simple eyelet scarf
• Chevron scarf
• Lacy and fuzzy
• Skinny rib knit (extra long for lots of wrapping)
• Leafy!
Both the Leafy and Chevron are neat-looking and different from any other scarf I have.

Like beer? What styles most appeal to you?
I like mostly porters and stouts, and I like the chocolate-y ones better than the more coffee-y ones. This time of year I also really like trying various pumpkin beers.

Like booze? What kinds?
I’ll try just about anything, but I’m partial to flavored vodkas and schnapps (ginger, peppermint, cinnamon, etc.).

Like Wine? What kinds?
I do like wine, and again, I’ll try just about anything. I do tend to buy mostly moscatos and whites, but my favourite wine is a fairly cheap Catawba from a local winery.

Would you be interested in a set of hand-made hair falls? It's something I do for fun and I can make any length and do an array of colors!
No thank you, they’re not really my style.

For those who watch certain movies every year for Halloween, what are those movies, whether horror or not? Any favorite horror movies that aren't necessarily on the annual-viewing list? How do you feel about fan-made merch for these movies?
I generally tend to dig out my box sets of Vincent Price and Bela Lugosi movies around Hallowen, and especially the Poe adaptations with Price. I try to always watch the Corman/Price version of The Raven at least; it’s a silly movie, but I love it. Earlier this year I bought a box set of the classic Universal horror movies (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, etc.), and also the House of the Long Shadows (with Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and John Carradine), and haven’t taken the time to sit down and watch any of them, so I’m going to add them to the list for seasonal viewing this year. I guess I would be fine with fan-made merch, but I’m really not into fan-made drawings or paintings. If they made something with the poster art or stills from the movies, that would be good - I’ve seen some cool jewelry like that on Etsy, for instance.

9/14/17

Do any of you potential Witchees have any kitties, puppers, or youngling humans you want spoiled in your packages? What treats or toys do they like?
I do not.

Is there any interest in any of the fragrance oils from the Nocturne Alchemy Weenies update?
I doubt they would work on me, but nonetheless, I’m still interested in at least trying Bela and Vincent, and to a slightly lesser extent, Christopher and Peter. I’d also be interested in trying any of the following: Black Cat, Boogieman, Vanilla Vampire Bat, Vampire Chocolate Bat, Hallowcats, Hex, Mummy Tomb Incense, or Pumpkin #29.

Is there anything you want from the trading post (or trading post etsy) that is available to order right now? (Fatherhood, Puppers, normal GC things)
Spinning on Graves and Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe (as I am a Wednesday's child myself, I might not have been able to resist this one even if it hadn't sounded like a scent I could really like, so I'm quite excited that it does!). I'm planning to grab a bottle of each along with some CD stuff I've been wanting; I'm just waiting to see what wins the Lunacy poll before I place my order. From the Trading Post Etsy, there's nothing I want a full bottle of, but I wouldn't mind trying decants of the Pumpkin Orange and Dragonfly & Dragon hair glosses.

9/15/17

Here's a few questions from me: 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?
That's a very pretty banner! I like the traditional style fractionally more, but either type would work.

Do you live near a Trader Joe's? If not, are you interested in trying any of the numerous Pumpkin goodies they come out with this time every year?
I do live near a Trader Joe's, so I'm all set. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin anyway, with the exception of their pumpkin muffin mix, which I buy and stockpile for use throughout the year.

Do you have use for warm handknitted scarf, hat and/or mittens?
Fingerless mittens would come in handy for the cold winter days ahead.

Do you like to cook and/or bake? Could you use any specific ingredients (spices, oils, salts, extracts, etc.) or kitchen utensils/gadgets?
Um, no. I am terrible in the kitchen. Using that pumpkin muffin mix I mentioned earlier is about the extent of my baking, and I do even less cooking.

I'm at Ocean City MD for bike week......would a witches want anything from here? Bike or beach related??
Nothing comes to mind.

