Sunday 22 April 2018

Stationery Sunday/// Bullet Journal Set-Up for February 2018.


Hello! 

Today I want to share my February Bujo Set-Up. 
February being my birthday month I went all out in decorating my Bujo. 
I used this beautiful traveller's notebook that my sister got me in December in my birthstone colour- Amethyst/ Purple. 
:)
I love this traveller's notebook, it is so well-made and was a delight to use. I loved it so much I ended up using it for March as well. 



The traveller's notebook comes with front wrapping pocket which is super convenient in storing bits for your daily planning needs. I used it for storing these mini highlighters which might be the cutest things in the world and they are very useful and handy. 


Look at the gorgeous colours. 


I used these inserts from Kikkik which I love so much. 
They are cute of course but I love the size and paper quality as well. 


I used diecuts from The Planner Society Kit. 
And I went all out. 
I loved how adorable my cover turned out. 




My front page looking pretty as well. 



Now some pages. 








An extra insert for general list making and idea dumping. 

I really, really loved how my Bujo turned out in February. 
It was all things I love- pink, floral, whimsy and happy. 

BULLET JOURNAL SET-UP DETAILS/// 

Traveller's Notebook- Cristina's Leather (Facebook Shop
Inserts- Kikki K 
Highlighters and Pen- Wish App
Diecuts- The Planner Society 
Stickers- Ali Express + Planner Society 

Friday 20 April 2018

Book Haul/// Books of April 2018.

Hello! 

Time for another book haul. 
I got four books in the beginning of the month. I can't wait to read these books come next month, since I am only reading Bengali books in April. 

Let's see the newest books I've added to my bookshelves. 




I knew I was going to have to get this book because we read the first book when it came out last year. 
A Very Pukka Murder was a great read and I was so happy to see the sequel come out. 


Doesn't this man look a lot like Amitabh Bachchan? 
Or Sonu Sood? 
The resemblance is uncanny. 
:)



I've heard good things about this book and I can't wait to read it.


To be honest, I am not the biggest Mohsin Hamid fan. I didn't LOVE the two books I've read by him in the past- The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Moth Smoke were good books but I just didn't like them as much as so many other people did. So when Exit West came out last year and garnered all of these rave reviews I didn't jump in and get the book. I just wasn't sure.
But I did want to read it and the premise sounds so good.
I am quite excited to give this a read.


Short stories from UP.
Hit me up!


BOOKS BOUGHT///

Invisible Ties by Nadya A.R.
Death at the Durbar by Arjun Raj Gaind
Bijnis Woman by Tanuja Chandra
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

I am so excited to read these books.
I don't see myself buying anymore books in April...I think. So these four books are it for my April book buying.

What books have you bought in April?

Wednesday 18 April 2018

Fashion Haul/// Fabric Jewellery from Art Soul.



Hello! 

Today I want to share some recent loves. 
I spotted Art Soul on Instagram and really loved their jewellery. Apart from being beautiful, these pieces are well priced as well. 
We got some fabric jewellery and two wallets as well (not photographed). 
I really loved everything I got and I cannot wait to wear these soon. 


I got matching earrings and necklace in this pink, beige and green block print. I love the colours on this set. 
The tassels are gorgeous too. 


We also 4 fabric covered bangles. 
I love fabric and cloth covered bangles and these four are the newest additions to my burgeoning collection. I love mixing fabric bangles with silver and wood bangles, I love the look of these mixed styles. 


I have been buying fabric and textile jewellery for years now. Soma used to always have textile jewellery and I had bought some very pretty baubles from Jugaad during Dastakar Mela. I so happy to see textile jewellery have a huge moment right now. Lots of brands are making jewellery with fabric and textile. Some of them make best out of waste, which is a wonderful thing be. 

:) 



Sunday 15 April 2018

Book Review: The Pearl Sister (The Seven Sisters Book 4) by Lucinda Riley





Book: The Pearl Sister (The Seven Sisters Book 4)

Author: Lucinda Riley 

Pages: 702

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: 5.5 hours 

Plot Summary: CeCe D’Aplièse has never felt she fitted in anywhere. Following the death of her father, the elusive billionaire Pa Salt – so-called by the six daughters he adopted from around the globe and named after the Seven Sisters star cluster – she finds herself at breaking point. Dropping out of art college, CeCe watches as Star, her beloved sister, distances herself to follow her new love, leaving her completely alone. 

In desperation, she decides to flee England and discover her past; the only clues she has are a black-and-white photograph and the name of a woman pioneer who lived in Australia over one hundred years ago. En-route to Sydney, CeCe heads to the one place she has ever felt close to being herself: the stunning beaches of Krabi, Thailand. There amongst the backpackers, she meets the mysterious Ace, a man as lonely as she is and whom she subsequently realizes has a secret to hide. 

A hundred years earlier, Kitty McBride, daughter of an Edinburgh clergyman, is given the opportunity to travel to Australia as the companion of the wealthy Mrs McCrombie. In Adelaide, her fate becomes entwined with Mrs McCrombie’s family, including the identical, yet very different, twin brothers: impetuous Drummond, and ambitious Andrew, the heir to a pearling fortune.

When CeCe finally reaches the searing heat and dusty plains of the Red Centre of Australia, she begins the search for her past. As something deep within her responds to the energy of the area and the ancient culture of the Aboriginal people, her creativity reawakens once more. With help from those she meets on her journey, CeCe begins to believe that this wild, vast continent could offer her something she never thought possible: a sense of belonging, and a home. 


