Avon: Natural Scent Finder

Find your perfect body spray here! Smell the way you feel.

Avon: Fragrance Personality Quiz

Find your perfect fragrance! Then, order it from here!

How to Crochet: Basic Stitches Part 1

Hello again! Today is the second part of the How to Crochet class! We'll start with an instructional video and then I will go over each bit individually written out as well! So if you learn better by reading, then don't worry I have something here for you as well. Just a quick apology for the amount of cleavage in the video, my mother was filming over my shoulder and somehow didn't notice the angle she had down my shirt. (I was unable to coerce her into shooting it again)

Now onto the written part!

Vocabulary

• Slip Knot: A slip knot is the beginning of crocheting your project, though sometimes is changed out for a "magic circle" which will be detailed in another lesson. To perform a slip knot, using your non-dominant hand, palm facing towards your face, lay the tail end of the string across your hand. Then Wrap it around your index finger creating an x that faces you while your palm faces you. Turn your hand so that the two lines of string are facing you. Slip your hook under the first string, and snag the other with it. Pull it through. What you have created is a slip knot. Tighten it around your hook and you are ready to begin.
• Yarn Over: Yarn over is a fancy way of saying "get that string on your hook" 
• Chain (Ch): Many, but not all,  projects begin with a foundation row created with a chain. To make a chain take your hook with a slip knot around it, loop it around the string and pull it through. Do this until you have what looks like a braid with the number of braid segments that the instructions require.
• Slip Stitch (Sl St): A slip stitch is good for when you want to finish off a project, or make some form of decorative detail around the edges, as well as for when you are crocheting in the round. To perform a slip stitch turn your work (do not chain) slip your hook through the previous stitch, yarn over and pull it through the stitch as well as the loop you have on your hook. 
• Single Crochet (SC): The single crochet stitch is used a lot in amigurumi as well as other smaller project where not a lot of stretch is required. To perform a single crochet stitch chain one off of your previous row and turn your work. Then slip your hook through the previous stitch, yarn over, pull it through, yarn over again and pull that loop through the previous two loops. 
• Half Double Crochet (HDC): The half double crochet stitch is used a lot in projects where you want a slight bit more stretch in your work, or you're trying to get more area done than if you were using a single crochet stitch. To perform this stitch chain two off of your previous row, turn your work, yarn over, slip your hook through the previous stitch, yarn over, pull through (You should now have 3 loops on your hook) yarn over again and pull that loop through the three already on your hook. 
• Double Crochet (DC): This stitch is used when you want to make a lot of area quickly, or when you want to have a bit of stretch in your project. To perform this stitch chain three off of your previous row, turn your work, yarn over, slip your hook through the previous stitch, yarn over, pull it through (now it should look identical to an HDC) yarn over again and pull through just two loops on your hook. Which will leave you with two left. Yarn over again and pull through the last two. 
• Finishing off: To do this yarn over and pull through the loop left on your hook. Pull it tight to create a knot then cut the loop. 

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to leave a comment on this post and I will respond as soon as possible! Have a good day and practice until next week!

Discussion: Favorite Videogame

What is your favorite video game or video game series? What does a video game need for you to find it intriguing? Do graphics matter as much as gameplay? Discuss in the comments!

Azura's BJD Prompts #22: Confession Blogs

We've all seen them, and every time one goes down two pop up in its place. What are your feelings about Confession Blogs? Are they a good place to blow off some steam? Or do they cause more problems than they start?

Azura's BJD Prompts #21: Least Favorite Company

Which doll company is your least favorite? It could be because of the customer service they provide, the quality of the dolls, or even that they don't have sculpts that you like!

How to Crochet: Tools

Alright so you want to know how to crochet! I might be able to help with that.

This tutorial will be written in several different parts to make it more easy for you to learn, and for me to write them out.

This one is for tools!

Lets dive right in shall we?

I messed up my alphabet, pay no attention to the GFE...Imagine it backwards.

