♥

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm a 19-year-old girl from The Netherlands. I'm not going to ask for expensive things, because money is not an issue for me, but there are things that I simply can't find (in my country). I don't mind if things arrive too late for Christmas.

1. Anything that might help me sleep better. I've had troubles with falling asleep (and staying asleep) for years and I'm becoming more exhausted by the day. Know of any tricks, or any sorts of tea or anything else that might make it easier to fall asleep? Let me know! (I don't really trust pure sleeping pills, I do use melatonine now and then)
2. Anything relating to the bands Placebo, Fightstar or Silverchair (like posters, interviews, singles, merchandise), because it is difficult to get that in my country (except the normal cd's) and I am a huge fan of them.
3. A key, to put on a necklace (or if it's already on a necklace: even better)
4. Someone to proof-read & give feedback on the fiction story that I'm working on. As for genre, I think 'paranormal romance'. (It helps if you're a vampire-fan too, but it's not really a vampire story.) It's not finished, and I'd like to know if people think it's worth being continued. You don't have to read all of it, even if you can just tell me what you thought of one chapter, would be great. You can read it here: tastefic
5. Whittard Dreamtime Instant Tea: this is my favourite brand and flavour of tea, but as far as I know they only sell it in the UK. (other flavours from Whittard are welcome too)
6. A quilt, because my mother loves quilting and going to quiltshows, but I personally don't have the talent or the time to make her one. Size doesn't matter.
7. A (second hand) copy of the book "Howard's end" by E.M. Forster, because I need it for my literature class and can't find it anywhere apart from some ridiculously overpriced ones.
8. London souvenirs. I'm an anglophile, meaning I love anything British, and London is my favourite city.
9. Recommendations for websites where I can find unique (and not too expensive) jewellery - or any jewellery you have made would be awesome too. I like gothic/alternative style, but I'm not picky.
10. If you haven't thought of a New Year's resolution yet, how about this one: TRY TO BE POSITIVE, THINK POSITIVE, DO POSITIVE. Life's so much better when you look at the bright side, and don't take things for granted. ♥

Comments

[liiessbeth.livejournal.com]

Hey,

For the book you need, you might want to check out http://www.bol.com You can order books/dvds/.. from there and they have English books as well. I live in Belgium and I've ordered books from there before and they always arrive pretty quickly. I checked for the book you need and they have copies that are 5 euros. I guess that's pretty cheap for a book.

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I checked that site once before and the only result I got was 28 euros, but now I checked it again, and apparently last time I made a mistake by putting an apostrophe in the title (Howard's end instead of Howards end). Silly me. I can now see the 5 euro copies, so thanks alot! :D

Jewlery... FOR CHEAP

[noodles101.livejournal.com]

Hey hun,
Here are the two websites I use for my cheap unique jewelery...ENJOY

http://www.girlprops.com/
http://www.fabuless.com/

On the second site... nothing costs over two bucks, and on the first you'd be hard pressed to find anything over ten. And it's all cute stuff.

Happy Holidays.

Re: Jewlery... FOR CHEAP

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Thanks,
but both sites charge 15 dollars for shipping to my country.. I'll consider them if I don't find cheaper ones though.
Happy holidays! ♥

[skalja.livejournal.com]

I'm sure someone has already told you about this, but juuuuust in case, have you heard of etsy.com? It's a site for handmade jewelry, kind of like ebay in that people can open their own storefronts except the prices are set.

It's US-based, so most sellers are in the US, but you can check (or ask) to see what the shipping rates to the Netherlands are -- and there are international sellers, too! I used the "shop local" function to see what stores had updated recently in the Netherlands* and here (http://www.etsy.com/shop_local.php?ref=fp_nav_local) are the results ... maybe you'll find something you'll like? I've used that function to look up stuff in Switzerland, where I live.

Anyway, I hope that helps!

(*Be careful putting in things like "Holland" or "Amsterdam," because it'll bring up US towns with the same name.)

