Inside Kimmy's Mind

Normally, cookbooks are not on my list of books to browse through when I go into a bookstore…unless I’m just looking at pictures. I struggle with following recipes because I am a very impatient person and tend to get a head of myself. But my sister, Kat, is a chef and she is fascinated with Korean cuisine. I figured I would get a cookbook for her and because this one seemed interesting, plus, I LOVE food!

Koreatown by chef Deuki Hong and writer Matt Rodbard

I may not be a chef but this book is beautifully made, and it offers the reader a look into Korean culture when it comes to the food. The cover jumped out at me, it’s texture is smooth with the title embossed. I love when books have an added texture to it.  I’m not quite sure what type of paper was used, but it’s smooth and soft without having a gloss to it even though it looks glossy. It’s wonderful.

The book is separated into different sections and offers the reader interviews and tips when it comes to recreating different Korean dishes. It’s filled with gorgeous photography that captured moments of food bliss and if they don’t make your mouth water, I don’t know what will My favorite thing about cook books, when I look at one, is how the pictures look. I like to know how the dish I’m preparing is supposed to look. Especially, if it’s from a specific type of cuisine.

The layout of the recipes are displayed with your ingredients on either the left or right side of the page in a column. It shows you exactly what you will be needing and the amount of each ingredient. Each recipe gives advice on the ingredients you will be using, such as what to keep in mind when choosing the type of vegetable..ect. Very helpful, for people like me, who know nothing about produce…or anything involving food. Aside from eating it.

I’ve already flagged all of the recipes I want to try first, so here’s hoping the roomie will assist in the actually making of the dish. But for those of you who lack having access to an actual chef worry not, the book lays out the instructions in an easy to follow manner. I believe even I could follow it.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I have no idea if I did this project correctly, it was complicated, difficult and exhausting. But it was also really fun and I’m really proud of these photos.

The assignment called for creating a scene for the camera, using props, “actors”, costumes. ect. And then using line, texture, balance, light. ect. To capture a single scene and create a narrative in that single shot. I sort of did this last minute, but I started off by writing down ideas.  Now, we were doing things on a smaller scale so using toys or action figures as our “actors” was encouraged. I had trouble with my ideas in the beginning but after watching Amélie, I was brimming with them. However, I just couldn’t figure out how to bring them to life. Long story short, I decided to go with recreating fairy tales. As my actor, I decided to use a ball joint doll that artists use when sketching. I chose Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Rapunzel as my inspiration for transforming the ball joint doll. It was tedious and I crafted each outfit and yarn wig myself. I’m very pleased with the finished images and hope my teacher will be too.  So without further ado, here are my four constructed realities….

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My mantra. 

I made this bracelet at the beginning of January to inspire myself when I was feeling less than shiny. And it’s not like I need this as a way to force myself to be happy. I am a very happy person, I love my life and  I love being me. I bought it, a long with a charm with the letter “K” on it,  because I’ve always loved the letter “K”, so they jingle next to each other and it’s just, well… nice.

Valentine’s Day was yesterday,  and I spoiled myself quite a bit.

First: Every Day by David Levithan

I don’t really want to go into too much detail about this book, because I will probably type up a review once I finish reading it. But I’ll leave you with this. It’s what made me want to read it in the first place. The sequel came out as well, technically it’s not a sequel, it’s the same story but from a different perspective.

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

Second: Stablio Markers

We just got this new 30 pack in at Paper Source, I hesitated at first but then I decided to gift them to myself for Valentine’s. I am so glad that I did too, because I just love having that many color options. You can never have too many marker pens, and again!!! Colors!!!

Third: This new A+ bag!

 There’s a zipper compartment in the flap, which I love, was hoping to get it in brown, but bags and wallets were on sale at Target so most of them were gone. 20% off! But I’m loving it.

That’s my mini haul for you, there are a ton of things on my wish list of things I’d love to buy, but I spoiled myself enough for already for quite some time. I’m so spoiled!!! But Happy Valentine’s to me and to you as well!

 To finish up the holiday, I cooked myself a very delicious dinner. Beef teriyaki, it was very good, if I do say so myself. I might have let the meat get a bit chewy, but all in all, still a win in my book. Even though I didn’t have a romantic Valentine’s this year, I don’t see the need in being sad about it.  I still like this holiday, and working at a store like Paper Source, where I’m surrounded by lovey dovey things all the time, it’s sort of hard to hate this commercialized holiday. Plus, the decorations and cards are really cute. I never put that huge of a focus on it even when I was in a relationship, so  I don’t see the need to hate it now that I am single. Whether you’re single or in a relationship, I hope your day, your week and the months to come are filled with love!!!

