Some favourite things in the month of March 👟

I've been in a real rut with blogger, the desire to produce content is there but I just haven't been able to deal with the actual producing of it. I'm too critical and can't get over when the layout isn't perfect and the images aren't the right size etc. I've also been busy with lots of other things and haven't really been prioritising blogging.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the things that I have been enjoying and feeling inspired by recently.

Films:

• Benny and Joon

This film has been on my radar for many years (since my Johnny Depp fangirl days), but I never got round to watching it until last week. I was having a chilled night in by myself (and my duvet and a bowl of porridge), and this film was the perfect accompaniment. Just a sweet, feel-good, kinda rom-com-esque film with a twist, I guess. I liked it a lot. P.S it's on Netflix!

• Isle of Dogs

I saw this film when it was in the cinemas last year and loved it. Rewatched it last week = still so goood. Classic Wes Anderson, stop-motion vibes and a killer soundtrack. Plus it's obviously just full of dogs and that's the wholesome kind of content we all need.

Podcasts :

So I'm usually a big music listener, but recently I've just not been feeling it. I haven't discovered anything new for a while and I'm not feeling drawn to any of my old stuff at the moment. bUT! I've joined the podcast club, I'm late to the trend as usual but here I am! I've been listening to episodes non-stop whilst I'm busy sewing all day for my degree show final project.

• History Chicks

Two nice, funny ladies talking about women throughout history. Each episode focuses on a different person, and covers them and their life in so much detail! It's super interesting, so far I've listened to Beatrix Potter, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Frida Kahlo, Anne Frank, the Duchess of Devonshire, and Barbie!

• Room in the Trees

I discovered this podcast because I've been reading some books by one of the hosts (more on that in a sec), it's a really chilled conversation between two creatives and often a special guest. Each episode is based around a theme to do with life and creativity, and to me it just feels like I'm hanging out with friends, chatting about art and stuff, whilst I'm working in the studio. I started on the very first episode of this podcast and am just working my way through.

Books:

• Spilling Open by Sabrina Ward Harrison

Sabrina is the afore mentioned podcast co-host! I read her third book, Messy, Thrilling Life, a few months ago and really enjoyed it (I've got lots of photocopies on my studio wall). So I returned to the library at uni and swapped it for this book next, at the time I didn't realise I was reading them out of order lol. It's a beautiful book, every page is literally a work of art! Lots of yum, messy collage and colour. And feelings, soo many feelings. Spilling Open is basically a journal from Sabrina's life between age 18-21, so it felt kind of comforting and nice to think that she was my age having a lot of the same thoughts that I have (and probably everyone else too) about identity and love and the future.

• The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier

I became a diehard Daphne fan in 2017 so it's no surprise I enjoyed this book to be honest. My first was Rebecca, then My Cousin Rachel, then Jamaica Inn, then I reread those three before getting my hands on The King's General and then finally reading The Parasites. Next on my list is The Glass-Blowers. Anyway, I loved this book! The story centres on three adult siblings and their complicated family life, it is mostly told in memories of their childhood as they try to understand what it was that caused their lives to turn out the way they did. I'm a sucker for stories about siblings so I liked that aspect. It hasn't got that dramatic suspense/thriller-ish element that some of her more famous books have, but I enjoyed just getting carried along in the story and was definitely hooked. Daphne writes really intriguing characters, they are flawed and multidimensional so even if you don't fully like them, you believe that they're real. Also I love how she hints at things in her writing, saying things without actually *saying* them so sometimes you have to go back and reread bits and pick up what you might have missed.

Clothes:

• Nike Airs

Yo a few weeks ago I picked up these trainers for £1.50 in the Salvation Army, an absolute steal. I love Salvation Army shops because they seem to be some of the only charity shops that remain unchanged by the growing trend of trying to turn second hand shops into boutiques. Do you know what I mean? You still have to dig through piles and boxes of stuff in the SA, you can still find cool kinda rare finds in amongst the junk, and the prices are still reasonable! Bring back old-fashioned charity shops! ANYWAY, I like these shoes because they are ugly, usually comfy (although I don't understand the structure of them? Like why does the weird strap at the back push your feet forward and squish your toes up?) and the monochrome look is cool (in an uncool, PE kit kind of way).  Not gonna lie, one of the main reasons I bought them was just so I could spend £1.50 on some legit Nike Airs, but I've gotten a lot of wear out of them so far so it's all good. Winner winner chicken dinner.

• Lucy & Yaks

Shoutout to my sis for getting obsessed with her Lucy & Yak dungarees and then passing the bug onto me! Comfy, colourful clothes, great ethics, what's not to love. I bought mine in the sale as well so that was pretty good. They are short ones (they come just below the knee when they're not rolled up) so I'm looking forward to wearing them in the summer without tights. Yay for mustard and corduroy!

YouTube:

I love a watching a video or two whilst I eat my breakfast in the morning, it's become a sort of routine for me! I actually love videos at any time the day but I deleted the YouTube app from my phone because it was a bit addictive so I just watch videos when I'm at home with my laptop now. I've made a playlist here with my current top 10 YouTubers so you can take a look and maybe find someone new to watch! I'll give you a quick overview:

1. Cheyenne Barton - really sweet illustrator (+ other creative things), aesthetic, has a cat
2. Lulastic Hippyshake - family living off-grid in New Zealand, radical life inspo
3. Kiera Rose - lovely gal, one of my long-time faves, loves charity shops, also has a cat
4. Fran Meneses - living the illustrator life, very funny, good arty vlogs
5. Sarah Lemkus - cute family, currently roadtripping around Europe, adventurous
6. Unjaded Jade - makes the best travel vlogs, chatty + inspirational content
7. Lindseyrem - really fun and nice, lots of cool clothes
8. みかんMikan - student living in Japan, funny and fashion and chatty, Japan is cool
9. Rhiannon Ashlee - nice family life, chilled vlogs, lifestyle, plants, another long-time fave
10. Cozykitsune - more Japan vlogs yee, cute style and lookbooks n stuff

Ok, hope you enjoyed ~~~~~~~ 🌸 (bear with me while my posts are ugly, I should probably learn coding or something lol).

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Soundtrack to writing this post:

• Brave New World by Amanda Cooke