A Court of Thorns and Roses Colouring Book Review

Last year, I devoured the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, and adored the books so much, I've been a little obsessed ever since.

My love for this enchanting world of gorgeous fae lords and warriors, magic, friendship, and romance hasn't stopped at the series, oh no. Not content to stop at the novels, I also went and acquired the officially licensed A Court of Thorns and Roses colouring book, and spent many a good pain day painting my way through some of the pages in 2023.

I may have an ACOTAR problem.

But I just couldn't resist.

And thank the Cauldron, because it's one of the best colouring books I've ever seen or owned.

If you're a fan of the ACOTAR series, and love colouring, I think you're going to love this as much as I do.

So, the A Court of Thorns Colouring Book takes you on an illustrated journey through the first three books in the series- A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, and A Court of Wings and Ruin.

This was the first page I painted, and for my first attempt at mixing skintones, I'm kinda proud of how Feyre's colouring came out. I made such a mess of Tamlin, though, especially his hair and sleeve from overworking the paper, but I guess it's fitting since his character is also a train wreck. I also wish I'd done the butterflies differently- I started off attempting to make them into Monarch butterflies, and it went a bit wrong- but overall, I really enjoyed working on this page.

I can't paint realistic trees to save my life, but this page makes me want to live in the Spring Court.

I'm not much of a fan of Elain so far (I'm gonna need her story to change my mind), but this was one of my favourite pages so far. I loved playing with lots of pinks and purples- it was so relaxing. Side note: her garden in the mortal world was described as having purple and white flowers, but I added in some pink to compliment her dress. The roof of the house was said to be emerald green, so I decided to give it green window frames- but they look awful, so I wish I hadn't.

So many of the iconic characters, settings, and scenes in the series have been brought to life in stunning detail, from Tamlin taking Feyre from her home in the mortal world, to meeting the people and wonders of the Spring Court, and Rhys and Feyre's first meeting on Calanmai ('There you are. I've been looking for you.'), to the horrors of Under the Mountain. You can colour your way through Rhys gate-crashing an important wedding and Feyre throwing a shoe at him; meeting the Inner Circle and Mor rescuing Feyre; the wonders of Starfall and the heartfelt moment at the beginning of Chapter 55; and even intense scenes like Feyre battling the Attor, and Nesta crawling out of the Cauldron at Hybern. As the illustrations move to the story of the third book, you'll be able to colour-in Lucien bowing before Feyre on Solstice, and the Bone Carver looking like a demon child that needs to be killed with fire; cool locations like the Forest House and the Night Court library; Nesta sizing up Cassian, and Azriel sweetly loaning Truth-Teller to Elain; to Amren taking on Hybern, and Rhys and Feyre sharing a quiet moment together on the rooftop in Velaris after the war. There is such a fantastic and diverse selection of scenes and characters included, and every last one is amazing.

Some of my favourites include Tamlin and Feyre lounging in the glen, Alis leading Feyre to Under the Mountain, the wedding scene, Mor rescuing Feyre after her panic attack, Rhys and Feyre on Starfall, the landscapes of Velaris and the Spring and Summer Courts (so intricate!), and the romantic little scene in the cabin before things heated up. (You know the one I mean *wink*).

This one was fun as I got to use my metallic Winsor & Newton watercolours for the first time. I used them on the floor tiles, staircase, statues, and curtains. The colours of the Spring Court entry aren't described, so I chose spring greens to symbolise Feyre fading into the background as she was wearing a green dress in that scene. Her hair was supposed to be golden brown, but I screwed up again and it came out a little too ginger.

I totally messed up this page. I had a minor disagreement with the black paint, and also messed up the curtain and Rhys' skintone. It was my first time attempting to mix darker skintones, and didn't go quite right. (Apologies to anyone with brown skin- no insult intended)! And I couldn't try layering other shades on top to fix it as the paper started to disintegrate. 

Altogether, there are forty-five drawings from five different illustrators to colour-in, with sixteen based on A Court of Thorns and Roses, eighteen dedicated to A Court of Mist and Fury, and eleven inspired by A Court of Wings and Ruin. You can also colour-in the introduction pages, which features an illustration of Feyre surrounded by thorns and roses.

Each illustration has been given a double-page spread, with one side featuring the illustration in thinly-lined black ink, and the other displaying a relevant quote from the books in large type, cornered with swirling patterns that look a little like butterflies. The pages are white and made from good-quality paper that is thick enough that most inks shouldn't bleed through, and spoil the quote on the back. I've been using watercolour paints to colourise the drawings, and even though the paper isn't designed for that, it can cope with a light layer or two, with some rippling to the back of the paper. The paper will disintegrate if you keep working it with a wet brush, though. But overall, I'm very impressed. The pages are perforated so that you can tear them out and use them how you wish, but unfortunately, they are printed back-to-back, which means you'll have to choose between displaying  your artwork and the quote of the following illustration.