• A: A basic pair of scissors, you don't need anything fancy for cutting in crochet, all you'll be doing with these is cutting the ends of your projects. 
• B: Ergonomic Grip Crochet hooks, I suggest these for anyone who crochets a lot or someone who plans on doing large projects. Don't buy them if you're just going to crochet for just an hour at a time, or for learning. They get expensive at roughly $8 each.
• C: Aluminum Crochet Hooks, These are the cheapest ones that are worth using (please do not go get plastic crochet hooks, when you first start I know a lot of people have problems with tension, and they break very easily.) and are the best to learn on. You can find these in just about any craft store you come across.
• D: Steel Crochet Hooks, these typically only come in smaller sizes, from 3.25mm and lower as far as I've found. 
• E: Measuring Tape, You'll need this for measuring your work, you'll be questioning your gauge quite a bit, one of these will become invaluable very quickly.
• F: Stitch markers, These are for marking your stitch (great for when you have lots of rows to do, or your crocheting in the round and you need to know the first stitch in the round) they're also used for when you want to stop working on a project and come back to them later. 
• G: Darning Needles, These are blunt needles that have large eyes for you to feed yarn through, you use them to sew bits on or to weave in your ends. 

Now you won't need all this to start with, Most of this you'll need to get only after you begin projects, but when you do get all this stuff you'll need something to keep them in won't you? Why yes. Yes you will.

Now you'll find expensive crochet hook holders in stores, and they'll run you anywhere between 8 and 12 USD. Do not buy these unless you just really want to. I did and I regret wasting the money.

I now use something much cheaper, and much easier to replace should it break!

What is it? A standard, run of the mill pencil case. 

Thats right. A pencil case. Cost me less than a dollar.

Aint it pretty? Just a slightly transparent Pencil box.

Now then we come to yarn. There are tons of different types of yarns and they come in a variety of weights, colors, and materials.

Now I'll try to cut this down for you so that it'll be easier to understand.

First you'll find a few different ways that yarn is wrapped. There's the ball (I can show you how to make a ball with your hand in a later tutorial) a Skein and a hank. In the majority of craft stores and chains like walmart you'll find yarn in Skein's mostly.

In yarn specific shops you'll be likely to find it in hanks as well, which is basically the yarn in one large loop, folded in half, and wrapped round itself.

I typically put my yarn into balls after I've used a good deal of it to keep it from knotting when I'm not using it.

Weight: Every yarn has a weight, it goes from Lace, Fingering, DK, Sport, Worsted, Bulky and Super Bulky. Now the weight of the yarn is basically just the thickness of the yarn.

Look I did my ABC's backwards again.

A is a standard worsted weight acrylic yarn in a skein. You can find this brand at walmart, and is great for beginners.
B is a DK weight yarn, I've had it for a while and have since lost the label, so I'm not exactly sure what its made of. Its been put into a loose ball.
C is a fingering weight yarn and is wrapped in a ball as well.


Most patterns for beginners that you come across will be for Worsted weight yarn, which is the little 4 on the back of the label inside the picture of a skien.

You'll find yarn in more materials than I can count, from cotton to silk to acrylic to alpaca wool. What you use greatly depends on what kind of project you're doing and what level of softness, stretchiness and warmth you want.


Now. Thats a whole lot of stuff to know and think about, and if you're like me I got a little confused when I first heard all that.

What do you really need to start crocheting?

yes lovely blurry picture for everyone. Very sorry for the craptastic phone pictures I'll try to take some better ones for when I revise this tutorial later.

All you really need to start is some cheap acrylic worsted weight yarn (remember size 4 on the label), a 6mm aluminum crochet hook (its easier to use a slightly larger hook when you begin, your tension will be tight, everyone's is so don't worry. Mine still comes out tight pretty often). and a pair of scissors. Thats all you need to start learning crochet.

So go get your materials, they shouldn't cost you more than $10 usd and you should be able to find them all at walmart if you don't want to get lost in a craft store.

 I'll see you next week with a tutorial on basic stitches.

Fairy Pages

Below is the first chapter of my novel "Fairy Pages" I hope you enjoy reading it! I have a ton more I need to edit but if you enjoy it, and would like to read more I'll be posting where you can buy a published version when I finish it! (You can always send me an email if you'd like and I would be more than happy to send you an update when its finished!)

Fairy Pages is a Young Adult fantasy novel, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1

Seraphina woke with a start. Loud knocks, hard enough to shake the door violently in its jam, sounded from her front door. She glanced at the clock, her heart beat wildly as she registered the time, 5:30 am. Who could possibly be trying to wake her up so early in the morning?

