1) Butterfly Artworks (from Visions of Eden) Necklace - A gift, this necklace is reversible, one side is green and the other is orange. It's made with silver and real butterfly wings that are collected in the rainforest after the butterflies die naturally. Very interesting handmade piece that really makes use of color and texture while keeping it all enclosed in the small wing shape.
2) Equal Exchange Black Tea - I mentioned Equal Exchange's English Breakfast before, but I think I like this one more. There isn't any mention on the boxes on what different tea (or tea blends) make up these two varieties; this one just seems more flavorful to me. While I still want to find a good loose tea for sale somewhere around here, I'm really enjoying this one.
3) Fingerless Gloves - These are from North Bend Studio in Old Town Cottonwood. Old Town has really built itself back up in the last decade or two. Now it's home to several restaurants, wine tasting rooms
4) Lacey Sturm's Life Screams - Lacey is, of course, the former lead singer of Flyleaf; I love Flyleaf's sound and I also really like Lacey's style of singing. So while Flyleaf put out a good album with their new singer, I was glad to now also get a solo album from Lacey. It has that same style of singing and that same focus on theme we're familiar with. "Impossible" really makes you think of life in a new way, and the title track "Life Screams" is probably one of my favorites. "The Soldier" is good, too. "Rot" is a compelling picture and message. "You're Not Alone" and "Feels Like Forever" have a good sound (I like the way Lacey puts together lyrics). And "Faith" is very sweet. Somehow "Run to You" already feels so familiar, like something I already knew somehow. This album is sort of a combination of Flyleaf and Memento Mori, with something simultaneously more casual/everyday and more deeply thematic (if those are the right phrases).
5) Sweater Comb - A little late in the season to be talking about this one maybe, but hey, you can always clean your sweaters up before putting them away for the summer. I don't see these for sale much (I got mine at JoAnn's Fabric) but they seem like something that everyone needs. When a sweater starts to get balls on the material, you just gently brush the comb over it and all of that comes off again. A sweater should last a long time, so this little comb lets you keep them looking new.
6) Feather Duster - Another random, housekeeping item. I was getting tired of those bright-colored (usually), ugly, synthetic dusters that look dirty and scary right away. So I thought that if feather dusters are still for sale, then maybe they do work. And I'm really happy with it. It dusts well, and the feathers easily reach into in-between spaces and make it easier to dust over more delicate items. And if it wears out and I need a new one, then the use of feathers is a natural, non-synthetic source. You don't get to see a picture of it because I've just realized that feather dusters look weird in pictures, and everyone already knows what they look like, anyway.
7) Bracelets - Since we've had this early Spring here, I've been wearing short sleeves sometimes during the day, which means it's been time to bring out the bracelets again already. Here are some beaded bracelets and some made with stones.
8) Gardening - February means time to start putting seeds in. Last year, I was able to grow a few carrots that I planed in mid-February, so I'm trying again this year. I also put in some herbs and greens and a couple other things. There's something so delighting in turning soil and putting in seeds and then seeing plants start to grow.
9) Republic of Tea Infuser - I should have taken a picture of this one while it was still in the packaging. Since my World Market tea mug infuser (the ceramic cups that have a ceramic infuser that fits into them) always breaks and also has such small holes that certain kinds of loose tea still easily fall through, I got this one, instead. It's meant to fit into any mug that you already have, but I'm using it a little differently because I don't want my tea sitting in metal for so long. I pour hot water into one cup where I have loose tea just thrown in. Then I hold the metal infuser over a separate cup and pour the water in and put away the infuser. Kind of weird, maybe, but it seems like the best way to me so far.
10) Vests and Other Short-Sleeved or Sleeveless Top Shirts - Given that the weather has been so warm lately and yet it's only February, I'm trying to wear clothing that I can't wear when it's either too warm or too cold. Vests are too hot in summer, for instance. And there are certain things that I like to layer with but that don't really provide any warmth when the weather's cool. So just random things like that I'm trying to wear right now while I can. Now what I haven't done is wear a vest with my new fingerless gloves--like Connor Temple in Primeval. I used to actively try and dress like Connor, and sometimes like Helen or Jess or Abby, too. (I need to watch Primeval again.)
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