#and i was TRYING to find stores on etsy that sell pens and stuff from sanrio that are Authentic because i Know they exist.

[sovaharbor]

how are drop-shippers allowed on etsy. drop-shippers i facking hate u

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hi honey! I trust your blog more that anyone's and I wanted to ask you if you've ever did a Writer's notebook for a specific WIP. If so, how do you organise it?

My sister bought me a pretty notebook and I'm so messy and I don't want all my ideas to be throw a mess.

Setting Up a Notebook for Your WIP

Whether you're using a notebook, binder, journal, or planner to organize your WIP, there are a lot of ways you can set it up, and it all depends on what would work best for you and your story.

Gather Your Supplies

There are loads of products available to help you set up your notebook, but you can just use things you have around the house, too. I'm going to list a range of options, but here are some things you might consider:

Sticky Tabs - These come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors and are self-adhesive. You can also get printable tabs for use in your printer. Tabs can be purchased in most office supply sections/stores as well as on Amazon and Etsy. You can also make your own using paper, cardstock, sticky notes, or washi tape.

Adhesive - I would consider this to be only marginally less important than sticky tabs when setting up a notebook. Whether you choose a glue stick, glue dots, adhesive runner, tape, double-sided tape, or washi tape, you definitely want something that will allow you to stick things on the pages.

Decorative Paper/Cardstock - If you want sturdier divider pages, you might look at purchasing decorative paper/cardstock online or at a craft store. This can be affixed to each divider page using adhesive. The sticky tab can go on top or between the two sheets.

Colored Gel Pens and Highlighters - Colored pens and highlighters can not only be handy for color coding and highlighting important notes, but they can really spruce up the interior of your notebook.

Stickers & Decorative Elements - If decorating the inside of your notebook (or even just the divider sections) appeals to you, it's worth looking at a craft store or online at different sticker and washi tape options, as well as other cute decorative elements that are available. If you have a Michaels or other similar craft store, there are whole sticker sections, but you might also head to the planner section where you can get huge books of themed stickers, many of which have functional uses like checklists, bordered boxes, and inspiring quotes. You can also look on Etsy and Amazon if you'd rather purchase online.

Planner Clips and Paper Clips - If you think you might require the use of paper clips, they often sell really cute ones in office supply sections/stores, as well as in the planner section of craft stores, and also online. I have gold paperclips in arrow shapes, for example, and they also make cute magnetic clips. On Etsy, you can purchase super cute planner clips made from felt and paper clips, and there are so many different kinds, you can usually find some that will go right along with your story.

Divide Up Your Sections

The very first thing you'll probably want to do is figure out how to section out your notebook. There's no right or wrong way to do it, so just think about the different things you'll want to put in your notebook and how you'd want to classify them. You may want to also do a rough calculation of how many sections you can have based on the number of pages and how many you'd probably want in each section. Section ideas:

Characters (or Main Characters, Secondary Characters)

Setting/World Building

Outline/Plot

Scene List

Timeline

Maps/Layouts

Glossary

Ideas

Words

Brain Dump

Tools (word count tracker, time tracker, helpful sites, etc.)

Notes

Inspiration (pictures, quotes, playlist, names, writing exercises)

Revision Notes

Publishing Notes

Once you have your sections decided, mark them out with sticky notes or bookmarks. Now write the sections on your tabs. Then you can reinforce your divider pages if you're going to, and then put on your tabs. Make sure the ink is dry on the tabs before touching them. Some pens work better than others. You might need to sacrifice one to try different inks. (Also, you can put the tab on before you put on the decorative/reinforcement paper, so that it's sandwiched in between. Whatever you want to do is fine!)

Fill Out Your Notebook

Now it's time to fill up your pages to the extent that you can. If you got stickers or other decorative elements, you'll probably want to start there. Otherwise, start writing stuff into the different sections. If you want to print stuff out and stick it to the pages, that's fine, too. You might also print out some aesthetics/mood boards or inspiring pictures and stick those in there somewhere. Some of your pages/sections will probably get filled in along the way.

You can also use this method if you're setting up a WIP binder, journal, or planner. :)

For help with plotting, planning, or filling out any particular section, check out the relevant topic in my Master List of Top Posts.

Have fun setting up your WIP notebook and thanks for your nice note! ♥

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[clevercatchphrase]

2020 Year Review~

2020. Pretty unique year, don’t you think? It’s the first year since 2002 to have only two different digits in it. After 2022, this won’t happen again until 2111. Yep. Absolutely nothing more interesting than that.

Anyway! It’s time I reflect on my 2020, look back on my yearly goals and rant about things that happened to me this year. I made a post like this last year, where I went over my 2019 goals and talked about what I accomplished and what I didn’t, and it’s only fitting I do the same again this year. Read more under the cut for a random stream of consciousness ramble!

