Pony and a plastic rocket: the holiday wishlist
As promised to 
x_dark_siren_x earlier in the week, here's my holiday wishlist.
If some of the requests seem familiar, it’s because certain needs don't really change from year to year. :)
~~~
STEP ONE - Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your journal. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Derek/Stiles icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
- If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you. [Note: Your home address is not required!]
- Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to this post (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.
STEP TWO
- Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:
- If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.
You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call. There are no guarantees with this project, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.
~~~~~
What I'd like:
The spendy 'me' stuff
1)Weird ornaments - I have a brain in a jar, a polka-dot dinosaur, a hand grenade, and a full herd of brightly-color glitter deer wearing feather boas on my tree. I love odd ornaments, and they are hard to find. Crows are always an exciting option, as are skulls and bones, but I'm looking for things less halloween-y to hang on my wee black trees. Robots, dinosaurs, flying saucers, squid, jelly fish, ray guns, odd monsters - you guys know the routine at this point. I also dig interesting hand-crafted ornaments; for example, T-Madre has a set of woven straw ornaments that are gorgeous. I have a pair of embossed clay hands made by my first handbuilding teacher at the Pottery Coop that mean the world to me - she is a huge inspiration for me.
This request is inspired by my parents' tree, that's decorated with decades worth of family and friends contributions. When I see that tree, it reminds me that I'm part of an extended community. This makes the process of decorating and lighting the tree all the more special.
I'd really like to build my own collection, to acknowledge and honor the net of stars around me. So something odd, handcrafted and/or meaningful to you is what I'm looking for here.
2)Things to keep me warm. Between the drafty nature of Grimbracken Flat and the screwed-up climate control at This Tiny Office, I spent a lot of my time huddling in front of a space heater. Things that would help me regain seasonal mobility: Socks - of the striped and /or skull and crossbones variety, in particular. Though a new pair of sushi socks would fill me with such glee. Basically, I’m having a wicked hard time finding funky socks around here, and am wearing large holes into the ones I have. All I ask is that there’s no pink or neon. Scarves - ones to wear indoors, instead of outside. The same preferences apply - think sneakily quirky.
3)Things to read. This slot is generally occupied by a plea for poetry collections . I'd like to expand that a bit this year. I'm looking for awesome Indie comics and graphic novels - I lean towards the supernatural, horror and superhero end of the spectrum, but enjoy kick-ass art and/or writing regardless of the genre niche. I'm also collecting zines. On Etsy it's super easy to find zines that run a couple bucks, including shipping; I appreciate the DIY feel of them and it's a delightful treat to get in the mail.
As always, if you've got some killer bit of magical realism to share, I'd love to get my hands on it. :)
The spendy 'other people' stuff
4)Donate a couple bucks to a local charity. And I really do mean a couple bucks. You have an extra five dollars? Give it to your local food shelf or buy a couple extra canned goods at the grocery store, to donate. Food Shelves are particularly important to me, and they got hit with sizable funding cuts this year. And the need is certainly not lessening. So yeah, I'd love for you to give a little cash to charities that feed people, both by keeping their bellies full and by feeding their souls - lots of not-for profit art groups are struggling right now. A couple of bucks can go a long way for them as well.
5) This holiday season, Buy Handmade. Please take the opportunity to support your local small scale artist. It helps bolster your local aesthetic AND the economy. No craft fairs in your area? Then check out Etsy.com. There are all sorts of quirky, amazing things available there. But please do check out your local craft art scene first.
Not so spendy stuff
6)A new journal layout. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm pants at graphics, and have been staring with great frustration at both my journals for months now. I'd really like to swap out the current LJ layout - I've had it for several years, and it's time for something new. And I'd really like to at least be able to add a banner to my DW journal.
What I'd like: Well, there are three themes that have been considering.
