Dulcissime

The Spring box is ready for purchase! This one has soap, lipstick, art cards, a candle, a perfume, lollipops, and a bath treat. http://www.sihayaandcompany.com/

As a reminder:

- The spring & Tam Lin charity candles are still pre-ordering. http://www.sihayaandcompany.com/collections/sihaya-company-candles

- The Prism Collection subscription is still taking newcomers. http://www.etsy.com/listing/504867389/prism-collection-subscription-three

IF YOU PURCHASED FROM MY SALE, PLEASE READ THIS:

TL;DR: my shipping is running 2-3 days behind schedule as we continue to deal with the fallout from the Ellicott City flooding disaster. Our house was, as expected, affected by the floodwaters.

For more information, please visit the Sihaya Designs facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SihayaDesigns

We saw our house.

By way of more information, the basement took on 7 feet of water. The backyard is TOAST. We no longer have koi. God bless the lovely, now-demolished fence that saved the deck from a six foot thick tree trunk.

We don't know what's going to happen with the sale. There's a lot of info that needs to come in. I am still committed to buying if it's financially feasible, but Jason is pretty shaken up. I expect he'll be slow to make any decisions, although I've made my own thoughts clear. We'll see.

We did go to get eyes on the house yesterday to meet our new potential neighbors and bring them cold beer and cookies, much appreciated after a long slog day. Hearteningly, they were all totally not panicking. They were working together to clean up, and due to the way our unit was built, no flood, even this one, ever touched the first floor of any of the homes. It was all very "yeah, this happens sometimes, although this is by far the worst." Everybody was very calm, and had a "let's get this done" mindset. Which is one I admire and share. They told us about past floods that had affected the houses up the hill, the most recent of which was Irene in '11, in which the basements took on some water but, well, they had time to prepare and it wasn't the so-called "storm of the millenium" that happened Saturday night for which there was absolutely no warning.

This week, the bank is going to assess repairs, and we have early signs that they will be paying for them. Which is good, because honestly, if they didn't, that'd be game over and they'd have to start all over again with folks who are NOT as invested as we have been. After repairs, we will have to do a second round of inspections.

So. My heart is still in Ellicott City. I share the non-panicked realism of the locals. I want to move there and help people rebuild. I might not get that chance if Jason objects and decides he does not want to deal with the reality of living on a flood plain. IDK what happens then, in a lot of different ways. I guess we'll see.

Side note: please do not tell me what you would or would not do in my situation. It is not as helpful as it is intended to be. It only stresses me out and makes me testy. We're the ones with eyes on the situation, and will be making our decisions once we have gathered all of the relevant data. Thanks from the management.

Right now, my life is a bouquet of stress. Many different varieties of stress.

1. My little brother got married this weekend. It was a pretty good trip, despite the long, long, long hours in the car, and the fact that there is nothing my digestive tract hates more than traveling. Doubly so now that I've been on a relatively low-carb diet for two months. All of the rich/carb-y food of traveling/the reception have been wreaking havoc on my stomach. Not to mention, it cost us $500 to travel to the wedding. I was glad I went, but we are buying a house right now, and that's $500 I didn't really have.

2. Did I mention homebuying is expensive? Jesus christ. And the paperwork. The paperwork has given Jason a whole swath of new grey hair. We are going through a CDA loan because it gives us an extra $5,000 towards closing costs. Unfortunately, CDAs are bonkers. We have had to file paperwork to certify that money transfers from one spouse to another do not constitute "gifts," but rather "here's my half of rent/BGE/Verizon/etc." They are going over all of our finances with the finest of fine tooth combs.

3. Our being away apparently threw the cats into tailspin. Nox puked everywhere. Olive poo-sploded the second we got in the door (which was not later than her usual bathroom time). Mim developed an acute UTI, and we have a vet appt for her at 4:30. She's currently unhappily chilling out in a crate with a tiny little litterbox, and peeing tiny dimes of pee every five minutes. I caught it relatively quickly-- the behavior started about two hours ago-- but still. More money. At this point, I am resolved to never again leave the house, because inevitably, one of the cats requires a vet visit within 48 hours of my return.

4. It's a good thing I had a sale pre-set to go and began advertising it last week. So far, it's been modest, but assuming I can actually get some work done this week amid a stream of constant interruptions (not even exaggerating a little), I will be putting up 40+ new pieces and that should be nice money if some of them sell.



20% off of everything at Sihaya Designs, and 20% of all candles at Sihaya And Company. Yes, there are deals for combined shipping if you want candles AND jewelry. Yes, there are deals for combined shipping if you want earrings tonight and a pendant on Friday. Details are here.

5. I also had to unexpectedly buy a new computer battery & charger, because mine straight-up died last week. JFC, I feel cursed.

