Celebrate your love of tea while you countdown to the Winter Solstice! Each night includes a different tea from a handmade, small business and at least one tea-related goodie and accessory! Go from a journey of Summer's remembrance to the heart of Winter and the hope for Spring, featuring my own handmade creations, alongside other handmade, small businesses including The Enchanted Wren, EKP Creations, and Kelli's Crafts NV.

Countdown starting from the bag marked 1, starting on December 13th and continue opening one bag a night through December 21st, just in time to celebrate Yule in witchy style with plenty of tea and tea-related surprises!

Available in my Etsy Shop here: www.etsy.com/listing/978488377/witchs-tea-lovers-winter-solstice

One of the small, handmade businesses that make phenomenal tea blends that I love is The Enchanted Wren! I have tried all five of the tea blends she currently has available, and here are just some of the suggested pairings with my scented mug huggers!

Each of the tea blends come in adorable and reusable 4oz. mason jar (I mean, c'mon, the jar, right?) and there's even tea sets, too!

Both of our shops are on Etsy, making it easier to shop, and you can also purchase all at once, as well!

"...special herbal tea blend called Deep Woods, mixture of pine, orange peel, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, black peppercorn."

• Dragon's Blood Scented Blue Speckled Night Sky
• Pine Scented Green Man
• Apple Oak Scented Green Acorns (Warm maple scent)
• Winter Cheer Scented Turquoise Coral Jewelry (vanilla, orange, clove, cinnamon, cranberry)
• Orange Clove Scented Brick Floral
• Cinnamon Scented Witch's Brooms

"...special blend called Rose-Colored Glasses, a mixture of rose petals, hibiscus flowers, and rosehips."

• Rose Scented Pink Paisley
  
• Lavender Scented Vintage Floral
  
• Vanilla Spice Scented Witchy
  
• Chocolate Scented Halloween Stripe
  
• Apple Scented Green Bats
  
• Sage Scented Celtic Spiral 
  

"...special herbal tea blend called Sunshine, a mixture of sunflower petals, calendula, oat straw, elder flower, lemon balm."

• Lemon Scented Orange and Yellow Planets
• Winter Cheer Scented Teacher Chalkboard (vanilla, orange, clove, cinnamon, cranberry)
• Orange Clove Scented Holiday Greetings
• Lavender Scented Vintage Purple Flowers

"...special blend called Casting the Circle, a mixture of blackberries, rosemary, blackberry leaves, and black tea."

• Bergamot Scented Star Trek
  
• Icing Scented Sparkly Purple Fairies
  
• Sage Scented Pentacles
  
• Vanilla Spice Scented Witchy
  

My scented mug huggers, scented bookmarks, and ornaments are now available at the local Burbank gaming and tea shop, Geeky Teas! Now, when you stop in for your favorite loose leaf tea, also pick up a mug hugger to go with it! Here are just some of the suggested pairings...

Bergamot Scented Star Trek Mug Hugger with Earl Gray Hot

Chocolate scented Star Wars Mug Hugger with Chalman's Canteana

Dragon's Blood scented Wizard's Bookshelf Mug Hugger with Smaug's Breath

Vanilla Spice scented Quidditch Mug Hugger with Weasley Tea

Icing Scented Superman Comics Mug Hugger with Oliver Green

Vanilla Spice scented Witchy Things Mug Hugger with Pumpkin King Tea

Lemon Scented Pentagram Mug Hugger with Slayer's Blood Orange

Lavender scented Sparkly Night Sky Mug Hugger with Blueberry Sky

Icing scented Orange and Blue Planets Mug Hugger with This Cake Is A Lie

All of my fairy doors, fairy houses, fairy dolls, scented bookmarks, dryer balls, and other magical creations are available in my etsy shop! Click on the images to learn more about each one!

Motherhood does not always smell great, and among the many benefits of motherhood, moms deal with a lot. This Mother's Day, give your mom a magical gift that not only smells great and looks pretty, but also can aid her in her everyday magic, as well as offer some rejuvenation of that magic. Not sure which scent is best for mom? Here's a great guide to help decide!

Rosemary
Rosemary is great for reducing stress and tension. For those moments a back rub is just not possible and booking a day at the spa  is not feasible, a whiff of rosemary can elevate mood, soothe those tense muscles, and help in a stressful moment. There's so much for mom's to remember, this is a great aid for memory. It enhances concentration and increases retention. Plus, the refreshing smell can cut through dirty diapers and a sink full of dishes!