Overall, it's a fantastic colouring book for any fan of the ACOTAR series. The illustrations are so beautiful that it's a must for any fan's collection- even if you don't plan to colour them in, it makes a great companion book for better visualising the characters and scenes in the books. But for those who want to use it to get creative, it's such a treat. Whether you love the Spring Court or the Night Court, are team Feysand, Nessian, or Elriel, whether you would rather throw Ianthe to the Middengard Wyrm or the Attor, and can't decide who you hate more- Amarantha or Tamlin, this book has it all. (Excluding topless Illyrian bat boys (pity) and s*x scenes, that is). There's no explicit content, so apart from a few creepy monsters, it's suitable for under-18s, too. It's so satisfying to be able to bring so many favourite characters and scenes to life with colour, and I couldn't recommend this colouring book to you more.

I'm loving it, and I can see it keeping me entertained for a long while yet. I also have the Throne of Glass colouring book, which is also amazing, but I have a lot more painting to do before I'm ready to review it.

The A Court of Thorns and Roses colouring book retails around £13-14 in the UK, and you can find it on Blackwells here.

Are you a fan of A Court of Thorns and Roses? Do you enjoy colouring-in?

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Currently | April 2023

It's been almost four months since I last sat down for a catch-up, so I think it's time for a long over-due Currently post. 

Today, I'm going to talk about some of the things I've been enjoying and doing lately. 

Let's start with some books:

Reading

Since the New Year, I've fallen down a Sarah J. Maas rabbit-hole and have been flitting back and forth between the Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses series'. Two series that I've wanted to read for years, but have only just got around to. I'm kicking myself, as they're both amazing. 

So far, I've read the first three books of A Court of Thorns- A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, and A Court of Wings and Ruin, and I've just began A Court of Frost and Starlight after a a little ACOTAR break to stop myself reading them too quickly. I'm completely obsessed with the series, and it's been living rent-free in my head for the last four months. 

A Court of Mist and Fury has definitely been my favourite so far. It's so different to the first book, and completely changed my perspective on several characters (Tamlin's out, Rhys is in, Lucien can get a time-out for being an enabler), but it's one of my favourite reads ever. The trauma, PTSD, depression, abuse, and recovery storylines were so powerful and heartbreaking, and the character development was amazing. The book is quite melancholy for a while because of the trauma and abuse, but as characters heal and so many different things unfold, it turns in to such a funny, flirty, empowering, and exciting read. I loved getting to know Rhys and the Inner Circle (hello, Cassian), and I adored Rhys' relationship with Feyre- especially the way he tries to piece her back together with banter and flirting. Chapter 54 killed me, and that ending! Cauldron boil me, it was so good! Would highly recommend it and the series in general... as long as you don't mind a bit of spice... (Avoid chapter 55 of ACOMAF if you do). 

I can't wait to read A Court of Silver Flames for Cassian and Nesta's story, but I won't know what to do with myself once I'm finished and have to wait God-knows-how-long for the next book to come out.

I've also been loving the Throne of Glass books (perhaps even more than ACOTAR), and have so far devoured Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, and Tower of Dawn. Just two more to go.

I loved the first two books and the Celaena/ Dorian / Chaol love triangle, but Heir of Fire is when it really started getting good, and has definitely been my favourite so far, followed by Queen of Shadows- mostly because of Rowan, who quickly became one of my favourite male fictional characters ever. Sadistic side of him, an' all. I adore Rowan and Aelin together- especially how cute the big grouchy warrior is when he gets protective and starts fussing over her, or later worships her like a queen. (Where can I get one?) The introduction of the fae magic definitely adds something extra to the story, too. I really enjoyed Empire of Storms, as well, though, with so much of the storyline focused on war, I found it a bit slower than the other books at times. But, I loved the Elide and Lorcan scenes, and all the romance and sexual tension building between several couples, and I can't wait to find out if they all end up together in the final book. And that ending! Brutal! Rowan's reaction to what happened broke my heart. I was gutted when I began the next book, Tower of Dawn last week, and realised it took a break from the main characters and storyline to tell Chaol and Nesryn's stories, and that I have to wait a whole other book to find out what happens next. I wasn't so invested in Chaol and Nesryn's POV to begin with and it took me a while to get into as it was a bit duller than the rest of the series, but I loved Yrene as a character, Chaol getting his ass handed to him by Yrene, and Sartaq being so obviously smitten with Nesryn. It was also interesting to see Chaol learning how to adapt to life with his spinal injuries, battling his limitations and his pride, and realising using a mobility aid doesn't make someone less of a man / woman. Despite the unrealistic fantasy healing, it sent a good message about disability, and it was great to have an ambulatory wheelchair user character to open people's eyes to how mobility levels can alter through activity, and that not all wheelchair users are paralysed.

