Bespoke Post: Ginka!

I was going to post this with the previous Bespoke Box post about my furry manbag, but then it just got too long, and my anecdotes were too amazing to just contain in one blogpost.

Bespoke Post is a box I ordered from Groupon at an amazing discount. They still have subscriptions for shorter lengths [1 or 2 months], and I really do recommend checking it out! Bespoke Post has all sorts of cool options to pick from each month, and they introduce three new boxes or you can choose an old box, OR just skip altogether! I love this way of doing a subscription box, and I wish more boxes could provide choice. It's a nice way for them to get rid of old stock, and a nice way for me to decline three pairs of boxers with funk powder or a stabbing knife with a journal and a fancy pen to write about all the shit I stabbed.

The September box I picked was all about gin. But, before I dive more into that, I want to post some pics of when I infused gin earlier this year. I wanted something new in the bar, so I threw some raspberries, lemon peel, and honey into one bottle [my mom's idea!], then rosemary from the yard, dried lavender, and Earl Grey tea into another [see this blog for my inspiration pictures that are classy af]. The former was delicious, sweet, and more of a liqueur, but the latter was gross at first until I realized it went very well in lemonade. Also, I realized you're not supposed to straight up drink gin. Why? Because: gross.

Top left: Earl Grey and Lavender.
All the rest: Lemon peel, raspberry, and mint infused gin. The bottom middle and right pictures show the color the gin turned, and the drained raspberries [almost vampire-esque]. 

September: Distilled

All the supplies to turn vodka into gin, just like baby Jesus turned water into wine.

You know how Ron Burgundy loves scotch? Well, I love gin, but not in an alcoholic sort of way. And not every day. I actually don't think I like gin that much, I just like it moderately.

I didn't drink till after I turned 21[I'm cool, I know], and one of the first drinks I had was a Tom Collins. However, I had it made by a bartender who must have used grenadine and something else because it was pink and delicious. Then, my next time trying gin, I couldn't remember the name of the drink so I asked for something with gin. The bartender's response? "Nothing tastes good with gin." Excuse me! Oh, and I meant "lazy beer pourer", not bartender. He gave me a pint glass filled with gin and pineapple juice. Needless to say, it was DISGUSTING, and I learned my lesson about getting drinks from people who don't know how to make them.

Oh, and after leaving my South Dakota college town and moving to Seattle, I quickly found out that $4 for a pint glass sized mixed drink was not standard. Anyway, then my gin love moved onto gin & tonics, and other bar-created drinks.

Step 1 of infusing gin from vodka: take your giant jug of vodka and add juniper berries, then let sit for 24 hours. I put mine into the pretty glass jar I was given, so that way I could see the transformation.

Secret spices. What are those puckery raisin bombs? No one knows. Maybe Bella knows... she seems almost too interested in what I'm doing.

Step 2 was enjoyable as I watched the color from the special spice mix swirl and settle into the junipery gin; happiness and excitement flickering across my face the way a child's face lights up during an egg surprise Youtube video. The vodka-gin had to sit for 12 more hours with the spices, so I set Bella to work guarding the mixture. Also, I totally love the sediment at the bottom, especially in the right middle picture where it looks like a balloon over some martian planet.

This next part was totally optional because I've had gin, and it tastes like gin. While I've never made gin, I have infused it before [see photographic evidence above] and I wanted to make this one citrusy. So, I added in an orange peel.

Recipe: all of the peel.

I couldn't actually get the orange peel out... I mean uh, that peel looks mighty purdy in there, donnit?

Step 3: once the 12 hours have passed [or another 24 if you're lazy and/or have a job], then strain the liquid and admire its amber colors in the setting sunlight.

How does she sneak into all of my photos??

This is another optional step. In a Darby Smart box several months ago, I received a sticky letter stencil kit. I decided to finally put them to use with my glass etching cream! It turned out quite light, but ah well.

Step 4: drink the ginka! Finally, after my two days of dumping pre-measured contents, shaking and etching the bottle, it was time to consume my creation. I decided to go with the Bee's Knees as my test drink of choice.

