Last Week's Shenanigans (22nd May - 28th May)...ANOTHER HAUL?!

Oh no! The last week of May is normally horrible because it reminds me that my birth month (yes, I've designated myself a whole month...don't judge me...) is over! Some great things happened this week though and so I at least ended up going out with a bang! The main thing was, of course, Comic Con on Sunday! I love Comic con but this year I got to go with just Mat for the first time ever, which was a lot of fun!

If you have never been to a convention like this before I really recommend it. There's always such a great atmosphere and comfortable feeling between everyone who attends and the best part is that so many people choose to dress up! Mat and I didn't this time around, but we do plan to in October, hopefully as Jack Skellington and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, our joint favourite film!

The best part of Comic Con is of course the haul of awesome bits and bobs bought there! Here's mine:

The first thing I went for was a lucky dip type bag of bits that were themed around My Neighbour Totoro and I was so pleased with the result! Two little key-ring plushies of Totoro and the Cat Bus plus an amazing new Totoro hat! I actually lost my fox-style hat around winter so I was pleased to get a new one! We also saw and fell in love with a Totoro-themed cushion, seeing as we were in need of a new one for our sofa! Our next mission was to find a Jack Skellington Pop! figure to keep the Sally one I bought on my birthday shopping trip! It took a lot of searching but we finally found one! While looking, I also bought a Chinese Dragon-styled ring that I've named Haku after the character from Spirited Away. Those beautiful, huge plushies were next and I was actually surprised that Mat let me buy them seeing as I already have far too many soft toys, but they're mine now and I adore them. Lastly the two hoodies you see there were from David & Goliath, and they had some great designs!

All in all, a lot of fun and I can't wait for October!

I Read...

Note: I read 'The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes' from this collection only.

I Received...

- 'Popular' by Mitch Prinstein: Approved by Netgalley (22/05/17)

Last Week's Shenanigans (19th October - 25th October)...& London Comic-Con Haul!

So I have some very exciting bits and bobs to share with you in this week's post because I've been out and about far more than I usually am and want to share with you every last detail of the cool things that I managed to get on my adventures at one of my favourite places to go: Comic Con. But first, I'll quickly talk about the rest of my week which also wasn't too bad. It was a bit of a weird one because I only actually worked for three of my usual five days a week. On Tuesday I had the day off so that in the evening I could go to the Rose Playhouse with Mat and watch 'Twelfth Night' again, this time with gender roles reversed (so Viola, Olivia & Maria played by men and Malvolio, Orsino & Sebastian played by women). It was an interesting watch to say the least and provoked some pretty philosophical, serious discussion on traditional gender roles on the way home. All in all, success! For those that are fans of the Bard (as I mentioned last week) the Rose Playhouse is actually an ongoing Archaeological project that's being funded only by charity. If you're interested, visit their website and read more! Here's a quick picture of the highlighted foundations (it's currently submerged underwater).

So next up...Comic Con on Saturday 24th! I'm sure a lot of my followers will be familiar with this event but for those that aren't I'll explain: it's a huge great convention for the Nerds & Geeks of our community. Those that are passionate about anything: movies, TV Shows, video games, Cosplay, even books can come and dress up and have fun! The people I've met here are some of the nicest people I've ever met too. I've only been twice but I've loved both times! This year, I went with Mat and a group of friends and we all decided to dress up which was something we hadn't done before at this convention.

As you can see (or perhaps not, my costume was certainly not the most impressive)I went as Scarlet Witch from 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron'. I had a great time and got stopped for a couple of photos, though not nearly as many as my lovely friend Tash, who as you can see dressed as Elsa from 'Frozen'! I had a great time and it was nice to be in the company of such good friends for an extensive period of time.

After getting in, we spent a vast majority of our time walking from stall to stall and admiring all the things you could buy/do. As you can see we bought some delicious cakes as well as a whole host of other things (which I'll get to in just a second). In terms of the costume, some of them were simply amazing and I was bowled over by just how creative some people are! The costumes ranged too from characters from famous movies or TV Shows, from anime, from video games and even from famous musicals! If that kind of thing interests you, why not look up and see where the nearest Comic Con to you is?

Now for the best bit...THE HAUL!

Not the biggest as you can see (I think I bought a bunch more stuff last year) but I really love this haul for a variety of reasons. I'll go through item by item and explain just why I love it so much!