I'll try to post some proper reviews of both series' once I've finished them, but you can find some mini reviews on my Instagram highlights, and more in-depth ones for some of them on my Goodreads.

Another book I really enjoyed was The Stolen Heir by Holly Black. It's the first book of a new duology set in the same world as The Cruel Prince series, but eight years on. It follows Jude's younger brother, Oak, and Suren (Wren), now all grown up in their late teens as they team up with his knight and their prisoner, and travel across the faerie lands of Elfhame to the Ice Needle Citadel to free Madoc and defeat Lady Nore. Along the way, they face dangers and threats, like trolls and monsters made of human body parts, and there's some fledgling romance developing, before they reach the Citadel, where there's lots of shocking twists and turns. I didn't see the ending coming, but it was brilliant. I can't wait for the second book now- and it pains me that it's almost a year away.

Watching

I haven't watched a lot lately, as I've been in a weird funk, but I've been loving Shadow and Bone on Netflix these past couple of weeks. I'd been looking forward to it since I finished season one last year, and though it's different to the books, it hasn't disappointed. I need season three and the Six of Crows spinoff now!

I also recently watched Avatar 2: The Way of Water for the first time, and absolutely loved it. Possibly even more than the first one. It was so beautifully done- especially the underwater / sea creature scenes.

Listening

I'm loving the new Fall Out Boy album, So Much (For) Stardust, which came out recently, and have been playing it on repeat. The entire album is amazing, but I particularly love Fake Out, Love From the Other Side, The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years), and So Good Right Now. I've also been going back in time twenty years with Linkin Park's Meteora 20th Anniversary release. I've been playing the original since I was seventeen and still at college, and it's always been a favourite album (and Linkin Park era) of mine. I'm enjoying reminiscing about those good old days with it, and getting to hear lots of unreleased tracks from that era on top of the original songs from the album. It's like 2003 all over again.

Playing

I've been playing Animal Crossing New Horizons a lot, and have jumped on the bandwagon and got myself Disney Dreamlight Valley, when it was on sale after Christmas. I haven't actually got past making my avatar yet, though. I've been in too much of a funk to want to play or concentrate on anything new lately- sometimes my brain-fogged head gets like that. I'll have to give it another go again soon.

Stitching

I haven't done any cross stitching since Christmas. I've been so uninspired with what to make next that I've lost my sewing mojo. Hopefully I'll spot a fun, colourful pattern I like soon.

Painting

I recently bought myself the A Court of Thorns and Roses colouring book, and have enjoyed colourising Feyre and Tamlin in the glen of the Spring Court with my watercolours recently. I'm just beginning the second coat, and making a complete mess of it, especially of Tamlin, who is a complete train wreck at this point. I ruined a patch of his hair and sleeve by overworking the areas, and made his gold mask too yellow, since I didn't have a gold paint when I started. (I do now)! I'm hoping I can improve them before I'm finished, but he might remain a bit of a fixer-upper- much like his character. It's going to take me forever to work through the book as my joints will only let me paint in short bursts, but I'm enjoying destressing with it, trying to improve my painting 'skills' (I have none!), and bringing one of my favourite book series' to life this way. It's so therapeutic. I'll post a review of the colouring book once I've painted a few more pages.

Loving

The new book covers for the Throne of Glass series- especially the hardbacks, which I'm currently collecting. The cover art is so pretty, and the books are such lovely jewel colours.

Liking

The Nivea Organically Good Aloe Vera body lotion. I've been trying some cheaper skincare options since the cost of living crisis to save my pennies where I can, and I'm so impressed with how good this one is. I don't think my skin has ever felt softer! It smells so good, it's vegan, and you can roll up the bottle as it empties to get every last drop of lotion out of it. Very impressed, especially considering it's a budget brand.

Enjoying

the extra hour of light in the evenings now the clocks have changed, and all the blossom and colourful spring flowers that are popping up. I love it when everything comes back to life again after the winter. 

Seeing

I recently saw Ronan Keating and the City Light Symphony Orchestra live at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and it was amazing I've seen Ronan live countless times over the years, but never quite like this. The classical music really complimented his voice and they were some of the best performances of his songs I've ever seen / heard. The music was so powerful, I had goosebumps all night, and even got teary-eyed over a few songs because of it. It was such a fantastic experience, and the 65-piece-orchestra was incredible. I've never really seen a big professional orchestra perform before (though Ronan toured with a small one years ago), or been to a classical concert, but I was definitely impressed by what I saw and heard. There were so many talented musicians on that stage, and the maestro was so fun to watch as he was such a character. It's a shame it was just a one-off gig in the UK (with random shows in places like Cape Town and Switzerland), as I'd have happily gone to see them again. 