Result!

I enjoyed it. This was by far one of my favorite projects I've received in the mail. While I love the websites and customer service for Darby Smart and For the Makers, neither of them offer projects that are as interesting or challenging as I would like. Making and drinking gin? Interesting and fun, and easy as pie. I've already cleared a shelf in the bar for more liquor infusions!

And cats...

She actually used to sleep in there.

Blogging the depths of the abyss, 
[a]

PS: Step aside pumpkin lattes, last night I fell asleep listening to classical Christmas music. My mom will be so proud! She would listen to Christmas music year-round if my dad let her.

The Bespoke Dispatch Cat Bag

Hi, my name is Andrea and I'm a female. But that didn't keep me from subscribing to Bespoke Post's manbox. **I should be doing homework right now, but I found out [after watching the Young & Hungry I missed last night and eating some mac'n cheese, then procrastinating some more with The Muppets and some homemade gin] that my assignment is not due Friday, but Sunday!!**

Last month [the month formally known as August], I signed up for Bespoke Post because I was tired of receiving cheap girl things like necklaces and 50 shades of lip gloss. Plus, Groupon was having a smashingly awesome sale and instead of $45/month, I got three months of boxes for $21/month. They provided a little intro survey, and, in case you were wondering, I don't tend to wear ties, I almost never sport a beard, and baseball hats can die a fiery death what with their not-fitting-large-heads nonsense.

Shall we commenceth with mineth look into the past-eth? That's right, time to jump on the ol' time machine. And by time machine I mean Dropbox to find photos from my phone from last month.

August: Manbag Dispatch

As large as a pizza box, but without any of the mouthwatering marinated artichokes or BBQ chicken, this box arrived on my doorstep one sunny August afternoon, back when the days were hot and the cats were hotter. I was rather excited as I opened it, tossing said pizza box aside and immediately stuffing the new canvas bag with my 13" Yoga Lenovo laptop. It fit, which is good news, considering the bag can fit a 15" laptop. But, I had to check for myself. Science, the joy of experimentation, and all that.

The box also included a set of four notecards. I actually have many [neglected] penpals--three in the US and two in Britain, so these will be of use to me! Now that I've forced myself to sit down and write blog posts [and homework], I so must force myself to write to my frail baroness penpal who whithers away from consumption in her crumbling, ivy covered castle by the rocky shores of... okay that is a bucket of lies. She's just living in a flat somewhere in Britain. A crumbling flat, covered in ivy...

"My Dearest, I write to you this eve to tell you that I hath received new stationery."

My cat liked this box most of all. The prrrroof is in the pudding. Or, in the cat hair coating my lappie bag. I am not wild about the bag, but I still use it. The zipper sticks a lot, and the bag doesn't have as much sturdiness as I would like. However, I do like the leather handles and the inner pockets. I think I can spice this bag up a little by sewing something onto it. Maybe I'll just keep the cat hair on it as a design. I think it says, "She's a professional cat lover, and obviously good at her job." Or so, that's what I am guessing the man behind me in line at Panera thought as I ordered my squash soup yesterday. Fur is very in this season anyway.

I can see Bella getting physically weak as she sits in the sun. Her eyes droop, her body sags, until she can no longer stand and is forced to fall asleep using boxes for pillows.

You would think I would be off to do homework now, but no. I am going to write s'more! I'm on a roll...

Blogging the depths of the abyss, 
[a]

What's This? Another Post? Weird.

This blog shifts a little, sort of like life... it started in college when I was writing mostly silly, humorous posts, then I abandoned it for a bit and started again by sort of trying to review subscription boxes, but I realized I'm way too lazy to keep up with that nonsense. My credit card is far larger than my interest in writing. Or something like that... sigh. Now I'm writing something personal with some other stuff! Yay for evolution. And to think, I was inspired after drinking some boxed "Delicious White" and reading my favorite new blog, Subscriptionista. Strangely enough, I found it when the creator of Eucopia was researching bloggers he should reach out to for his new box, and I was like dude I've never heard of any of these sites but that one site has cats and funny. Plus, while I love My Subscription Addiction, I really don't like how negative some comments get, and Subscriptionista commenters mostly manage to stay humorous. Basically, I want to be their friends [hands a glass of Delicious White to the internet, and invites the ladies outside for scones and sunshine].

