Thursday, November 16, 2017

Witchin' in the Kitchen! Magick and Macabre





Almost as soon as I hit "publish" on my last post Magick and Macabre's Wicked Witch Subscription box showed up on my doorstep.  I always sort of hate people who jump to post unboxing videos because, depending on where you live, there may be a lag in delivery time.  And spoilers are almost always a bummer.  So I waited until I was certain that those who ordered this box had it in their witchy little mitts because I don't really write this for the "initiated," if you will, but for those who might be on the fence about ordering certain boxes or for those who are just interested in new stuff that they might not have heard of.

Last month was their Samhain themed box, which was mostly worthwhile for the mini cauldron, but honestly I wasn't super stoked about most of the rest.  I felt like it fell somewhere between for those who are really just beginning in any sort of witchcraft and is super pumped to do any and every spell, and for those who who just like to dabble.  Because I'm neither a neither of those, nor am I a ritual Pagan, or even someone who has a dedicated altar, this box just didn't hit the bullseye dead on.  But the minute you whisper the words "Kitchen Witch" I'm almost certainly sold.  I'm not a girl who frequently feels the need to pull out all the stops and go whole hog in magic, but I am a girl who has a few tricks up her sleeve when I'm in the kitchen, garden, or bathtub.  Are there cups of vinegar in my freezer...for reasons?  Maybe.








I am a sucker for Halloween and witchy-themed pot holders, and this fits the bill perfectly!  I love when folks have the good sense to save Halloween stuff to give me later in the off season, and while I know that it wasn't picked specifically for me, it felt like it was.  When I got my own home for my son and I, and later Bob and LeeLee, one of the first things I picked up to sort of make the place my own was a little sign that says "Home of The Wicked Witch and Her Little Monsters."  This would wind up being my favorite thing in the box because it felt...special.  It brought back good memories.








Another item that hit home perfectly was Magick and Macabre's La Befana wax melts.  I like my house to stink pretty, and I especially love the scent of baked goods, so (insert heart eye emojis here)!  Technically La Befana is a Yule character, but if ever there was a witch who got up to shenanigans in the kitchen I'm sure it's her.  Plus I'm not super familiar with Italian traditions concerning holidays or the belief in witches and witchcraft, except for maybe vaguely in passing (I knew there was a Christmas witch, I just didn't know anything about her), so it gave me something to learn about.  We're not Italian, but I'm seriously considering introducing the idea of a Christmas Witch to Stinkbug.



Pentacle Ritual Spoon




This was very impressive?  I'm unsure of what kind of wood it's made of, and in retrospect I wish I'd emailed  them to find out for this.  I still will, but whether I remember to update is totally a mystery. As I mentioned, I'm not a dedicated altar kinda kid, but I'd seriously consider trying to set one up with this little guy and last month's mini cauldron.  While the post holder was my favorite thing, this was definitely the coolest.  Almost too cool for me.  I'm not cool.



You can't sit with us.








Under the spoon you may have noticed a little hand drawn card.  It's a mini-zine with tea recipes!  I'm a tea whore and I love recipes, so I'm into it.  This neat little goody is meant to correspond with:



Love Tea Kit



 An organic blend of teas crafted by the owner of Magick and Macabre, Bee.  It came in a pretty basic tin, which I appreciate because utility trumps aesthetics any day for me, a tea sachet and a chunk of rose quartz.  Will I use it magically or will I just drink it?  Probably just drink it, unless someone suddenly needs some extra love.  I always seem to have what people need just laying around. 
Co-worker needs a smudge stick?  I have 20.  Certain crystals?  I probably have you covered.  I'm the mom-est of witches.  You want some soup?  I've got some cooking right now.



Kitchen Witch Pentacle Necklace



 I'm not sure what makes this a "Kitchen Witch" pentacle specifically, unless it's the ginger, but I rarely look cute jewelry that suits my style in the mouth.  I don't have a lot to say about it; it's intentions to bring about good health, personal strength, and general positive energy can't really be empirically tested.  I've been having fewer crap days, which doesn't necessarily correlate with wearing a new pentacle necklace.  Whatever.  C is for cookie and that's good enough for me.



More Black Salt



I'd gotten black salt in a Witchbaby Spell box a few months back, but that had been ritually treated sea salt that under NO CIRCUMSTANCES can be consumed.  This is fancy salt.  Fancy eatin' salt.  That I can still get up to stuff with.  Get you some salt that can do both girl!  I plan on tasting and testing it as just plain food first, and then I may sit on it (not literally) for a while as I decide what I'm going to do with it. 