Needing

I really need to get my hair cut. I haven't had it cut in almost two years, and I'm beginning to look like Cousin It again. Hopefully I can afford a visit to the hairdresser's this spring to get it cut into a more manageable length. I also need to get to the optician's for new glasses (I'm about five years over due), and see a dentist about my cracked molar.

Wanting

About 8929134 books, several of the new Lady Vintage Lyra dresses, a new Vendula London clasp purse (to replace the one that was stolen), quite a few Loungefly bags and purses, a few Erstwilder My Little Pony brooches, an Illyrian bat boy, my own Rowan Whitethorn, a pain free day, more time out of the house, some adventures, a holiday, and a good night's sleep. Not asking for much, really...

Wishing

the two guys who pick-pocketed my purse from my bag at Victoria Station last month get kicked in the balls before enjoying a pleasant stay in hell. 

Buying

Most of my purchases over the last few months have been books. I just can't resist them, and they're the best form of escapism and distraction. I've been gradually collecting the Throne of Glass and ACOTAR hardbacks, and also treated myself to the Illumicrate editions of The Stolen Heir, Ninth House, and Hell Bent, which are all absolutely gorgeous. (I'll try to review those for you soon). I also treated myself to an amazing A Court of Thorns and Roses book tin from Litjoy Crate in the style of Beauty and the Beast (yes, I'm obsessed!), some Erstwilder brooches, and an amazing My Little Pony print smock dress from Truffle Shuffle. 

Eating

I've been enjoying treats in Easter form- especially Cadbury mini orange eggs, and Kinder Bueno eggs. They're so good! Why is Easter chocolate so much better than regular chocolate??

Drinking

Apart from being treated to a Hotel Chocolat hot chocolate after Christmas, I haven't drank anything interesting in  ages. I don't think I've even had a proper drink in about five years. I've not made a conscious decision to quit drinking or anything (though I'm not meant to drink on my painkillers), I just don't tend to drink unless I go out, and it's been a long time since I did that. *Tiny violins.*

Well, that's been my life lately.

What have you been enjoying recently?

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Currently | July 2018

It's been a couple of months since I last sat down and wrote a 'currently' post about some of the things I've been doing and enjoying lately, so I thought it was about time for a catch up. 

Let's start with what I've been watching...

Watching

I haven't actually been watching much of anything new over the past few months, because I've not been in the mood to concentrate, or start anything new. Do you ever get days / months like that? I've been enjoying season two of The Handmaid's Tale, and Timeless, but apart from that, I've mostly just been watching old favourites like The Big Bang Theory, and Home and Away. I think the only new film I've watched this summer is The Greatest Showman, which I absolutely love. It's one of the best musicals I've seen in years, and I love that it unapologetically celebrates people of all shapes and sizes, colours, abilities, and conditions. It's so refreshing, and sends out such a positive message. I only wish they had featured more actors who have the health conditions- real albinos, real bearded ladies, real conjoined twins- to truly celebrate and help normalise such conditions, but I suppose finding actors with the conditions who can also sing and dance can't be easy in this ablest society. Regardless, I really enjoyed the movie, and I can't seem to get the songs out of my head.

Listening

I can't say I've been listening to a lot of music lately, just a bit of Linkin Park here, a bit of Fall Out Boy there... but I've been loving Panic! at the Disco's new album 'Pray For The Wicked'. It's full of amazing, upbeat, catchy songs.

 Reading

Since my last 'currently' post, I've been having a bit of a Frances Hardinge reading binge, and have worked my way through A Skinful of Shadows, A Face Like Glass, and Cuckoo Song. All three were fantastic page-turners that kept me gripped until the end. Hardinge has such a beautiful way with words, and her fantasy stories are so unique and original. I'd definitely recommend the three above.

Earlier this summer, I also read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, a novel based on the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Jewish prisoner of Auschwitz who was forced to tattoo numbers on to the arms of the men, women, and children entering the concentration camps. The importance of his role earned him some protection in the camps, and he secretly used his privilege to help his fellow prisoners and the girl he was falling in love with, while risking being caught at any moment. Lale's harrowing story was fascinating and one of the best Holocaust stories I've read, but difficult to read at times, when the horrors he witnessed and friends experienced were described. Still, I flew through this book in two days, and highly recommend it if you have an interest in reading about the Holocaust.

  

Stitching

As I've been busy working on other craft projects over the last few months, I haven't done as much cross stitching as I'd like, and I'm still working on the colourful Spectrum Mandala cross stitch from The World in Stitches that I showed you in my last 'currently' post. I'm back to cross stitching daily again now, though, and I'm finally beginning to close in on the three quarter mark. I'm really happy with how it's coming together; seeing all those colours blend together is super satisfying. I'm hoping to get it finished by the end of August so I can spend Autumn working on some Christmas craft projects.