Anyhoo, you know that feeling when you're unemployed and yet life still just speeds by and you're like... wtf did I just do with the last many weeks of my life?? and what should do I with this pile of woven wall hangings, half sewn t-shirt rug, clay marbled bowls, and clay beads? I have that feeling almost every summer because I usually work in schools, and, in case you were unawares, non-teachers don't get paid whilst not working over the summer. I generally lay out in the sun, drink a nice hefewizen, and do some crafting or reading between napping with my tiny kitty [see figure 1]. However, for the last year I was finally employed at this job that I semi-loved, but was never confident enough to put it on my Google calendar for more than a month ahead.

Figure 1. Left: Bella thinks she is a parrot and spends much time sleeping on my shoulder/back; Top Right: Bella thinks she is a shirt; Middle Right: Bella hates wearing shirts; Bottom Right: Bella thinks she is more important than my homework.

My office job was somewhat sketchy, and I knew it wouldn't last long, but I was sad when it ended. Some days I felt all Veronica Marsy because I got to go dig through files, research employees, look at Pinterest, and then make phone calls to my associates. Okay, like a really boring Veronica Mars, but whatever. Anyway, a couple of months ago my boss decided to fill my position and the bookkeeper's position one day by just showing up with a new employee. It was awkward and a shitty thing for my boss to do. But, despite being replaced by a sexier older woman, I felt she was very capable and intelligent, and I actually wished we could have worked together.

Finally, I've found a new [and hopefully stable] job. I don't work well with other people, I've realized. I would like to though! I sometimes like people, but from what I've read about people with ADHD is that we sometimes scare people away. RAWR!! So, now I'll basically have 0 coworkers, unless you count when I call one of the four employees to get their timesheets in. However, I'm excited to start, and though it will be similar to what I was doing it sounds like I might also get to do some bathroom/kitchen designing if I want to! And I so want to.

I'm one of those people who wants to be a swing dancer, artist, writer, interior decorator, DIY blogger, standup comedienne, librarian, UX researcher/designer, and in my free time a person who sleeps inside of giant cozy cocoon-esque sweaters* whilst eating warm, buttery pumpkin bread with raisins, sipping on some sort of Bailey's chai cocoa latte concoction, and playing phone Scrabble while watching my favorite show of the moment [ie: Mindy Project, Witches of East End, Young & Hungry, Revenge, etc.]. However, then my anxiety/reality catches up to me and I'm like, yo your joints hurt too quickly to become a dancer, your art is sub-par, your stories generally involve everyone getting killed off because you can't end things, your decorating skills are college-thrift chic at best, you get anxiety-induced memory loss in front of people, and you're not a small blonde mom with time to hot glue amazing things together. BUT! I am getting my Master's in Information Science, which means I can definitely do the UX/librarian thing.

Finally, in addition to trying to get my life back on track by deep cleaning the kitchen at midnight, landing a job, cooking more, crafting more, and turning in homework on time, I would also like to write more. I write and exercise in my daydreams a lot, and if I only do those things for realsies, I'll be grand!

Blogging the depths of the abyss,
[a]

*In case you're like, I totally want to see what that giant cocoon sweater looks like, I actually drew a picture of my dream sweater a couple of years ago while I was substitute teaching. The students had to write some sort of poem, and I did the assignment with them and attached the drawing. Obviously the sweater would have a cup holder, a built in chair back, and a heating system, while still maintaining incredible softness.

Have a Good Morning, Courtesy of Eucopia

UPDATE 03/15/2016
I'm really disappointed to say that it looks like this company already went out of business after two boxes. That's me jumping to conclusions, but they aren't answering emails and their January box was delayed till February, and it's March without a shipment. Fortunately, I was able to cancel from my account because I've also tried emailing them with no response. That's the hard part about subscribing to a new box, and also why I refused to sign up for a lengthy commitment to any new boxes!


