Melting Basket 50: Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I can't believe it is already here. Anywho, let's get this going. Wax tarts I would buy again form the last basket include: Mainstays Mulled Cider, LPL Spiced Pumpkin, CFTKR Spiced Apples & Peaches.

Super Tarts- Hocus Pocus <3 gift

The Bathing Garden- Poisoned Apothecary 

The Bathing Garden- Belladonna Tincture

The Bathing Garden- Vampire Blood

The Bathing Garden- Mummy Mademoiselle <3 gift

Prairie Antiques- Country Bumpkin Look. I just couldn't bring myself to cut the cat. Imma try again. 

Prairie Antiques- Witch's Brew

CFTKR- Full Moon

LSC- Blood Moon

LSC- Spooky Apparitions

LSC- Cobweb Cookies

LSC- Black Pumpkin

LSC- Spooky Brew

Spooky basket. Yeah, I will be melting these long past Halloween but I do not care. If you would like me to review any of these just holler. The Bathing Gardens and Prairie Antiques ones are still able to be purchased, I doubt the rest are. 

Now that night time will emerge earlier in the day I am getting a hankering to take the girls to the local Silver Moon Drive-In. And go camping for the first time as a family. And light more fires in the pit. My imagination also wants me to learn how to knit, how to silversmith, and how to make perfume and soap.

Do you have creative urges? As night creeps earlier are you craving to do anything special? Anyone want to come teach me the ways of knitting, silversmithing, soaping and perfumery? I can pay in wax. Or cookies. 

Happy Halloween! Stay safe and have fun whatever the moon pulls you to do!

Ebb & Flow: October

The highs and lows of the month.

Skincare:

Sheet Masks, namely My Beauty Diary versions. Best discovery ever, Amazon sells them.

Makeup: 

My sample blisters of Serge Lutens lipsticks are all hitting bottom. Wore Votre Sienne- a rusty terra cotta shade a bunch. The $75 price tag though. 

Hair:

FuturePrimitive 3-in-1 Whipped Soap in Clotted Peach Cream

Perfume:

Serge Lutens Chergui

Soap:

FuturePrimitive Sylph

Wax;

The Bathing Garden Ever Night is hitting the spot. Nice throw. Twilight dupe.

Eating:

Ranch flavored Veggie Straws. Totally aware they are not really veggies. 

Reading:

Madame Bovary, and boy did it take me on an emotional journey. I was expecting to hate her. And maybe I do, but so many more emotions arose.

Awaiting:

A Tarpon Springs road trip with my Mom and sisters for her birthday. Sponge docks, Greek food, girl time.

Dreading:

Going to the dentist. I hate my silver fillings.

Enjoying:

Addressing my Christmas cards.

Hit:

All the free cards I have been getting from Shutterfly. They have been pumping them out this year.

Miss:

The Pottery Barn Kids drinking thermos. Returned one after it broke, then the second one broke. Not funny when it is $20. 

Low:

Missing my stepdad. I will never understand how someone can just walk away form their whole family, children, grandchildren and all. He brought so much to my life, but I suppose that season is over. 

High:

That one chilly morning in north Florida: fuzzy socks, flannel pj's, coffee warming my hands and ribbons of campfire smoke curling up to me on the porch. 

What were some of your highs? Lows? Love anything this month? Duds? Do tell!

Craftsposure Planner for 2016

This planner was an Instagram find. I follow Craftsposure and saw this planner/journal/diary announced for sale, my wandering fingers found their website and my eyes roved over all this planner had to offer. My head and heart were in congruence and shouted "YES! THIS is the one to get!"

I purchased the planner for $49, with free shipping (worldwide). When my invoice came it said the origins were Australia. When the book came, the return label said Singapore. I can't really pin anything down on their website but regardless, it came from a brilliant creative mind.

It arrived with a little brochure the offered tips and advice on how to use this planner, plus a handwritten thank you note. Always an appreciated touch. Care to join me in flipping through my new planner?

The size is a nice and tidy 6 x 8 1/2 inch hymnal type of book. Two ribbon place keepers attach to the top and it is covered in a duck cloth textured fabric with a gold foil embossing of "two thousand and sixteen." The pages posses a nice substantial weight and motivational passages are sprinkled throughout. 