Crafting

In June, I finally finished the four felt spring wreaths I taught myself to make during the Spring, (which I blogged about here), and they came out so well it's given me such a sense of accomplishment. I've decided to make Christmas wreaths in a similar style, and as the Spring wreaths took months of work, I've already began working on them so that they'll be ready in time for Christmas. I've started making red felt roses and poinsettias to use, and next I'm going to figure out how to make felt amaryllis flowers, and possibly even pinecones and mistletoe. I can't seem to stop making felt flowers now I know how!

Painting

I haven't done heaps of painting lately, but I recently treated myself to a cheap set of gouache paints, and I've been having fun getting to grips with them. I've wanted to try painting with gouache for years, and I'm loving how vibrant the paints are compared to the watercolours I usually work in.

Buying

I had a nice little rebate earlier this year, so I've been able to treat myself to some amazing Erstwilder brooches, and lots of beautiful pieces from the Cath Kidston Alice in Wonderland collection lately. I've also been buying some Body Shop body butters and lotions, a few books, and a couple of Kimchi and Coconut brooches. I'll be blogging about most of them really soon!

Winning

I was recently lucky enough to win copies of Breathe magazine, and Breathe Special Nature Journal from Emma of The Cornish Geek (thanks, Emma!), which I'm absolutely loving. I've never read Breathe magazine before, but it's filled with inspiring articles on wellbeing, mindfullness and creativity, and illustrated with beautiful art. It's been such an enjoyable read, so I'm definitely going to be picking up future issues. 

The Nature Journal, which is designed to help you connect with nature to improve your wellbeing, is even better, with gorgeous art and illustrations on every page, and tasks to complete throughout the year. From writing down your favourite things about each season to exploring nature and recording the animals and plants you see, it's full of fun projects to help you connect with the natural world. If you love nature and enjoy being creative like I do, you'd love it, and need to get yourself a copy. I'm really looking forward to getting started on all the Summer and Autumn tasks, but it's so pretty I almost don't want to make a mark in it.

Needing

a holiday, a life, and some clothes I can wear in the heat without melting.

Wanting

Everything from the new Cath Kidston Otters and Mini Badgers and Friends collections, all the Erstwilder jewellery, some new bookshelves, a holiday by the sea, to spend some time out of the house, and my heart to calm the fuck down.

Wishing

the heat would cool down, and we could have Autumn weather already. If you haven't heard the UK is currently basking in the hottest and longest heatwave since the sixties. We've had over four weeks straight of 30'C+ weather here in Oxfordshire (it's been up to 34'C!), which is not normal English weather. We might get a week of it each summer, but that's usually it. Our houses are designed to keep the heat in and we don't have air conditioning in our homes, so it's been unbearable. I'm always overheated from my chronic illnesses, and can't regulate my own body temperature, so I feel so uncomfortable in the heat. I've not had the energy to do anything, and I feel like I've lost a couple of stone sweating from places I didn't know could sweat. I'm so ready for the weather to change, and for Autumn to begin. It doesn't sound like it's going to happen any time soon, though.

Celebrating

On the 2nd, I celebrated my 33rd birthday (man, I'm getting old!). I'm not one for parties and don't really have anyone to celebrate with any more, so I had a quiet one with a trip to the zoo, and an evening in eating birthday cake and a buffet tea with my family. I was given some lovely presents, too, which I'll be blogging about soon.

Playing

My younger sister bought me a Nintendo 2DS for my birthday earlier this month, so I've been having fun playing Mario Kart 7 almost every day since. It's been years since I last played it (on the Wii), and it's great fun. Does anyone have any 2DS game recommendations? I need to buy some new games to play on it.

Eating

I've basically been living on ice cream and all the cold drinks I can get my hand on, to survive the heatwave. Maxibons and Haagen Daaz lollies have been two of my recent faves- but nothing beats a 99 from the ice cream van!

Loving

I'm loving Insta stories at the moment. I could spend hours watching them from my fave Instagrammers every day (and sometimes I do). It's so addictive, and I love seeing what everyone is getting up to or enjoying. I began putting my own stories together a couple of months ago, and I'm really enjoying sharing little snippets from my life, like things I've been buying or crafting, and I'm having fun getting creative with it. It's definitely my favourite platform to use right now- although, I don't post every day because I haven't always got anything exciting to share. It's not easy coming up with interesting content when you're housebound and have no life!

So, that's what I've been doing and enjoying lately. What about you? 

What are you loving right now?

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Currently | October 2017

It's been ages since my last 'currently' post, so I thought it was about time I sat down to chat about some of the things I've been enjoying lately, and to fill you in on what's been happening, so here we are. 

Let's get cracking!