So, first things first, let’s look at my 2019 goals;

Finish paying off that last student loan

Put more stuff on my redbubble

Illustrate my own fan fics

Sew at least one stuffed animal

Make an enamel pin

Read one new book a month

Write one page a day/Complete at least one new fan fic

Learn Python or C# for the game I want to make

Finish fully scripting Ghost Switch

Boost my patreon

 Paying Off My Last Student Loan: Going down the list, I am proud to say that I FINALLY paid off all my student loans! (and not a moment too soon. The last payment I made was literally days before the first quarantine rolled out). It took me roughly 4 years on my part-time paycheck to pay off all my loans, and once I finished, I had no money to my name (literally; I had less than 1k as emergency money in case of car troubles or health issues). Heck, I’m STILL living at home as a save up for a place of my own. Finally paying off all my student loans DID activate my secret 2020 new year’s resolution, which was to adopt a cat! I did this too, literally a week later! She is the best thing that’s happened to me this entire year and I love her so much and she is the snuggliest cuddle bug I’ve ever met. I’m so happy she’s in my life now~

Put More Stuff On My Redbubble: ah ha ha ha… I thought I did this, but then I went and checked, and it turns out-! I did not. I made art I intended to go on my redbubble, but haven’t put there yet. They are all drawings of some OCs from a game I want to make, but because I haven’t progressed on making the game this year, I never got around to putting more stuff related to it on my redbubble. At the time of writing, there are 7 days left in December, so I guess I could go and put it up on my redbubble right now, but without context on where the characters are from, there wouldn’t be much point, now would there?

 Illustrate My Own Fan Fics: Another goal that I was so stoked to actually do… and then just didn’t. Gee, I wonder why I couldn’t find the energy or motivation to do it this year? Truly a conundrum. (Hey, you know what? If Ghost Switch counts as a fan fiction in a visual form, then I am doing GREAT on this goal. 2.5 years in, 1 of ~4 arcs done, and still going steady~)

 Sew At Least One Stuffed Animal: Okay, I have a valid excuse for not doing this one. I even knew which stuffed animal I wanted to make, and had the pattern drawn out and everything, but I had no money for materials because I had just paid off my student loans. And then, by the time I did have enough money again, quarantine was in full effect and I couldn’t go out to the fabric store. I’m still trying my best to stay out of public places even if the rules are laxer now, because I don’t want to catch the plague even if everyone in my goddamn city thinks and acts like the problem is over already. Even if they’re all wearing masks, even if they’re staying 6 feet apart, I still don’t want to risk it. I will stay inside until health experts give the all clear, and when that day comes, then I will buy some fleece and make a plush.

 Make An Enamel Pin: I ACTUALLY DID THIS ONE. TWICE! Halfway through quarantine, I was feeling anxious and depressed about my job and how they were planning to have me work with the public despite climbing infection rates and positive covid cases. I didn’t quit then, but in a desperate move to try and become self-sufficient, I went to madebycooper and made two enamel pins based on some butterfly dragons I drew last year. They’re on my etsy store now! I even went out of my way to open a P.O. box just to start a small business! I haven’t sold a single pin yet, and I’m actually really nervous to sell my first because I don’t trust the efficiency of the postal system thanks to the actions of the GOP that really screwed them over this year! (If you would like to see my enamel pins, click here!)

 Read One Book A Month: I did this! With dragon books I bought a couple years back! In fact, I read FOURTEEN dragon books, and still have more books for next year to read! The 14 books I read this year were:

 The Hive Queen

The Poison Jungle

Wings Of Fire Legends: Dragonslayer

Dealing With Dragons

Searching For Dragons

Calling on Dragons

Talking to Dragons

The Bronze Dragon Codex

The Brass Dragon Codex

The Black Dragon Codex

The Red Dragon Codex

The Silver Dragon Codex

Dragon Strike, and

Hatching Magic

 To be honest, I had read The Red Dragon Codex years ago when it first came out, but completely forgotten what it was about. I remembered liking it, and I knew the reading level was on the lower side, but the whole dragon codex series was pretty good! So far, the Silver dragon codex was my favorite, and black dragon codex was probably the worst! Hatching Magic was also really slow and bad and had plot points that went nowhere, but the book was written in the 80s, so I don’t know what I expected. The Dealing with Dragons series was very charming and great for the most part, save for one line in the last book that really rubbed me the wrong way, and all the Wings of Fire Books go above and beyond in this third arc. The second legends book could be a little tighter, though (sky and wren are the best duo and I want a book solely about them, but I honest to god do not care about leaf and ivy’s stories.)

