Loki Painting

Hey everyone!!

Sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile... The semester just started and I've been super busy. I'll try to post more often, but I apologize in advanced if I can't. 

So, over Christmas break, I was bored out of my mind and decided to get crafty. I have a ton of unfinished crochet projects, but I felt like trying something new: painting. Since I'm completely obsessed with all things Marvel (especially Thor) I attempted to paint Loki's helmet. 

Here's what happened:

Rough sketch (lefty + pencil + canvas = smudgy as hell). I didn't use any specific picture for reference; I just looked up pictures of Loki's helmet and made up my own design from there. 

I used the gridding technique because it's the only thing I remember learning in middle school art class. 

First layer of gold. 

I decided to add Loki's name in runes because the canvas looked a little too empty at this point.

I found a gold paint marker and fixed some of the lines (is that cheating?). 

First layer of green. 

Since the helmet and runes looked a little sloppy, I outlined them with a black paint marker. I think it made a huge difference!

Pretty sure it took about 10 layers of paint to get the gold even... That's whys happens when you buy $0.99 paint from Walmart. 

I know it's not perfect, but I absolutely love how this turned out!!! This is definitely going up on my wall as soon as I move. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope I can talk to all of you again very soon :)

Keri <3

A to Z Bookish Survey

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!!!!

I found this little tag on tumblr, and thought I would complete it.  I'm such a bookworm (but you guys probably already knew that if you've been reading this blog for awhile); this tag is absolutely perfect if you love to read.  If you guys have a tumblr/ blog/ YouTube channel, you should definitely give this a go :)

Just a heads up, I did include some plays along with books.  I couldn't do this survey/ tag and not include Shakspeare. Sorry.

A. Author you've read the most books from: James Patterson (the Maximum Ride series was one of my favorites when I was younger)

B. Best sequel ever: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

C. Currently reading: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

D. Drink of choice while reading: An iced mocha from Starbucks

E. E-reader or physical book: I have a nook, but I prefer to read physical books.

F. Fictional character you probably would have dated in high school: Gale Hawthorne from The Hunger Games series

G. Glad you gave this book a chance: The Divergent series

H. Hidden gem book: Not sure if this really counts, but not a lot of people seem to talk about the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsey.  I love Lindsey's writing (there's never a dull moment!).

I. Important moment in your reading life: When I discovered Goodreads!  I absolutely love the website and the app- it's so helpful for bookworms who like to keep track of what they've read and what they want to read.  I use it all the time when I'm in Barnes and Noble.

J. Just finished: Coriolanus by Shakespeare (it's a play, but I'm going to say it still counts)

K. Kind of books you won't read: Romantic, Nicolas Sparks type novels are definitely not for me.

L. Longest book you've read: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (870 pages)

M. Major book hangover because of: I'm still not over the ending of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

N. Number of bookcases you own: 2 at my parents' house, and 1 at my apartment

O. One book you have read multiple times: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

P. Preferred place to read: In the bathtub (it's so relaxing after a long day of classes)

Q. Quote that inspires you/ gives you all the feels from a book you've read: "Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not" (Tyrion Lannister from A Game of Thrones)

R. Reading regret: Reading the Twilight series in high school; I really can't stand Stephenie Meyer's writing, and I just want to punch Bella in the face........ Sorry Twihards.

S. Series you started and need to finish (all the books are out in the series): I really want to read the Percy Jackson series.  For some reason, I just never got around to reading the books when they first came out.

T. Three of your all-time favorite books: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, and Hamlet by William Shakespeare

U. Unapologetic fangirl for: This is going to sound really strange, but I absolutely love mythology (mostly Greek and Norse).  I'm a total Marvel fangirl, so when I started researching the origins of Thor and Loki, I got hooked on Norse mythology.  I'm also a huge Shakespeare nerd.  I know, I'm crazy.