The entire year is laid out in a unique format for ease of day and date locating. I would use this for highlighting important dates as well.

Ten "Vision" pages allow for one to lay out large goals for the year, steps to take, when started, outcomes and completion. 

This 100 Things 2016 Bucket List page makes me swoon with possibility. OH! The things I want to write in there. Unfortunately, 2016 is the year I promised by husband I would not travel, but I have big plans brewing for 2017 so I could use this page for planning and saving and plotting. Which honestly, for me, is a huge part of the fun- building anticipation. I do know "knitting" will go on there. 

The months start out with a quote and a mini calendar of the current month as well as tiny ones from the month previous and the month following.

There are five goal sections for each month and something I personally use all the time, a monthly budget. I get paid monthly and don't keep a check book balance, this is perfect 

After the monthly calendar, the weekly/daily pages follow in utter simplicity. There is plenty of room to write in activities, thoughts, events, really any way in which you desire to utilize it.

You see this?! It is a Christmas Shopping List. Yes. I do love this page. 

This page may be boring for most people. It is a monthly tracking of marketing and social media, as well as website traffic and subscriber tracking. This planner is built for internet entrepreneurs but would work with any profession, I find it great for bloggers of course. I don't really plan out my social media postings but I think this could be handy for being more proactive and thoughtful with my blog and my intent.

Once December closes out, there lies a 2016 Year in Review page. The prompts and questions probe deeply and evoke strong emotion. 

A few Notes pages, plus blank pages. I envision artwork and sketches growing there.

The finale contains a page for a personal message to myself. My brain ruminates over what inscription shall be planted there. 

I love the tiny size. The simplicity and the thoroughness of this planner. Mostly I love that it will hold much more than appointments for the year and will encapsulate those 365 days of my life for my daughters or grandchildren to read in the far future. 

Have I fallen out of love with my Erin Condren planner? No, not really but I do have a few gripes. It is unwieldy, the covers keep popping off the spiral binding, it felt forced to use the stickers and embellishments for me. I also don't feel like it really gave a glimpse into my life and emotions of the year. I have a feeling this one will with its open-ended daily space. I will still keep my Erin Condren, but I do not think I will buy it again unless some changes are made.

Are you a planner lover and user? Have you already been shopping around for your planner for next year? 

Warmed Wax: SMT and LSC

Sniff My Tarts Apple Crisp/Grandma's Kitchen/ Pumpkin & Pralines cookie was way bigger than I anticipated. I should have cut it in quarters instead of halves. The scent started out all apples and cherry-almond then morphed into a vanilla caramel cookie scent. The throw was a nice medium-strong and very pleasant. But the cherry-almond note was not for me. Not a blend I would make again.

Lasting Scent Candles Dunkin' Punkins smelled just like its namesake. Pumpkin donuts with a touch of cinnamon. I do wish it would have thrown better. It was a medium-light. Not a repurchase at this strength.

Lasting Scent Candles Perfect Autumn Day is a scent that I have stumbled upon before... the autumn walk/fall day scent that is green and full of hay, brittle leaves and cool breezes. It threw with a medium strength. Might be a repurchase, kinda on the fence about it. I like the fresh quality but not sure if I would pick it up or not. It is the scent you throw in your cart last minute and say "eh!" 

My Scoopable Tart Wax order came in... ya know... the one I said I was NOT making. HA! I ended up nabbing Cranberry Lodge (my favorite cranberry and evergreen scent), Cinnamon Broom (perfection), Streuselkuchen Noel (creamy spicy cake), Sugar and Spice Grapefruit (wish it was tad more spicy but a dollop of Cinnamon Broom will fix that), Every Breath You Take (nice Vicks dupe, just wish it was a touch stronger- I like my menthol so strong it puts hair on your chest kinda deal), and my new beloved Citrus Spruce Swizzle Sticks. I also ordered from Olde Primitive Treasures this weekend. Have you ordered any wax lately? What are you expecting to arrive?