 Write one Page of any story every day/ complete at least one fic: I… did this? Okay, I kinda cheated near the end of the year. I was keeping up the one page a day thing for the first four months, but then the world went to shit and my schedule and habits got disrupted and I fell off my good track record. I completed 7 out of roughly 12 one-shots I had planned for this year (my goal WAS supposed to be one short a month, but… you know how it happens) I kept trying to catch up on this goal all year, but the days kept piling up…. Until November hit. I managed to write over 250 pages for Nanowrimo, and I consider this goal a win. 365 pages of fiction in total, which averages out to about one a day~. SHUT UP IT COUNTS.

 Learn Python or C# for the game I want to make: Another goal I didn’t have the mental energy to commit to this year. Truly a mystery to where all our willpower went in 2020.

 Fully Finish Scripting Ghost Switch: still haven’t done this one yet! The Snowdin arc is completely planned, but I just haven’t gotten around to getting the other areas. I’m not worried, though. I know all the major plot points I gotta hit, it’s just weaving them together in a way that flows nice is the final task. I’m not too worried though. I don’t expect to finish the Snowdin arc for another year and a half, at the bare minimum.

 And my last goal of 2020, Boost My Patreon. I did this at the beginning of the year, but then very intentionally stopped about a third of the way through. It didn’t sit right with me to tell you guys to donate to me when suddenly EVERYONE was financially strained from layoffs or being furloughed. I told my patrons the same, and if you ever need to stop donating to me to take care of yourself first, then by all means, please do. I would feel much better knowing you’re using your money to see yourself fed and housed instead of given to me (where it is pretty much only used to buy gas for my car, honestly)

 Welp! That was all my goals for 2020! I achieved 4 out of 10 goals plus 1 secret goal! Pretty much the same ratio as last year, but now this time I can blame all my failures on the pandemic! I don’t feel so bad about myself anymore~

 ON TO 2021!

 I have 11 goals for the new year, again some rolled over from this list, and some from even older years. They are, in no particular order;

 Read 12 new books (roughly 1 book a month)

Finish the first draft of 2019’s Nanowrimo project and rewrite it

Script TDV

Finish Scripting Ghost Switch

Build A Comic Buffer

Sew 1 Stuffed Animal

Finish 1 Song Comic

Make another Enamel Pin

Finish 2 short original comics (this one counts as 2 goals)

Finish the 5 remaining one-shot fics

 Now to go into depth on each one, more for my own sake, really. I want to know exactly what I have planned for each goal this year, and sometimes just looking at a short list doesn’t capture all the smaller details.

 1)Read 12 new books. Same as last year! I The only difference is I might not be able to make it all dragon-related books. (I try my hardest not to buy from amazon anymore, but half-price-books doesn’t always have the obscure stuff I’m looking for)

 2)Finish 2019’s nanowrimo project. If you read my 2019 year reflection, you’ll notice I said I wanted to do some original writing. And I did! The story I wrote for nanowrimo back then was a story I’ve been toying with since 2017, but it was only last year I finally got pen to paper. Now, you may find it odd that the keyword says “finish”. You may think, “but isn’t that what you’re supposed to do for nanowrimo?” and to that I say, WRONG! I wrote 50k words for nanowrimo, but the draft was only about halfway complete. I was kinda discouraged about what I had written last year, because I didn’t like how it was coming out, but I did manage to get it half done. Now it’s time for me to bite the bullet and just finish the thing so I can finally revise it and make it into something I DO like. (It’s still gonna be hella long, tho. That’s what I get for trying to write an epic fantasy, I guess.)

 3)Script TDV. TDV is the abbreviation of the game I want to make. I… still need to do so much for this project OTL… In addition to getting the story solidified, I still need to draw art and game assets, and learn how to code for it, both of which are no small task. I keep having some sort of new year’s goal related to this on my list, and every year I just don’t hit this one. Will 2021 be different?

 4)Finish Scripting Ghost Switch. (Or at the very least, get the waterfall arc completely written out). I have a plan to break this down into simpler steps, by focusing on just one arc for a month or two. Every major arc has 2 to 3 parts, broken up by flashbacks, and if I can just finish one section a month, then I should have the entire thing scripted by the end of the year. It’s not a difficult pace, but seeing if I stick with it will be the real challenge, as it is will all my goals it seems.

