A Court of Thorns and Roses Litjoy Crate Book Tin Review

Hands up: who loves A Court of Thorns and Roses?

Am I the only one with my hand in the air, or are you also a fan of the magical faerie world of courts, handsome High Lords, and ripped, brooding fae warriors with bat wings? 

If you are, you're going to love what I have to show you today. Also, let's fangirl together.

Unlike Feyre, I don't have any soup to serve you while we do, but feast your eyes on this beautiful, officially-licensed A Court of Thorns book tin from Litjoy Crate. It's probably the most frivolous thing I've bought in years, but Cauldron boil me, I just couldn't resist it.

This paperback-sized book tin features an incredible design by the artist RosieThorns88, which has been inspired by the iconic stained-glass art from Beauty and the Beast. I fell in love with this artwork before I'd even read the series because it is just that pretty, and finally made a purchase when I was half way through A Court of Mist and Fury. I regret nothing. 

This gorgeous tin-turned-piece-of-art depicts Feyre, Tamlin, and Rhysand on her wedding day in A Court of Mist and Fury, with the High Lords' beast-forms behind them. 

In the background, wind curling vines of thorns, and pink and purple roses, with the Cauldron near the top, cleverly designed to look like another giant rose. And the fun part? If you look closely, you'll find lots of little Easter eggs from the books mixed in to the picture, like a Where's Wally? challenge for grown-ups. There's the Night Court mountains and the Spring Court manor on either side, plus the Book and the Cauldron, Feyre's bow and arrow, a wedding shoe, the Ouroboros, Lucien's fox mask, the Weaver's spinning wheel, Rhys' bowl of soup, the ring, a bone and chisel (representing the Bone Carver), a necklace (perhaps the one Varian gave Amren?), a dagger (representing the third trial Under the Mountain), and what looks like the Veritas orb. I can't work out if the sticks above the wolf's head are Tamlin's horns, or something else entirely. (Any ideas?). The image is then bordered with stained glass windows in pretty shades of purple, pink, and blue, designed to look like a night sky through black iron windows, and this is repeated over most of the book tin.

The spine of the book tin is arched, and features a simplified design of the snarl of thorns and roses, with the rose-shaped Cauldron and Book at the top.

The edges feature stained-glass windows in decadent dark shades of purple, pink, and blue. The colours are to die for.

On the back of the tin, there's a (cheesy) quote from  Feyre in A Court of Mist and Fury. 'I was his and he was mine, and we were the beginning and middle and end. We were a song that had been sung from the very first ember of light in the world.' It's printed in a cool, fairytale-style font in ombre purple and pink, and takes the form of another stained glass window, with lots of thorns and roses curling into it.

And if you open the tin, you'll find that the inner door is decorated with another quote from ACOMAF- one of my favourites: 'He thinks he'll be remembered as the villain in the story. But I forgot to tell him that the villain is usually the person who locks up the maiden and throws away the key. He was the one who let me out.' If there's a better quote for a fairytale book tin, I'd like to hear it.

The good thing about this tin is that it's not just a pretty piece of book merch to display with your books- it's functional, too. Okay, with a storage area of 20cm high x 10cm wide x 5cm deep, you're not going to be able to store anything big in it, but it is useful for keeping little things like keepsakes, money, stationery, sewing supplies, or an emergency chocolate stash safe from prying hands. (I'd definitely recommend using it for the latter. Everyone needs an emergency chocolate stash).

It's also fantastic quality, sturdy, and well-made from high-quality tin-plate. 

It even comes in its own presentation box, featuring the same design in slightly more vivid colours, so it makes a lovely gift for any ACOTAR fan. The box is far too pretty to throw away, so I've currently got both on display on my bookshelves.

With its gorgeous design, attention to detail, and great quality, it's well worth the $22 it retails for. 

Shipping from America to the UK was also fairly reasonable, which I was really surprised about. It was $7 for shipping, with $5.80 taxes, and I didn't get any custom charges. I think delivery cost varies depending on what or how much you order, though, so that's something to be aware of.

If it's captured your heart, you can find it on the Litjoy Crate website here. 