1) Concrete dinosaurs, drive ins and roadside attractions
2) The Day of the Dead [sugar skulls and marigolds, not zombies]
3) The Blackbird Curio Cabinet [crows, old school natural history museums, maybe a hint of steampunk]
7) Shiny things - you know, like plastic dinosaurs, neat rocks from your backyard or favorite thinking spot, punny stickers, odd or interesting postcards [I love postcards, they make me so HAPPY], skeleton keys, teeny pins with strange line drawings on them. Odd, small and somehow fascinating - that’s the sort of thing I’m looking for. Can’t afford postage? How about recommending a cool site or link to some picture that makes you happy? Or how passing on a picture of something in your life that brings you joy? Shininess encompasses quite a lot.
8) Just plain ol' love. Hug your sibs. Tell your SO that they rock your socks. Buy some gold star stickers and hand them out at work, at school, randomly at the mall. Give out smiles for no reason at all. It seems silly and basic... but you never know how much impact a grin can have. Small magics, common miracles make all the difference.
These two wishes don't fit into the other categories. They really are shooting star wishes and I hope that, by putting them down here, maybe a little seasonal magic will bring them to me.
Shooting star wishes
9) After 12 years without one - I'd like a TV. I watch a lot of movies and would like to do so on a screen that's bigger than my laptop screen. What I'd specifically like is a flat screen that's portable - I've seen ones with feet and a handle on top, so it will be easy to store it in the closet when I'm not using it.
10)A Website for my work - People ask me all the time if I have a website for my art, and I don't. I really need one. But half the time coding my journal entries is challenging; putting together a website is daunting and beyond my abilities. Someone to brainstorm copy would be helpful too.
My address is over at my card post HERE.
~~~
11) I know this list is supposed to be 10 items long. This one's not really something that can be purchased or found, though. It's a borderline wish, shuffling its feet over to prayer. Universe, I'd like there to be health and happiness for my Mom. Please and thank you.
I'd love links to flistly holiday wishlists. I know how amazing it is to get wishes granted and, if possible, would like to spread love. <3
~~~
This entry was originally posted at http://crowgirl13.dreamwidth.org/702982.html. If possible, I prefer comments there.
x_dark_siren_x earlier in the week, here's my holiday wishlist.
If some of the requests seem familiar, it’s because certain needs don't really change from year to year. :)
~~~
STEP ONE - Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your journal. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Derek/Stiles icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
- If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you. [Note: Your home address is not required!]
- Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to this post (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.
STEP TWO
- Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:
- If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.
You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call. There are no guarantees with this project, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.
~~~~~
What I'd like:
The spendy 'me' stuff
1)Weird ornaments - I have a brain in a jar, a polka-dot dinosaur, a hand grenade, and a full herd of brightly-color glitter deer wearing feather boas on my tree. I love odd ornaments, and they are hard to find. Crows are always an exciting option, as are skulls and bones, but I'm looking for things less halloween-y to hang on my wee black trees. Robots, dinosaurs, flying saucers, squid, jelly fish, ray guns, odd monsters - you guys know the routine at this point. I also dig interesting hand-crafted ornaments; for example, T-Madre has a set of woven straw ornaments that are gorgeous. I have a pair of embossed clay hands made by my first handbuilding teacher at the Pottery Coop that mean the world to me - she is a huge inspiration for me.
This request is inspired by my parents' tree, that's decorated with decades worth of family and friends contributions. When I see that tree, it reminds me that I'm part of an extended community. This makes the process of decorating and lighting the tree all the more special.
I'd really like to build my own collection, to acknowledge and honor the net of stars around me. So something odd, handcrafted and/or meaningful to you is what I'm looking for here.
2)Things to keep me warm. Between the drafty nature of Grimbracken Flat and the screwed-up climate control at This Tiny Office, I spent a lot of my time huddling in front of a space heater. Things that would help me regain seasonal mobility: Socks - of the striped and /or skull and crossbones variety, in particular. Though a new pair of sushi socks would fill me with such glee. Basically, I’m having a wicked hard time finding funky socks around here, and am wearing large holes into the ones I have. All I ask is that there’s no pink or neon. Scarves - ones to wear indoors, instead of outside. The same preferences apply - think sneakily quirky.