Things I Liked: 
  • I have been enjoying making my way through Lucinda Riley's The Seven Sisters series, where each book focuses on the journey of one sister to find out about her birth family. In the process, we also get to travel back in time to find out more about her ancestors, who have a direct connection with the sister. So, these books are a good mix of historical fiction + mystery + romance. The previous books in the series- The Seven Sisters, The Storm Sister and The Shadow Sister (have not reviewed this yet, but will do so soon)- click on each to read our reviews. 
  • This book focuses on the journey of CeCe- my least favourite of the sisters up until this book. CeCe (to me) had always seemed very brusque, rude, ungrateful and slightly creepy and controlling. Her close relationship with Star (to me) seemed borderline incestuous and creepy! She didn't get Star go to Cambridge because she didn't get in, she resented Star finding love and familial connections in The Shadow Sister and she, generally, seemed cold. So, TBH, I was not that kicked about reading this book. However, this was a pretty interesting read and helped me understand CeCe a lot better. 
  • I like books that take me on a nice little trip around the world. The Pearl Sister starts in Thailand and then moves to Australia- to the Outback, to Alice Springs and to Broome. The book also takes us back to Western Australia at the beginning of the 20th century- to the heart of the pearling industry in Broome. We get to learn how that business worked and the mix of ethnicities of people involved in the trade. All of this was very well researched and interesting. 
  • I liked Kitty McBride's journey- from a simple Church Minister's daughter to a woman, who ended up running a pearling business in the early 20th century. She was not a relatable character (for me, at any rate) and I couldn't understand some key life decisions that she made, but given her context and the era in which she lived, those made sense, I guess. 
  • This book also focuses on the lives, exploitation (but not in very great details) and the beautiful art of the Aboriginal people of Australia. I loved reading about Aboriginal art and artistes, the story behind their art as well as how their techniques evolved. I also liked how CeCe found herself evolve as an artiste once she reached the land of her ancestors. 

Things I Didn't Like: 
  • The author wasted the first 30% of the book focused on a story that had nothing to do with CeCe's past! I didn't care for Ace because he is not the romantic interest and I don't see why we had to be subjected to CeCe and Ace's interactions for about a third of the book, when his story has nothing to do with the core premise of the book! This is a 702 page book and the real story does not even start until the 35% mark! A bit frustrating! 
Rating: 3.5/5 

Saturday 14 April 2018

Whimsy Wear: A Bag with Ton of Pom-Poms!

Hello! 

Happy Saturday to you. 

Today I want to share a darling little bag I bought from Suvasa, Jaipur on a my recent trip there. 
I fell in love with the print and all it's little trimmings. 
It was love at first sight. They had a few other bags in a similar style but I loved this one best. 


I realised that I didn't have a black bag in the boho persuasion. 
Plus, black and red is such a wonderful pairing. 


This bag so many elements going on. 
Pom-Poms. Tassels. 
It adds to the bags charms immensely. 



The yellow pops of colours go so well the monochrome colour palette. 



Even it's inside is so pretty. 
The bag is incredibly well-made and will fit a decent amount of stuff. Also, these colours will go with pretty much every single outfit! 


Ah! My love for bags is so strong I really should just have a separate blog for my bag loving. 
:) 

Hope you are having a good Saturday. 
I am keeping cozy with a good book and lots of iced-lemonade and hiding from the sun! 

Friday 13 April 2018

Stationery Love/// A New Journal Set-Up.


Hello! 

I recently finished up my quarterly journal for the year and it was time to choose and set-up my journal for the next few months. 
I do have a tiny daily journal where I write a page a day and I am loving that I have managed to keep up with that.
These journals are for my more lengthly journal entires. Where I don't necessarily write about my day to day life, here I tend to mull over things and talk about my feelings. I also use this to document some bits and and souvenirs. For instance, I tend to stick tags from new clothes and bags and even bookmarks. 
I have had one of these sorts of journals for over a decade now and I love re-visiting old memories and see the things I felt and did. 



The journal itself is from Artchetype that I got a while back but hadn't used! 
So I felt it was high time I got around to using it. 


Decorated the front page with diecuts and stickers and some sticky notes. 
Most of which is from my various Planner Society Kits. 


I love how lovely everything looks! 
I kept the theme spring-summer. 
So loads of flowers and floral motifs. 



Decorated my April page to get my journaling started. 



For my page decor I want to keep things minimal and springy as well. 


More flowers and more blooms. 

I am so happy with how things turned up. I can't wait to fill up my journal with all sorts of things. 



Wednesday 11 April 2018

Book Haul/// Books of March 2018.

Hello! 

March was a very good bookish month. Full of good books. I read some amazing books and even bought myself some books I've wanted for a while and had my wish list for ages. 

Let's see what books I've added to my bookshelves in the month of March. 


I've heard nothing but good things about Nicola Yoon's books and I had to get these gorgeous books. I can't wait to read them. I have a feeling these will make for some great summer reading. 
Plus, how incredibly beautiful are these covers?! 




I adore Isabel Allende's writing and absolutely had to get her new book. 


I have wanted this book since it came out and I've read it and adored it and reviewed it as well. 


Another one from my wish list. I have wanted this book for years and for some reason it was either out of stock or criminally expensive. Finally found it both in stock and not too pricey. 


God this book- Miss India Murders by Gauri Sinh! I thought this would be a fun mystery read but this was truly horrible. The writing style is horrendous. I couldn't manage to read this travesty of a book beyond page 50. Ugh! It's the worst. 
Do not read this. 


I adore Nadia Hashimi and love the stories she tells. 


BOOKS BOUGHT/// 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon 
The Sun is also a Star "
What Kitty Did by Trisha Bora 
The Miss India Murders by Gauri Sinh
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender 
When The Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi 
In The Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende 

I am so happy with these books, except one. 
Can't wait to read the rest of these gorgeous books.