Another quarter has flown by, and here we are with the FabFitFun Winter 2020 box. I believe this is my 8th (!) box, and the last one of my second annual subscription. As much as I sometimes gripe about my experiences with FFF, I won’t lie – it remains a fun splurge/distraction, especially this year, so I expect I will re-sub in the new year.

FFF has moved to more environmentally friendly packaging, which I appreciate. I will miss the fun designs of the old boxes. I still have a few of them, which my daughter uses to play with her dolls.

This time, I only got one item from the Add On sale. I am running low on my R&Co shampoo/conditioner (a previous Add On purchase), and needed to replenish. I used to buy all my shampoos and conditioners at Winners – whatever was cheap and looked/smelled nice. My hair isn’t fussy and, honestly, I have never felt much of a difference once I moved past drugstore brands. These days, saving myself a trip to Winners is worth it. Anyway, I was planning to buy more R&Co, but the sets they had in the Add On sale were for curly hair so I hesitated. Then I saw this set, and was instantly sold. I received the hand cream from the same brand in a previous box, and I am OBSESSED with the smell. It’s fruity and medicinal at the same time, which sounds odd, but I can’t get enough. So, yeah, I bought this set for the smell alone. It was under $20CAD, I think. It works fine for me. Sadly, the smell dissipates almost immediately but it makes for a pleasant shower experience.

I wasn’t taken with any of the other options in this tier, so I chose these Mukluk socks because I thought they would make the best gift. They look really nice, so I debated keeping them, to be honest.

Retail value: $25USD

I don’t typically buy cooking utensils because I don’t spend that much time in the kitchen, but I thought these would come in handy. In the past, we’ve used wood chopping blocks and we always seem to damage them somehow; hope these are sturdier.

Retail value: $20USD

I really liked the Jenny Bird bracelet I got in my last box, so I decided to give jewelry another try. Plus, I figured that you can’t go wrong with some plain, classic studs like these. I recently lost/misplaced my last pair of CZ studs so it was a timely selection.

Retail value: $68USD

Another slightly out of character choice for me – I have a big head circumference and most headbands pinch me so I don’t bother – but I was swayed by the fact it’s the brand that all the cool girls wear on IG (or did? I have no idea if this is still trendy). Anyway, I have only briefly worn this to date, and it seemed fairly comfortable. If I don’t end up using it, I know my daughter will.

Retail value: $49USD

This was my top pick because (a) I have wanted to try Caudalie for a long time, and (b) I am running out of moisturizer and my skin is feeling the effects of winter weather plus the dreaded maskne. This smells and feels divine, although I haven’t used it long enough to reach a verdict.

Retail value: $39USD

This was one of 3 FFF Picks, and a bust for me. I don’t need something like this. It looks nice, though, so I will re-gift it. I really wanted the pimple patches that were the alternate option in this tier; it’s disappointing that we don’t get to pick for ourselves the last 3 items.

Retail: $35USD

Another miss – I don’t wear eyeliner. I’m pretty sure I indicated “no makeup” in my original FFF survey. Sigh. I will be gifting this to my SIL.

Retail value: $21USD

Now this, I was intrigued by. Not something I might have picked for myself, but I am interested in giving it a try and seeing if it helps with my winter skin problems.

Retail value: $20USD

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this box and, again, the surprise factor is always fun. Since I am cutting out non-essential public visits for the next while, it’s nice to be able to feel like I’m getting some pampering without leaving the house.

Stay safe & warm everyone!

Blue Crush

It’s been a while since I wore this shade of blue, but it remains one of my favourites. I like its muted quality; it’s just a smidge short of pure blue, with some smoke in its veins. I was just about to retire this Nicole Bridger dress when I thrifted a sweater that is its perfect match. I am low key obsessed with those sleeves. This was such a simple outfit, but one of my recent favourites. I am especially tickled by how the shape of the sweater sleeve and the dress subtly mirror each other.

Kismet, Again

You guys knew this was coming. The meeting of two, wholly unrelated, thrift finds that, somehow, were made for each other. Even the fabric feels almost the same. If you didn’t know, you’d probably think this was a dress, no? Mysterious are the ways of the (thrift) universe …

Boldly Graphic

I realized it had been a while since I last wore this awesome Marimekko dress, so I pulled it out and mulled what to wear with it. I could have done something typical – a cardigan, or maybe a soft blazer. But no. A dress this bold deserves a bold partner. Which is how we ended up with this vaguely Illuminati-esque outfit which … now that I’ve made the connection, will never not amuse me. But, hey, don’t go starting any conspiracy theories, okay?