Thanks for reading

I want to start off this review by saying, This book is absolutely gorgeous! Camilla d’errico is an unbelievable artist.

Her twist on surrealism is just breathtaking. I love how she adds animals, food or even the look of elements to her paintings. The color of the cover just pops at you, which would make this book the perfect companion for any coffee table. The girls in in her paintings each have her signature pouty lips and textured hair. And she explains her techniques in such a way, you may not able to fully mimic but you may even discover your own technique in the process.

“You are born an original, so don’t die a copy.”- Camilla d’errico

 She offers the reader tips and answers questions you may have concerning tools and materials. Helpful for anyone aspiring to paint or anyone interested in the topic of painting. The book is broken into two parts and then into different chapters that concentrate on certain areas such as, sketching, blending, composition…ect. In my opinion this would better assist someone who has some beginners knowledge in drawing or painting. But don’t let that deter you from testing out her advice even with no arty knowledge.

Thanks for reading*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

As I mentioned before, I’ve been spending time with my friends lately. Helps keep my mind off of things. My friends and I celebrated a belated Xmas together. Even though we haven’t spent very much time together they still know me very well. Look at some of the goodies I received. The trooper goblet!!! And the Socks!!! Gah! It’s all fantastic.

After having a bit of lunch and exchanging gifts we went around Rice Village for a bit. Stopped by Half Price, and then off to Urban Outfitters. We then made our way out of the village and stopped by Cactus music where I splurged and finally bought my favorite Tennis Vinyl – Cape Dory. Love their music! Bought it as an early Valentine’s gift to myself. After browsing through records for a while we went and had some bubble tea and then ended the night wondering around Target. We spent the entire day together, which was nice. 🙂

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Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty w. Moore

• Cover: As usual, the cover of a book is the first thing that sparks my interest. And this one has a very interesting style. The simplistic yet exciting. Of course the title also grabbed my attention. Not that you have have to be interested in writing in order to enjoy this book, I just think sharing the same experiences expressed in the book help you appreciate it more. So, yes, this is probably more geared towards writers or people that at least enjoy writing a bit more than your average joe.
• Voice: The author is hilarious in in his stories and advice. Definitely the type of style I would like to write in.
• Style: Since this is an advice column for writers, this book does one of my favorite things. It introduces each question on an envelope and even has the questions typed up as if by typewriter. There are even illustrations that might pertain to said question. One in mind is the question that bout cocktail napkins. Moore answered it by writing on cocktail napkins. I enjoy that style. Makes it seem more hands on when a book does things like this. When they print maps and letters, it’s my bread and butter in the book world.

I was very excited to receive my copy and might even hand it off to another writer friend of mine. I have many that would find this book very interesting.

Thanks for reading

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

  For my second book, I chose Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel. This was something that caught my attention right away, the title had this positive message without the cover giving away too much of what was in store once cracking the spine. I’m a huge fan of positive books with doodles in them, however, I’m not sure this particular book is for me. I personally, would probably prefer if this book was only self-help rather than a hands-on type of self-help. I know it acts as a reminder of the fact that you cannot just take another person’s experience and call it your own or have it work the same way for you. Life doesn’t work like that.This guide does it’s best to create a way to brainstorm, a way to relearn certain things like not feeling guilty for rambling or doodling on the corner of each page.There are prompts throughout the book that sort of make it feel like school.

They give you a “time limit” but I feel like it’s the book giving the reader permission to allow time for things in general and not just for this tiny prompt. The purpose of this book is to give you an insight and perhaps look at things differently. An outside of the box/comfort zone insight.

Now don’t get me wrong, this book has a lovely idea behind it and I plan on giving it more time before I write it off as “not for me”. But at the moment I’m still on the fence about it. Not due to lack of interesting topics, because the interactive part is fun, but perhaps my mood is just not in the right place for this particular book even though I’m in the need of some positive energy and this book has plenty of that. I just need to make the time for it and to remember just to play sometimes.

Thanks for reading and commenting

* I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Totally missed the rest of the BLOG-TEMBER challenge. Sadly, school and life just got in the way. However, it gave me today’s topic! What’s on my to-read list?!

But first! In other book related news, I’ve recently signed up for Blogging for Books, which if you haven’t heard of it before and you enjoy reading and writing then take a look over HERE!

During Labor Day weekend, Half Price had a 20% off of everything sale! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and while I was out with a friend we decided to pop in for a bit. I managed to find several books I wanted but only walked out with three. I had to pace myself.