Cinnamon
Much like Rosemary, cinnamon is great for boosting moods, relieving tension, a great memory tool, and aids in those smellier moments. It can also increase attention span, offer relief from menstruation cramps and discomfort, reduce headaches, and is used as a mosquito repellent.

Coffee
Coffee is great for rejuvenating! On those busy days or for the mom on the go, just the smell of coffee is a great way to gain all the benefits of caffeine without having to drink a cup. While it can give you that needed pick-me-up, it is also can be calming and de-stressing.

Chocolate
Much like coffee, chocolate is a pick-me-up, while relaxing and de-stressing.For those moms who are looking to stave a craving, but wish to cut back on the sugar and candy, just the smell of chocolate can also boost memory and energy for those busy-scheduled days, while elevating mood for those difficult and frustrating moments.

Mint
Mint improves memory, raises alertness, relieves and eases stomach aches and headaches, provides comfort, energizes, manages stress, fights mental fatigue, and is an insect repellant.

Lemon
Lemon shares many of the same benefits of mint, while also providing a refreshing and clean aroma that can overtake the green clouds that moms can often find from the infant's dirty diaper to a teenager's room.

Lavender/Rose
Lavender is a symbol of devotion and rose is a symbol for love. While these scents symbolize all a mother gives to her children, these scents can also give back to moms. Lavender is a scent people either love or hate. Therefore, if mom is not a fan of lavender, rose is a great alternative to receiving the same benefits. These two scents relieve stress, relax body and mind, fight anxiety, can help reduce mild pain, relieve headaches, and fight insomnia.

When you are a child, you are handed down a lot of different things from your family. You have your name. Some idiosyncrasies you pick up along the way. You have the physical gifts and keepsakes. You also are given references, and by that I don’t necessarily mean what you would put on a job application. I mean, culture, whether it is the classics or more modern day pop culture. I mean, things they loved that they shared with you that you now have grown to love.

Growing up, if my family wasn’t randomly breaking out into song (because, yes, my life is and has always been a musical), we were tossing references back and forth. Close to every sentence has at least one reference, some so obscure those eavesdropping would have thought we were speaking a foreign language. This is probably why my newest book, Society’s Foundlings, is riddled with random references.

In the acknowledgements of my book I thank and tip my hat to a few of the people who have given me the building blocks of my reference palace, including by brother, Ben, my mother, Barb, and one of my best friends, Alyse. Someone who I failed to mention, though, was my Grandmother. And she is someone who deserves mentioning.

Anyone who knows about my Acorn Tops business knows well about my Grandmom’s influence and inspiration. One of the gifts she gave me, a picture, is now my logo and how I got the idea to carve fairy doors. She has also inspired products from my business, such as my collaboration with Seeds of Inspiration, the Seeds of Remembrance Rosemary Scented Fairy Pillows!

Though, she passed away when I was very young, she has given me a lot. She has added to my love of reading. I have her Anne of Green Gables books, the ones with her name written in them. I have her Anne of Green Gables doll. I order Eggs Benedict whenever I can for breakfast and orange cream ice cream at the boardwalk and the beach, just like she did. I share a name with her and am named after the same strong and incredible woman, she is named for. And, most relevant to this post, I share a love of Harvey, the movie about the 6ft 3.5in tall pooka. I even dressed up one year for Halloween as El Wood P. Dowd, with a hat that had slots cut in it for rabbit ears and business cards with one number crossed out (call me at this number, not at this number).

In Society’s Foundlings, the reference appears when three of the characters are gathered around the television. One, sitting upside down on the couch, offers non-stop commentary while they watch and another is showing off his knowledge of every movie ever made. It’s a very minuscule part, one that could easily be missed and would not even be worth mentioning, if not for the personal significance, and not necessarily my own.

A book, a movie, a song, a television show- they have memories tied to them. You see them, you hear them, and they make you pause for a moment with a small nostalgic smile. Because you remember that person it reminds you of, who first showed it to you, who watched it, read it, sang it with you. You remember that moment it’s associated with, like a photo album you don’t have to pull out of the top shelf of a closet. And you remember how it made you feel. The way it spoke to you.