And if you love the tin but have no use for it, you might be happy to hear that the design also features on book sleeves, and a window-cling (the latter only in the members-only Lunacorns' store). I'm hoping for a restock on the blanket they used to do, too.

Litjoy Crate also stock a great selection of other Sarah J. Maas products that'll likely tempt you if you're love her books. Just don't blame me if you want to buy it all!

Are you an ACOTAR fan? Which book and character are your favourites?

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Currently | April 2023                                                                                        

Dressing Table Tour Part 4

Hello there!

I've got the fourth and final part of my dressing table tour for you today. I have to say, I've really enjoyed putting this little mini-series together; it's been fun photographing and talking about some of my favourite trinkets and accessories. 

This last post gives me the chance to feature a few of my prettiest storage suitcases, which I keep next to the dressing table, and although the area is small and insignificant, it happens to be one of my favourite areas of the bedroom. 

This pretty pile of patterned boxes is an extension of my dressing table, used as extra storage for accessories and beauty products which I don't have room for there. I also have a magazine tidy full of fashion magazines and catalogues I need to find time to read. I think that polka dot tidy came from Tesco.

Two of my favourite home accessories are these beautiful floral polka dot suitcases. When I saw them in Next when I was Christmas shopping last Autumn, I just couldn't leave without them. I knew they'd be perfect for my bedroom. 

I was amazed by how inexpensive they were; £16 for the set of two! I've known smaller suitcase sets to retail for £45, and the quality of these are far superior to others I've dealt with. They are actually part of Next's homeware for kids, but I personally think they are better suited to adults. 

They compliment my decor, add a lovely feminine and vintage touch to my room, and are also wonderful storage boxes. I have accessories in mine, but they'd be great for storing photos, mementos, keep-sakes, make up, shoes, stationery... you name it! I love them so much I'm tempted to pick up another set to organise some other possessions. They're available online here, if you want to check them out.

As you can see, the suitcases are quite deep, and can store a generous amount.

In the larger of the two boxes, I keep my collection of winter hats, gloves, and mittens. I only have a couple of hats- (I don't suit them), but I have about a dozen pairs of gloves that I've been collecting over the last decade. I love accessorising with cosy knit gloves during the Winter, and usually find myself succumbing to at least one new pair each year. I never throw out the old ones, so I have a variety to wear depending on my mood and outfit that day.

The smaller suitcase is currently being used to store some of my beauty products to keep the clutter down on my dressing table. I can't just keep them in the bathroom like a normal person, because anything I leave on the side of the bath or in the shower will get used up by my (25 year old) sister when my back is turned. I can't afford to keep her in Aussie shampoo (a treat for me) and Neutrogena face scrubs, too, so it's more cost-effective to squirrel them away.

I love the two patterns on these boxes, and the striped lining is a nice touch.

Underneath those cardboard suitcases, I have this amazing strawberry print Cath Kidston suitcase! 

I adore the thing! My sister and I were browsing the Cath Kidston outlet shop at Bicester Village late last Summer when we saw them on sale for just £15! We both loved the strawberry print, and neither of us could leave without one. It's another piece designed for children, but in my eyes, it was the perfect display-slash-storage-piece. It's a shame about the plastic red handle, but otherwise it's so pretty to look at.

The inside is bright red, which is a fun contrast to the baby blue of the outside. I have thought about lining it with some kind of vintage-style paper or an old map to make it look a little more tasteful, but I'm still undecided.

This suitcase is home to two layers of light-weight scarves and snoods and there's plenty of room left for more. My sister uses hers to store her hair dryer and straighteners.

Cath Kidston unfortunately don't stock this design any more, but there is currently a ballerina print version, which is quite lovely, too.

And that's the end of my dressing table tour!

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek in to my home and  if you've made it through to the end, thanks for reading!

If you'd like to catch up on the previous three posts from my dressing table tour, you can do so here: part one, part two, and part three.

Do you like using pretty storage boxes as much as I do?

Dressing Table Tour Part 3

Hey lovelies,

I hope you're all having a great week so far.

Today I'm bringing you part three of my dressing table tour, and I'm going to show you what I keep in the little nook under the dressing table. Let's take a look!