Original Post
A few months ago my brother passed along an email from a friend who wanted to start up a European themed subscription box. I have tried a variety of subscription boxes and was really excited to see what Jason Toon's box would offer! I was able to try out his first [or second?] intro box for $35, and was quite impressed. You can see the Eucopia blog post [with far better pictures than my own] on their site.

This post is [incredibly] late, as I received the box in June. Summer has just passed me by in busy, lazy ways. But, on to Eucopia [or click here to see the Facebook page]! The box was put up on Indiegogo last month, and looks like it got 143% funded. Not bad, and it shows that people really like European stuff. How could you not? Because, come on, Europeans created wine, French bread, beer, gelato, waffles, and foreign films. Well, they're not really "foreign" in their own countries, and they probably didn't create boxed wine [my personal favorite].

The Eucopia box felt like a present. Jason hand delivered the box to my brother, who also purchased the box. Each item was nicely wrapped or packaged and nestled into crinkled paper padding.

There was a card describing each item, styled like a newsletter. It very pretty cool and informative. I've seen some of the fancier boxes like Oui Please use similar inserts. There was also a passport, which was sort of confusing. I think the concept of it was interesting, but not fully baked. To me, the passport should have had little stickers, and the box receiver would get the stickers from each country each time they got a new box, and only new subscribers would get the initial passport booklet. Sort of cheesy but cute.

Now, on to the meat of the box! I really appreciated how family-oriented this box was. It seemed like there was a little something in there for everyone.

Contents of the Morning Eucopia box:

• De Ruijter--The Dutch sprinkles are in my fridge for if my nieces are over and I need to sprinkle everything in chocolate.
• Couto--This Portuguese toothpaste is still unused on my desk, mostly because the packaging is so nice. I do plan to use it, so I should probably just put it in the bathroom!
• Vasa Tvål Ab--Lingonberry soap on a rope from Finland. I meant to give this to my mom, and in fact it was in my suitcase for a week as we drove from WA to SD and back. I think I ended up using it as a gift for someone else, which is one really great aspect of subscription boxes! Items can be easily gifted =) 
• Kikkerland--A Rotterdam/NYC designed clock, though it was made in China. I like this company, and occasionally see their products in various stores. I am not the sort of person who is picky about where an item was made, though I do see how people would be upset in purchasing a European box with outsourced items. However, I love this clock and it's on the shelf in my office next to an antique clock that doesn't work. This clock is nice and quiet, except for the first day I put the battery in and accidentally pushed the button to set off the alarm! 
• d'Ancap--The best piece in the box was an Italian porcelain latte mug. Mine was in teal! It's hard to tell from my dark pictures, but it's teal, which is one of my favorite colors. I love this mug! Because it's summer, it's currently holding mints on our turquoise bookshelf [also weirdly next to a broken antique clock], but come Fall it will be filled with chai or tea. 

I thought this box was great. Though I did not personally find a use for all the items, they were perfect for gifting. Money is tight right now, but I think in the future I will have to get a subscription to this! I am quite happy it was more than funded on Indiegogo, and according to an email last month from the creator, after the campaign, the regular box will be $49 including shipping. I felt like this was a better price for the box, especially considering the weight of the contents.

The only thing this box is really missing is a price breakdown of the contents. I really like getting those in boxes because it makes it feel more like you got some awesome deal, and then you can also see that you didn't pay $50 for items that cost $38.

Blogging the depths of the abyss,
[a]

PS: According to Wikipedia... I mean, according to very reliable sources, boxed wine originated in Australia. Those geniuses. 

Blueberry Cove Beads: April and May Boxes

I realized I wrote this back in May, and still had not posted it. Me thinks my laziness chrysalis needs to crack off soon, leaving me an energetic butterfly.

I am listening to "The Bells" by Lowell, and it sounded like they said "where'd the heat go?" So, I thought I'd share it. Not that we need more heat... it was apparently 97 in Seattle over the 4th weekend!

