Chocolate Book Tag.

Hello again everyone! I hope your weeks are going well!

I haven't done any sort of Q&A/Tag post for a while now, so I thought it would be a good time to do the Chocolate Book Tag!

I was tagged by the lovely Girl In The Moonlight to do this post for you. I will be linking to each book's Goodreads page so you can check them out some more if you're interested. So let's get started!

1. Dark Chocolate (A book that covers a dark topic)

For this one I'm going to say The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. A lot have you have probably heard of this book after the movie was released, but if you haven't read it I urge you to! It focuses on a young girls experience of living in Nazi Germany. It's a really unique perspective on Hitlers rein that most of these kinds of books normally just brush over. Plus, Markus is Australian which makes him 500 better, and I was even lucky enough to have him talk to my grade back in 2009.

2. White Chocolate (Favourite light-hearted/humorous read)

This made me realise that I don't read humorous books.... so I can't answer this one sorry! All of my books tend to focus on large and important topics. I can't remember the last time I just read one that was funny!

3. Milk Chocolate (A book with a lot of hype that you're dying to read)

Probably one of Rainbow Rowell's books, either Eleanor and Park or Fangirl I've heard a lot of people talking about these books, so I'm keen to see what the hype is all about! Have any of you read these books? I'd love to know your thoughts!

4. Caramel-filled Chocolate (A book that makes you feel all gooey inside)

Most of the time I'm not the biggest fan of love stories. So that being said, my favourite is probably The Fault in our Stars by John Green. It's a complex story with more than just the focus of love, but at the same time it shows the relationship between Augustus and Hazel really well, without going over-the-top soppy! I doubt I have to tell you what it's about, seeing as the entire population of the world has read it.

5. Wafer-less KitKat (A book that has surprised you)

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. I started reading this book in 2008 but was clearly too young back then to appreciate what it was talking about. I found it again at a thrift shop for $1 a few months ago so decided to give it another go. After my failed first attempt, I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. It raises some really important issues, and it now sits high up in my list of favourite books. If you want to read a book that makes you think, I would recommend this one.

6. Snickers (A book you're going nuts about)

This one isn't a book but a series of books, but it's the Last Survivors Series by Susan Beth Pfeffer. What's sending me nuts is WHY HASN'T EVERYONE IN THE WORLD READ THIS BOOK??? WHY IS EVERYONE NOT REALISING HOW AMAZING IT IS THAT WE ARE ALIVE, AND THAT THE SUN RISES EVERY MORNING AND WE'RE LIVING ON THE ONLY PLANET WE'VE FOUND SO FAR THAT HARBOURS LIFE????

Let me tell you a little bit about it: The first book begins with everyone excited over a meteor that is supposed to pass really close to the moon. In a twist of fate, the meteor hits the moon, knocking it closer to the earth. What follows is catastrophic: The effect of the moon on the tides increases, tsunamis are happening all around the globe as well as other disasters such as volcanic eruptions and wide-spread famine. The book follows the diary of a young girl struggling for survival with her family, and dealing with things that nobody should ever have to deal with. It's a shocking look into what would happen if a widespread disaster like this was to happen. I haven't managed to get my eager hands on the fourth book in the series yet, but I'm sure it will be just as much of an edge-of-your-seat nail-biting adventure as the first one. Seriously GO AND CHECK THESE BOOKS OUT.

7. Hot Chocolate (A book you turn to for a comfort read)

Definitely definitely definitely Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. Whenever real life just gets too much to deal with, I can always find solace in this book. I've read it so many times now that whenever I open it again it's like younger versions of myself have been safely pressed and preserved between the pages. My description of it will not do it any justice at all, so if you like stories of adventure, magic and faerie-folk I would recommend checking it out for yourself.

8. Box of Chocolates (A series you feel has something for everyone)

Is it possible to have a series that everyone would enjoy? Probably not. But a series that I love is the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth. Most of you have probably heard of the movie, but once again if you haven't read the books I can't recommend them high enough. They have love, action, adventure, and face real world issues. What more could you want!?

 So that's the tag! Sorry if it was a bit long! I hope you got at least some ideas of books that you might want to read in the future. I have so many more books I would love to share with you, so if you ever need recommendations you know who to ask!

If anyone wants to do this tag, do it and then send me the link so I can read about all of your favourite books!

xx Erin

Craft || Embroidery.

Hello lovely people!

If you follow me on my instagram, you'll probably know that I've recently picked up the hobby of embroidery. I'm no professional by a long stretch, but it's very relaxing and fun to do, so I thought I would show you my process! Each one normally takes a whole day of work, but of course it doesn't all have to be done at once!

So far I have made one for Divergent, The Fault in our Stars, and a wonderful quote that I found while scrolling through tumblr.

First up, my TFIOS embroidery!

To start this embroidery I found a still from the movie, which I then put through an app that makes it look more like a sketch. After that I traced over the lines that I wanted to copy onto my fabric. Any outlines of features, as well as creases in clothing etc. were included. I traced these lines onto my fabric, and then I was off! I repeated the tracing onto different coloured fabrics for their jackets, then just started a simple embroidery stitch over all the lines. My absolute favourite thing to do is the hair, it looks really nice once it's done.

After completing that, and then becoming obsessed with the Divergent movie, I had to do a Divergent embroidery too! Using all the same steps.

Because in the movie Tris' hair is a mix between blond and brown, I combined both coloured threads on my needle to make a hair colour as close as I could get. I really like how it turned out!

I can't wait to do some more embroideries soon!

