Xmas in the Garden of Good And Evil

Spiral Tarot

Yes, I have made it through to the other side of the first half of the festive season - and in one piece. More importantly, so have my nearest and dearest. Mini Diva and Destructo Boy have been totally, thoroughly and overwhelmingly spoiled rotten by their Uncles and Aunties - to whom I offer my heartfelt gratitude; I was very touched by their generosity.

And my Twins have sent me lovely creative things wot they have made speshully for me - Alison sent me a Lenormand Eclectique, which not only makes me right on trend in the tarot world, but it is a collaborative deck in which she was responsible for the design of card 12, Birds:

I had to laugh when I looked up the meaning online and found it means '' verbal communication, phone calls, negotiations, twins, siblings, hectic times, an older couple. The Lenormand Birds are about conversation and chatter. Think of how birds are always chattering and you’ll get a good idea of what this card means. It’s about a lot of conversations, speeches, meetings, interviews, gatherings, high energy, and hecticness while flitting to and from thing to thing, place to place.'' (with thanks to this site) as this is so totally appropriate for both Alison the Good Twin and Ania my Eviller Twin. Really, you needed to ask if I was the quiet one ?

And the lovely gift from Ania my Eviller Twin contains a vein of evil in it that made me snigger: look carefully at the detail of the fabric of this beautiful crochet hook roll that she made for me:

Do you see the cat amongst the pigeons ? This is in the way of another layer on a very longstanding joke on my screen-name ...

And as you can see she has left me lots of space to add to my collection of hooks: oh what a tragedy. 

I would just like to point out, as it is rarer than rocking horse poo for me to have the moral high ground, and for the purpose of being so amazingly pious and holier-than-them, that I am the only Twin who made is through Xmas without a hangover ...

Blog Hub Swap 2012: Day 7

I am sad that it's almost the end of the swap: having a carefully thought out surprise to open every day has been very uplifting and cheering; I am extra lucky, though, as Denise has already told me to check my Ravelry inbox on Day 8, tomorrow, when there only had to be 7 gifts ...

But I have got in advance of myself there; today, having trekked up the hill to Mini Diva's school twice already since she forgot her swimming kit, and she and I are both WAY too OCD to even begin to contemplate 'borrowing' the school's own ooky spare stuff that has been worn by who knows who with whatever bugs and might not see a washing machine except for termly and is just left draping around in damp corners ... SHUDDER ... that's just  ... nasty .. However, as I was saying, it was lovely to get back and have a package to open.

So anyway - you didn't expect a horror movie synopsis this early, did you ? so that must have been an enjoyable detour - back to the good stuff, Day 7:

Hmm. Let's check the card for any clues:

 I am none the wiser. Nothing for it but to shred the tissue paper:

Oooh ! Some beautiful handmade floral cards, with envelopes. As it goes, I shall have the perfect use for these - do you remember me telling you about this year's knitting goals ? One of the shawls has already been made and sent to my Great-Aunt Vera. My Auntie Hazel's is off the needles, washed, blocked and awaiting photographing and then mailing: and now I have just the right medium on which to write the accompanying note, as well as for the other two shawls for special ladies which remain to be knitted this year ...

Thank you, Denise.

Woot ! Blog Hub Swap Day 1

This beautiful card from the Gaian Tarot is perfectly expressive of how I feel today; though if I were to dance outside in the sunshine, I would have a lot more layers on, it being seriously winter temperatures today.

And the reason ? Do you remember this ?

Well, having spent 5 days in UK customs (who knows why) today my package from my swap partner Denise at Voie de Vie finally got here !

I was so excited ! In spite of being the swap organizer, I had actually managed to forget that Denise was assigned to me, and I believe it is a sign of my impending grown-up-ness that I was able to not look at my lists to remind myself: it was actually Denise who gave the game away when she emailed me to tell me she had checked the tracking, and my parcel was en route ...she had been concerned about the delay.

Look at all these photos I took for you - I hope you realize the enormity of the sacrifice I made for you, Dear Reader, as taking photos further delayed me opening my parcel and first package !

  


An interested dog, and a cat's butt. Oh ! And a huge box.

The card said 'Open me first'. So I did. Elegantly written in what I call American traditional script, it told me my themes were travel and creativity. I have done lots of travelling in my life - the longest I have ever been in one place is the 4 years I have lived here. But I don't know how Denise could have known any of that.

