Saturday, September 2, 2017

Fall Fun Series II: Welcome!

Welcome to the second annual, first edition, of the 2017 Fall Fun Series: All About Autumn!

Fall Fun Series II Photo.jpg

The Fall Fun Series 2: The Revenge: This Time it’s Personal; We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat: In 3D (no, still can’t convince you of the merits of that title?) will run from Saturday, September 2nd to Saturday, November the 25th.  The series will publish every Saturday morning at about 8 am EST and will be joined by many fabulous fragrance related bloggers. We will cover a plethora of fallish related topics and welcome participation both by readers and other bloggers.
Fall is such an atmospheric time of year and we all have different reasons to adore the season making this tag the perfect introduction to the series!

1. Have you ever participated in a Fall blogging series? What are you most looking forward to this Fall?
I have! In fact, my friend Deb and I were brainstorming a type of fun fall series to participate in and sure enough... the Fall Fun Series was born. This is the second year of the series and this time around several bloggers contributed to the effort. We hope you enjoy! I am most looking forward to baking, the Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival, cooler evenings, NYC in November and all the yummy spices and apples and pumpkins that will be rolling through my home and drenched on my body.

2. Crisp Fall mornings or cozy Fall nights?
Both? I know, I know. But really... I am a morning person and I love waking up to the chill and heading to my car for work in the early hours when it is still dark and crisply cool with a hot coffee mug warming my hands. And then I enjoy coming home and cooking a warm dinner, afterwards going for a dusky stroll in the brisk gloaming. Bonfires in the evening and hot teas and coffees in the mornings. Both, please.

3. When do you start decorating for Fall?
My attic sees my smiling, sweating face around the 1st of September every year. I look forward to pulling down those greyish-tan Rubbermaids filled with a variety of orange shades and pumpkin shapes. If I waited until "fall" arrived, I would have to pull them out around December and well... that is pretty pointless. As a Floridian, I am in charge of making my own fall.

4. What is your favorite store to visit for Fall goodies?  Share the link!
Oh man. Well, for decorations I love Hobby Lobby and Michael's. I love to order bath and body fall goods from FuturePrimitive and Alchemic Muse. Fall wax usually gets purchased from Dessa's Homespun Scents, Candles From the Keeping Room and Bath & Body Works. This year I bought fall perfumes from Nocturne Alchemy and Sixteen92. I also purchased some candles from Cellar Door and some bath and body goodies from Cosmic Cleanse ScentSations. A favorite though? Sorry. Does not compute.

5. If you had to get one Fall-themed image tattooed on your body, what would it be?  For extra points, where?
This is an interesting question. I actually regret getting most of my tattoos. Really, if I had none I would be happy. But I do and that is that.

6. Did you trick-or-treat when you were younger?  What was the last costume you wore?  What’s your dream costume (whether you actually got to wear it or not)?
Yes I did. The last costume I wore in full was that of Bellatrix Lestrange a couple of years ago. I am not sure if I really have a dream costume. I guess if I could be Hagrid that would make my day. I enjoyed being Steve Irwin one year (before he passed).

7. Best treat to get in your trick-or-treat bag and worst treat to get?
Best... back in the day they had these black and orange cheapie bags of Red Hot types of candies... I LOVED those!! Worst? It used to be Bottlecaps for me, but now it is pretty much any Mars chocolate bar brand as that is all folks give out nowadays.

8. Favorite Fall home fragrance?
>Checking watch, raising eyebrow< How much time do we have? If I had to pick one it would be apple cinnamon. But really I love pumpkins, woods, amber, spice and all sorts of yummy scents.

9. Best body care fragrance for Fall?
I love spiced and cedar and pumpkins for fall in lotions and bubble baths. For perfumes I love Sonoma Scent Studio Forest Walk, Tabac Aurea and Champagne du Bois as well as Serge Lutens Chergui and Solstice Scents Witch's Cottage and Manor EDPs. Pefume oil favorites are Arcana's Undead Gentleman, Mars Exalted: Courage and Holy Terror, Nocturne Alchemy's Halloween 2017 and Sixteen92's Baba Yaga.