What is 1 thing you would love to see in your final box? Can be ANYTHING - your choice.
I’m going to agree with what some other people have said: a reveal if you’re comfortable with that! I leave everything else entirely up to your whims.

Who would love some USPS eclipse stamps?
I would be happy to get one. I don’t really formally collect stamps, but I do tend to accumulate and keep stamps that I think are pretty or interesting.

9/16/17

Favorite gemstones?
Garnet and labadorite are my favourites, but I'm pretty much open to any gemstones. I love gemstones and have a small collection of various loose faceted stones.

If you enjoy jewelry do you like discrete and elegant, flashy and gaudy, small and light, or large and chunky?
Probably discrete and elegant, but I don't mind a little flash either.

Any love of pirates or SCA?
Not particularly.

Is there anything you would like from Disney World?
The Haunted Mansion is probably the only thing I care about at Disney World.

Are you a Potterhead? If so, to which house do you belong?
Nope. Haven't read the books, haven't seen the movies.

How do you feel about chokers?
I think they look beautiful on others, but they're not for me. I don't like things tight around my neck.

9/17/17

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 that flower in particular just say so!
A postcard would be lovely!

are you into divination? What kind(s) do you currently do? Do you want more books and/or tools for that type (e.g. new tarot cards, new runes)? Is there a new type of #divination you've been meaning to try, and if so, are you looking for the tool, a book on the subject, or both?
I am not, mainly because I lack the discipline to sit down and learn. I find tarot and divination interesting, but I’ve not been able to commit to taking the time to study and learn it. I do have a lot of oracle decks and some tarot decks, but that’s because either I liked the art or they were gifts.

Would my Witchee be interested in a Tarot or Astrology reading done personally?
Yes! I don’t really have any burning questions to ask, though, so it would have to be a more general type of overview - maybe that sort of thing is better suited to an astrology reading than a tarot reading? I don’t know, but I’m open to either.

Does my Witchee need any magical supplies?
Nope. I’m not a practitioner.

9/18/17

It seems like there's a question about socks on the questionnaire, but I don't think it got down to this level: Do you wear them? Any particular style (crew length, knee high, anklet, boot, etc.) or fiber (wool, cotton, bamboo anything but wool, etc.) preference?
I love socks! I like crew length best, but I wear anklet and no-show socks when my outfit requires it. I love bamboo socks, but I'll wear just about any fiber - when it comes down to it, if the sock is the right colour or has a neat design, I'll wear any style or fiber. I love Halloween socks, Hello Kitty socks, socks with cute animals (bats, octopi, foxes, raccoons, etc., etc.), socks with cute patterns (I have a pair of socks with a macaroni and cheese pattern that I absolutely love!), those comfy spa socks from Bath & Body Works with the cute animal designs, and more.

Would you be open to previously-loved books?
Absolutely!

What about partial-full bottles of BPAL or BPTP?
Again, absolutely! In fact, partial might even be better, because I like to try lots of different things, but I almost never go through full bottles of anything. The only exceptions to that have been Dorian, Midway, and Mantle of Venus (that last one only because I superstitiously wear a little bit of it every time I go anywhere).

So what are your favorite fandoms?
I’m not hugely into any fandoms any more, but I still like to occasionally pick up stuff related to Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Joel era), Supernatural (with focus on Dean), and various anime/manga (Black Butler has some cool merchandise - either Sebastian or Grell (or Sebastian/Grell), and never ever Sebastian/Ciel! For other anime/manga I follow, see the answer above about things from Japan). I’m not sure if they count as “fandoms”, but I like the old classic horror movies and actors, and I’m interested in the pre-code movie era and actors from that era and shortly after.

9/19/17

Are you interested in anything from Think Geek?
I have always liked the idea of having zombie flamingoes on my front lawn, but they’re still kind of expensive even on sale. The Cat Fairy Lights are cute!

Do you have something you wish you put on your original questionnaire/forgot to put/would like to add on to?
Nothing much, except that I realize that I forgot to include Red Dwarf in my list of favourite TV shows. I did a whole series re-watch this spring, and I’m really looking forward to Season XII coming out later this year.