John Green (yes I am referencing him once more), did a whole vlog about Harvey. As he says, “All I know is I woke up the morning after watching Harvey feeling a little bit better and in all the years since, I have never felt quite as hopeless as I did before I watched Harvey.”

If you haven’t watched Harvey, I suggest you do. It’s a life changer for sure. And maybe when you’re reading Society’s Foundlings and you come to the part where they are watching it, you will pause for a moment and smile.

Another great event, the last one for the year! It’s ending on a good note, which makes me happy. There are definitely exciting things to look forward to in the new year (for both you and me), but before the year is over, there is still plenty of time to buy online. If you couldn’t make it to my last event, here is some of what you missed.

Handmade in South Bay puts on two shows annually, our holiday boutique (this last event), and our Spring Boutique in April (one of the exciting things to look forward to… honey, you’ll be buzzing about this event)! This was our second holiday boutique and it was pretty darn good, if I may say so myself. 50+ handmade vendors, including the always fantastic DJ Ozzie, 6 very professional young entrepreneurs that will be back for Spring (YAY! Really, these guys are the bomb!) and 5 incredible local artists in our artist alley (I really hope they come back for the spring!)

I talk a lot about what makes a good event, often saying it’s not just the monetary element of it. The customers really made this event, even the ones not buying from me. It was the kids especially. Santa handed out free ornament kits and this one little boy in a batman shirt was so happy about his gingerbread man ornament kit. He would not let it go and he kept walking up to my booth and just showing it to me.

By far, the very best moment of the show came from the little girl in the booth next to mine. She kept coming over to look at my fairy bottles. When the little girl walked away for a little while, her mother came over and bought the fairy bottle as a surprise. At the end of the show, when we were packing up, the mother told me the little girl was all upset when she came back. Her exact words were, “The. Fairy. Bottle. Is. Gone!” Her mother kept telling her it was okay and it would all work out, but she was still very upset. Finally, her mother just told her to look in the bag. She is very happy with her new fairy bottle!

Between that and the money I raised for my two charities, TSWGO and V-Day, it was worth it, regardless of my wallet when I come home.

I am my grandmother’s granddaughter in a lot of ways. I share her tendency to worry; the ever constant “what will people think.” I share her love of Lucy Maud Montgomery and Anne Shirley. That’s Anne with an E. I also share her love of autumn. She passed away when I was six, but I don’t think there’s a day that goes by where I don’t think of her. It’s happening a lot more than usual now because autumn was her favorite time of year. Now more than ever, my mom and I will exchange looks and ask each other, “You know who would love that?” Just this morning it was the collaborative gift box sets with Seeds of Inspiration, Jessie’s Custom Greetings, and DPR Collectibles.

I keep joking that if she was still around today, we’d never have to actually buy her anything. All these seasonal product we make, be it a mug hugger or fairy door would be the perfect gifts. And I bet she’d get a kick out of it being handmade. I could see it now. Scented acorns and pumpkins at the center of her dining room table. An autumn fairy house tucked away in her perfectly square garden of perfectly straight lined zinnias.

As I type this, I’m putting the finishing touches on an autumn fairy doll. I can’t help thinking of it as ‘Grandmom’s Fairy Doll.’ If she were still alive today, this doll would be hers.

“I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” And I am so glad I had a grandmother who could pass that love on to me.

Originally posted on Acorn Tops tumble: On Fairy Wings and Acorn Hats

It’s funny the things you remember. Chocolate Chip Cookies, for one. When Seeds of Inspiration makes those Chocolate Chip Cookie Mug Huggers, one whiff of it sends me right back to being six years old and hugging my Pop-Pop, the original cookie monster.

Maybe it’s my business, using his carving tools almost every day, and making miniatures like he did, that has him constantly on my mind. I’ve been thinking about him a lot. So, when I needed inspiration for another fairy house, I remembered Seeds of Inspiration’s Plaid Neck Wraps at our April Showers event for “Men in Showers.” And how the first thought that came to mind was that would’ve been something I bought for him, because he always wore plaid shirts.

He also had a vegetable garden. And there is one story we love to tell. He planted these pepper seeds and when they grew he thought it was a banana pepper. It’s the first pepper of the season and he takes this big bite out of it and starts to scream. It’s the only time my mother heard him shout an expletive! It turns out it was a hot pepper.

So, this was made for my Pop-Pop. And I’d like to think he would have tucked it under his pepper plants.