6. In the realm of cool-ish news, last week, I was dealing with the kind of insomnia that left me greeting the sunrise. So instead, I channeled it into a project: The Black Tapes Mysteries Resource. It was really neat when The Black Tapes tweeted it out to their followers. I've gotten a fair readership in a relatively short time.



I think that's all that's fit to print. I desperately need a shower, so I'mma go do that before I lose my ever loving mind. Or cry. Crying is becoming more and more of an option.

First up, BIDNESS.



THE SUMMER BOX IS LIVE!

Arcana Perfumes & Soaps will contribute an exclusive 5ml perfume oil.

Cherie Anne Designs will contribute a 2 oz package of her famous glittering tea! She creates teas that actually glitter in your cup using special sugars. Truly magical!

Dreaming Tree Soapworks will contribute a duo of moisturizing delights. The first will be a 2oz lotion in one of her best-selling scents, and the other an exclusive tinted lip shimmer balm!

Leesha's Lacquer will contribute an exclusive full size thermal color-changing nail polish! Themals are like mood rings for your nails!

Merle Pace Arts will contribute a trio of art cards (with envelopes) for all of your note-writing needs!

Sihaya Designs Jewelry will contribute a piece of magically-inspired hair jewelry.

I'm also releasing SEVEN candles for pre-order, which can be ordered individually, or added to a box purchase. ( Scent description under the cut. )

In other news, I just got back from Spoutwood. Three days of intense vending work, dancing in the rain with Transcendence, being damp and cold, and hanging out with Charles Vess, Twig the Faery, and the Faerie Mag crew.




Twig in her Sihaya Designs wing earrings.
She's fan. SQUEE.



The inimitable Charles Vess and Stardust.
( Pics of me/ my makeup / my outfits under the cut. )

As for the festival itself, I was so busy, I didn't see too much of it this year. The weather was damp and cold, so I was swathed in many layers of wool by the end of it. I danced Transcendence's sets barefoot, midriff out, on two days where my breath fogged. I was very grateful to not have camped for the weekend, and for the small mercies of a hot shower and a warm bed at the end of the day. This year's roommate was Lisa/Trinket, and it was good fun getting to know her better.

As for purchases, I kept them spare, because mama is on a financial planning budget. I got a small rune pendant and two growlers of ginger beer.

Favorite food addition: hands down the grilled cheese place. They had one called the Mad Dash that was AMAZING. Cheese + ham + apple butter + mustard. It doesn't sound like it'd work, but it worked SO WELL. I also got my annual Busy Bee glittery cupcake.

This was definitely a year that it felt more like work than fun for me, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I made money. That's good. I strengthened friendships and business contacts. I tried to handle frustrations gracefully, with varying degrees of success, but that's a post for another day.

Overall, it was what it was, and it wasn't bad. Just-- some what dampened.

This week going forward is custom orders & getting unsold talismans on the site. And then making more!

Check out the details at the Sihaya Designs Facebook Page or in the individual listings on www.SihayaDesigns.com. Slots are limited!

Whoo. SUPER busy weekend.

Thursday was the day of Two Dinners. One at my mom's, and one at Jason's dad's. I ended my day feeling like Jabba The Hutt, shamefully waddling home. I ate way, way too much. The day was pretty uneventful, except for my nephew running-full speed and faceplanting into a credenza. Scared the piss out of me, but he got up with a swollen face and a cut on his cheek. Thankfully, no concussion, which I fully expected, considering the force at which his face struck. Children are resilient, man.

On Black Friday, Jason and I went with twelvepetals and her wife Jen (and their cousin) to get a little Christmas spirit. After a truly tasty brunch at Atwaters and some shopping at Belvedere Square Market (truffles, plum and vanilla bean preserves, triple ginger muffins), we headed to Valley View Farms to gawk at all of the Christmas displays and pick up some decorations or our house. There were lots of pretty things to look at, omg. If we didn't have animals, I would 100% carpet my home in glittery poinsettias. Ended up grabbing LED candles for the mantle, some peppermint ornaments, and a slew of hot chocolate mixes. After that, it was on to the Amish market, where we picked up cheeses, apple bread, and other sweet treats to stock our pantry. It was a good day of pumping money into the local economy and small businesses.

Saturday was PACK ALL THE ORDERS! day. I've been having a Black Friday - Cyber Monday sale, and it is going well. I spent most of my day chiseling down a mountain of orders. Jason took five XL grocery bags of packages to the post office today.

Yesterday, I got to work making new stock (and some custom work). I'm selling so well at the sale that my stock is running low, especially on wirework necklaces. I'm vending on Thursday, so I need a few fancier pieces to show. So it's nose to the grindstone to get some new shinies done. I need a full day to make tags, hooks, and general prep, so I only have two more days. Gotta get to it.