Yes, there are only 3 packages - but the card says to check my Ravelry inbox on Days 4 and 8. Even so ... Denise enjoys messing with my head, obviously. Because when I opened the large package numbered 1, I found the rest of the swap packages in it: 

There was a slight fresh whiff of wintergreen - Denise had used it to get rid of the smell of varnish, she said. One of the mandatory elements of this swap was that one item had  to be handmade - and this is Denise's. She says it's the prototype for an idea she's had for a while - and this must also be the creativity theme she refers to:  I don't even know how you come up with this, let alone work out the hows and whys necessary. I know my frustration threshold is WAY too low for something like this - and I really admire people who can create things just from an idea.

                                         Ignore the obligatory cat butt. Same cat, by the way.

Lovely shades of red, purple, magenta and pink with the springtime Tulip as a central motif.  I love these kinds of colors - and in fact one of my FO's for tomorrow is in a very similar colorway. It's definitely stiff enough to be a proper hatbox (if only I had a hat!) - and who doesn't love pretty and unique storage that can be displayed ?    

Denise's attention to detail verges on the obsessive is totally amazing - look at this:

The inside of the lid and base are maps ! So very cleverly part of the travel theme. I am totally impressed - thanks, Denise !

A Clean Christmas

So it's the 5th of December, 20 days til the Big Day itself. Nanny having come up to go to Mini Diva's special school assembly, has returned southwards bearing Xmas gifts for the youngest nephew and niece, plus the niece's birthday present for January, and her own Xmas gifts from us. I excel myself in terms of organization as far as DH's side of the family is concerned this year.

A stash has been collecting for Mini Diva, but the stockpile for Destructo Boy is sadly lacking. Mainly because I have been trying to find things that he will like and play with, that do not have wheels, or any vehicular connection, as his room is overflowing with petrolhead toys already. So that means there is one Mickey Mouse T-shirt in his stash. And nothing else, so far. Panic not, I am known far and wide for my ability to magic things on the hoof, and thus will have discovered plenty of Fun Wheel-less Things for Boys before Xmas morning.

In a - hopefully - not too tenuous link, just in case you too are searching for a gift for the difficult-to-buy-for, might I just point you towards my Folksy shop ? Where you will find the most deliciously scented, luxuriously lathering, interesting looking, skin-friendly cold process soaps .... including this year's seasonal duo, Melchior and Balthazar:

Balthazar is enriched with a dollop of shea butter and fresh honey, and is scented with Frankincense, sprinkled with frankincense resin, and the top is dusted generously with gold mica.

Melchior is scented with Myrrh, a slightly sharper and lighter scent, and contains a generous helping of cocoa butter; sprinkled with myrrh resin and also dusted with gold mica on top.

Both soaps are wrapped in gold-flecked mulberry paper, with a full ingredient listing, and are available as a pair in a gift basket, together with a new 100% cotton flannel, a sprig of silk poinsettia, wrapped in crisp cellophane and tied with a seasonal ribbon:

Dear Americans, you can order up until the 10th December and still have them in time for Christmas. Fellow Brits, you have until the 20th December.

Tootin' My Own Horn

Well, like this fine fellow on the Ace of Wands from the Prairie Tarot, today I am crowing to draw attention to my latest handmade cold process soaps which are for sale.

Even if I say so myself (fortunately plenty of other people say so too - some even blog about them !) they are really kind of great: lots of smooth, creamy lather, kind to your skin, lovely scents, and sometimes they even look interesting.

They make a great gift - I even offer a giftwrap basket service; I can also post direct to your intended recipient. Got no-one to buy for ? Then treat yourself - everyone has to wash, so you might as well splurge a little and wash yourself with my fabulous soap.

All my soaps are suitable for vegetarians, and some are also suitable for vegans - if you have any questions, please ask.

International people, if you'd like some great soap, drop me an email and I can figure out the postage for you ....

In no particular order, there is:

Soothing Serenade: with a generous dollop of shea butter in the mix, this is a relaxing blend of lavender and camomile, a layered purple and white soap. I keep making this one because people keep asking for it.

Summer Lullaby: colored by the pink Argiletz clay used in its making, it contains shea butter and honey for extra bubbles. This soap is scented with Rose and Camomile, two flowers than made me think of a warm, sunny lazy summer afternoon - hence its name.

 Reveille: for me, definitely a morning soap - swirled white and green, its zingy, bright Lemon and Mint scent is a eye-opener, almost guaranteed to wake you up when you wash with it in your morning shower - a much nicer way to greet the day than the Reveille it's named after.