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for the recommendation. I do know etsy, and I know it's a great site, but the thing is: it's so big that it takes alot of time to look for something that I really want. Do you have any favourite sellers on etsy that you'd like to share with me?
(and thanks for the useful searching advice!)
Happy holidays! ♥

[skalja.livejournal.com]

Oof, sorry this took so long. I wanted to take the time to sit and go through my favorites before I responded, and then, you know, RL...

Anyway, you mentioned gothic/alternative, so I'll try and focus on the quirkier stuff:

cbtscloset (http://www.etsy.com/shop/cbtscloset), contrary (http://www.etsy.com/shop/contrary), gearbunny (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gearbunny), monsterkookies (http://www.etsy.com/shop/monsterkookies), octopusme (http://www.etsy.com/shop/OctopusMe), societysedso (http://www.etsy.com/shop/societysedso), souldier (http://www.etsy.com/shop/souldier), untamedmenagerie (http://www.etsy.com/shop/UntamedMenagerie) (probably the gothiest?).

Sorry, I'm sure some of those aren't remotely goth, but I tried. XD

People I have purchased jewelry from and would again: auryndesign (http://www.etsy.com/shop/auryndesign), girlpirate (http://www.etsy.com/shop/girlpirate), squidglass (http://www.etsy.com/shop/squidglass), pinkdotties (http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinkdotties). The first three especially made pieces I wear all the time.

Hope that helps, and sorry again for the delay!

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

YOU ARE AWESOME! Thanks so much, I felt like a kid in a candyshop browsing through these :) And I've added some of them to my favourites. ♥

[skalja.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of service. Have fun!

[simplyresume.livejournal.com]

I have something key related I'd like to send you. I found it the other day (someone may have dropped it). It's like a little jewelry key roughly 4cm long, with a smaller one attached that is half the size.

Email me at lmr87[at]cornell[dot]edu!

[memoryanddream.livejournal.com]

You should look for some tea with chamomile, catnip (yes really!) or Valerian root in it. Those are all helpful in falling asleep. Also, you might try taking some melatonin which for some people really helps trigger the "it's time to sleep" state. My guy takes it and it helps him but it doesn't do much for me. Still, it's natural and there's no harm in trying it and for those it helps, it really helps.

And, might I recommend my own jewelry for you to look at? PhoenixFireDesigns.com (http://www.phoenixfiredesigns.com) or on my etsy storefront (http://phoenixfiredesigns.etsy.com) I try to be fair in my shipping and handling fees and I've had many international customers in the past. I also gladly combine shipping costs and such.

Anyway, have a beautiful holiday season!

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to look for those kind of teas. I already take melatonin pills sometimes, but it takes a while for them to work and they don't always work as well as I'd like. I'm never sure how much pills to take at a time either, a friend once said 3, so I haven't tried more.

The items you sell are not completely my personal style, but I have added your page to my bookmarks in case I think of someone to give them to as gifts. The 'tree of life' necklaces are really beautiful. ♥

[kay-oh.livejournal.com]

theres no guarantee that i can find it, but i think i have a placebo poster in my garage. if i can find it i will try to send it to you.

[manintheboat.livejournal.com]

Do you have benedryl there? It's an allergy med that knocks some people out cold, all night, and non-addictive.

[lylith.livejournal.com]

#01 - I take two L-Tryptophan (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FNSEZA?ie=UTF8&tag=allfortiger&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FNSEZA) every night before bed. It has *really* helped me sleep better.

If you're really having a hard time sleeping you can try Somatomax (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XWQ62G?ie=UTF8&tag=allfortiger&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000XWQ62G). You will need to start with a really small dose. It's great stuff, but if you start taking it, you will have to take it every night. If you miss a night you probably won't be able to sleep. So, while it works *great*, it has a pretty big downside.

[mypetconcubine.livejournal.com]

Try drinking a cup of tea with chamomile, And I know this might sound weird but catnip. Valerian root works well too. But really helps for me is closing the lights and putting on a audio book, no joke it works.