As I've mentioned, almost all boxes are very hit or miss with me, and I've bought M&M boxes in the past and said "This isn't for me." But then they have a theme that lures me in.  Honestly, I probably wouldn't have gotten November's box if it weren't "Kitchen Witch."  Unless, of course, she figured out some other way to lure me in.  This box was from start to finish one of the best boxes I've ever gotten.  It's rare that I get to say this but it's almost as if it were curated just for me.  I'm severely tempted to get the Horned God box for December, but it will very much depend on my finances here in the next couple of weeks.  After all, 'tis the season to go into crippling holiday debt!  And I have several nieces and nephews.  And a Stinkbug.



*I should note, if I haven't in the past, that I'm never paid for my opinions on any product I write about.  Everything is paid for out of my own pocket and I only buy what I'm interested in.  MY LOVE CAN NOT BE BOUGHT!!! (maybe)


Thursday, November 9, 2017

I'm Only Two Weeks Late With This...

Today we'll be exploring October's Creeper Crate!  We were warned in advance that this crate might be a fairly late, like November late, due to a supplier shipment being delayed, but holy hell!  Jamie managed to get everything assembled and on my doorstep by October 30!  I'm just a lazy bastard who waits until it's almost time for the next crate to post about it.

Now, in my defense, I have been having a rough couple of months.  I'd started a new full time job, which I super liked, but my son wasn't digging it as much.  He'd began to have severe behavior problems, which were manifesting themselves as outright violent outbursts.  The fact that I was out the door long before he woke up and frequently was coming through the door after he'd been home for a while was taking it's toll, not to mention that I seem to have developed new and fun symptoms with a few health problems I'd long had, so I was often down for the count the minute I got home.  I've been mostly home for a week now and he's gotten to spend two whole weekdays with me, and the difference is already noticeable.

Moving on...






I didn't get a chance to take individual pictures of much in this crate because...I just didn't.  This particular crate felt a little slimmer than usual, which may be because of the haste to get it out in time, but slim or not it's still pretty solid.

Starting with the most obvious item is a Funko Reaction Sam.  Everything in this crate was Sam-centric, which was kind of a neat shift.  So far themes have been a little broader, allowing for a variety of items and characters.  This is probably the first box or crate from anyone that focused on one film, let alone one character.  Some might find this boring but, in my book, if you have to go with a single character Sam is a pretty cool one to go with.

I could be all like "But I already have that Reaction figure!" but I kind of don't care.  I don't have a Sam figure that's not packed away in storage, so I win.  Plus, since these aren't super rare, and I'm not expecting them to leap in value anytime soon, I can give it to my son.  He loves creepy things, it's the exact size he likes his action figures to be, and I'm an awesome mom like that.  I will, however, be keeping the mini lollipop because I'm also a mom who's aware of choking hazards.  So really, when you think about it, there was an extra prize for my kid in October's crate.  Thanks!

Next up are some Sam socks.  I wasn't 100% sure at first, but deduced from the free-floating Butchovision sticker that they came from that website.  These are some weird, heal-less socks that are extra thick which makes me think they'd be cozy, but alas!  My legs are too fat!  Fat legs are the #1 cause of not being able to wear cute-as-fuck knee socks in the world.  You could argue that I could just try to make my legs less fat, but I really can't!  Underneath the layer of fat is a ridiculous layer of muscle because of how much I walk, the fact that I live up a steep flight of stairs, and the fact that I am employed as a lifter of many many heavy boxes.  Many heavy boxes.  What I lack in upper body strength I make up for in my ability to crush a man's scull with my thighs.  File that mental image away for later fellas!

The next items are some wax melts from Terror Tarts!  Now, when I say "some wax melts" what I mean is "HOLY HELL, THESE SMELL SO GOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!"  The last time I'd gotten Terror Tarts in a box were Jason Voorhees hockey mask shaped ones that smelled amazing, and these Sam ones do no disappoint.  If you're against your house smelling delicious, just skip on ahead, otherwise you should probably consider checking them out. 

In my ongoing collection/hoarding habit of soaps I can now add "Samhain" from Dearg Due Bath and Body.  I couldn't find a site to link, and what I am assuming is their Instagram account says "coming soon," so I hope they're still active because YAY SOAP! I haven't tried it yet, because I'm still tits deep in soaps from everyone else, but it's definitely going into rotation soon. 

The final item was a necklace from Sparkle Monster






I'm not going to lie, I wasn't too into this one.  I usually know someone I can re-gift things I'm not so wild about to, but I just don't know many women that are as jazzed about Trick 'r Treat as I am.  It's rare for there to be such a huge miss for me and Creeper Crate, and I was a little bummed until...wait for it!...I realized I could totally re-purpose it as a Christmas tree ornament!

What!?  So, with the exception of my fat legs, this was a great box!  I've got Magick Macabre's "Kitchen Witch" coming this month, as well as my November Creeper Crate.  I'll try to be a little more timely with my posts.  Assuming my four year old hasn't burned down a church between now and then.

Actual photo of my child.