Rajah's Romance: subtly romantic, this soap swirled with pink Argiletz clay and containing a generous slurp of cocoa butter is scented with the sub-continental scents of Rose and Sandalwood, evoking the hills of the old Kingdom of Mysore.

And, finally (for the moment), is:

Babushka: colored a deep, almost tranluscent purple by the magic of alkanet-infused olive oil, and containing conditioning sweet almond oil, this soap is scented with the traditional and very feminine spring floral scents of Lilac and Sweet Violet.

Go ahead - order some. Make my day - and yours ....

FO Friday 57: Friday Night is Bath Night

I found this marvellous image of the 6 of Wands online from the Phantomwise Tarot by Erin J. McCauley to illustrate today's post: it's Friday, and the start of half-term, and we have made it !

Mini Diva's parents' evening was yesterday, and I am afraid I am getting just a tad complacent with all the good reports she gets term after term. Long may it continue !

But anyway, tangible stuff that has been completed ... I promised you today that I would post some soapies ... Firstly, the special limited edition called 'The Tarot Suits', a set of 4 soaps which have been themed to each suit of the Tarot through scent:

 

These have been very successful - many sold on pre-order, so that I only have two sets left. 

In addition, I have 5 more new soaps listed:

 Aztec Queen, perennially popular - with Cocoa and scented with creamy Vanilla, it contains generous amounts of cocoa butter.

 Old Faithful - enriched with Rhassoul clay, sprinkled with Allspice, loaded with shea butter and scented with that old-fashioned gentleman's fragrance, Bay Rum: slightly piquant, sweet and spicy.

Continuing the West Indian theme, Caribbean Sunshine - enriched with lashings of shea butter, made with coconut milk, and scented with Coconut and Pineapple, this will evoke warm sunny beaches ....

Suggesting peace and relaxation, California Dreamin' contains plenty of hemp seed oil, along with shea butter, and is fragranced with a great combination of Cedarwood and Patchouli.

Helen of  Sparta (she was also known as Helen of Troy, whose beauty not only launched a thousand ships but resulted in 10 years of war and the destruction of Troy itself) is an unscented, uncolored soap made with oatmeal for gentle exfoliation, goatsmilk and honey.

Phew ! I don't have international shipping listed, but if you live outside the UK email me with what you'd like, and I will cost the postage on an individual basis for you ....

Now I'm off to Tami's Amis to check out what everyone else has completed for today !

Bronze or Pottery

Today it is my 8th wedding anniversary, so I'm feeling quite celebratory that we've reached it: there have been a couple or three very tough times in there; we're both incredibly stubborn, which, although that can be detrimental to a relationship, can also mean that one doesn't walk out at the first hint of trouble.

Hypocrisy, you think ? After all, my first marriage failed: but you can't keep someone where they don't want to be, especially when they turned into a person totally different from the one you married, and refuse all help for their mental and substance abuse problems.

Anyway, never mind all that old poop, I'm happy to be talking about my current DH. He isn't, of course - he says I shouldn't write about him and give my biassed opinions about him since I'm not him, and it isn't fair as he can't put his point of view. He rarely reads this blog - he's an IT Luddite, he doesn't even have an email address - so I'm pretty much safe.

At the same time, I don't really do maudlin sentimentality - certainly not when I'm sober - so I'll just say that he's brilliant at cooking and fixing, a great Dad (most of the time) and even better at Other Stuff (I'm English enough to leave it enticingly at that); he can be very supportive and he usually knows when not to say anything rather than saying the wrong thing. He says he's romantic, but does nothing to prove it. In my opinion.

He kicks my butt when I need it, gives me unpleasant reality checks when I need it - and these are the things that make me occasionally contemplate divorce, or murder. Most likely murder, though, as it's cheaper. Then he smiles at me and I forgive him - again. Destructo Boy is also demonstrating that he has inherited this ability to charm his way out of trouble ....

Since the 8th anniversary is bronze or pottery, I found this lovely heart-shaped bowl:



Beautifully handmade by Susan, I got it through her Folksy shop, Caractacus Pots.

Here's a photo to show the color and glaze:



And here is what I have done with it - filled it with Hershey's Caramel Kisses mixed with Reese's Peanutbutter Cups:



It's also oven-proof, so it can be used practically and not just ornamentally after all the candy is gone ....how's that for a definition of marriage. Plus, it's additional ammo to throw at him - and I do mean literally - during our next argument.