The books I walked away with:

•  Milkrun by Sarah Mlynowski (Currently Reading)
• The Ticket That Exploded by William Burroughs
• Lunar Savings Time by Alex Epstein

And then, I was given money for my birthday and went into Target, just buzzing around the dollar spot and art supplies when I wandered over to the books. Now, I don’t normally buy books from Target, but oh, I am very glad I did. Everyone should embrace a some YA books. I don’t judge your choice of genre, but I know some in the Creative Writing Department at UH sort of look down upon YA and Fantasy. But we should embrace these books, especially when they are well written and the plot is just well constructed and thought out. Anywho, I walked away with these lovely books:

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (also no a movie-have yet to see it)
• A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
• FanGirl by Rainbow Rowell (Bought this for the roomie, but I hope to read it as well)

Now, these are all the books I currently own and plan on reading, following is a list of books I have yet to get but have mentally, verbally and have written down on many lists. Here is yet another one.

• Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
• Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
• Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel
• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

There were several other books, that I have written down somewhere…but so far these are the ones that have made it to the current list. And aside from books, I wanted to share my newest notebook as well. Not like I need another one, but for me you can never have too many and this one is R2D2! They had several covers to choose from, but I just had to walk away with R2. My only issue with having so many is deciding what to fill each one with and wanting to use the latest one as soon as I get it. I know, those are some serious issues.

That’s all I have for this entry, let me know what’s on your to-read list. I’m definitely adding more to mine, speaking of….I’m off to read, maybe even knit!

Thanks for reading and commenting

The Time Garden by Daria Song

I’m excited to share a review with you today.

I’m sure most of you are aware of the recent trend that are…”adult” coloring books. I’m not a fan of this term, being creative should be acceptable for all ages. Not all of us can express ourselves creatively, and these coloring books can give you a project without needing a time frame or an end product. You’re free to color and take your time, like you did when you were younger.

The Time Garden is a beautiful coloring book, on my version there is a beautifully drawn tree which is featured more throughout the book. The dust jacket has gold foiling on the title and so do some of the leaves that sprinkle the front of the book. Moving on to the inside, the actual cover has a field of stars surrounding a little girl,her face hidden. This page is also featured later on in the book, so you can have the thrill of coloring this page.

One thing I feel that sets this book apart from a few of the other coloring books out in the market is that there is a story that is connected to it.  A story that makes me think- Nutcracker meets Alice in Wonderland yet at the same time maintaining it’s own story. 

The pages are a nice weight, I’m using a mixture of color pencil and my Staedtler Triplus fine-liner to color in the pages. If you press too hard or go over an already colored section too many times with the fine-liner there may be bleeding on the other side. But you shouldn’t run into that problem, too often. The only reason I ran into it was because I didn’t like my color choice and went over it with another color. I have yet to try using watercolor, but since the paper isn’t  a certain type of texture, I wouldn’t recommend using that medium.  But ultimately it’s up to you. I don’t want to ruin the book by showing you each page, so at the bottom is a teaser flip through of it’s pages.

I also wanted to share what’s written on the back of the book, if this plus the gorgeous illustrations doesn’t make you fall in love with this book then I don’t know what will.

The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock-inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by Korean artist Daria Song. Journey through the doors of the clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls-all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up. 

Cuckoo…cuckoo…cuckoo…

When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I’ve enjoyed coloring in this book, and it’s been a nice way to clear my head and just spend a little time daydreaming. I think we often forget to take some time for ourselves. I chose this book for my first review because I wanted something crafty and fun. Keep your eyes open for the next one, let me know in the comments if you enjoy this or other coloring books. But it’s quite alright if you don’t.

Thanks for reading and commenting

Here are my 10 shuffled songs, I’m pretty happy with each song that happened to play, even though every song on my ipod is something I love, I still had the urge to hit next, thinking that the song that followed  it might be one I really enjoy singing along to.

1. Billie Jean-Michael Jackson
2. The Way I am-Ingrid Michaelson
3. When We were Young-Sucre
4. Tennis- Seafarer
5. Crave You-Flight Facilities
6. D0-Wah-Doo- Kate Nash
7. Lingering Still-She & Him
8. Animal- Neon Trees
9. September – Pomplamoose
10. Soap- Melanie Martinez

Click on the songs and it will take you to their music video or just a song video to hear it. Tried to embed a playlist, it didn’t work out .  So click away. :3

Looking forward to hearing your songs!

Thanks for reading and commenting.