Just Bold

I mean … yeah. Is there anything else to add here? If you hadn’t had your shot of caffeine this morning, your eyes at least just got a nice jolt now. You’re definitely awake, haha! This kind of outfit is my daughter’s favourite and, let’s not pretend, kind is mine too. It’s just such a happy, cheerful one. I’m not necessarily feeling that way these days, so it helps with the pretense. Get yourself a rainbow sweater – I highly recommend it.

The last few months have felt like a tough slog on many fronts, including my creative pursuits. I have pushed myself to keeping working, partially out of a deeply ingrained obsession with productivity (something I am actively reflecting upon right now) and partially because not engaging in creative expression is detrimental to my mental health. After reading Jenny Odell’s How To Do Nothing, I am thinking about how I can uncouple these two things, and focus on creativity independent of and outside the attention economy. It’s a book I highly recommend, by the way, for creatives and non-creatives alike; it’s not a self-help or how-to book, despite its title, but rather a philosophical examination of how to live meaningfully in a capitalist society.

I have always struggled with the idea of putting a price on the things I make (or other skills, like personal thrift shopping), yet felt that I had to in order to legitimize them. That creates a situation where, yes, I can get external validation via a concrete method, but also where the whole process has no meaning or value apart from that validation even though that’s not why I started it in the first place. This is a model that, by necessity, has to apply to my professional work, but I don’t see why it should apply to my creative work (except that, in this day and age, we are told everything can and should be commoditized). I don’t know what the answer is. I have been too immersed in capitalist culture for too long for the answers to be readily apparent, but I am questioning and reflecting and trying to find my own path forward. This involves questioning a lot of deeply held beliefs and assumptions, and it isn’t an easy or fun thing. It’s also not something that I can easily package for consumption on this blog, so again, I will point you in the direction of How To Do Nothing if this is a topic that sparks your interest.

But enough about my philosophical wanderings. Let’s talk about some of the things I’ve been making lately. One of them was a series of pieces inspired by Greek mythology, starting with these Demeter (goddess of the harvest) earrings:

Then, there was the Thetis (goddess of the sea) necklace:

The Antheia (goddess of flowers) bib:

And the Andromeda earrings:

The Circe (sorceress) necklace:

The Psyche earrings:

And, last but not least, the Hera necklace:

The last one was inspired by the story of Argus, the many-eyed giant who was set by Hera to watch over one of Zeus’ extramarital paramours. Argus was slain by Hermes (on orders from Zeus), and Hera commemorated him by preserving his eyes in the form of the peacock’s tail. This is one of those stories that abound in Greek mythology wherein everyone involved (except the hapless female human) turns out to be terrible. You may never look at a peacock feather the same way again, haha.

Meanwhile, I have also been feeling an itch to experiment with something different. I love embroidery and beading, but I have been drawn to and wanting to work with natural stones lately. Metalwork is out of the question at this time, due both to cost and logistical requirements, so I wasn’t getting anywhere until I heard about polymer clay. Clay can be baked in the oven (no fancy equipment required) and is sturdy enough to serve as a setting for stones. It’s also very lightweight, which is important for me when it comes to jewelry; I love large, chunky jewelry, but not super heavy pieces.

As is my usual wont, I ordered some materials and plunged right in. The only tutorial I watched was on baking instructions (so as not to burn my house down). I figured I would learn as I went – the same way I have with all of my crafts. And I have, although the learning curve is steep and I am nowhere near even the middle of it. My first piece had plenty of flaws, but it looked just good enough for me to want to keep working at this.

The main thing I learned was the importance of avoiding making things look too clumpy and, for lack of a better descriptor, turd-like. I practiced my clay-shaping skills on an unevenly-shaped purple jasper stone slice and made a ring:

Then I tried a different (simpler) approach at using clay as a setting – this is the Dryad necklace:

Most recently, I had another go at a pendant similar to the first one I made. I think it shows a lot of improvement, though I still have a long way to go. This is the Gaia necklace:

I have been using acrylic paints to finish my clay (I use white Premo Sculpey), but I want to experiment with different clays and different colouring media (maybe nail polish?) next. The biggest challenge has been sourcing stones. I prefer using larger ones, but they are difficult to source locally and what is available is very expensive. I am continuing to try to find pieces at thrift stores that I can upcycle, including stones, but I will need to look for other sources as well. Suggestions are welcome, by the way.

As always, thanks for reading along; I hope you are finding ways to express your creativity, in whatever form speaks to you.