Any additional misc. information about yourself you want your Witch to know? (I think this was on the survey, but again if there's something that you forgot...)
Well, I suppose one thing is that I really don’t change. If you read my posts from previous SW and other swap rounds as part of your stalking, I’m sure you’ll notice that I kind of say the same things over and over again. If I liked something years ago, I most likely still like it today. My levels of enthusiasm may vary over time, but once I’m interested in something, I’m generally interested for life. I’ll get interested in new things as I discover them, but I never discard the old ones, and I’ll go back to them from time to time. This week I’m obsessively watching a tv show from the early 1990s that I liked back then, and earlier this month I was focused on a different show from the mid-80s. I don’t know if this is at all helpful for you to know or not, but it’s something that came to mind while I was working on answering questions.

If you could decorate your house (or one room) in any one theme, what would it be? Your answer can be as simple ("Star Wars" or "Baroque" or "Modern"), or complicated or a combination (e.g. Victorian Gothic) as you feel best fits.
Either Halloween all year ‘round or 1930s starlet boudoir complete with fancy vanity/dressing table and plush velvet lounging couch.

Aprons: Do you wear them, do you want one? Utility, decorative, cooking or crafting?
Not really. I have two already, one I made in high school home ec and one that my mom decorated with a cross-stitch design and gave me as a gift, and I almost never use them. I just never really have occasion or reason to put on an apron.

BTW, would my witchee be interested in something like this? (photo of black and white striped knitted doll)
No, thank you. Random dolls don’t interest me, and I would much prefer animals to people types when it comes to crafted (knitted/crocheted/sewn/etc.) figures.

9/20/17

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?
I don’t.

I'm heading to NYCC in October! Is there anything I can get my Witchee while I'm there?
I don’t really know what they’ll have there, but if you see any cute little trinket or inexpensive merch related to any of the anime or manga I’ve listed before as among my favourites, or from another one that you think I would like based on the ones I listed, I’d be happy to get something like that. It looks like both Funimation and Viz Media (home of the Shojo Beat imprint) will be there, so I’m thinking they may have some cool stuff related to their various properties. I just checked the guest list out of curiousity, and oh, I’m a little jealous - Jackie Earle Haley, who I loved as Guerrero in Human Target, is going to be there, not to mention Bruce Campbell and Jeffrey Donovan!
NYCC scents: Apple scents don’t appeal to me, so there’s nothing I’d be looking to get.

I'm going to Edmonton Expo this weekend (It's Edmonton's version of comic con). Would a witchee like anything from there?
Again, really no idea what they might have there, but if you see something that you think I would like, I’ll leave it up to you!

Anything catch your eye from this site (globalgirlfriend.com)?
Not really.

Do you have any favorite, lesser-known stores? Especially ones that sell hand-crafted or independently made items.
Do etailers like Sick on Sin and my new found potential love Tee Turtle count? Those are what spring to mind for me with this question. I'll think about it some more and update if I come up with anything else.

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!
The things that tend to catch my eye and make me wish that money were no object tend to be the woodwork, quilts, and jewelry. I’d probably go for a polished wooden box inlaid with a nice design in varying colors of wood, especially if the body of the box were cherry wood or perhaps a dark wood like ebony. Alternately, I’ve seen some mirrors in wood frames with beautiful inlaid designs at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in the past that may very well have ended up being mine were it not for the price. I’d also love a quilt with a fun design - bats or general Halloween or frogs or something cute like that.

9/21/17

See's Candy. They have special Halloween candy..any of these pique your interest?
The orange & chocolate wafers, orange krispys, and caramel apple scotchmallows all look good, and I wouldn’t mind trying one caramel apple lollypop!

So, question: Are any witchees into coloring books?
I do like coloring books, but at this point in time, I already have more than enough (some people might even say too many!).