On to the beads! I combined my April and May Blueberry Cove Beads box reviews, because I still haven't made anything with my April box. The theme was from an abstract painting, and while I did start several projects, I have only just completed a wrap bracelet using the Superduo beads.

April, Box 5: Abstract Colour [list of contents from site]

• One string of 8mm round grey glass beads with black detail (approx 65 beads)
• 10 blue grey teardrop glass beads, 13mm
• 1 oval white shell pendant, 36mm
• One strand of 4mm white round glass beads (approx 84 beads)
• 5 copper tone butterfly charms, 21mm
• 2 round disc white porcelain beads, 21mm
• 6 porcelain glazed white/grey ‘pumpkin’ beads, 13mm
• One string of natural gemstone 23mm oval beads, red line jasper (approx 16 beads)
• One string of natural gemstone 8mm round beads, red wood lace stone (approx 50 beads)
• 3 packs of approx 10g of Japanese seed beads – grey, frosted white and periwinkle blue
• 1 pack (approx 5g) of Superduo beads

April Blueberry Cove Beads Box

I liked the theme of this box! It was curated around a color theme, and I quite liked the original abstract painting the inspiration came from. Superduo beads were something I was seeing a lot, but had not yet used, so it has been fun experimenting with them [though it looks like I forgot to photograph them]. Seed beads in a variety of colors are always something I can use more of. Especially since I would like to start making some bead embroidered necklaces! While I was unsure of the periwinkle seed beads at first, once I put them into a bracelet with other colors, I enjoyed the effect.


May, Box 6: The Crystal Cave [list of contents from site]

• Aluminium Wire, 20 guage [10m]
• Strand of Sky Blue Faceted Round Glass Beads, 40 [8mm]
• Strand of Fluorite Gemstone Chip Beads
• Round Electroplated Glass Crystal Beads. 4 [18mm]
• Strand of Dark Purple Faceted Rondelle Crystal Beads, 100 [6mm]
• Agate Slice Pendant, drilled 
• Gray Druzy Crystal Pendant, drilled
• Burgundy Bicone Crystals, 30 [4mm]
• Beige Bicone Crystals, 30 [4mm]
• Faceted Champagne Drop Crystal Pendant [28 mm]
• Small Crystals, 2

The May box, as one Tweeter put it, made me "squeeee" with delight when I opened it! I love rocks, stones, and sparkles. Last time I was at my parents' home I cleaned out a small collection of rocks I had collected since childhood, and of course about a month ago I brought home a small pile from a beach. I can't help it!

Looking over the rest of the contents, I was really excited to experiment with the wire in this box! I see wire wrapped items all the time on Pinterest, and while I'm not really interested in doing the crazy intricate stuff, simple wire wrapping is fine. This guage of aluminum wire is a little too thin to do some of the ideas I'd tried, so I am not sure what to use it for now.

Overall, I loved this whole box, but I just wasn't wild about the chips because they're dull and scratched. I am guessing they're glass or plastic, but at any rate I've started a box of craft supplies for my nieces, and there are several strands of beads in there for them to create with!

My asymmetrical necklace made with the champagne tear drop stone, and wrapped with aluminum wire.

Blogging the depths of the abyss,
[a]

Awesome Pack: Big Kids April Box

I read the My Subscription Addiction newsletter every day--it's my morning ritual. There are several boxes that I've found out about and tried because of the site. McBoyfriend took a look at MSA and said there were no subscriptions on here for him, and I had to agree! He's an electrician who does yardwork, doesn't cook, is picky about his tools, prefers hoodies and t-shirts, and paints and plays miniature tabletop games. Finally, a box appeared that sounded perfect, and there was a lot of customization available. We both love board games, so  I was super excited to sign him up for the big kids box from Awesome Pack!