            She grabbed a terrycloth robe from the floor and slung it onto herself before she rushed to the door with her heart in her throat and chest tightened in fright.  Whatever it was, whoever it was, had to be important. There was no other reason for someone to wake her up this early. As she reached the door a final loud knock resonated through her home, and then they stopped all together. She looked through the small peephole to see who had caused the commotion and found no one.

            She took a steadying breath, and then another before she opened the door slowly and peeked outside, no one. Just a lone parcel on her doorstep wrapped in a caramel colored suede. She bent down, and hugged her robe tightly around herself before she lifted the heavy parcel and brought it inside.

            Seraphina sat at her small two person dining room table, allowed her heart rate to slow to a more sustainable pace, and opened the fabric carefully. A book lay nestled inside. She tapped her fingernail on the cover of the large seemingly ancient tome and wondered who would leave it like that, with violent knocks and nothing more. She carefully opened it and examined the pages, they looked like they were made of papyrus and the binding resembled large thin gemstones the color of topaz. She vaguely remembered that she studied the paper-like material in art during high school. The words seemed to almost dance across the page in a curled script; written in a language she couldn't readily identify. The longer she looked, the more the words started to make sense. The title clicked into place after a moment Tome of the Fae.

Seraphina frowned at it, it was much too early in the morning to even attempt to understand strange books that showed up in the middle of the night. Especially when they only had a short note attached. The note wasn't much help either, it simply said "Please look this over and come to see me when you're comfortable." and a name written in an elegant script, Rhiannon.

Seraphina grumbled irritably and pushed her too long bangs out of her eyes before she slammed the heavy book shut with a loud thud. She would look at it more after she had a long shower, ate some breakfast and had a cup of coffee with at least two shots of expresso. In other words, she'd examine it more at work. Sera slouched into her bedroom to get ready for another dull day at her tea shop. Her parents left it to her when they passed away a little over a year ago. She had planned on going to school for business so that she could run the place more efficiently when she eventually did inherit it; but that was out of the question now.

Business wasn't bad, it was just a slow job. She had to grind herbs and dried fruits into fragrant blends to sell; or brew tea or coffee for customers who wanted to sit in the store and relax and enjoy a hot beverage of their choice. That was the basic function of the business, though she always had something else to do, paperwork, count the drawer, run the numbers, order more stock, and advertise to name a few. She did everything there now, and she wished her parents were still there to help, or at least teach her how to do those tasks.

Seraphina sighed softly, she should put out an ad to hire some help, but training someone on the subtle nuances of brewing tea, or creating a blend, or even brewing the different coffees would take more time and energy than she had right now. She picked up her purse, covered the book in the soft suede sleeve it had arrived in, and shoved it inside. Sera grabbed a muffin, and shut off the lights before leaving home to head for the store. She didn’t notice the oddly shaped hooded figure that stood at the end of the hall, or the pair of red eyes that stared at her from the darkness beneath the hood.

She jogged down the sidewalk and stuffed her face with the banana nut muffin she snatched on her way out. She stopped only a few blocks down from her apartment at a small storefront. Sera patted her pockets and checked the compartments of her purse before she pulled out a small key and unlocked the door to go inside.

She did her morning routine, turn on the lights, put money in the cash register, and turn the sign to ‘Open’ in the door. Then she turned on the electric kettle and picked which coffee blend to brew for her first cup of the day. Seraphina stifled a yawn, chose a dark roast that smelled heavenly, and ground it finely. The bell above the door jingled softly as she added the coffee grounds into a small French Press and poured steaming water, heated to exactly 200° F, into it as well.

 "Good morning, how can I help you?" She tried her best to sound pleasant, it was a little too early and she still hadn’t had her coffee yet.

"Seraphina Cyders?" A deep rumble emanated from a large man who stood in the doorway, nearly unable to squeeze himself inside at all.

"Hm?" She turned to look, the man was a dark gray mass, a hoodie stretched tight across his bulky form. His eyes were completely shadowed by the hood and she could barely make out the stony features of his face.