- Signed 'Once Upon A Time' Script. I'll start with the thing that I completely forgot to include in the main photograph so I've put a picture of here. My new proudest possession! I love this show so much and think that the cast do such a great job of making stock Fairytale characters be so much more complex. Some of my favourite actors and actresses have signed this script and I've read through it and found a whole host of interesting things: did you guys know that Emma Swan was originally going to be Anna Swan? Me neither! The script is the 'Pilot' episode and came from TVandFilmScripts.
- The Scarlet Witch Pop! Figure. I adore these figures, they are so cute. Since my lovely friend Imogen gave me Loki for my birthday, I really thought I ought to start building up some kind of collection. Having chosen to dress as her, Scarlet Witch seemed like the next obvious choice!
- Power Bank. This wasn't something I actually bought, but a freebie that a kind lady handed to me in a great big CEX bag (which also included a fortune cookie, some cards and a whole bunch of adverts). I included it because it was nice to get a free one!
- 'Once Upon A Time' Bracelet. One stall I ended up visiting a few times was the Canvas Warriors stall. The shoes they sold were a little out of my price range but the awesome custom made jewellry wasn't and I think this has to be my favourite buy of all! I've included a close up picture as I've taken special care when choosing the charms: fans of the show will recognise the significance of an apple, a tea cup, a dagger, a swan a bottle of sun gold and a pirate ship. I absolutely adore this bracelet and seriously want to wear it every day! There were charms to suit all sorts of Fandoms too, so do check out their website and make one for yourself!
- Lucky Dip Prizes. Those two sealed up necklaces on the right? They both came from a lucky dip! I can't for the life of me remember the stall that was running it but I thought they were both pretty nice. One is a blue butterfly, the other is a cute amulet that has a picture of Bilbo Baggins from 'The Hobbit' films. 
- Jack Frost Tea. Everyone who knows me will also be aware that I drink a lot of tea. I don't really drink a whole bunch of loose leaf though, so this made a nice change. I had to rescue it from the cupboard as I have already had some. As it's Jack Frost (Rise Of The Guardians) inspired, it contains Rooibos, Marzipan, Almond, Papaya and Sugar Snowflakes/Balls! It's totally adorable and there's a ton more to be found in their Etsy shop: Beastly Beverages.
- Disney Princess T-Shirt. I bought a shirt from Tee Turtle last time I went to Comic-Con and I've decided it simply must become a tradition! This time, after much deliberation, I decided on another blue shirt but this time featuring my favourite Disney Princesses taking a selfie! I had such a tough time choosing and I'll certainly be purchasing more from their website as they have such a huge collection!

All in all I'm pretty pleased with myself! I'm so glad that I managed to go to such a great event with my friends and I certainly hope to go next year, possibly in May?!

I Read:

Memes:

Top Ten Tuesday: Wishes I'd Ask The Book Genie To Grant Me

Daily Shenanigans, 25/05/2014: London ComicCon!

Wow! What a day! My first ever ComicCon and I had such a good time. It's all I've done all day basically so this post will be totally dedicated to what I picked up while I was there! A sort of ComicCon haul if you like! So the picture above shows my stash! Quite a variety, a Kimono (which I hope to get better pictures of), art, a Quill, a bowl, a book and jewelry! I did also order a Tee Shirt but can't picture it here, as obviously it hasn't actually arrived yet.


Ok so I'll start with my first purchase. If you read my earlier Wishlist that I posted, I mentioned Coucou Heart had a little stall. I had never heard of this small Jewelry business before but their pieces were adorable! I bought from them a small locket in the shape of a book because I think it is most fitting in all honesty! I am after all, a huge fan of books! I did see some other pieces, such as a Wishbone shaped necklace that made me think of Karou from Daughter Of Smoke & Bone, and a couple of Alice In Wonderland styled pendants. I left those behind however in favour of the locket! Check out their website, they have some beautiful pieces on there! sorry about the terrible pictures, as usual. I really do try!

Next on the list was probably very naughty of me, but I think it might be my favourite purchase. I went to ComicCon expecting Cosplay, Anime, Comics, Japanese madness, art, and plenty of merchandise. What I did not expect was books! And there were actually a few book stalls set up by publishers which I did have a nose at. I'm on a book buying ban as you know but I'm afraid I broke it today (it won't happen again readers I swear...). I met a very lovely chap by the name of Kit Cox (or Major Jack Union) who's written a really interesting looking book, 'How To Bag A Jabberwock'. It instantly grabbed my attention and he was very lovely, both of us agreeing that ComicCon would be so much fun if more literature was involved! He signed my book and in case you were wondering, he has another book on the way called 'The Monster Hunter: The Adventures Of Benjamin Gaul' which looks to be a promising Steampunk adventure that I'll certainly be looking out for! For now though, I can't wait to have a read of my new purchase (now Uni is over, I will have so much time on my hands) and hopefully post a review, so look out for that in the not-too-distant-future!