 5)Build a Comic Buffer: I’m actually working on this one right now! Since I paid off my last loan and got a new job this year, my current Patreon goals are kind of out of date. They had all been centered around me paying off that last loan, and working towards full-time employment, but those are both completed now! So instead, I would love to get to a place where my patrons could read pages at least a week ahead, and to do that, I need to build a buffer. And since I’m working 5 full days a week now, I can’t afford to fall behind. But you can’t fall behind if you constantly stay ahead! I would like to have… a 10 to 12 page buffer. That’s roughly 3 months’ worth of pages to always have on hand in case I get swamped with work, or something. Right now I currently have a buffer of 3, which will cover me for half a January, which is better than not having anything at all, but still not the best. (ultimately, I would love to have a buffer so big, I could queue them up for the whole year. Wouldn’t that be something?)

 6) Sew one stuffed animal: same as last year. ASSUMING the plague gets under control in 2021, I don’t expect to get to this goal until the summer at the earliest.

 7)Finish 1 song comic: I have 7 song comics planned. One is a gift, one possibly for wandersong, one is a collab that’s currently in the works, but I’m waiting on a friend to do their part before I can continue mine, 2 are UT related, and 2 (well, technically 3, but one is the collab) are KH related. It’s one of the UT ones that will probably get finished, if I’m being honest. It’s completely story boarded, and now I just need to ink and color it. I would like to get it done for UT’s 6th birthday, since I made a song comic on the fly for the anniversary this year, and it was fun, and I’d like to do it again! So, look forward to that next september~

 8) Make another enamel pin: I have a dolphin design I’d like to make because dolphins are cute, if not little murder machines. (need to save up some expendable income first, tho. THESE THINGS AIN’T CHEAP TO MAKE.)

 9 and 10) start and finish 2 original short comics: I’ve got some comic ideas I want to do, but I need to get them written out first. I don’t think either would be too long. Each maybe a couple “episode’s” length, if envisioned on a website like webtoons or tapas. They’d both be heavy in allegory, but not overly drawn out (hopefully)

 11)And lastly, Finish the 5 remaining one-shots I had planned for this year but never got around to. I’m going to try to write one every other month. Pure self-indulgent shipping fluff. If I finish these 5, then maybe I’ll ask other people for more prompts and ideas, which I’ve never done before. We’ll see how it goes~

 Also, Like last year, I’d like to look at everything that’s happened to me this year, though to be honest, I’m not sure how much I remember/how accurate it’ll be. God, I don’t even remember what January was like. Who was I back then? Who were we all back then? I guess I’ll start my yearly retrospective in march because, heh, god we ALL know what started happening in march.

 Firstly, I paid off my last student loan! Then a week later on March 18th, I drove half an hour out of my city to adopt a cat and I love her and it was the best day of this year for me. Spring break is just beginning this weekend, but the attendance at the zoo is shockingly low this year. Apparently, a lot of people watch the news, and they’re all taking precautions about social distancing. I wasn’t too disappointed. Fewer people at the zoo, the easier my job is for me. I was looking forward to getting some free overtime on spring break, since I’m broke after paying off that loan, and I’m a cat parent now and have a furry child to feed. Monday rolls around. My manager calls me and tells me that the zoo is going into lockdown until further notice. I worry for the birds I take care of, but understand it’s for everyone’s safety.

 For two months I sleep in and watch way too much YouTube. I join a couple writing discords. I have nightmares about my birds escaping their enclosure and I dreamed one of the security guards I really like at the zoo gets covid and has to go to the ER. I woke up really upset.

 I started and finished BBS for the first time. I also replayed and finished KH2 final mix for the first time. It had been about 5 years since I last played KH2 before my PS2 died, and it was like coming home~ I also finished tearaway, and played and beat Ryme for a second time (which I can’t remember if I did that last year, but it was a fun experience regardless)

 Mid-June, and I’m allowed to start going back to work, be it on reduced hours. The zoo is still closed to the public, but I’m loving it! I get to work with full-time keepers and do full-time keeper things. It’s so much fun not having to deal with the public. August starts to creep up and there’s a rumor that the zoo will be opening to the public again, which I’m not stoked about. I don’t want to go back to standing in one exhibit all day, talking to guests who don’t listen to the rules or to me. 2 of my younger coworkers (who had both only been there a couple of months) get chosen for full-time positions, while I get passed up which really pisses me off. My other 2 coworkers quit when they think we might be reopening because they cannot risk catching the virus due to at-risk family. I am now the last keeper in the interactive bird exhibit.

 I keep working, the zoo slowly opens, but with me as the only interpreter in our interactive bird exhibit, we can’t open because I can’t run the entire exhibit by myself. So my exhibit stays closed. September comes and goes, and then October starts. Now there is more serious talk of opening my exhibit before the end of the year because the zoo expects to bring in larger crowds for the Christmas lights event in November/December. I ask if I get hazard pay or health insurance since I’m doing full-time hours until they hire more staff. They say no.