The cubby hole is technically designed for leg space, but I've always used it for storage. I'm stuck living at home for the time being, and when you have one room to live in and a lot of stuff, you have to make use of every little gap.

At the minute, I'm using the space to store accessories, styling tools, and some cosmetics in a random assortment of containers. It looks a bit mis-matched, but I can live with that. 

The Super Sweet Cherry Pie bag is a beach bag which I bought from New Look about a decade ago. It's missing a few sequins now from years of use, but I adore it and it brings back a lot of memories. I haven't been able to use it in a few years, which makes me sad, so a week or so ago I decided I had to put it on display. I'm now using it to keep all my hair styling tools neat and tidy, at least until my next trip to the beach, anyway.

The box with the drawers is home to most of my costume jewellery. It's actually a stationery organiser, which I picked up from WHSmith a couple of years ago, but I saw its potential as an inexpensive jewellery box. It's perfect for keeping my accessories organised! This design isn't available anymore, but there's a similar one in blue here, and other designs here, here, here, here, and here. I also love this 3-drawer birdcage print box; I'm tempted to get it to store my make up palettes in.

The top three drawers of the accessories box are occupied by hair grips and bobbles; rings; and brooches.

I don't have a lot of rings, but my favourite is still the amazing frog prince ring I adopted from ASOS in 2012!

My brooch collection is beginning to grow quite nicely. I love anything quirky, as you can probably see, and I've got all kinds of novelty designs in my collection. (Many of them are from Cath Kidston).

The two middle drawers are home to a random assortment of accessories.

The left drawer is full of hair accessories like hair clips, turbans and hair scarves, grips, and styling clips. There are also a couple of large corsage-type brooches in there that are too big for my brooch drawer.

The right hand drawer is home to a random bunch of things that needed to go somewhere. 

My beautiful satin jewellery roll with the heart-shaped mother-of-pearl buttons embellished on the outside stores some of my special jewellery; pieces given for milestone birthdays, mostly. I bought the jewellery roll at work in the mid-noughties because I couldn't resist the prettiness. Isn't it lovely?

Underneath it are some skinny chiffon scarves, a couple of empty display boxes, some wire hair bands, the removeable straps from a sun dress, and various lengths of ribbon I occasionally use as hair bands.

And the big drawer on the bottom is home to most of my bracelets. I've had most of these bracelets for years (such as the bangles and Indian bracelets), and I don't have a very big collection these days. I got rid of so many a couple of years ago, and still haven't replenished the collection with many new ones. I probably have about a dozen bracelets I actually wear and need to start building the collection back up.

My lovely lilac jewellery box was given to me by my best friend for my 16th birthday, which was an alarmingly long time ago! Thirteen years this July; eek! Even after all those years, it's still in near perfection condition, and I still have that same best friend who gave me it.

This jewellery box is used to store some of my more precious pieces, as well as my collection of studded earrings. I have quite a lot of studs, most of which are just costume pieces, but I also have a few silver and gold pairs, with real pearls and yellow sapphires, that were given as presents.

My favourite pieces in this jewellery box are my Swarovski crystal rings, a locket that belonged to my Nan, and a pair of yellow sapphire studs my Mum gave me a couple of years ago. (They're actually orange in colour and attached to the black River Island card in the drawer in these photos).

My lovely best friend also bought me this pretty necklace stand, (for Christmas in 2012). It's from the same range as my heart-shaped earring holder, and cream wall hooks (seen in part 1), which came from ASOS. I've ran out of counter space, so at the moment it's displayed on the floor in the corner. I'm not quite sure where to put it! It holds short necklaces, and at present I don't have many, so it looks a bit sorry for itself.

Here's a peek at the chaos inside the beach bag. It contains my hair dryer, two pair of hair straighteners (mine have just died so I've borrowed my sister's pair), curling tongs, a hair removal contraption, and a heat-protector mat.

This star-shaped box doesn't currently have anything inside. It was originally the packaging from a Lush bath bomb set I was given a few years back.