I bought my tickets for A Longwood Christmas next Saturday. Very excited.

In the evenings, Jason and I watched Jessica Jones. We're alllllmost through the season, and MAN I have lots of things to say about how the villains are essentially different aspects of toxic masculinity, but I'll save it for when I'm finished the series.

But for now: more work.

1. Nox started eating again, hallelujah. We're not entirely sure what it was that finally broke his hunger strike-- in the past month, we took him off chemo (which doesn't generally make him nauseated, but seemed like a good idea), started a stomach-coating med 30 mins before mealtimes, put him on (and then weaned him off) an anti-nausea med, and started an appetite stimulant. Nothing had an immediate effect, but regardless, earlier this week, he started eating again! Our plan is to hold to our current regimen for another week and then see if adding his chemo back in changes anything. I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my chest. I wish to god we knew why this happens every Autumn.

2. Special Effects, maker of the best crayola hair dyes in the world, is experiencing another one of their production hiccups, and they've been out of my regular dye for MONTHS. I am officially out, and my roots are kinda bananas. So. I guess I'm going to have a purple-to-pink ombre for awhile. Honestly, I really would like to do teal, but at this point, I don't think I could strip enough pink out to get a nice teal going, so. Meh. I was thinking I might try Punky Colors, but all of the reviews say it's got a 2 week bright stage in the hair... I've gotten spoiled by only having to do my hair every 5-6 weeks. I'm just not willing to do a touch up every other week.

3. I just bought supplies for my winter run of candles. I let people vote on my company FB page, and I'm doing preorders for my friends. I don't actually make much profit on the candles, but I like making them. It's a fun creative exercise. Part of the lack of profit is because I do my own scent blending, rather than just adding one pre-fabbed fragrance to the wax. So each blend I do usually has at least 3 notes in it-- all of that adds up. Plus the glossy labels and the candle glitter... but they are super pretty. The blends that I'm making for sure are:

a) An evergreen and ice blend - something that smells like cold air whipping through a snowy forest.
b) A rich, sensual spiced amber. The idea came about from the "candletime" idea that I've seen floating around social media in response to holiday madness. It's all about taking time to snuggle up with candle light, a mug of something warm, and a good book. My brain translated that to rich, spicy resins.
c) Santa's Visit - cherry pipe tobacco, a burning hearth, and subtle tree notes.
d) A classic garland-- a realistic tree scent with spiced pomanders and some cranberry notes.

There's also a secret blend I'm working on partially as a joke-- I came across a fragrance oil called "ESSENCE OF JESUS" that made me go "ohhhhh myyyyyyyy," particularly as it's composed of notes one would usually find in pretty sensual blends. So I'm going to make a VERY limited number of candles in the vein with frankincense, myrrh, precious spices, and a little bit of a vanilla patchouli base to round it out. I've sold 7 already in preorders, which means batch one will have 5 left. I suppose if I like it enough, I can always rename it and add it in.

I also got some other notes to do experiemental holiday blends... I'm envisioning a roses-and-pinecones scent, but I've been having a hard time finding the right rose for the scent I'm envisioning. I want a really crisp, greenery-fresh rose note like PBSW's Roses In The Snow or BPAL's Rose Red. I swear, I have sniffed at least 10 rose scents in my search. And they're all very nice. They're just not... the one.

ANYWAY, the 8oz candle tins are going to sell at the usual $11/each, so if you're interested in a preorder, LMK. I'll make the greenlit candles at the end of next week, to ship Thanksgiving week.

4. Speaking of Holidays... I am going to be that person that puts their tree up way too early this year. We're decorating this weekend. I need the light. We're also planning a trip up to Valley View Farms sometime soon, not that we need any new ornaments. It's just a tradition. That, and a meal at Atwaters, yumm. Jason also really wants to go up to see the Christmas display at Longwood, which looks really nice. I've never seen the holiday display.

5. I'm not sure how big the Sihaya Designs holiday retail collection will be this year, but I've started working on it. It'll be the usual mix of stocking stuffer earrings, earring wardrobes, and fancy wirework. At least, it will if I can power through this weird wire slump I've been in for the last few days. Everything I've made has either looked like a uterus or a Very Fancy Penis. Paging Dr. Freud...

The first round of Autumn candles have touched down at Sihaya Designs.



Hi ho, hi ho, back to the wing-making mines I go.

I made some shiny stuff.



www.SihayaDesigns.com

Faerie Magazine interviewed me for their newsletter and their blog. Go check it out! :)

http://www.faeriemag.com/blogs/blog/29770433-an-interview-with-2-faerie-artists