I love everything British as well. I love London, I am planning to go there in 2013 I am saving up for it. I always wanted to post London souvenirs in my list as well I think it's the closet I will ever be close to London :p But I always forget to.

[sherbetsaucers.livejournal.com]

Hey there,

Firstly the sleep thing. I'm sure you've tried breathing exercises and what ever, but a nice one that can be used is pretty simple. Try counting backwards from 100 in your head, but only every 3rd number. (100, 97, 94...) while this may not get you to sleep by the time you reach one, it should have helped clear the mind and also enduce a very basic type of self hypnosis (this technique was used by Winston Churchil). Then try focusing on your breathing again and hopefully sleep should come easier.

As to the London stuff, well I'm at work in London today. email me your address to sherbetsaucers at yahoo dot co dot uk and I'll try to send you something before I go home. You've got about 6 hours, otherwise it'll be to late I'm affraid! ;)

[foodpumpsme.livejournal.com]

I love all things British too! I hope I can go over and study. Working out university options to go there currently! May you a happy holiday season! :)

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Thanks for adding my 'tastefic'! I hope you like it and that you can leave some feedback.
I'm planning to study in Britain too! For a year, probably.
Happy holidays to you too! ♥

[marciagirl.livejournal.com]

Sleep: I can't recommend enough a sleep hypnosis cd. A coworker gave me a cd once when I was having sleep problems and it worked great! The one I used was called "Relax your stress away". I usually would fall asleep before the 60 min. cd was over.

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice. I don't know if it will work for me, because usually if there is any sound in the room, whether it's music or something else, I tend to concentrate too much on it, and concentrating means staying awake :| but I'll see if I can find such a cd and try it out.
Happy holidays ♥

[kennedy.livejournal.com]

I read this article (http://www.lisisoft.com/imglisi/5/Screensavers/42137d1915-13_morpho_butterfly.jpghttp://deliciouslivingmag.com/health/11-24-light-pollution-sleep/index.html) about sleeping last week. I've tried some of the suggestions and it's helping already.

Also, chamomille tea helps me to sleep. Make sure it doesn't have caffeine in it.
The last thing is writing in a journal. Sometimes writing before bed helps me let go of all the things that have been stressing me out or it helps me let go of the things I wish I'd done that day or all the things I need to get done the next day.

I hope these help.

Happy sleeping and happy holidays!

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I already have a blackout curtain and it helps a bit, but there were some other good suggestions in that article that I'll try too :)
happy holidays!

[kennedy.livejournal.com]

Here is the corrct link for the article (http://deliciouslivingmag.com/health/11-24-light-pollution-sleep/index.html).

Sorry about that.

[beckytheelf.livejournal.com]

Have you tried chamomile tea? It works for everyone I know but personally, I think it's the vilest thing EVER. But dude, just *close your eyes and drink it*. Things may work out for you that way.
I have also heard (from everyone else I know...lol) that you should try putting a teeny tiny drop of lavender oil on your pillow and that works too. I have never tried it but again, it works for everyone I know. Maybe it's just me.
There are a lot of beauty products on the market right now that come made with lavender and boast the ability to help make you sleep. I *think* that Bath and Body Works had a line like that a few years ago but I could be mistaken.
Also, I will get right on number four. I loooove vampires and anything paranormal and will do anything to help out =D
I am also hunting through my favorites to see if I find any websites that offer cool and unique jewellery-I know I've got a list somewhere!
Happy Holidays!
Love,
Becky

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Thanks, more people recommended the chamomile tea so I just bought some, we'll see if it works for me.. I hadn't heard about the lavender oil before, sounds like something I should try too. I'll ask my mother if she has some.
And thanks for offering to read my story, it means alot to me! ♥

[beckytheelf.livejournal.com]

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3214834

EUREKA! I has found it. =D
Hope that helps as well.

[dayalives.livejournal.com]

Ooh those looks nice. Thanks!