And finally, this hexagonal tin is full of cosmetics samples and a couple of empty travel bottles. I never used to bother with these sample sachets, but over the last couple of years I've realised how handy they are for travelling. The shampoo and conditioner sachets you get in magazines are particularly useful to take swimming and on your travels; they're so much lighter and cheaper than travel-sized toiletries!

And that's everything that can be found under my dressing table! 

I had intended to make my dressing table tour a three part feature, but I've turned it in to a four-part as I have more still to show you!

I'll be blogging the final part in a couple of days, but in the mean time, you can also catch up on part one and part two of the tour if you'd like to see more of my dressing table.

I hope you've enjoyed this post!

How do you store your accessories, styling tools, and cosmetics?

Christmas Gift Ideas: ASOS Jewellery Holders

Dressing tables are often a much loved area of the house. It's the place where we get ready every morning for work and play, where we take our make up off in the evening, and where we congregate when we're getting ready for a night out. It's also a place where we store many of our treasures- our beloved jewellery; the trinkets and trophies that make us feel like a million dollars.

I don't know about you, but I like to keep my dressing table organised. I like everything to have it's own place, and I tend to keep my prettiest pieces out on display. I'm always looking out for the perfect way to store and display my possessions, and I think I've finally found them!

About a week ago, I discovered a range of feminine and quirky jewellery holders on ASOS. Not only am I lusting after a handful of them, but they would also make fantastic Christmas presents for the ladies in your life.

Just take a look...

1. ASOS metal loveheart jewellery stand cream and pink £12.00

2. ASOS heart shape jewellery stand cream and pink £15.00

3. ASOS triple row jewellery hooks cream and pink £15.00

4. ASOS necklaces hooks £12.00

5. ASOS jewellery hooks £12.00

If you're buying for a friend or relative who has a very feminine style, these little beauties could be the perfect gift for her this Christmas. I'm personally in love with the top three stands in cream. They're so classic and pretty; and are exactly what I've been looking for to sort out my clutter. 

A couple of them are currently on promotion, and I'll admit I lost all self-control and picked up number three in cream. (Good thing I just sold a few things on eBay). It's on offer for just £9.00 and with a 20% off discount code- 'shopsavvy6'- it came to just £7.20! That's less than half price! I think this promotion is only on until tomorrow, so get in fast if you want to take advantage of great savings.

6. ASOS stag jewellery holder and ring dish £18.00

7. ASOS piano trinket box £18.00

8. ASOS bunny earring holder £8.00

9. ASOS hands jewellery bowl £10.00

10. ASOS sausage dog ring holder £15.00

If very feminine designs just aren't for you, than take a look at these perfectly quirky little ornaments! Any of these would bring a bit of fun and humour to any boudoir. They're so different, and you have to admit that they're a lot more fun than storing your jewellery in a classic jewellery box. I'm just a little bit smitten with the wonderfully tacky bunny ring holder, and I quite like the stag's head and piano, too.

I personally think any of these holders would make great Christmas presents for your friends and sisters, perhaps even for your Mum, but mostly I want them all for myself! I hope they're still available when I next have some funds.

I haven't been sponsored to blog about these things. I just genuinely love them and thought you guys might, too. 

Which one is your favourite?

Plan B

Evening (morning?) lovelies,

 

I'd planned on bringing you an outfit post today, but unfortunately that wasn't to be. I got showered, and had an outfit in mind and everything, but the shower took the life out of me, so I couldn't manage it.

 

Thankfully, I had a plan b. I had another post idea to mind, one which I've been intending to share with you this Autumn. Now that Summer is truly over, and the Autumn chill has begun to set in, it seemed like a great time to talk about Winter accessories. Hats and gloves to be more precise. So I dug out my Winter woolies, and decided to give you a peek in to my collection.

 

So, here we go!

 

For some reason, each piece all happens to have been bought in Accessorize. I think I may have a problem.

 

Hats

 

Hats. In theory I love them, in reality I don't have the head for them. My face shape is too long to suit most styles, and my head is too big for others. Sometimes, when the temperature has dropped below freezing, I have to put comfort (warmth) before aesthetics and just suck it up.

 

I have found one style of hat that I feel suits me, and that I also love. And that is Accessorize's knitted berets... although to me they look like a mix of beanie and beret. I wear them so that they're quite vertical; sitting somewhere behind my fringe to cover the crown and nape.