L'Artisan Candle: The' et pain d'epices

I finally put a match to my L'Artisan candle that I purchased last year during their Winter Sale. The scent is The' Et Pain D'Epices: Smokey tea, crystallized orange, spices, honey, gingerbread, roaring fire. This is the full size 175g or 6.2 ounce size. I bought it for $35, which was half off. 

I burned this in my bedroom on my nightstand beside my bed. At first the throw was pretty poor, like for 3-4 hours. I waited until it pooled nicely (which it did) then blew it out, pretty bummed. I lit it again the next night and all of a sudden I could smell it. Not sure what was going on there, but I was excited! While reading Madame Bovary (try not to look to deep into that) I caught tendrils of embers, cardamom, pomanders and whiskey rubbed leather slipping into my nose and consciousness. 

Would I pay $70 for this candle? No. Would I pay $35 to buy it again? Probably. It smells delightful and unlike anything I have found in the mall. 

Have you tried anything from the L'Artisan house? Have you been burning any candles lately?

Tauerville: Rose Flash

As soon as I sprayed on Rose Flash from my Olfactif box last month, my heart did little flips and my mind thought "Lush Rose Jam with booze and aged to concentrated perfection." Andy Tauer's new Tauerville line excites me. High quality juices at great price points. I have loved all three that I sampled and now his Vetiver & Petitgrain Splash begs to be tried. 

Rose Flash is in parfum strength, lending it a longer wear time as well as beautiful cloudy sillage. The other are EDP strength. All are $60 for a full 30 ml bottle and 10 ml roll-ons are $30. A more in-depth review can be found here.

If you enjoy sticky boozy roses or Lush Rose Jam, I think you would like this fragrance. 

Lush Life: Yoga Bath Bomb

The Yoga Bath Bomb from Lush has been popping up in the Lush Kitchen and around the globe here and there. I grabbed this one in the Harajuku Lush store this summer. I grabbed it without really sniffing it. When I got home I was not sure about the scent. It was strangely cloying with all its unusual notes. 

But once I immersed it into the bath, it bloomed.

It bloomed with a beautiful fruity floral scent graced with musk and woods. It bloomed with ocher and citrus sunset hues. It bloomed with glitter. 

Lots and lots of glitter.

Yoga was an enjoyable experience despite my initial reservations and glitter clean up. I am not sure I would buy it again though. 

Have you hopped onto the Lush Kitchen revolution? Has Yoga entertained your bath? 

Lush Life: Pumpkin Heebie Jeebie Gift Pack

This Lush gift pack has two bath products: Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb and Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar, for $19. I was shocked at the price, $10 each for a bath product? And asked the sales associate if this was the price breakdown for each item and was assured it was the same amount. Normally I would not pay that much but I have been craving Lord of Misrule since last year. So down the rabbit hole I went.

Sparkly Pumpkin is touted as a fruity lime and juniper berry fragrance. It smells fruity sweet with a hint of lime zest and soft musk. Not really what I expected when I sniffed a pumpkin but pleasant none the less. This one will be a huge glitter bomb of course. 

Lord of Misrule is such an incredible fragrance. It has that same mellow sweet vanilla musk back drop that Twilight posses as well. This particular one boasts just a hint more woods and less cotton candy than Twilight. I will try not to hoard this fella. 

Have you splurged on any of the new Lush fall releases? I wanted the Lord of Misrule shower gel but it was sold out and I was not a fan of the bat shower jelly so I was not dropping $20 on a teeny tiny bottle of it in the bat pack.

FuturePrimitve: Vanishing Bath Powders

Tiggy teased us on her Facebook group with talk of creating a milk bath tea type of indulgence. I waited with anticipation just knowing I needed to replenish my bathing ritual stock with luxurious product. Soon enough she sent out her Autumn Release Part 2 newsletter announcing the sale of her Vanishing Bath Powders. I tried to buy all five scents but the Gingermilk was sold out (it has since returned to stock- and yes, I nabbed one). 

These Vanishing Bath Powder bags by FuturePrimitive cost 8 pounds, or about $12 a bag. Each bakery bag has 5 bath tea drawstrings inside. Descriptions in italics are Tiggy's.

Opium Den- A whisp of smoke from a wooden opium pipe, rare Egyptian incense, dusty African musk, Indian cloth, aged potpourri, dried carnation buds, vanilla pods, frankincense resin and burning nag champa. 