To McBoyfriend, I get a box every single day. Not really, but when Awesome Pack arrived with his name on it, he didn't even bother looking at it, and just threw it in the house and went off to do yardwork. It was really hard to keep this a secret, but when it arrived my cat was going nuts on the box, and he stood there and filmed it for a while, not even realizing it was his box. I got home and asked why it was on the floor unopened, so we opened it together. When he pulled everything out I realized Bella was going nuts because there were two cat toys for her =)

What I Won and What I Made

A bit late, but I was waiting to post this until I was happy with a piece, and even though I'm still on the fence I thought I would post anyway. My next Blueberry Cove Beads box should be coming this week hopefully!

Last month I found out I won the Blueberry Cove Bead box challenge! I got the March box for free, which was pretty exciting.

Darby Smart: Stone Pebble Terrarium Review

In January, I got back into my crafty pants, and started Pinning several cool ideas. I also perused My Subscription Addiction for cool crafty/DIY boxes. Darby Smart's site looked interesting, so I signed up [apparently with three different email addresses on three different days, because I apparently kept forgetting I'd signed up!]. The item I was most drawn to was the Stone Pebble Terrarium [$24 and currently sold out; you might not be able to see it anyway because you have to join the site to see anything].

Once this box came, I immediately got to work and set up my supply table. I did not like the boring white of the planter, so I purchased gold spray paint and a glossy clear coat.

Included in the box: Ceramic Vessel, Airplant, Stonewhite Gravel, Reindeer Moss.
My supplies: Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen, Thin Masking Tape, Sandpaper, Towel, Gold and Clear Coat Spray Paints.

Blueberry Cove Bead Box #3: Vintage Tea Party Review

Hello! I haven't posted in a while, despite my having composed posts in my head on several commutes home from work. At first I was a little disparaged that I hadn't physically typed anything up. But, the book I've been listening to, The Upside of Irrationality, had a good point--most blogs are written for and read by the writer and are seldom read by anyone else. Which, to me, means that it doesn't matter when I write because I'm writing for myself. =)

February wasn't too terribly busy--I started my second semester of grad school, and was only able to take one class as I had taken my other three required classes last semester and have to have all four finished to start in on the real classes. Taking one course is way less stressful! I now have time to make jewelry. Which is great because I have been spending excessive amounts of money on beads!

My newest bead source also happens to be a subscription box. I'm not even sure how I came across it earlier in February, but I am glad I did! Blueberry Cove Beads is a new monthly bead subscription box that sends out beads [loose and strung], findings, and pendants for $22 a month + $5 S&H. The box ships from Nova Scotia, Canada and I got my first one within a week. They also recently opened up the first [Woodland] and second [Art Deco] boxes for purchase for $30 [$25 + $5 S&H], and I had to get the Art Deco box.

The subscription box that arrived was a thin rectangular book-shaped piece containing a black silky bag with the Blueberry Cove logo etched on a wooden tag. I was very impressed by the presentation, and the info card [which I forgot to photograph] of several ladies sitting down to a tea party.

My Shopping Addiction...

Welcome! I just spent five minutes revamping my blog--which is a miracle for me. I won't go into again, but I wrote a class post lamenting the loss of Xanga, which allowed users so much freedom to edit their sites that I was immediately spoiled and haven't been blog-satisfied since.

Over the past week I've been crafting up a small storm! [see next post for what I made] In addition, I checked out some bead stitching books from the library for inspiration and lessons, received several packages in the mail, and of course did more shopping.

I'm a little addicted to shopping. But, after reading the first couple of chapters in Delivered from Distraction, I decided I'd rather be addicted to shopping than alcohol, drugs, or gambling. Though, I do have a drink a few nights a week and I sometimes buy scratch cards, thankfully I am not addicted. Back to the shopping... I'd like to show you some of the neat things.