 

Technically, this teal beanie isn't actually mine. In fact, I bought this hat for my younger Sister BUT she doesn't wear it, so I just had to confiscate it a couple of months ago. Teal is one of my favourite Autumn colours, and it works especially well with red hair!

 



I've had this cream hat for several years, and it's more roomy than the other two I own. The design has a small knit, with little holes and sequins all over it. It's a little baggier at the nape, but it keeps me warm when it's really cold.

 



This hat is my oldest and most favourite of all. I bought it in the mid-noughties, and while visiting my Sister in Ireland, a whole pot of Lush sugar lip scrub came undone in my bag and made a mess of it. I accidentally chucked it in the washing machine and shrunk it. As much as I've tried to stretch it out, it's never been the same since.

 



My little collection.

 



I've stored them in  one of the three stacking boxes I got from W H Smith last week.

 

Gloves

 

Nobody could get through Autumn/Winter comfortably in a cold climate without the aid of a pair of gloves or mittens. Using pockets or bravely exposing your digits to the elements just won't do when it's so bitterly cold it feels like you've taken a wrong turn and ended up at the North Pole during an Ice Age. Luckily for me, I love gloves. I have a bit of a glove/mitten obsession if truth be told.

 



These fairisle faux-fur mittens are one of the newer pairs in the collection. They're warm, and cosy, and are very Santa-like, don't you think?

 



These cute pink and purple striped gloves are the oldest pair I own. I may have had them for almost a decade. I had them in blue, too, but I'm not sure if I've misplaced them or lost them, or what. I've kept hold of them for so long because they've lasted so well, and because they're one of the few pair I own with completely covered fingers.

 



This pair of crochet cut off, finger less gloves are my absolute favourite. The shape and style is a little different to most others, and they keep the hand surprisingly warm considering they leave the fingers exposed. I was drawn to the cute crocheted flower detail and the dark Autumnal colours.

 



 

The grey pair are a year or two older than the teal pair, and I'll admit they're in need of a wash! I used to wear them whilst looking after the bunnies in the cold, so there's some wood shavings attached to the wool here and there. I should take better care of them because they're so pretty!

 



 

The medium box holds the four pairs shown above.

 

And the largest box holds the rest of the pairs I'm about to show you, which are all capped gloves. This basically means that they can be turned from finger-less gloves in to mittens and back again by readjusting the little cap on the top of the glove. I've been wearing this style of glove for many years now; they're so convenient! Your hands can still be gloved when you need to text, handle change, or write etc.

 



These are my most colourful pair of capped gloves. I was drawn to the splashes of green and turquoise, and love wearing them to brighten up a darker outfit.

 



 

A little less vibrant, but the glittery thread keeps the design fun. These are perfect worn with a chunky boyfriend knit.

 

These are the same design as the colourful pink, blue, green and grey pair above, but in a more Autumnal colour palette. They've had quite a lot of wear over the last few years.

 



 

These unkempt looking chunky capped gloves were bought the winter before last when we had that ridiculously bitter cold snap here in England. Do you remember that? The temperature dropped to something like -15c in the day time, there were icicles everywhere the size of my arm, and I saw my first white Christmas!  I was so cold Christmas shopping that my fingers were numb in my pink striped gloves, so I popped in to Accessorize and found these. They're the warmest accessory I've ever worn, but they began coming apart almost straight away. I think these were my exchanged second pair, come to think of it.

 



And the last pair I could find worth showing you is this grey fairisle pair. They're looking a little sorry for themselves as my Sister's dog, a Marley in German Shepherd clothing, tore off one of the buttons when saying hello to me. I had to sew the left cap to the glove, which is why I've used my right arm for this shot.

 



 

 

I also have several pairs of boring black Primark gloves, that I had for wearing at work, and I think I have a few other pairs milling around the house.

 

I have my eye on a few new pairs. I usually add at least one pair to my collection each Autumn/Winter. I'm intending to put a separate post together to share some of my new season favourites with you all.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this post.

 

Do you love gloves as much as I do?