"That's me, can I get you anything?" She reiterated her question, and hoped he wasn't a robber. This side of town wasn't particularly dangerous, and she had never had anyone attempt to rob her before; but he looked so suspicious she couldn't help but be a little fearful of the possibility, and the events of the morning still had her rattled.

"Yeah" He pulled his hood off once he stepped inside the store fully and ruffled his shaggy brown hair. "I wanted to come talk to you about that book you got."

It felt like a rock dropped into her stomach when he mentioned the book. How could he even know about it? Had he been the one who pounded on her door this morning? Was he here to steal it?

"What about it?" She ventured carefully.

"The Queen wanted to be sure that you knew what page to use if you got into trouble while you had it and I forgot to tell you when I dropped it off." He rumbled as he spoke and looked a little embarrassed that he had forgotten.

Relief tinted with a bit of annoyance rushed through her, he wasn't attempting to rob her after all, but he had been the one to wake her up at that ungodly hour. She took a closer look at him, he seemed gentle enough, though his rough gray complexion made him look almost sickly, and his height easily dominated Seraphina’s which was intimidating enough. She was only 5’ tall, and this man was at least 6 ½’.

"Maybe you can tell me a little about it?" Sera asked as she pushed the water through the grounds in the press, and filled the mug below with steaming black liquid.

A smile crossed his face, "Yeah I can tell you whatever you want to know, well, as long as I know it. The Queen is fairly secretive about what’s in that book, so I only know a little bit." He said pleasantly as he sat at the counter and looked intently at her freshly brewed cup of coffee. "You were making coffee? Would you mind if I had a cup as well? I've been up since yesterday morning trying to get that parcel to you and I haven't slept at all."

Seraphina nodded and muttered a "Sure thing" before she repeated her earlier task, and made a second cup for him as well. She asked him how many sugars and how much cream before she slid the white porcelain mug down the bar to him and sat down on her stool next to the cash register.

“So what is this book exactly?” She ventured as she sipped her coffee slowly, and enjoyed the aroma and the excess of sugar she always added to everything she made for herself.

"The Queen said it’s been passed down for generations, every generation adds a little more to it. Basically, it’s a spell book, but it has the history of the Seelie court written inside as well, since the last Great War as far as I understand it." He replied and clasped the cup in both hands, he seemed as though he was attempting to absorb the warmth from the mug. He sipped his coffee slowly and made a soft sound in the back of his throat as if it was the first good thing he had in days.

"Right. Spell book. Seelie court. Got it." Seraphina sipped her cup and was generally unconvinced. He may not plan to hurt her but it seemed like he was from some sort of wacked out cult or something. This Queen Lady had to be off her rocker, what was a Seelie anyway?

"You sound like you don't believe me." He concluded and the corners of his mouth twitched down into a frown. He acted as if it were the most believable story in the world, why wouldn't she believe him after all?

"Okay, well, why would she send the book to me anyway? If it’s been passed down for generations it has no business going to some random person. Secondly how am I supposed to believe it’s a spell book? Honestly the entire concept of magic is silly. It’s nice to think it might exist but everyone knows it doesn't and you may as well not even pretend. Thirdly what the hell is a Seelie court?" Seraphina asked grumpily and tried to humor him. She took a long sip from her cup, she had come off meaner than she meant, but it was early, and this was too strange for her to take in all at once.

He nodded a bit absently as he thought about what she said. "She didn't send it to a random person, she sent it specifically to you. I can't pretend to know the Queen's motives behind it, but she knew who you were, and where you lived. The spell book part can be easily figured out if you were to read one of the spells, I'm sure you'd find it worked and it wouldn't need any further explanation. The last question, The Seelie court is a faction of the fae, the fairies. They generally preside over the light and are more peaceful than the unseelie court. They play just as many practical jokes though." He responded, and took a drink of his own coffee. He sounded annoyed about the practical jokes as though he was often being tricked.

"So the fairy queen wanted me to have a magic book?" Just saying it sounded weird.

"That’s right, but really, you should try a spell. I’d go with a small one at first though. Ah...what page did she say to read again?" He sipped his coffee in silence for a moment before he nodded to himself, "Right! Right page 47. It’s a spell for fairy lights."