 I immediately start searching for a new job feeling incredibly indignant/hurt/slighted/insulted/used/abused/ALL the negative feelings at my job. I had been there for 4 years, but never got a chance to work full time, while the two newest hires who had only been there 2 months both got moved up. I can’t help but feel they were holding one mistake I made two years ago against me and never wanted to give me a chance. (that, or they knew I was reliable when it came to showing up for work in such a volatile position that sees a lot of new faces, and they didn’t want to bother going through the process of hiring someone new) I don’t want to risk my life working around guests who don’t wash their hands and don’t properly distance. I don’t want to gamble with my health when they won’t offer me health insurance because I’m part time.

 Mid October, I get an interview for a full time job and get hired on the spot. I peace out at the zoo 2 weeks later, literally 3 days before they planned to open my exhibit to the public. It was a close call for me to escape before they opened to the public (and pettiness was only partially the reason I dipped out so close to opening). Sorry new hires who are now in charge of the bird feeding exhibit. I taught you the best I could in the short time I had. If the managers are struggling with what to do with one less person, I can’t say I feel bad. I can only hope they delayed opening/closed you down again for your own safety. You are not lightbulbs. I really hope the higher ups stop considering you as replaceable as one. Will I go back to the zoo to visit? Probably. But not for a year at least.

 I started my new job the very next day after I quit the zoo, and have been there ever since, (which isn’t that long yet, tbh. Christmas day was my 2 month anniversary). It’s full time, but it’s also a small business, and everyone’s hours this year have been on the short side due to the plague. I understand, though. They don’t want us to work if they can’t afford to pay us. Everyone is nice enough, though some people smoke and it’s hard to avoid them with how frequently we have to go in and out, and I really don’t want to get lung cancer, sorry not sorry, please and thank you. Also, with such a small team, gossip is certainly harder to go undetected, so it’s a relief knowing people don’t talk behind one another’s backs.

 I participated and beat my 4th nanowrimo in a row, I made TWO apple crisps on thanksgiving, and made baklava on Christmas and both of these recipes were my first time making them, and they both came out adequately! I voted the first day of early voting, and I did an art trade/collab with two of my friends for my birthday! (normally we would have done monthly “art days” where we get together and do art projects for fun because we’re adults and we can spend our time together however we want, but the plague said otherwise this year) We drew pokemon and it was fun! (hopefully I can show you all the results soon. At the time of writing, I’m still waiting for the last two colored parts to get back to me)

 I reached 100 pages on my undertale comic, and finish the first arc out of…! (im not sure. It’s either going to be 4 or 5, I haven’t decided yet)

 Over all, I managed to stay healthy as far as I know. I wasn’t as productive as I wanted to be this year, but then again, who was? (don’t answer that. I don’t need that kind of comparison in my life right now)

 Will 2021be any better? Honestly? I don’t think so. Not right away, at least. Just because a new year is about to start does not mean the slate is completely wiped clean. The change of the calendar year doesn’t magically make all our current problems disappear. Covid will still be here and cases will still climb when January starts. Small business will still be strained when the month rolls over, police will still go on murdering innocent civilians and getting away scot free, amazon and disney will still be monopolizing all consumer goods and media, and I can’t help but feel like there’s an impending shit show about to go down on inauguration day. I do hope things will get better, though. It’ll be arduous and unpleasant, but I do hope things will improve, because sometimes hoping is all you can do.

 Good night.

[princess-t-xoxo-blog]

Easter Baskets! 🐣

Caregivers!! Easter is a week away from today (April 1st)! If you and your little celebrate Easter, keep reading! Littles! If you don't have a CG, that's totally okay! Get a few little things or make yourself a whole basket! Here's a list of things for Easter!

❤️A basket! Start with this. This is what you can put everything in! They can be super cute. They can be wooden or they can be soft and shaped like bunnies or other animals! They come in all kinds of colors!

❤️Stuffies! There's bunnies, chicks, I've even seen dinosaurs! There's also a brand of stuffies I love called Squishmallows and they have easter themed stuffies like bunnies, pink cows, chicks, lambs, and more. They're super soft and come in many sizes!

❤️Coloring books! Princess ones are always good, but depending on what you/your little like, look for others. There's so many!

❤️Coloring supplies! Crayons, markers, colored pencils, gel pens, etc. Crayola is a great brand and not too expensive usually!

❤️Paints! Can be messy, but great pictures come out of finger painting!

❤️Stickers/Sticker Books! Sticker books can be similar to coloring books but sometimes have more fun activities!

💛Candy! There are lots of classic easter candies out such as jelly beans, Peeps (chicks and bunnies), Pez dispensers, and big chocolate bunnies!