10. Must-have nail polish/perfume/makeup for the Fall?
Probably not going to be any help for this unless you can find some of these on eBay. Nail polish- Savvy in Chocolate and Red Caviar, Rescue Beauty Lounge in Anne and Scrangie 2.0, Cirque in Smoky Quartz and KBShimmer in A Raisin to Live. Perfume I went over in body care. Whoops. Make up- Lipsticks in Tom Ford Moroccan Rouge, Buxom in Havana, Marc Jacobs in Magenta, Serge Lutens in Roman Rouge and any of the Harry Potter lip glosses form Shiro Cosmetics.

11. Favorite Fall month?
November I think. It finally starts to feel cool and I love planning Thanksgiving and Christmas.

12. What’s the weather like where you live?
Hot. Humid. Sub-tropial climate. But when the days reach about 60 and the sky is azure and cloudless and the cool breeze blows, there really is no better feeling. Also, foggy fall and winter mornings are creepy cool, very Wuthering Heights.

13. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?
Sure. To me. I love it. But that doesn't mean everyone else should just because I do.

14. Favorite Thanksgiving food?
Fried turkey that my husband makes, the all day mushrooms I make and the pies I make too. My Aunt Pilar's egg rolls and my Aunt Patty's fried venison steak cutlets hit the spot too every year.

15. Briefly describe your idea of a perfect Fall day.
A crystal clear yet blustery day that shakes the palms, pines and oaks. Hiking in the woods or strolling at a festival with warm spiced cider at the end of the day and a fire outdoors. A day spent baking apple pies or spiced apple cakes. A weekend in New York City drinking coffee in Central Park or buying roasted chestnuts from a street vendor. Any of these days would be well spent.


This is pretty much my fall stash at the moment. I have 5 candles and a nice amount of waxes. The vendors I have for fall are Dessa's Homespun Scents, Lasting Scent Candles, Southbound Soap Co, Candles From the Keeping Room, Vintage Chic Scents, Bohemienne LIfe and The Bathing Garden. I will have the pumpkin sampler from The Bathing Garden arrive soon as well as some extra Lasting Scent Candles from their recent RTS. I also made my first Golden Willow Wax order. Oh! And I am only a few people away from my custom Sniff My Tarts order which may have a few fall scents within it. 


I hope you will join the other bloggers and I in this year's Fall Fun Series. Feel free to do the TAG with us and share your stash photos on social media with the tag #fallfunseries. 

Amanda at Thrifty Polished (thriftypolished.blogspot.ca)
Angela at Angela Kay (angelazen.wordpress.com)
Jay at The Candle Enthusiast (thecandleenthusiast.wordpress.com)
Julie at The Redolent Mermaid (theredolentmermaid.com)
Michelle at Melting With Michelle (meltingwithmichelle.com)
Sandra at Finger Candy (fingercandy.ca or fingercandy.wordpress.com)
What scents are in your fall stash? What fall orders do you have pending?

22 comments:

  1. You didn't actually answer #5....

    Oh my. Even though our noses like very different things, that stash looks glorious. *dreamyfallsigh* I was so happy to get back to melting yesterday, and breaking out the fall smellies. Started with a simple Sweet Apple scent from Mainstays.

    ~Deb

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    1. I totally didn't. I guess if I HAD to even contemplate another tattoo it would be the three Harry Potter stars on my wrist. And I suppose I could link that to fall.

      Thanks! You would totally approve of just about everything in my fall scent stash I think. Nothing too weird except maybe the Pumpkin Woods candle. You would be proud of me. I bought 4 BHG and 2 ScentSationals tarts from Walmart the other day. I took photos and will blog them. <3

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  2. I'm so excited another season of FFS has begun! I love that you make your own fall; it's not feeling very fall like weather wise here either. This year's wax stash looks amazing; enjoy!

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    1. Yay! It will be nice.