• These bronze elephant clasps finally arrived from China, and I am super excited about putting them on my bracelets and necklaces as a fun little element. But they're stubborn to open and close, so, I will have to do a wee bit of sanding to make them suitable for others! I plan to eventually start selling some of the items I make. The last items I made were feather fascinators, and they just sat on Etsy month after month accruing fees and dust. I have more hope for my bracelets! [pictured later]

• While I do love Birchbox's website, customer service, and the variety of products they sell, I always felt a little disappointed by what I got in my box. Many months I would get hair products like dry shampoo [I can't comb my curls] or foil packets, perfumes from Harvey Prince [which I haven't liked yet], or another primer/lotion for my face that I added to the pile to swap with my sister. I ended up canceling after my January box, and after reviewing my products I had $10 to spend. Most of their items are pretty spendy, and for some reason their site just overwhelms me with products so I was super happy to find a body butter for $15, of which I paid $5. The site did not provide any description of the scents, but I liked the container and found the Camille Beckman website with descriptions. Amazingly, the No. 25 is a smell I approve of! [have I mentioned I am picky?] The smell is faint and lovely--sort of a baby powder, fruity... oh just read what the site says. 

• One of my shopping addictions is all the fault of Liz from My Subscription Addiction =) When I started working in an office this past summer, I mentioned subscription boxes to my male coworker who also has anxiety and ADHD in addition to his gambling/shopping problem. He immediately signed up for three boxes and hated all of them. I have to say, after subscribing to the MSA newsletter for six months, guy boxes and food boxes aren't great.
  Anyway, it has become my morning work ritual to get straight to work open up my MSA email and see what sort of neat boxes there are. Food, baby, clothing, exercise, pay-to-keep, and more makeup/sample boxes are of least interest to me. Conveniently, those also tend to be the more expensive boxes. This week I found [and subscribed to] the following boxes: 

• Little Lace Box--a lifestyle, home, product box. Not lingerie, as I had originally thought. It's $39.99, but there are several blogs that provide a coupon code for $10 off your first box. I am super excited for this one! January was The Dining Car [Downton Abbey themed], and I was pretty impressed by the contents of the box for the price. 
• Darby Smart Mystery DIY Kit--this box is $19/month. While some of the boxes look a little lame [the crocheted cotton ball scarf in particular], I was pretty impressed with the variety of kits the site sells as one-offs. I signed up for the monthly kit anyway, because why not? I also purchased some agate stones, but sadly I didn't realize they weren't pre-drilled so now I'll have to do something other than make a necklace. The other item I purchased was a DIY Terrarium Kit, which I'll post soon with other items I've made this week. 
• Blueberry Cove Beads--I think I am most excited about this box. Because I just got into jewelry making, and have been going into a bead-buying frenzy, I thought this would be a nice way to just get a box of curated beads and products every month. This box is $22 with $5 S&H, and ships from Nova Scotia. So far there have only been two boxes, and I was their 100th subscriber [yay!]. The boxes were Woodland Themed and Art Deco. Both of which I wish I had gotten! Hopefully she decides to sell old boxes, if there is product leftover, because I love both. I look forward to the challenges and inspiration this box will feed to my creativity.  
• Wantable--actually, I've had a subscription to Wantable for several months and I LOVE them! My box arrived this week so I'll post a picture of it soon. I just love their customer service, their Instagram pictures, the variety of items, and the ability to take the styling quizzes each month and change what sort of box or items you want to receive. While I don't always love the contents of my box, returns are free and then you can decide if you want to buy another box that month or wait till the next month. I usually do jewelry or intimates, though I did try makeup once and while I was impressed [and actually ended up winning their Photo Fridays contest] I already have a lot of makeup that I don't wear. 

That's all for now. I am supposed to be reading my ADHD book before I meet with my counselor tomorrow. I've had like two months to read five chapters, and not surprisingly I just cracked the cover yesterday. Don't get me wrong, I love to read, I just don't like non-fiction. Let me leave you with a bit that I was surprised to see people with ADHD commonly struggle with [I thought I just sucked at making and keeping friends]. It's been on my mind all day, and something I've struggled the most with my entire life. I've also provided a quote that my mom used to say about me:

• "Disadvantageous characteristics: ... Difficulty in reading social cues, which can lead to difficulty in making and keeping friends." [Hallowell, p 7] 
• "Hillie has friends; Aundie has books." [my mom talking about my sister and me--she didn't have anything to ground me from]

Blogging the depths of the abyss, 
[a]