💛Kinder Eggs! For us in the US, Kinder Eggs are new and exciting! Chocolate and a toy?! Can it get any better?!

💛Reese's! Reese's comes out with all kinds of stuff! They have Reese's Eggs (they are like the Reese's cups but they have even more yummy peanut butter), giant Reese's Eggs, chocolate and peanut butter bunnies, and more!

💛Full bags of candy! Brands like Kit Kats, Reese's, and Hershey's sell bags of their candy that's Easter themed and it's mini versions of their candies!

💛Snacks! If you/your little doesn't like candy or isn't allowed to much candy, snacks are great! There's fruit snacks and gummies, Gushers, Fruit Rollups, Goldfish, and lots more! Just find what you/your little like!

💚Sports Stuff! Are you or your little active? This is a great option! You can get regular sports stuff, or I even saw an easter themed bat and ball for baseball at Walmart. The bat was a carrot!

💚Pool/Beach toys! Spring is here and Summer is getting close. That means it's time to get outside! You can get pool floats, water guns, sand shovels and buckets, and lots more! These will come in handy if you're near a beach (ocean or lake) or even an indoor pool!

💚Socks/Slippers/Sandals! You can find Easter themed fuzzy socks or just some good slippers for around the house! And with the weather getting warmer, it's good to have sandals or flip flops!

💚A kite! Kites are so much fun when it's windy! They usually aren't too expensive, and come in lots of different designs. You can have a great day even if it's windy!

💚Sidewalk chalk! It gets you/your little outside, and they still get to color!

💙Bouncy Balls! Sometimes you can get really big ones, and they're super fun to bounce around and play catch with! If you do get the big ones, you might want to just set it by the basket!

💙Jump Rope! Gets you/your little active and is super fun! Try cool moves with your jump rope like crisscross if you're really good!

💙Cars/Trucks! These can be fun inside or outside, and super fun with friends too!

💙Dolls! You can get Barbie, Little People, Princess dolls, etc! There's lots!

💙Nerf Guns! There's designs for little boys and little girls, but get whatever you/your little likes best! Just be careful!

💜Legos! Again there are designs for little boys and little girls, but get whichever! They're super fun to build! (PSSST! Caregivers! These can keep your littles busy if you've got some adult stuff to do!)

💜Littlest Pet Shops! They're sooo cute! There's all kinds of little animals and they're super fun to play with!

💜My Little Pony! Again, super cute and super fun to play with!

💜Paw Patrol! I've seen little dolls/figures of all the pups, cars and race tracks, and stuffies!

💜Hatchimals! Since they come in eggs, I'm seeing them a lot in Easter stuff! Specifically, I've seen a 12 pack of mini hatchimal eggs!

💖 Board Games! I don't know about you/your little, but I loooove playing board games with my caregiver and my friends! Depending on the size, stick them in the back of the basket or to the side of the basket! Some of my favorites are Monopoly, Trouble, and Sorry!

💖Card Games! These could fit in the baskets better and are still super fun! I love UNO!

💖Playdough! So many colors! So many things to do with it!

💖Slime! It's so fun to play with! There's so many different kinds of Slime! You can even get kits to make your own Slime! Just be careful of messes!

💖Kinetic Sand! I think it's super relaxing! I love playing with it! Again, be careful of messes!

💗Comic Books! Do you/your little love superheroes? Find them a couple comic books!

💗Story books! Some littles love reading/being read to before bed. Get a few books for bedtime or things like long car rides!

💗Building Blocks! Building words or sentences can be really fun for some littles!

💗Bath toys! Rubber ducks! Bubble bath! Bath crayons! Bath bombs! So! Many! Fun! Bath! Toys!

💗Bottles! If you/your little likes bottles or sippy cups, get some new ones! There's lots of different colors and designs like cartoons and princesses!

💝Hair accessories! Bows, hair ties, clips, etc! Check out Claire's if there's one near you!

💝Pacis! If you/your little like Pacis, check out some other Tumblr blogs or Etsy shops! There are so many great people who make great adult pacis! Some can even custom make a paci for you! You can also try to find some in store if your short on time! Just make sure they're adult pacis so they don't hurt your/your littles teeth!

💝Onesies! Again, look on Etsy! There's so many designs!

💝Diapers! Depending on what age you/your little regress to, these can be wonderful!

💝Night Lights! There are lots of different ones you can get at lots of different stores! Toys R Us has a battery operated light that projects a rainbow across the room! These can help littles at bedtime that don't like the dark!