If I were to find an adorable autumnal/Halloween-y dish/flatware/etc. design, how many settings would be needed in your household?
Just one would be fine. I don’t have a matching set of everyday dishes; I have one each of a bunch of different patterns, and only two plates that actually match. I wouldn’t mind a second setting to use in case a friend came over, but really, one is quite enough.

9/22/17

Would my witchee like this to warm up the fall coffee cup?? https://www.truelemo...gory-s/1871.htm
No thank you. We have lots of cider mills in the area, so there’s never any need to use powdered mix instead.

do you like to take baths? if so, do you like oils, salts, things that fizz, all of the above, none of the above?
I do like to take baths, but I hate cleaning the bathtub. I like things that fizz as long as they don’t discolor the bathtub and don’t leave a ton of oil behind, and I tend to use the BPTP bath oils only as an after bath moisturizer.

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 have an old-style non-smart flip phone and don’t own a tablet, and I don’t really want to stick anything permanently to my laptop, so I guess the answer to the last question is no thanks.

9/23/17

Are you interested in anything from Bath & Bodyworks? Which products and scents do you like? www.bathandbodyworks.com/
I like the Marshmallow Fireside candles, but I still have 3 of the 3-wick candles, so no need to get any more. I don’t know if they make smaller candles in that scent, but I would be interested in getting some votive size or single-wick size if they make them. Also, I can always use more of the PocketBacs. I use them multiple times a day, every day. I like warm vanilla sugar and similar scents, most of the fruit scents, and mint scents. I stay away from the “clean” and beachy and aquatic scents.

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?
I like garnets and labadorites best, also green amethyst or peridot, but really anything sparkly and pretty works for me! I have all kinds of stones and crystals that I’ve picked up just because they look pretty. I also really like those little round crystals, like little crystal balls, of any colour.

Pumpkin or Zucchini bread?
Pumpkin bread sounds good.

What kind of homemade cookies are your favorite?
Oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips, peanut butter, or snickerdoodles.

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.)
No, thank you.

Interested in trying some of our rose petal (rose petals, sugar, everclear) or lavender vanilla bean (lavender, vanilla bean, vodka) liqueur?
Definitely, especially the rose petal!

Want some honey from the bees on our property?
How cool that you have bees! I love bees, but I don’t use honey, so I’m going to say no thanks on this one.

Would you like homemade jam? I have blackberry, rose petal, strawberry rhubarb, peach, and cherry.
Sure! Rose petal sounds cool, and blackberry and cherry sound yummy, so any one of those would be great. If you make different sizes, small jars are better than big jars, because I don’t use jam all the time.

How about some homemade candied jalapenos with garlic cloves? I have regular and with habanero.
No, thank you.

I didn't dry any apples this year but I was thinking of heading over to Green Bluff and seeing if any honeycrisps are left. I have a commercial dehydrator so let me know if you are interested in any "Apple Crips" (as voodoocatwoman calls them!) I wash, peel, core, and slice before dehydrating.
No, thank you. Apple season is going strong around here, and I tend to prefer fresh to dehydrated.

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?
Pillowcases would be fun! Maybe something Halloween seasonal, or Hello Kitty, or with cute animals?

9/25/17

Anyone like/want calendars or dayplanners?
I’m boring and always buy the same calendars every year: a frog wall calendar for my kitchen and a German word-a-day desk calendar for my bedroom. So I’m good on calendars, but I know there are some cool anime calendars out there in the world, so if you happen to run across a calendar (any size) featuring one of the anime I’ve listed as among my favourites, I would definitely find a place for it!

If you like stationery, do you like plain, colors, images, or specific DON'T LIKES?
I like stationery with cute animals or Halloween sorts of images - bats, ghosts, ravens, spooky trees, that sort of thing.

What about general desk stuff like cool colored paperclips and post it pads?
I have nearly a lifetime’s supply of colored paperclips and staples and other desk stuff, so unless you find a post it pad that seems perfect for me, I should already be all set.

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)? https://society6.com/abigaillarson
I like the artwork, but I don’t feel the need to own any of it. If she had a selection of postcards or something small like that, I’d be interested, but I didn’t see anything like that on the site.

