Garden of the Black Roses

So I’m going to re-start the podcast (yes, you’ve heard that before). I’ve already recorded the narrated parts of the podcasts and all that remains is the music. I’ve working on the first 4 as it may take me a while to get into the groove of making an episode fortnightly.

Also my pile of projects to upload is getting quite large so I’ll be updating those in the coming weeks as well. Major projects will get their own page and you’ll be able to watch the progression of those taking shape.

In addition, I’ll be opening an etsy storefront to sell some of the little owl omamori that I’ve been making. They’re simple little things that have good luck talismans inside. They aren’t like the traditional omamori that have been blessed by shinto priests but in the spirit of omamori, they shouldn’t be opened as it would be bad luck to do so once they have been sealed. Once I learn the different japanese symbols for the various types of omamori, I’ll be embroidering them onto the belly of the owls. But for now, they’re just general good luck owls.

Along with the owl omamori, I’ll be adding up other little owl projects that I’ve made for sale on etsy. Once it is all up and running, I’ll change the buttons to reflect the two different storefronts. They’ll be more stylized buttons than the general buttons already on the site as I want the two storefronts to stand out.

Make sure you get your own Garden-bred owl when the esty store goes up.

It’s something that always comes up in conversation with anyone who knows me well enough to know my obsession with owls and owl shaped objects. “Why do you like owls so much?”

To be completely honest, I don’t know. They remind me of the soft toys you’d get that are so soft that they feel really good to just sit and pat. Or, I guess, like a cat’s fur… Tho on that I don’t know since I’m allergic. They just amuse me so much. Take burrowing owls for instance. They are truly like the clowns of the animal kingdom. They’re so playful and curious about things going on around them. There are so many videos on youtube that show these curious owls but my favourite by far are these:

They aren’t nocturnal hence why they are in the day. They also seem to recycle. They don’t create burrows but instead use the abandoned burrows of actual burrowing animals.

Another owl that I found on youtube that made me go “WTF!” is from, what looks like, a japanese tv show. It’s a Southern White Faced Owl. But the defensive stances of this particular owl is something that has to be seen to be believed.

Lastly, the owl species that practically everyone knows. The Snowy Owl. They are pretty owls, not as comedic as burrowing owls. More refined and majestic.

I guess, to sum up, I love owls because they don’t get boring. There is so many of them. In Australia, we have our own owls too. Lord Howe Island has Boobooks which are a species of owl. Christmas Island has Hawk-owls. Lastly, on mainland Australia we have the Southern Boobook, aka Tasmanian Spotted Owl.

Mum says she saw the last on the washing line once. I hope to see one too one day.

I’m looking at restarting my podcast again. Currently looking at different audio software and royalty free music to help with the podcast set-up.

I’m thinking more of it being an audio blog for some part. Added into it other things like writing stuff and samples of pieces I’m working on.

I’ll get a start on it once I’ve worked out a few minor issues.

I was thinking about holding a gothic party sometime in January or February and was looking at this site. Some pretty good gothic projects. A few of my favourites are below.

My cross stitching hobby has really reached SABLE proportions. I don’t know if you know what SABLE stands for but the cross-stitcher that used the acronym to describe my stash of projects sated that SABLE means ‘Stash Already Beyond Life Expectancy.’ Meaning I need 2 lives or more to complete all the projects I have saved to do later.

That aside, I’ve been trying to work out how to restart my podcast. I’ve been playing with the format and still have no idea how I want to order it. I know that I do want to put in my writing and some craft projects in it. But other than that, I’m not sure. All the attempts I’ve tried til now seem to be very awkward. Have any ideas?

I’ve also been naughty and procrastinating with my writing. All projects are currently on hold because I can’t seem to sit still long enough to write. I’ll need to start setting aside time to write and print out all my notes so I don’t have to have my laptop with me to write.

Also, the updates and paid section of the website still hasn’t been put up yet. I’ll get it done eventually. Just really haven’t felt like doing much online lately.

I’ve put more of the projects I’ve had up on my facebook account onto the site. Crochet and Sewing sections are now unlocked and updated. Will add more projects soon.

I’ve also placed a few poetic pieces up on the forum in my personal section as well as planning the paid sections of this site to make the books and poetry that is already for sale on Lulu available on my site. This part won’t be completed for a while but I hope to have it up before the end of the year.

I have a huge pet hate. If it starts to really downpour, people are suppose to turn their headlights on. It’s a safety issue not just for the driver but for those around them.

I managed to drive up to the Coast from Sydney in the pouring rain and almost hit 3 cars that didn’t have their lights on and were practically invisible until my own headlights hit them up close. But by then, if they had hit the breaks, I would have definately rear-ended them. Assholes who like being invisible when it rains should really go back to school and learn all over again.

I’m curious to know if anyone has been blamed for hitting someone who does this sort of thing and what happened when the ‘no lights on couldn’t see them’ aspect of it came up.

I’ve been looking for several projects that will help me organise my cross stitch magazines. This one below was excellent! Once I get back to the Coast tomorrow, I’ll make a few of these for my magazines. I could probably also make a mini one for my little Mona Lisa charts I’ve been collecting once I’ve finished the kits.

I got curious to know about what type of personality disorder I have. It seems I’m more Schizotypal than any other. Tho in all honesty, when I did that quiz, I thought the Paranoid one would be the highest. Either that or Avoidant.

I’ve been considering on opening my own mini shop to sell projects I’ve done. Obviously, kits and other things I’ve done can’t be resold as that violates the copyright of the creator of the piece. But things like the glass cups and jars, I was thinking of selling them on my website.

Once I can think of what I’ll sell, I’ll install the shop program onto my webspace and start putting them up.

I was also bored and decided to do a personality test. It’s not like the Myers-Briggs one but it is interesting. Below is the results.

My personalDNA Report