3)Things to read. This slot is generally occupied by a plea for poetry collections . I'd like to expand that a bit this year. I'm looking for awesome Indie comics and graphic novels - I lean towards the supernatural, horror and superhero end of the spectrum, but enjoy kick-ass art and/or writing regardless of the genre niche. I'm also collecting zines. On Etsy it's super easy to find zines that run a couple bucks, including shipping; I appreciate the DIY feel of them and it's a delightful treat to get in the mail.
As always, if you've got some killer bit of magical realism to share, I'd love to get my hands on it. :)
The spendy 'other people' stuff
4)Donate a couple bucks to a local charity. And I really do mean a couple bucks. You have an extra five dollars? Give it to your local food shelf or buy a couple extra canned goods at the grocery store, to donate. Food Shelves are particularly important to me, and they got hit with sizable funding cuts this year. And the need is certainly not lessening. So yeah, I'd love for you to give a little cash to charities that feed people, both by keeping their bellies full and by feeding their souls - lots of not-for profit art groups are struggling right now. A couple of bucks can go a long way for them as well.
5) This holiday season, Buy Handmade. Please take the opportunity to support your local small scale artist. It helps bolster your local aesthetic AND the economy. No craft fairs in your area? Then check out Etsy.com. There are all sorts of quirky, amazing things available there. But please do check out your local craft art scene first.
Not so spendy stuff
6)A new journal layout. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm pants at graphics, and have been staring with great frustration at both my journals for months now. I'd really like to swap out the current LJ layout - I've had it for several years, and it's time for something new. And I'd really like to at least be able to add a banner to my DW journal.
What I'd like: Well, there are three themes that have been considering.
1) Concrete dinosaurs, drive ins and roadside attractions
2) The Day of the Dead [sugar skulls and marigolds, not zombies]
3) The Blackbird Curio Cabinet [crows, old school natural history museums, maybe a hint of steampunk]
7) Shiny things - you know, like plastic dinosaurs, neat rocks from your backyard or favorite thinking spot, punny stickers, odd or interesting postcards [I love postcards, they make me so HAPPY], skeleton keys, teeny pins with strange line drawings on them. Odd, small and somehow fascinating - that’s the sort of thing I’m looking for. Can’t afford postage? How about recommending a cool site or link to some picture that makes you happy? Or how passing on a picture of something in your life that brings you joy? Shininess encompasses quite a lot.
8) Just plain ol' love. Hug your sibs. Tell your SO that they rock your socks. Buy some gold star stickers and hand them out at work, at school, randomly at the mall. Give out smiles for no reason at all. It seems silly and basic... but you never know how much impact a grin can have. Small magics, common miracles make all the difference.
These two wishes don't fit into the other categories. They really are shooting star wishes and I hope that, by putting them down here, maybe a little seasonal magic will bring them to me.
Shooting star wishes
9) After 12 years without one - I'd like a TV. I watch a lot of movies and would like to do so on a screen that's bigger than my laptop screen. What I'd specifically like is a flat screen that's portable - I've seen ones with feet and a handle on top, so it will be easy to store it in the closet when I'm not using it.
10)A Website for my work - People ask me all the time if I have a website for my art, and I don't. I really need one. But half the time coding my journal entries is challenging; putting together a website is daunting and beyond my abilities. Someone to brainstorm copy would be helpful too.
My address is over at my card post HERE.
~~~
11) I know this list is supposed to be 10 items long. This one's not really something that can be purchased or found, though. It's a borderline wish, shuffling its feet over to prayer. Universe, I'd like there to be health and happiness for my Mom. Please and thank you.
I'd love links to flistly holiday wishlists. I know how amazing it is to get wishes granted and, if possible, would like to spread love. <3
~~~
This entry was originally posted at http://crowgirl13.dreamwidth.org/702982.html. If possible, I prefer comments there.