What was there to lose from reading a passage out of this book anyway? Besides, after she read it and he saw that nothing happened, he'd probably drop the fairy tale. At worst she’d look a little silly as he had a good laugh about how she fell for his little joke. Seraphina pulled the book from her purse and laid it out on the table after removing the sleeve. She flipped the heavy cover open and turned the pages to the one he mentioned, she stared for several seconds before the words clicked together, and read the passage aloud. As she read a small orb of multi colored light started to build before her, it became larger and brighter with every word she spoke. Her jaw dropped open as she finished the passage and stared at the swirling ball of light that hovered in the middle of her store. This was impossible.

Maybe he broke in while she slept and rigged something up to make this happen. She reached to touch it and her hand pushed into the ball of light with little resistance. The inside felt warm, and it tickled her fingers slightly, but it had no substance. It was just as if it were thick concentrated warm air around her fingers that just happened to glow brightly.

She dropped her hand and stared awestruck at the man. This was way too strange to be real. She was normal and her life was, for the most part, ordinary.  Her parents had adopted her when she was a baby, but they’d raised her as though she was their own. She’d gone to a regular elementary school, middle school and high school. She’d been picked on for being chubby in middle school, she ate way too many sweets, and she had generally learned her lesson, she cut down and lost enough weight to be accepted by the other children.  She was allergic to penicillin and she wasn’t very tidy. She couldn’t be more ordinary if she tried. Nothing supernatural had ever happened to her before this moment. She hadn’t even seen a ghost! How in all these years had this magic not shown up? Why didn’t it come to her aid to avenge her when the kids teased her? Or stop the swelling when she went into anaphylactic shock? Or help her magically lose weight? Or even clean her room when she needed to?

"Believe me now?" He had a smug look on his face, after how she had questioned him there was no way she would have just gone with it after it happened. She was accepted it better than he thought she would though, he had been afraid there would be screaming involved, and he was quite thankful that there wasn't.

"Yeah. Yeah I believe you now." How could she not? Even though it didn’t make sense the proof was there. The light had been made and there was no way to deny it.

"Good. Well I've told you all I really know about the book. The Queen wanted you to read page 621 after you'd studied it on your own for a while, she said to take your time and to read that page when you were ready to come see her. She also said that if something were to happen that made you feel like your life was in danger, to be sure to read that page immediately." He said slowly as he wrote the page number down on a napkin, stood up and put his hood back over his head.

"I'll be going, thanks for the coffee." He slapped a bill on the bar before he stepped out the door and closed it behind himself with a soft jingle from the bell above.

Seraphina sank back down onto her stool and rubbed her forehead. It was way too early for this, and she had information overload. Thoughts flew around her head a mile a minute, they screamed things like fairy, magic, spell book and most persistently “why?”. She picked the napkin he wrote the page number on and sat it next to the register. It wouldn't do to forget it and something actually happen, she couldn't imagine what could happen, but after the morning she had it could very well be anything. Goblins could drop out of the sky on her or something.

She chugged the rest of her coffee, the liquid scalded her throat and snapped her out of her mild panic a bit. She took several deep breaths. She'd look over the book, of course she would. Would she ever visit the Fairy Queen? She didn't know. She supposed she would have to eventually to at least return the book, besides that she had a million and a half questions exploding in her head every second.

She opened the book and settled in to read, there didn't seem to be much order to the book, one page would be something the writer thought was historic written in it, and the next would be a spell that changed your hair color. She read for a while before happening upon a funny factoid, the book was written in welsh. The passage said that the fairies had thought it would be hilarious to teach a small group of humans the fae language, they laughed at the humans when they stumbled over the abnormal amount of consonants in the language, plus they found people who visited them to be generally confused. Well he did say the Fae were tricksters.

An hour or so passed in general silence, regular customers would come in for a moment, buy a small bag of tea and leave, or they'd come in for a cup to go. Then the bell rang and it was another unfamiliar face.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" Seraphina mustered up the most convincing smile she had as she spoke, it had been a tough morning after all and she didn't generally feel like there was any reason to smile about any of it.

The woman standing before her had beautiful strawberry blonde hair, cut short to her head. Her eyes the brightest red Seraphina had ever seen, they had to be contacts.

"Hey are you Seraphina?" She smiled as she walked over gracefully.