      Yep! I read all the time about people who can't melt or burn anything until the weather is just so but I just can't do that or I wouldn't really have a fall. LOL! Or in any case a definitive fall. We do have brisk beautiful breezy days but they are sporadic and not consistent. It could be 60 one day and 90 the next.

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  3. Your fall wax stash looks incredible so far! I was telling jay that I'm also waiting on TBG sampler but I thought by now they would have been here? Oh well! I'm excited to give those a sniff once they arrive.
    Hey, you rocked that Bellatrix Lestrange costume though, totally awesome.
    Hope all is well. <3

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    1. Thanks! I miss you Jessica. I hope you are doing well. Yeah... the samplers are running behind because someone was sick in Shannon's life (not sure if it was her or someone who helps her or what) and they should be here this week.

      Thank you! I was trying to post a photo but deleted it on my phone I guess and then was going to screenshot my IG photo of it but then gave up.

      It has been a rough few days with Savanna's surgery and the residual anxiety and fighting it is spurred on with my husband but it is what it is. This too shall pass.

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  4. Oooh I bet your Bellatrix Lestrange costume was epic! Also, your fall stash is swoon-worthy!

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    1. It was fun! I have a photo of it on IG. I wore it to work with the middle schoolers I used to teach. They were properly frightened because I brought my scowl too.

      Thanks! It will be a blast to melt and burn through.

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  5. Can I ask what Bohemienne Life scents you're melting this Autumn? Thanks to you, I've tried her wax and love it!!

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    1. Yes!!! I have Pumpkin Forest and My Chai, which are amazing fall scents. I did pick up two more scents from her, Third Eye and Saturnalia, and will review them. So happy you love it!! I do too. What scents have you tried??

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    2. Those all sound great and I can't wait for your review on Third Eye and Saturnalia- everyone in the Facebook group seem to love Saturnalia.
      I tried Ooh La La, Ysabeau, Philippe and Ravens Myst (thanks to your review on that scent. It's amazing and I probably wouldn't have chosen it based on the scent description, but it's beautiful and I love it).

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    3. Ooh La La is one I have always wanted to try! I am so happy you like Raven's Myst like I do! <3 I find it to be so lovely and unlike anything else I have.

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    4. Ooh La La smells fabulous on cold, but melts a little too sweet for me. I'm looking to possibly blend with a tiny slice of a richer deep fruit type scent and see what happens there.

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  6. Your stash is epic friend. I'm almost as excited for you and Sandra to get your SMT customs as I was to receive my first one. I love to see how the blends pan out. My second has a fall blend or two but I'm guessing it won't hit till late Oct/early Nov.
    And though New York in June was beautiful, I dream of it in fall too. Your costume answer made me smile, I think you could definitely pull off Hagrid's hair, not sure how you'd figure out the rest of the lovable giant. I love that we both pulled from Hogwarts for our costume inspiration, I've had the wizarding world on the brain lately.

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    1. And I just saw the tagline above the series photo, lol:)

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    2. Thanks!! I am stoked for sure. I went back and looked at my two orders again and I am always surprised by some of the scents I chose to blend well after ordering. It will be fun.

      I seriously cannot wait for NYC. I daydream about it all the time.

      We should both dress up and tromp around Universal. <3

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  7. Excuse me, that title should be: Dawn of the Return of The Fall Fun Series 2: The Revenge: This Time it’s Personal; We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat: In 3D. LMAO!

    I have toyed with the idea of tattoos for the better part of the past six years. I'm always afraid of it being something I'll regret, though, so before Michael shipped off to basic I settled for a triple helix piercing.

    Your fall stash looks so nice and warm and cozy and relaxing. Nevermind the broken glass if I were to lay on it. I'm doing it. There's no stopping me.

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    1. LOL!!!! Hey. That title managed to make it into the intro!

      Piercings are cool. And if you ever decide you don't want them they can close right up. I let my navel piercing close up. But tattoos are something else. I made one too many bad tattoo decisions in my youth.