V. Very excited for this release more than all others: I'm super excited for the 6th Mortal Instruments book (City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare) to be released!!  I'm still on the 3rd book (City of Glass), but I love the series so far.  If you saw the movie but didn't read the books, definitely check out the books- the movie did not do them justice!

W. Worst bookish habit: I'm not so bad about this anymore, but I used to lose the dustcovers for all of my hardback books... I would take them off the book when I started reading it, and the cover would always seem to disappear.

X. X marks the spot: start at the top of your shelf and pick the 27th book: Matched by Allie Condie

Y. Your latest book purchase: The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson

Z. Zzz-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late): A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.  The chapters are kind of long, so I would always stay up to read "one more chapter" and end up reading the whole night. 




Thanks for reading, and hopefully I'll talk to you all again soon!
Keri <3

Jolly VoxBox Unboxing

Hi there!

I received another VoxBox in the mail a few days ago, and thought I'd do an unboxing post for you all :)  This is the Jolly VoxBox- I'm not really sure if this box has a theme or if it's just kind of a grab bag of random things.  Either way, these products are pretty awesome!  As always, this is just my first impressions of these products, but I will have a review of the products up in about a month. 

Just for reference, here's a time line for this box:

December 12: Received an email letting me know I qualified for the Jolly VoxBox

December 19: Received tracking number and shipping confirmation

December 21: Received the VoxBox

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DISCLAIMER: I received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.com. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. 

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The Box

Puffs Ultra Soft and Strong To Go Tissue Pack ($0.49)

This was the perfect thing to include in this VoxBox!  I know I'm not the only one who suffers from a runny noes this time of year- that's just what happens when it gets cold.  These tissues are great for on the go; I have a few of these packs stashed in my car and some in my purse.  I've used the Puffs brand before, but I usually buy Kleenex (not really for any particular reason, that's just the brand my family picks up).  I'm glad these are the Plus Lotion tissues.  They're just moisturizing enough to keep your nose from getting irritated.

NYC New York Color HD Color Trio Eye Shadow ($2.99)

Since this is just the unboxing post, I haven't had a chance to swatch or try out this trio yet, but I will definitely have pictures in the review post.  This trio is a nice, neutral palate, and can work with any skin tone.  I feel like these shadows may come off a bit more sheer than most, but we will see.  The top color is a soft pinkish highlight shade, the middle color is a deeper bronzy taupe, and the bottom color is a golden pink shade.  All of these shadows look pretty shimmery and soft (which can be a good thing and a bad thing).

Rimmel London NEW Show Off Lip Lacquer ($5.49-5.99)

I was excited to see this little product in my box.  I've already tried out a few of the colors from the Show Off Lip Lacquer line, but this was one I hadn't tried yet (thank goodness!).  This shade is called "Nova (#102)."  It's a nice basic pink with no shimmer- I have worn these before, so I can tell you that they are a little drying but not as drying as a matte lipstick.  These are kind of a hybrid between a pigmented lipstick and a smooth, non-sticky gloss.  I really love the formula, and can't wait to try this shade out.

Skinny Cow Candy ($3.99)

I haven't tried anything from the Skinny Cow brand, but I've heard a lot of great things about their candies.  In this box, I received the Skinny Cow "Divine Filled Chocolates" candy- they're little milk chocolate bites filled with peanut butter.  These sound absolutely amazing!  One serving (one pouch) has 130 calories, which is awesome considering this is a candy.  Hopefully these taste as good as they sound :)

Ducklings Mini Rolls ($2-3)

Oh. My. Goodness!  I cannot tell you how much I love duct tape!!  I was so excited when I saw this at the bottom of my box.  The pattern is so cute (blue and purple cheetah print), and I love the size of this mini roll.  I'm not sure what I'm going to make with this tape yet, but I'm sure it will be super cute :) 


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Thank you all for reading this unboxing post!  Make sure to check back in about a month to read my final thoughts on each of the products from this Jolly VoxBox.

Until next time,

Keri <3