It wasn't unusual for someone to great her by name when she didn't recognize them, people referred others to her all the time after all. "Yeah that’s me. How can I help you?"

"You have something I need." Her smile turned cruel and she began to mutter under her breath.

That was unusual Seraphina acknowledged, and picked up the book and started to move away from the young woman. She watched her as she grew taller, and her head bumped the ceiling. Her face remained the same but wings exploded from her back as the rest of her transformed. Her hair turned to short feathers that framed her face, and her nails grew into talons.

In her panic Seraphina barely identified her as something she'd seen in a movie years ago, a harpy maybe? She ran into the back room, slammed the door behind herself and shoved boxes against the door, she hoped it would slow the woman- no the harpy down.  

The sound of claws as they bit through the wooden door echoed within the small supply room. What page had he said to read if she was in trouble? She was in trouble now. There was nothing safe about how the harpy's talons ripped through the wood on the other side of the door. She slapped her palm against her forehead and urged herself to remember the page number. It hadn’t been but an hour or so ago, it was still in there, she knew it. She just had to think. She had to concentrate. She had to try to block out the sound the wooden door as it splintered.

Finally she remembered the number as a talon burst through the center of the door and splinters rained down on her. She turned to the page and read it as quickly as she could, the words needed no time at all to click in to place as she panicked. As she read the supply closet began to get hazy, and she reached the last paragraph the harpy was upon her, she struck out and sliced into her arm in an attempt to grab her as she disappeared. 

Azura's BJD Prompts #20: Crafting

Do you make things for your dolls? Like props, furniture, clothes or wigs? How do you do it?

Can't wait to hear what everyone does! Personally I sew faux fur wigs for my dolls, and various crochet accessories ^_^

Azura's BJD Prompts #19: Characters

Is your doll an original character? How did you come up with them? Did their character come before or after you bought the doll? Tell us about your character!

Respond in the comments!

Azura's BJD Prompts #18: Displays!

How do you display your dolls? Do you have a special shelf? Or do they sit different places in your room to keep you company? Or do you prefer to keep them in their boxes? 

Let us know!

Azura's BJD Prompts #17: Favorite Doll

Who's your favorite doll and why?

Azura's BJD Prompts #16: Choosing a Sculpt

When choosing a Doll, what do you look for in a face? What catches your eye first? What makes you love them?

Comment below with your responses! (and be sure to check out our sponsors)

Azura's BJD Prompts #15: Secondhand

Many people prefer to buy second hand dolls because the wait isn't quite as long and its cheaper. Others are wary of it in fear of recasts or scalpers. What is your stance on the subject? Do you have any suggestions for newbies wanting to buy second hand?

Azura's BJD Prompts #14: Box Openings!

When you receive a new doll do you record a box opening video? Do you do box opening photos? Why do you do it? If you don't, tell us why not! 

Azura's BJD Prompts #13: Photostories

Do you make photostories of your dolls? If you do why? If you enjoy seeing them tell us about your favorite one. If you don't like them tell us why!

Tell us in the comment section!

Azura's BJD Prompts #12: Clothing

Do you make your own? Or do you buy from someplace else? If you buy them where do you buy most of your clothes from?

Tell us in the comment section!

Azura's BJD Prompts #11: Gifts

What are your feelings of giving a doll as a gift? Or getting one? How about props or clothing? 

Tell us in the comment section!

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart is the book we'll be reviewing this week! Feel free to read along if you like or drop a few questions about the book in the comment section!

Azura's BJD Prompts #10: On Location

A great deal of hobbyists enjoy photographing their dolls. If you do where is your favorite photography location? Do you have a room box? Or do you prefer to take your dolls outside? 

Tell us all about it in the comment section!

Book Reviews by a Dyslexic Writer

Here's the first video! Click this link to vote for the book you'd like to see reviewed. Once its been decided I'll post the results here and you can ask questions about the book! I look forward to it! Also please excuse my awkwardness I've never been recorded like this before....

Azura's BJD Prompts #9: Faceups

Do you prefer to keep the company one, do your own or pay someone else to do them? If you do your own whats one tip you'd like to share for others who may want to do their own as well? If you pay someone else to do yours, who do you commission and why are they at the top of your list?

Comment with your response!