I used this scent first. The exotic and almost... forbidden... appeal had me pulling it from the bag straightaway. The incense is so dense and gloopy black it almost has a whiff of flesh to it. In the tub it unfolded its floral heart. The bath waters bubbled and foamed with a milky hue and the rose petals, oak bark, and frankincense nubs in the bag cast their relaxation spell upon me. 

 (My bag did have the wrong scent description on it- it had Incantation's so I pulled the correct one from her website). 

Stone the Crows- Blackest patchouli, graveyard loam, sandalwood offerings, and a pocketful of posies.

Roots clinging to bits of soil, soft florals and a bed a fragrant patchouli grow along a quiet moonlit pool in a forest. The perfect place for a starry midnight bath. Infused with mint leaf, patchouli leaf, hibiscus petals and comfrey leaf for added benefits.

Bell Book & Candle- A secret witch's studio nestled underneath a Copenahgen pavement. Mystical aromas of subtle patchouli leaf, seductive trails of night blooming jasmine, a swish of blonde sandalwood, and sweet Arabian musk. 

The jasmine. Oh, the serenading, strong voiced jasmine. Woods and musk provide a lovely backdrop for this white floral to feature. A truly brilliant scent. Added botanicals include: rosemary leaf, hibiscus petals, jasmine petals, Rooibos tea and dried orange.

Incantation- A bewitching haze of labdanum absolute, patchouli oil, white sandalwood accord, a twist of green bergamot and droplets of Italian cypress.

Cypress forests with green feathered twigs and bronze knobby roots thrusting up from the moist woodland earth. Dark sticky labdanum runs like sap down the trunks, begamot spicy and biting rains down like pine needles. These bath tea bags contain bits of red sandalwood chips and lavender buds to enhance the bathing experience.

In the photo above, the left is a virgin bath tea bag, full of powders and botanicals. On the right is a used bag with the dregs of herbs and tid bits left behind. I love how the russet and chlorophyll colors started bleeding onto the bag from the goodies inside. 

I found these bags work great when held under running water, to create bubbles. Or you can steep it like a tea and immerse yourself in the goodness.

Tiggy teased again with a photo of Christmas spices and herbs that she will be using to create some holiday Vanishing Bath Powders. I aim to get them all. If you enjoy a beautiful and handcrafted bath ritual made with only the best ingredients, do yourself a favor and try one of these. In fact.... if you would like to try one of each of the scents I bought (except Gingermilk as it is still en route), leave a comment below telling me your favorite bathing product that makes you feel like royalty. I will draw a winner and post here in 24 hours. Cheers!

Melting Basket 49

Wax tarts I would buy again from my last basket include: LCP Fall Leaves & Warm Cider, Beezy Apple Clove Butter, LSC Apple Snap and Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast, RG Frosted Streuselkuchen, Monster Cookie/Southern Creme Brulee/Pumpkin Chai, CFTKR Full Moon, Glazed Cinnamon Donuts.

Canyon Rose Candles- Spiced Apple <3 gift

Mainstays- Mulled Cider <3 gift

TDC- Autumn Night <3 gift

Dessa's- Pumpkin Cider Lane <3 gift

Lake Providence Lodge- Pumpkin Butter

Lake Providence Lodge- Spiced Pumpkin

Lake Providence Lodge- Apple Barn

Rosegirls- Apple Puff Pastry/Celtic Moonspice/Hot Apple Pie

Rosegirls- Sweet Pumpkin Pie/Vanilla Bean Noel/Vanilla Wafers

Prairie Antiques- Country Bumpkin Cat Am I seriously going to be able to cut this cat? 

Sniff My Tarts- Apple Crisp/Grandma's Kitchen/Pumpkin Praline

Vintage Chic Scents- Edelweiss <3 gift

CFTKR- Baked Apple

CFTKR- Autumn Lodge

CFTKR- Spiced Apples & Peaches <3 gift

LSC- Perfect Autumn Day

LSC- Dunkin' Punkin's

Another pumpkin and apple heavy basket. I just can't get enough now that temps are finally cooling down a bit around these parts. If you would like me to review any of these in depth please comment below. 