Does anything catch your eye from Ten Thousand Villages? http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/
There’s a Ten Thousand Villages store in my area, so I don’t need anything from them.

Would you be into receiving hand made (crocheted, sewn, felted, chain maille, scale, or duct tape, in my case, depending on the item) dishclothes? Scarf/shawl? Hat? Bag? Anything? Colors? (Duct tape, chain maille, and scales come in colors.)
I love chain maille! I’d definitely be into receiving something chain maille! A small crocheted, sewn, or felted stuffed toy that you made would also be great!

Do you collect anything from SBUX like City Mugs, City Mug ornaments, City Cards, or Bearistas? If so, which do you need/want? Or would you like a City Mug or an ornament for fun?
No thanks. I don’t have any interest in SBUX and I’m already overwhelmed with mugs. I’m about 2 or 3 mugs over the storage capacity of my cupboards already.

anybody want homemade fudge? I can do chocolate with or without nuts, peanut butter, and butterscotch.
The biggest, most enthusiastic YES! possible to homemade fudge! Just plain old chocolate fudge is absolutely perfect. Chocolate fudge is one of the best treats ever.

do you like spicy foods? I am currently addicted to these suckers and want to send you some buffalo ridged kettle potato goodness (https://www.billygoa...shop/1lb-kicker)
Sorry, I don’t really like spicy foods.

9/26/17

Witchees, do you want anything specifically from this page? Mitts, hat, shawls, unicorn... http://iceweasel.net/switchwitch/
I don’t really need anything, but those owl mitts are very cool!

What are your top three most wanted DC'd or previous LE BPALs?
There’s nothing I’m really dying for. I’d like a back-up bottle of Sri Lankan Lime single note, I’ll always take more Midway, and I’d love if I could get another bottle of Shub-Niggurath that matches the straightforward spicy ginger-ness of the first bottle of it that I bought when it first came out (the second one I ordered later was nice enough, but it just wasn’t the same), but it’s not like I’m desperately in search of any of those.

What are some things you do NOT want to receive?
Taxidermy or pieces of dead things (the one exception would be bones in owl pellets, which are fun to dissect).

Is there anything from here that you might be interested in getting a print (or pillow/make-up case/etc) of?
http://www.blackabbeystudios.com/store
The Swan is pretty, but I don’t need a print or anything else featuring it.

Claire's has some super cute Halloween stuff. In the style of Haunted Mansion - black lace collars, lace and sparkle masques and the like. A few items in Dias de los Muertos style. Would you be interested in such things?
Probably not the masques or DDLM style stuff, but I’m open to other things.

Would you be interested in anything from Orange Thyme? https://shoporangethyme.com/If so, which products/scents/flavors?
I love clove soap, so I’d be very interested in the Oatmeal Clove soap! The Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon also sound nice. I really don’t need any more lip balm, but the Cherry Gingerale is intriguing nonetheless.

9/27/17

How do you feel about these little guys? I think they're adorable and kind of want them all, but especially the ghost and pirate ones. https://lovemomiji.c...imited-editions
I’m not really a doll person; when it comes to little collectibles, I gravitate more to animals. I ended up collecting the entire line of last year’s Hello Kitty Series 1 Costume Collection blind bag figures, and now I’m most tempted by the Pusheen Halloween blind boxes (Surprise Plush! Series 4: Trick or Treats!

9/30/17

Would you like anything from the Haus of Gloi Fall Part II update? https://www.hausofgl...ween-scent-list
Nothing on the list is really calling out to me.

10/01/17

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?
I’m always up for new bar soaps! I like candles, too.

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
Oooohhh, the eye dusts are so pretty! I don’t think I’d ever use anywhere near an entire container, though. It’s too bad they don’t seem to have sample sizes, because I’d be interested in trying the Moon Stone, Gold Lime, or Jade loose glam dusts. (Well, ok, I’d be interested in trying just about any of them, but those would be my top three.)

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