Which one is your favourite so far?

xx Erin

OOTD || Homemade Smock Dress

Back at the start of the month I made this post on sewing this smock dress, but I just had to share the outfit photos I took of it! This dress makes me want to organise a picnic ASAP, but with winter fast approaching I think I'm going to be pairing it with my stockings and boots instead. In this post I've paired it with my Forever New sunhat and black boots.

xx Erin

Zine.

Hello everyone! This is just another one of those quick mid-week updates.

Back at the start of the month I published the first issue of a collaborative zine that I've been working on. It aims to feature amateur artists, writers, photographers etc. and their work. 

I thought you guys might like to read it? Being the first edition it's only short and I know that there's a lot of things I can improve on it, so I'd love feedback!

Maybe you'd like to contribute to next months issue? It's going to be on the theme of nature so I'd love to hear your ideas! You can submit here.

Let me know your thoughts!

x Erin

Journal || That was locked from within, by a trust torn apart.

Since doing this page I've realised that I don't really like it...

PS. Don't understand my title? Read the title of last months journal entry, and then this one. The story shall continue with next months entry :)

Sewing || Smock Dress

Hello!

Today I thought I would tell you about this smock dress that I made back in March! I've done full outfit photos for it too, so if you want to see them they'll be uploaded on the 20th.

I have been wanting to own a smock dress for the longest time, after seeing all of the gorgeous ones at Mod Dolly. As seems to be a trend with me, I couldn't afford one so I made one instead! I copied a rough outline of this dress to make the pattern for the top and then just made the rest up as I went along, including working out how to line the top, as well as make pockets. It was an adventure and a half!

I decided to add a collar, and made one out of some old fabric I had lying around that was a newspaper print. I feel as though it's a nod to the dress below that my mother made for my sister and I when we were just miniature versions of ourselves now. Looks like my five year old self never truly went away if I'm still wearing the same print nearly 14 years later!

I seem to have the bouts of sewing frenzy, where I won't sew anything for the longest time and the suddenly will want to sew everything I can in the space of a week. I wish I could be a bit more consistent!

Sorry for not having many pictures of the actual sewing process this time, as I simply forgot to! I promise to take more next time.

xx Erin

Monthly Favourites || March

It's that time of the month again! (No no not that time.) Monthly favourites time!

I feel like March was a good blogging month for me. I got back into the swing of things after having a shocking February (also, I currently have 7 posts scheduled. What!?) and I'm also feeling pretty happy and confident in myself in general which is always a good thing!

So let's stop blabbering and get into it!

FAVOURITE QUOTE

I've seen this quote floating around tumblr quite a bit, which makes sense because it's just so true. All too often we pick on what we look like, the things we do etc. and hate ourselves for these things. We might work so hard on changing who we are thinking that at the end of it we will finally love ourselves. This is not true, because the only way to love yourself is to do exactly that: LOVE YOURSELF! Accept your flaws and imperfections as part of who you are, and even if you want to work to change them, what's the harm in loving yourself along the way? I promise you, that as soon as you focus less on hate an more on love, you will become best friends with yourself, which is the best thing you could possibly do for yourself. Treat yourself like you would someone you love dearly.

FAVOURITE BOOK

This month I don't have a favourite book so much as a book series, and it's the Winding Circle Quartet by Tamora Pierce. These books are probably aimed at an age group much younger than my own, but I am of the belief that if you enjoy something nobody else has any say in whether or not you should be enjoying it.

I think this is probably the fourth or fifth time I've read this series? But whenever I'm a little tired of my mundane life I read them and get transported into a world that I now know well, with characters that seem more like friends than just characters, like they're welcoming me home. Plus it gives me warm and fuzzy nostalgia. I feel like this quote from another of my favourite series Inkheart sums it up pretty well:

“Isn't it odd how much fatter a book gets when you've read it several times?" Mo had said..."As if something were left between the pages every time you read it. Feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells...and then, when you look at the book again many years later, you find yourself there, too, a slightly younger self, slightly different, as if the book had preserved you like a pressed flower...both strange and familiar.” 

MOST WANTED ITEM

THIS THIS THIS THIS

Being the biggest lover of the Eragon books (The Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini, I pretty much died when I saw this. Because my helix piercing will take at least until December to completely heal, I might have accidentally bought this to jazz up my ear while I'm waiting. Besides, who doesn't want a pet dragon perched on your ear as though it's ready to defend you against any bad things people might say to you?

FAVOURITE OUTFIT

(Full outfit post coming soon!)

FAVOURITE SONG

I've had quite a few favourite songs over the course of March, including:

The 4:45 Through Rememberance by Tristan Clopet (Apparently nobody knows this song/artist? I can't find a video to link to anywhere on youtube! but I would definitely definitely recommend downloading his album for free from here)

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N by Noah and the Whale

Words As Weapons by Birdy

You and I by Ingrid Michaelson
When You Were Mine by Taylor Henderson (Specifically the first two lines!)

What's something you've been loving this month?
x Erin

Addiction.

Today I discovered a shocking fact about myself that I didn't know existed...

I am addicted to jars.

Horrific, I know! I walked into my room this morning and took a look around and realised just how many jars/glass bottles were stashed around the place trying to disguise themselves as pen-pots, bobby pin holders, piggy banks, ring holders, smoothie containers and even as homes to the lentils I'm sprouting!

Just a selection of my jar collection! (Wow what a poet I am)

I just love collecting jars of all different shapes and sizes and then finding some nifty way of using them. I even eat my breakfast out of a much smaller version of the jar on the end! Speaking of the jar on the end, I'm yet to find a use for it but I'm sure I will very soon...

Do you collect any quirky things? Or maybe something just collects without you even knowing it!

x Erin