This past weekend we spent in the countryside frolicking with chickens, turkeys, goaties, and family. It was a fun annual gathering that my aunt and uncle host in honor of Nacho Libre Night. They set up a pinata, had a Mexican laden smorgasbord and we watched Nacho Libre in sombreros. It was our first time attending and it was great fun.

My girls played outside the whole time. Their feet were black with soil and pockets lumpy with treasures: vertebrae, grasshopper exoskeletons, hardened tree sap.

It was cold enough to warrant a bonfire, fuzzy socks and long sleeves. It's crazy how a two hour drive north changes the weather so much. 

I am glad we went. It definitely took the sting out of the Halloween events I had bungled this past week. I think we are planning on hanging out at my Dad's for Halloween this year. The girls can dress up and we will all hang out eating candy and being silly. I think I need to get in the kitchen and bake some more this week. Boost my holiday mood. Between some pumpkin something or other baking and all my fall scents, that should do the trick! What do you have going the rest of the month? What gets you into the fall spirit? Is it fuzzy sock weather where you are?

Warmed Wax: LSC, LCP, Make Scents

Long Cane Primitives Fall Leaves and Warm Cider is a deliciously strong throwing blend of Bath & Body Work's Cider Lane and Mulled Cider. I melted the whole pumpkin shape and it filled the kitchen and living area with a festively spiced cider and caramel aroma that lasted about 5-6 hours. Repurchase.

Lasting Scent Candles Apple Snap smelled pretty great. A medium-strong throw full of sweet candied apples and tart cranberries. Repurchase.

Make Scents Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls was another great scent. Sorry for the crappy pic... it was one of those days. I would not necessarily have pegged this as a cinnamon roll since it was missing that slight yeasty scent that makes cinnamon rolls so rich, but it did pass as a well done bakery scent. And if I was purchasing from Make Scents, this would make it on the list with its healthy strong throw, but I am not much interested in repurchasing on the whole from Make Scents.

I am virtually wallowing in all the fall scents right now. How about you?

Book(ish) Box Subscription

I have seriously been eyeing this subscription box for several months. The price just kept me from pulling the trigger, but I figured if I was going to ever find out if it was worth it, I had better go ahead and order it. The Bookish Box is a monthly subscription that includes a shirt and 3-4 other bookish items each month for about $34. I signed up September 2nd and the first box came in the mail October 16th.  

The theme is Halloween of course!

The branding and packaging hit all the right points in the stylish category. Of course I love anything with teal. 

And the shirt makes my heart palpitate. I did opt for the 2XL box since fitted women's shirts can be a bit iffy. That added a few extra dollars to my box. I just love this Edgar Allan Poe Raven shirt. I just happened to finish reading a compilation of short stories from him as well as listened to Christopher Walken read "The Raven" thanks to Nancy. The fit is good. I am glad I got the larger size though. 

A bracelet featuring a line from The Shining came from Authored Adornments and is priced at $14.99 in her Etsy store.

Three bookmark magnets from Earth Cookie Creations. The magnet part is not very strong, barely staying on my fridge, but I love the clothespin part. I also got a kick out of the Florida map that was included in the package. 

A clamshell! Woot! Ninety Ninety-One Candle Co features a scent called Hershel's Farm as a nod to zombies. The scent is autumn afternoon- herbs, leaves and fresh air. I struggled to find their Etsy site, but finally tracked it down. Clamshells run $4 and scent shots are $2. All fragrances offer tribute to pop culture. She carries a lot of standard wax tart fragrances with fun new names and has plenty of fall and holiday scents in stock.

This particular scent has a freshness that is great for a cleaning or laundry day without being detergent-like. The throw was a solid medium. 

There is also that adorable Dracula magnet (super strong) from an Etsy shop called Kits. Any book can be made into a magnet for $2. 

Overall, I got at least $50 worth of product for $34 and change shipped. There is an option to upgrade your shirt into a hoodie, sweater, cardigan, racer back tank top or long sleeve shirt. I may do a long sleeve ragalan or 3/4 lace sleeve in the future. The November Fantasy based theme is sold out but signup now to get the December box.