Reading

I recently finished This Must Be The Place by Maggie O' Farrell and The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks, and last weekend I finished another Maggie O' Farrell novel called The Distance Between Us. I really enjoyed all three of them, but particularly The Distance Between Us, which I couldn't put down. I've now moved on to The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, although I'm only a few pages in so far.  I got hooked on the TV show, so I just had to give the book a read, too.

Watching

I've watched quite a lot of new-to-me films over the last couple of months including Passengers, The Arrival, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Bridget Jones' Baby, The BFG, Ghostbusters, Moana, Finding Dory, Beauty and the Beast, Doctor Strange, Allegiant Part One, The Visit, and Gravity, to name a few. As for TV programmes, I haven't been watching a lot, but I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale. It was really heavy and totally fucked up, but just too good to stop watching.

Listening

Since Chester Bennington committed suicide in July, I've mostly just been listening to is Linkin Park's back catalogue on repeat, but I guess there's nothing new about that! I'm still playing the latest album 'One More Light' to death, but now the lyrics are heartbreaking because you can hear how much he was suffering, where as before they were just great songs. Heavy and One More Light kinda break my heart.

Stitching

I recently finished the rainbow Spectrum mandala cross stitch from The World In Stitches that I shared a peek at in my last 'Currently' post and blogged about in full here. I've also just completed a little colourful fox cross stitch from the same company, and now I've gone back to a Christmas sampler I began earlier in the year.

Painting

It's been several months since I started painting again, and I've been enjoying it so much, I've been painting fairly regularly ever since. I finished the compass canvas I showed you a couple of months ago, and have now moved on to another Johanna Basford canvas with a pretty seahorse design. I've gone for a colour scheme of yellows, oranges, pinks, and purples, and I've gotta say, it's so much fun painting with such pretty colours!

Looking

forward to Autumn, and all the good Autumn things. Colourful foliage, candles, cosy blankets, pumpkins, fireworks, hot drinks, comfort food, chunky knits, wearing gloves with everything, layers, Autumn colours, jewel colour nail polishes, cosy nights in, ankle boots, Autumn walks... all the good stuff.

Planning

lots of blog posts for Autumn and Christmas. Whether I'll be well enough to blog them all is another question! (Although, I've already got two Christmas posts scheduled, so I'm doing okay so far!)

Enjoying
Spending the dark Autumn evenings curled up under a blanket crafting, watching movies, and reading with some candles burning. I hate the dark evenings, but spending them like this is oh so cosy.

Wishing
I had gone to see Linkin Park at the O2 like I'd planned on July 3rd, instead of being sensible and avoiding London because of the risk of another terrorist attack. I am even more bummed out about this now Chester has died, and I'll never get another chance to see them play live together as a six-piece. Even if Linkin Park continue without Chester, which I think they will, it'll never be the same again. Lesson learned: never let anyone talk you out of something you really want to do!

Buying

I haven't been able to shop much lately as I still don't have two pennies to rub together, but I spent my birthday money on the Too Faced Chocolate Bar and NYX Ultimate Brights eyeshadow palettes in July, and they're both absolutely gorgeous! I can't wait to play with all of the shadows, but in true blogger style, I need to take blog photos first so I can review them both for you! I also just treated myself to a pretty Sass and Belle jewellery dish baring the words 'follows your dreams', using some of the vouchers I earned from Swagbucks... mostly to use as a blog photo prop!

Needing

I've just worn a hole through my favourite duvet cover, so I'm in desperate need of some new bedding. I'm also in need of some new ballet pumps as my last good pair have fallen apart, and could do with some hair dye as my roots are getting ridiculous. I also need some money so I can afford the things I need; having no money sucks and it's getting problematic.

Wondering

how much money I could get for a kidney...

Wanting

I'm dying to get my hands on the Essie nail polish Advent calendar that's just been released, but it's £80 (currently on promo for £50) and I'm skint, so I'll have to start saving. I'd also love to get my hands on the Ciaté calendar when it comes out. And maybe the OPI Advent calendar, too. Okay, just give me all of the beauty Advent calendars; I want them all!

Winning

I won a set of three purple, blue, and white ombre swarovski glass nail files from Mont Bleu on Twitter a couple of months ago, which was awesome because I love their nail files- they're the best I've ever used. They're so gentle on the nails, and easy to use for great results, even if you're useless at nail filing like me. I keep the small one in my handbag for nail emergencies on the go, and use the medium and large for every day filing at home. I love them!

Wearing

I've barely left the house in the last couple of months, so I've mostly just been living in my pyjamas. I'm currently wearing a pink flamingo motif vest top and raspberry heart print PJ bottoms; they're so comfy!