Now what's next? A bowl? Why not! Japanese culture has always fascinated me and in particular, their Tea ceremonies. I was transfixed by the Doki store, their crockery, ornaments and ceramics were gorgeous. And they had tea sets! In the end however, I went with a beautiful bowl (my current breakfast bowl has a massive crack down the side and I feel it's end draws ever closer) that has a cute little cat on it! I'm quite fond of cats! It's a bit big but will serve it's purpose, and was a really good price! A tea set next time perhaps, when I'm a little less overwhelmed and indecisive.

Next, I'll put the pictures of the Art Prints I nabbed from Comic Village. They were absolutely beautiful and I really couldn't say no! I've put the pictures below and I'll go through in order. The first two prints are drawn by a really talented lady who can be found at Lalas Dreambox. I fell in love with all of her prints but these were two of my favourites and I couldn't leave without them! The second picture was really fulfilling a personal love for a certain film/comic character! I'm a little Loki obsessed and most stalls had run out of merchandise associated with him (clearly I'm not the only Loki fan about)! But this print caught my eye, and the artist can be found here. All of her drawings were really cool, I wish I could have bought more! The third and final art was drawn by a lovely lady found at this link. Such a talented artist, I really struggled to choose between pieces but this one with the tiger really caught my eye! what a beautiful piece!

Whew! Almost done! I'll talk briefly on the other bits and bobs I bought. These included; a gorgeous green quill (I plan to get ink and learn to do calligraphy properly, I've always admired it!), a beautiful black Kimono that came with a traditional belt (I really need to get a decent picture), and a Tee Shirt mentioned earlier in my Weekly Wishlist (I ordered it so it has yet to arrive, but I'm very excited! It has a Studio Ghibli theme!)

Well that about sums up my day at the Expo! I hope everyone really enjoyed their Sundays and managed to have a nice lazy one, unlike me. I got up at quarter past six this morning and my feet are killing me after walking around for six hours! It was definitely worth it though.

Weekly Wishlist #14

Well I'm back from the Expo and am going straight into this post! I will have on here things that I saw but didn't buy, or things that I wanted to get hold of but couldn't find/had run out! I feel as I had quite a book-themed post last week, I'll get rid of anything book-related this week! Do make sure to click the pictures and links included in this post if you want to know more!

1) 'Pocket Full Of Monsters' Tee Shirt, by teeturtle. So this was one of the stalls I found later in my visit but my goodness, it was what I needed.There were so many tee shirt stalls but this one really caught my eye, so many witty and fun designs! And original too! I actually did order this shirt from them then and there but I was unsure about whether to order the design pictured or this one. I really do have a soft spot for the Pokémon Eevee and all of it's evolutions so I think this is my preferred of the two! Only just though, maybe I'll get both!



2) 'Loki' Pop! Vinyl Figure. I saw so many stalls that sold these little figures and in so many designs. superheroes, Harry Potter characters, Disney princesses, the lot! Loki is a character that I think is awesome, one of the best villains in the Marvel Universe and I was desperate to find one of him. Unfortunately, they all sold out yesterday. So I want one please.

3) 'Sometsuke Bowl Set' by Doki Japanese Tableware. I've always been a fan of Japanese culture as a whole and this particular stall really caught my eye because it sold Japanese tableware! Tea sets, Bowl sets, Sake ware, Plates, Sauce dishes, everything. This particular set I thought was beautiful but I ended up only buying one bowl as a new breakfast bowl (my current one has a dangerous crack running down it). I would love to revisit this shop again though!


4) 'Beetle Necklace' by Urban Faerie Oddities. Anyone who knows me will know I'm a bit of a fan of the weird and the wonderful. There were so many lovely pieces on this stall but this particular one really caught my eye. The colours of this necklace were just beautiful! I didn't buy it in the end and it is something I sort of regret. The necklace itself is made of the shells of South East-Asian Beetle (which I suppose is a little odd and distasteful for some). If you're a fan of Steampunk however then really, check this site out. There are some lovely pieces!

5) 'Moon Gazing Hare' Necklace by Coucou Heart. This stall captured my attention and my heart almost instantly. There were so many lovely pieces and I bought myself a little book-shaped locket from there. More than that, I saw a little Wish Bone necklace on the stall! Daughter Of Smoke and Bone anyone? I really regret not buying that one because I can't find it on the main website, but I have found this instead! What a gorgeous pendant, I would love to be the proud owner of this one.


Some lovely items, I really would love to get hold of them. I've had a really nice day but I'm completely knackered now!