🐣🌸🌈These are all great ideas for Easter baskets, or just for presents and rewards! If you're a CG and you live with your little, you can also get plastic eggs and fill them with candy or small toys and hide them around the house when they're sleeping! Or leave that up to the Easter Bunny 😉 If you're a LDR Caregiver, hurry and grab some stuff and mail it to your little in the form of a care package! Or again, if you're a little without a CG, there's nothing wrong with treating yourself and getting yourself a basket! I hope this has helped! Have a Happy Easter! 🌈🌸🐣

[themanicnami]

Are there any online craft stores you could recommend? The only shop we had in town closed down last winter, and being a beginner I am already fairly sad about missing out on the help a store could offer in knowing exactly what to buy, and the expertise. I know online would not be the same, but I am hoping more helpful than trying to order from Amazon?

I indeed do! 

First I would recommend checking out these well known brands (online or in person):

Walmart: I know, I know, but hear me out. Walmart offers a lot of affordable supplies for any sort of witch. In store you can easily find a ton of art supplies and school supplies perfect for all sorts of magick like grimoires and bos, sigil work, written spells, and art magick. Right now you can go there and find extremely affordable notebooks, binders, pens, pencils, markers, paints, folders, patterned paper and calligraphy supplies! I love buying jars from walmart, I can find sets of 12 mason jars for 4 bucks on the right day! For kitchen magick they sell reasonably priced wooden spoons (good for wands too!), mortars and pestles and good pots and pan sets. They always have a very extensive isle of tea and I often find myself filling half my cart with them. If you check out the candle section you can often find candles on sale for under a dollar! And their sewing section has fun fabrics, felt, thread and needles which are great for cottage magick, knot magick and poppet making.

Good Walmart Online links:

Unscented White Candles Set of 4 ($2.00)

Mainstays 11.4 oz Jar Scented Candles ($2.80) (other scents available)

Unscented White Tea Light/Votive Candles 16 set ($3.57)

Multi-Colored Tea Lights Large Pack (96) ($15.99)

Unscented Tea Lights (100pk) ($14.97)

Taper Candle LED 12 set ($19.99)

All Purpose Unscented Tapered Candles 7pk ($3.36-$7.10) (comes in numerous colors)

Mini Porcelain Mortar and Pestle ($6.38)

Stainless Steel Mortar and Pestle ($13.45)

Gray/White Marble Mortar and Pestle ($10.99)

Mason Jars Regular 1 Pint 12 Pack ($8.47)

4 oz. Decorative Jelly Jars 12 Pack ($6.37)

10pc Natural Ringneck Pheasant Tail Feathers ($1.95)

White Ivory Goose Feathers ($3.92)

Neon Colored Chicken Feathers ($1.88)

Acrylic Glow-In-the-Dark Paint Set ($2.97)

2 Subject Wirebound Notebooks ($2.47)

Wirebound Notebooks ($0.25)

1″ Economy Binder ($1.67)

Beginner Calligraphy Ink Pen Set ($14.29)

Michael’s: This is a craftstore that I adore. They have great beads, jars, vases, boxes, candles, shells, glitter, and charms that I love using. It is best to go to Michael’s in person so you can check out their sale items but you can definitely check out their online things too.

Colored Yarn (variety) ($0.99)

White Pearl Glass Beads ($1.99)

Freshwater Black Pearl Disc Beads ($3.99)

Pearl Acrylic Beads ($2.99)

Natural Sea Shell Assortment Pack ($5.49)

U.S. Strombus Shells ($2.00)

U.S. Small Shells ($6.99)

Flat Starfish ($4.99)

Crushed Sea Shells ($6.99)

Multi-Colored Glitter Pack ($3.99)

Assorted Glitter Tape Value Pack ($14.99)

The Best Herb and Essential Oil shop I have found online is the wonderful Monetary Bay Spice Company! Super affordable, lots of selection, fast shipping and they have great sales. Best part is everything is in bulk!

A crystal shop I love here on tumblr is @bekkathyst! definitely check out her stuff.

Some Etsy shops that I have personally used:

ilovelotus (crystals and stones)

Sedna90377 (crystals and jewelry)

SBBeadsAndCrafts (beads, chains, charms, shells, and chipped crystals)

RegnumDraconis (wonderful jewelry)

WildBloomery (biodegradable glitter, dried flowers and beauty supplies)

@orriculum‘s etsy Oricculum (witch kits, basic witch supplies)

ChrysalisChris (crystals)

Good luck dear!!~~

[templeofgeek]

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What finally got you into doing cons and selling your art? I was working at a software developer and we had a booth at SDCC for many years. During the shows I would take my breaks and wander around Artists Alley. I had just discovered sketchcards and I was really interested in what artists were doing on this new format. I was riding an artistic high the entire weekend. I thought these people were the coolest! I wanted to do what they do, I wanted to be like them. I was so inspired. So after a few years of this, I started making goals for myself, and getting a table at a con was one of those goals. I got into the sketchcard scene and was doing some sets and I was selling sketchcards on the internet and doing commissions. I started doing appearances at local comic stores. But one of the things I had to get used to was drawing in public. I had a real problem doing that, I was so self-conscious. But I worked through that and my first show was a show called “Nuke the Fridge Con” and that really was a great experience. Since then I have done a lot of cons, including SDCC and I really enjoy being behind the table and talking to all the fans at the shows

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What is your favorite geeky thing to draw? Zombies. I have really developed a love for drawing all things undead. I draw all the comic and pop culture characters too, but my first love is zombies.