Worrying

about my heart which is still racing away eight months on. I still don't know why it's happening or what's causing it, but I'm becoming more and more sure that electronics are to blame. I'm struggling to go near my laptop, phone, Kindle, TVs, even the sockets for any length of time because I can feel the electrical energy coming off them all, and my body keeps picking it up and buzzing like pins and needles from the static electricity. The longer I spend on electronics, the faster my heart gets, so I'm having to limit the amount of time I spend on them, which isn't ideal when you're a blogger (it's the reason I've not blogged a lot lately), but my heart becomes steadier the longer I stay off them. It's been happening for about two or three months now, although I'd been having these issues with my laptop for most of the year. It probably sounds absolutely bizarre and you're wondering if I've lost the plot- I'm feeling like maybe I have- but I think I may be on to something here. I asked my doctor if it could be the cause, but she's never heard of this happening before so she's unconvinced, but hasn't ruled it out. My heart is apparently healthy, my bloods and blood pressure are normal, I've cut out caffeine and stopped taking the medication I thought was to blame, so I'm running out of other explanations, and I just have a gut feeling that I'm right. Have you ever experienced any issues with electrical energy from gadgets before or is it just me?

Before I go, I just want to say 'thank you' for all of your kind comments after I experienced Paypal / eBay fraud last month. I thought you might like to know I managed to get everything refunded thanks to Paypal and the three very understanding eBay sellers, but unfortunately, I still have to pay the fees for going over my planned overdraft limit because of it- which I can't afford because I haven't got any money coming in. I spent 45 minutes on the phone to the bank being passed from person to person, but they didn't give a shit, and wouldn't help. I consider myself lucky to have got the transactions refunded, but the overdraft fees are still a headache I don't need. Still, it could've been worse and I could've been out of pocket for all of it... so I'm grateful for that... and hopeful karma will get the thieving twat in the end! 

So, that is what I've been up to lately. What's been going on in your life?

What are you currently enjoying?

Currently | May 2017

I can't remember the last time I sat down and wrote a 'Currently' post, where I chat about some of the things I've been doing lately, so I think it's about time I rectified that with a fresh new Currently post. This is what I've been getting up to lately...

Reading

I recently finished The Land of Later on by Anthony Weller, and Room by Emma Donoghue, both very different, but really enjoyable reads. The Land of Later on is about a chronically ill man who has just committed suicide trying to find the love of his life in the afterlife, and Room is a fictional story about a woman who has been held captive in a shed for seven years with her five year old son, through the eyes of the little boy who knows nothing of the world but Room, as he tries to process the world he's never been exposed to. I couldn't put either of them down; they were both harrowing and thought-provoking reads. I've just started reading This Must Be The Place by Maggie O' Farrell, which I'm only about a dozen pages or so in to, but already hooked on.

Watching
I haven't really been watching anything new on TV, but I'm loving the latest series of The Big Bang Theory, and got in to Timeless when it aired a couple of months ago. I have watched quite a few new-to-me movies, though, including A Theory of Everything, and Me Before You, (both of which had me bawling my eyes out), Room, The Choice, 3996 Days, and a bunch of other stuff I had ready to list in my head, but suddenly can't recall now I need to. Damn brain fog. I'm dying to check out La La Land, Fantastic Beasts, Beauty and the Beast, 13 Reasons Why, and The Keepers.

Listening

I downloaded Linkin Park's new album 'One More Light' on Friday which I'm obsessed with already, and I can't wait for Fall Out Boy's new album which is due out in September. I also really like Paramore's new single,  and I really need to check out their new album. I've not been impressed with a lot of other new music lately, so I've mostly been listening to the back catalogues of both LP and FOB on repeat, which I do often because their music never fails to make me happy.

Eating

a bag of Milka Mini Eggs, the last of my Easter chocolate. They're soooo good!

Wearing

a pair of raspberry-pink heart print pyjama bottoms and a navy PJ vest top. They totally don't match, but they were the only ones that were clean. And yes, I'm wearing PJs in the middle of the afternoon. What of it?

Stitching

I'm currently working on a rainbow spectral mandala from The World In Stitches, after recently finishing a geometric heart, and a geometric squares kit from the same company. I also have a flamingo picture on the go that I need to return to and finish, but I've put it aside for now as I needed a break from the repetition of sewing a sea of turquoise.

Painting

As I said in my Random Things Haul post last week, I've just started watercolour painting again, and have began painting a Johanna Basford canvas with a compass and nature design using my new Winsor & Newton watercolour paints. I'm making a complete mess of it, but I'm really enjoying painting again, and I'm sure I'll improve my technique again in time. I can already see an improvement in the sections I've painted over the last few weeks. I can't believe I left it so long to get back in to it; I'm finding it so therapeutic and relaxing!