      Thanks! I hope it will be just that. Comfy cozy. And I look forward to seeing your fall stash collection!! DOOO ITTTTTTTT

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  8. Well, many thanks to you and Deb for creating this animal in the first place - I think we're going to have a lot of fun this year. :)

    Your wax stash is so lovely. I didn't even think to post mine, as I really don't have one - I have maybe two or three Fall scents total. I do have an absolute butt ton (actual measurement, "butt ton") of Mini Melters, though, and a few that will be great for the Fall, so I think I'll stick with that.

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    1. <3 We will have fun!

      Thanks! I am beyond excited for fall melting. I want to be wrapped in a haze of spice and apples and pumpkins for the next three months straight. The joys of seasonal melting. You DO have a butt ton of MM. I hope you have fun creating blends with them. <3

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  9. Oh yesss!!!! I love this series. To me, fall absolutely begins on September 1st! It's no secret that fall is my favorite season. I wear it like a badge. Especially exciting is that for the past week, it has actually felt like fall here which is really helping me get into the spirit. I love how you make your own fall when your weather still screams summer! Your fall melting stash looks wonderful. I am so excited to see the rest of the fall series, I especially loved the decor and baking posts last year!! So glad you gals are doing it again!

    Fall is especially exciting this year because Ever's first birthday is in October! I was so happy when September 30th passed and I was still pregnant, knowing that my boy would be born in my favorite month of the year! I weep just thinking about him turning one, but am so excited for his birthday party. It's going to be a fall farmer's market theme, and like the typical Pinterest-loving mom that I am, I am going all out! I am giddy at the thought of taking him to every fall festival we can find, giving him his first sip of cider, his first taste of pumpkin pie, his first autumn foliage hike, his first trick or treat, and the list goes on and on. Last year we were mostly trying to figure out life with a newborn and missed out on most of those things. I'm sure I've said it before, but everything is so much more magical when you have a little one.

    For fall home fragrance, my essential oils just aren't cutting it. I'm loving my Yankee melt cup thing (the name escapes me at the moment), and I've had Harvest going pretty much non stop. My mom always burned that scent in the fall growing up, so it's quite nostalgic for me. I'm never impressed with Yankee's candles but the melt cups rock! And of course I have some vendor wax stashed away for that I'll bring out. RG Pumpkin Milkshake and Dessa's Sweet Pumpkin Spice come to mind. And all apple cinnamon and the cinnamon bakery ever!!! I have a whole bin just dedicated to cinnamon bakery. BBW's fall candle selection this year is truly of the utmost disappointment to me and I am boycotting lol.

    Happy fall Julie 💙

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    1. Jacqui!!! I am so happy to see you. I hope your Florida trip was nice. We will have to catch up again one day since our date was postponed. Typical summer Florida weather. LOL!

      I am so happy fall is here too. My decor went up and I have already baked two apple pies. Yum! I look forward to more. Your apple pies will be cooler though because you will have fresh picked ones I bet. Happy to hear the weather is fall-like for you.

      Ever is so dang cute. He will be running around before you know it. What a sweet pea. I hope you post photos of his party. I am dying to see what you do with it. You are so creative. And you hit the nail on the head. Everything IS more magical when experienced through the eyes of your kiddos. He will love fall just like his mama. And October birthday couldn't be any cooler. Speaking of magic... I bought an animatronic bat with light up eyes and cackling noises at Target last year and put it up for the first time the other day and Scarlette was tickled to death over it. She must have made it go off about a dozen times in raptures of giggles and dancing. It doesn't get much better than that.

      Harvest is a great one. I popped into Yankee the other day and fell in love with a Halloween Woodwick in there. I might go back and get it eventually. Triple yes on all the spices, apples and bakery and pumpkin yumminess. I am seriously in heaven going through my fall scents and organizing them according to when I will melt them. Home fragrance nerd moments.

      Thank you Jacqui!!! I hope you have the best fall ever too. Looking forward to seeing all your adventures. And looking forward to making some with my girls too.

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