Which you were into first art or geek stuff? Art. I was drawing for my family at a really young age. I was always trying to impress my Mom by drawing her all kinds of stuff. I wasn’t until I got into comics that I started drawing geeky stuff.

How did you develop your style? If I had that answer, I would bottle it and sell it. Haha When you draw and do something that feels good, that looks cool, you do “that” again and again. As you follow yourself down that path, you end up producing things that are ‘you’ and when ‘you’ come through, people recognize that and I think that ends up being someone’s ‘style’. I am always trying to change, to find the next line, medium or something that is ‘me’.

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Which is your preferred medium to work with? And are you venturing out into anything new? Ink and copic markers is what I usually use. I have been using just ink a lot in the last couple of years. I found some brushes and pens that really feel great when I use them. Remember that thing I talked about style? Using ink brush pens and fountain pens gave that feeling, I feel like I am doing what I should be doing when I am doing art in ink. Recently I have been looking at canvases and feeling a draw to them. I think that is where I will be doing my next experimentation.

Which character do you never get tired of drawing? Michonne’s ‘pets’ from the Walking Dead. I love drawing those guys. If I have a block or feeling uninspired, I doodle them.

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What is your strangest commission request and did you do it? At SDCC last year, I had a request from a fan to draw the 4th Doctor as a Green Lantern. And yeah, I did it. I was given free reign for anything I wanted. It was kinda difficult to come up with, but I did it and the client was pretty happy with it. I can’t remember any commission request I have even gotten that I didn’t do.

What do you love about cons and what do you hate about them? I love showing up and getting into the show before the crowds. There is a smell of new carpet and the bustle of people and crews setting up. That is usually the best time to catch up with friends and see some of the biggest booths. During the show, we pretty much are tied to the table so the best opportunity to see the floor is during the setup, before the day starts. I hate lines. I don’t like standing in lines and big shows like SDCC is just line after line. I am lucky as an exhibitor, we don’t have to wait in a line to get in.

2017 SDCC crowd

What projects do you have coming up? I just finished a new sketch card set for Upper Deck, I can’t say the title because they have not given us the okay and if we say anything we could have ‘acid blood’ dripped on our hands. But the thing I can talk about is a gallery show that I will be a part of. The is going to be a 20th Anniversary Tribute Show for Buffy the Vampire Slayer called “Art of the Buffyverse” it will be at the Creature Features Gallery in Burbank, CA. starting Nov 11, 2017. I will have a few pieces in the show, I am really looking forward to it.

  Check out Chris Thorne’s website and Etsy.

Artist Spotlight with Chris Thorne What finally got you into doing cons and selling your art? I was working at a software developer and we had a booth at SDCC for many years.

[mywhimsicalfancy]

Hello! I’ve been a busy girl trying to find things to make with all the paper I have that I bought to make cards with. Since my cards aren’t selling on my Etsy store I was looking into ways to sell them as sets. Low-and-behold, I came across this idea. I do not know who originally came up with it but a big THANK YOU to whoever did. It’s genius! I came across it on youtube and there are a lot of versions of it. The video I watched was from  May May Made It Crafts . Anyway, I loved the idea.

The stationery box is filled with so much stuff. There are 6 greeting cards with envelopes, 6 3×3 note cards with matching envelopes, 6 gift tags, a memo book, matching pen and place for stamps. Take a look!

These are the 3×3 note cards with matching envelopes.

A photo of all the goodies.

These are the greeting/note cards that I made to go inside them. I had a lot of fun making this and I will be making more of them. I hope they sell well. Anyway, I know it’s not an original idea but I still had fun with it. I don’t know if there is much of a market for beach themed stationery but I was missing the beach terribly so I went for it.

I hope you are all having fun and getting crafty or doing something that makes you happy. I have still been dealing with the “Blah’s” but I am trying to work through them. Taking it minute by minute. The beach is my happy place so it worked for me to make a craft about the beach. Until next time, enjoy the little things and life’s sweet moments!

Making Something New Hello! I've been a busy girl trying to find things to make with all the paper I have that I bought to make cards with.