Giveaway Items and Shenanigans Update

Holy cow, where have I been? Mood swings, joint pain, heat waves- it's been a fun week. *rolls eyes*

On the upside, some of the giveaway items have arrived!

First items to arrive are these six paracord bracelets created by RabbitMan109, a skilled paracord weaver on Twitch. His username links to his Twitch profile. These bracelets use the "Solomon's Heart" weave, a two- color intertwined heart pattern. When you look at the bracelet one way, you see purple hearts. Hold it upside down, and you see teal hearts. These bracelets were created in purple and teal to resemble the Suicide Prevention Awareness ribbon colors as suggested here. They are made in three sizes, two of each size: 6.5 inches (16.5 cm), 7.5 inches (19 cm), and 8 inches (20 cm).

Next is a Chansey coin carved by JayHobo of Twitch. Click his unsername to see his profile and read the meaning behind his craft. This coin is carved from a US "gold" dollar coin. Chansey, in Pokemon lore, is a caretaker and nourisher, a gentle soul and a symbol of luck. Those who play the trading card game have also come across the Chansey coins for the game, though those are often made of plastic. This coin isn't recommended for play, but would be a great addition to any Pokefan's collection. The front of the coin has Sacagawea's image. In US history, she was the Native woman who guided Louis and Clarke in their expedition across the US. I felt the symbolism of these two figures resonated well with the message of love, care, and guidance through the unknown.

Also by JayHobo is this ring made from a US quarter dollar. It is sized 9.5, and is made from a Colorado quarter from one of the 50 state themed releases. it was made in such a way much of the details remain on the metal, creating an interesting texture. I highly recommend clicking the picture for a bigger view. This item was donated as an extra piece to be given out, and I'm super appreciative of the generosity shown.

There are some items still in the process of being crafted or assembled, but I will update as they arrive.

I have also been gathering supplies for better streaming and to make things more fun.

First the update on the $10 donation tier. I could not find a unicorn pillow I liked, nor a pillow cover I liked that was within my price range. So, I used my nonexistent sewing skills to create this handmade envelope pillow cover. I bought a gold marker to write names on it, but I might have to use black as the gold is hard to see at the best of times. The colors are purple and teal to go with the awareness ribbon theme.

Second update is for the $20 tier food challenge. I did buy the double salt licorice. I tasted it to gauge how punishing it would be. Sadly... I enjoyed it in all it's feline urine flavored glory. Or at least, I couldn't stop popping them. This would not do, as eating them was not a challenge. I also decided to rethink the kimchi idea, as it would require constant refrigeration to be safe. So what do? Edible bugs! For $20, I will eat two bugs from the two bags I purchased, one pictured above. I have not tasted them, as I do not want to get used to the idea, so you get 100% of my awkward squirminess.

Third item is the $40 tier canvas and paints (paints not pictured.) My cat has approved the canvas, and it's good to go. I figured, so as not to spend hours of stream time painting, I will block suggested figures in, and during slow periods, work on finer details to flesh things out. Blocking the subjects in will discourage me from spending too much time sketching and erasing, and I think keep the mural at a decent pace in the event of a donation train. I am not sure what I will do with the final piece. But I do have a lot of bare walls, and having a reminder of a big event a whole community helped with would be a great mood lifter and fun to show in the background during regular streams.

I still have yet to get off my bum for the $80 tier dance practice. Leg pain has been bad this week. So instead, I've been practicing a couple songs for serenading at donation milestones. *wink*

Now, among the items I will make on stream, I have listed "Huggy Bears". The two items above are made with a free pattern on Ravelry and can be found in German and English here. The rabbit one was an attempt at a variation. These are simple, one piece items I wish to make available in my shop for the cost of shipping, meant to give to those in need of a hug, so my affectionate nickname.

This is the rainbow of colors I picked up for the $20 Tier yarn switcharoo. There will also be black and white available. For the stream, purple and teal hearts will be added to these dolls as pictured on the bear above.

As far as streaming equipment, I purchased this headset for clearer mouth noises. The light effect is excessive, but I'm told the sound quality is good for the price and is better than the built in mic I had been using. They are also lightweight and comfortable  for long periods of time, which is going to be very, very good.

I have ordered some packing supplies, mostly boxes. I will need to wait until next month to get tape, as between ordering commission items and supplies, my funds are about dried up for the month.

I would still like a basic webcam to use aim at the mural, a USB extender, and a USB hub, to make moving around easier and accommodate the second external webcam. Visiting the Twitch Tip Page link to the right would help a ton with the remaining supplies.

September first, I plan to publish the Tiltify page and make the donation page live. It will also display donation tier incentives, milestone incentives, and the proposed schedule. My streams will also be embedded on that page, with a choice between watching chat and checking the schedule, though much of what is displayed there for alerts will also be displayed on the Twitch stream as well.

Giveaway items I am waiting for include handmade mugs and other ceramics, small batch hand blended tea sampler kits, some hand sewn items, and homemade embroidered patches, The waiting to see these hand crafted wonders is incredibly difficult!

Here's hoping the next few days go a bit easier. This month is already nearly half done, and September will be here before we know it. Time to take a page from The Hitchhiker's Guide and "Don't panic!" as the clock ticks.