Looking

forward to getting away to Cornwall for a week's holiday next month. I've not had a holiday since I developed chronic pain and chronic illness, so if I make it there, it'll be my first holiday in almost six years and my first to Cornwall in seven. I'm unsure how I'm going to manage the journey, let alone a week's holiday, and I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to cope with, but fingers crossed I'll find a way to power on through the pain, and get out and about to some of my favourite places (and maybe a few new ones) while I'm there. I know I'll do my best because I love Cornwall so much, and I won't be able to resist the siren call of my favourite places in favour of wasting the whole holiday lounging around a caravan. Ah, I'm so excited!

Planning

To go see Linkin Park play live in London in July as a birthday treat, providing we can get tickets, of course. I've seen them live twice before, and they've always been amazing live, so I can't wait for round three. I'm also making plans for Cornwall, sketching out future blog posts, and thinking about how to redesign the blog.

Craving

the feeling of sand beneath my feet, the sun on my skin, the sound of the ocean, the smell of salt water, the tides lapping around my feet in the surf, the cry of seagulls, and the scent of coconut sun tan lotion. I'm specifically craving Perranporth beach in Cornwall, but any sandy beach would do right about now. I'm not fussy. Hopefully I'll be able to satisfy my cravings in a few weeks when I go to Cornwall with a trip to the beach. If not I'll cry.

Buying 

I haven't bought a whole lot lately as money is really tight, but I treated myself to this Boohoo Plus smock dress last week after selling some old stuff on eBay, and managed to get my hands on a few of the Sleeping Beauty Tsum Tsums that went on sale last Tuesday. I'll give you a peek at them on Instagram when they get here. You can see some of the other things I've acquired lately in my Random Things Haul.

Needing

some new dresses, cropped cardigans, underwear, bedding, a new chest of drawers, a beach bag, a shower, a hair cut, some fresh air, a painkiller that actually kills pain, a concert fix, a new camera (Rosie broke mine), a good night's sleep, some excitement in my life... lots of things. Everything is on it's last legs, including me.

Wanting
I'm dying to get my hands on this poppy red maxi dress from Boohoo, this dress from Lindy Bop, this dress and this dress from Lady Vintage, the Too Faced Sweet Peach eyeshadow palette, this sewing box house from Cath Kidston, these Cath Kidston brooches, this flamingo pool float novelty bag from Skinny Dip, and some more Johanna Basford canvases to paint.

Wishing

I was rich and could afford everything I need and want. That would be the life. 

Loving

Linkin Park's new album 'One More Light'. It was released on Friday and OMG I'm loving it so much already. It's so uplifting and melodic, with some beautiful vocals from Chester- although not enough from Mike for my liking. As seems to be the tradition, it has a completely different sound to anything they've ever done before, and it couldn't be more different to their last album 'The Hunting Party', which was an epic album with a heavier rock and metal sound. I admit I'm a little disappointed by the total lack of rock tunes- I thought there'd at least be a couple- but I actually love the way they keep evolving their music. Once again they've nailed it. I have a feeling I'm going to be playing this album to death from now on.

Worrying

about my heart rate, which is still racing like crazy three months on. To be honest, it's scaring the shit out of me. It's been so fast the last few nights I've barely slept; I'm shattered. I just want everything to go back to normal, and to find out what the hell is going on with my body. I'll finally be meeting with a cardiologist on Wednesday, so hopefully I'll finally get some answers and some way of getting it under control, because I'm not enjoying this so much.

Crying

with laughter because my dog just threw a treat across the room to pounce on it. (She's developed a new habit of playing with her food). It landed under the open door of her crate, and now she's barking, howling, and making the funniest noises in despair at it because she wants the treat but is afraid to go near the open door. She cracks me up.

Teaching

I've just started working on recall with Rosie (again) because she still doesn't come when you call her, and it's time we cracked it. We have a huge garden so she has plenty of space to run around off the lead at home, but it would be great to give her the freedom to walk off the lead in public, and know she'll stay safe and come back. I've started getting her to come to me using treats and the clicker while I'm playing with her in the garden, but I'll probably look in to getting a long lead, and a dog whistle to gain a bit more control, especially for longer distances.

Clearing

out some of my old and unwanted things in an attempt to declutter, and raise a little extra cash. And I've also been having a good clean up of files on my laptop to try to declutter my virtual life, and get organised, too.

Scheduling 

some Sunday Favourites posts ahead of time for when I'm away, so I don't have to stress about throwing them together at the last minute. You'd be surprised how long they can take to assemble sometimes. I've been known to lose whole days to one post.

Wondering

how my appointment with the cardiologist is going to go on Wednesday, what their prognosis will be, and what might happen next.

Enjoying

the longer hours of daylight we've been having lately, and the sunshine streaming through my window today. I don't know why extended hours of daylight, blue skies and sunshine make such a difference to my moods, but they really do.

What have you been up to lately? Let me know what you're currently enjoying in the comments below!