Paletteful Packs - December Box

The Paletteful Packs' December box seems to be full of Ecoline goodies. 

As usual it also has all you need to start a project, be it tools or canvas whatever that canvas might be.

This is a set of Ecoline Brush Pens and an Ecoline Brush Pen Blender. The set costs $18.95 and the blender comes $3.95.

Ecoline Liquid Watercolors, Blue Violet and Ultramarine Deep. Each bottle costs $6.25.

Princeton Select Artiste Brush Set: Filbert 4, Flat 6 and Round 2. Set costs $9.99.

Finally, you can try all your new supplies on the Strathmore Watercolor cards provided. They are 5"x7" and they come with envelopes. The cost is $9.25.

I'm never disappointed by the quality of the supplies I get from Paletteful Packs and I always know that I am getting more than I paid for the box.

My Thrill Club Box

My no fuss no muss subscription to My Trill Club. This box has a mix of mystery and horror. 

Product details from Amazon.com:
Actors: Jeri Ryan, Peyton List, Kay Panabaker, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Directors: Christopher Leitch
Producers: Michael G. Larkin, Michael R. Goldstein
Format: Multiple Formats, AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English
Rated: NR Not Rated
Studio: Vivendi Entertainment
DVD Release Date: September 20, 2011
Run Time: 86 minutes

Synopsis: Single mom Rachel Easton and her two daughters move from their cramped Detroit apartment to the suburbs when Rachel gets an irresistible deal on her dream house. But with the night comes scratching from within the walls, distant cries, and a figure of a young woman in the shifting shadows of the basement. As the haunting intensifies, Rachel and her friend must uncover the horrifying secret of what happened in the house years ago to save her family.

Book information from Goodreads.com:

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Published: April 22nd 2014 by Tor Books
ISBN: 0765336928 (ISBN13: 9780765336927)
Genre: Horror  

Synopsis: It begins in Toronto, in the years after the smart drug revolution. Any high school student with a chemjet and internet connection can download recipes and print drugs, or invent them. A seventeen-year-old street girl finds God through a new brain-altering drug called Numinous, used as a sacrament by a new Church that preys on the underclass. But she is arrested and put into detention, and without the drug, commits suicide.

Lyda Rose, another patient in that detention facility, has a dark secret: she was one of the original scientists who developed the drug. With the help of an ex-government agent and an imaginary, drug-induced doctor, Lyda sets out to find the other three survivors of the five who made the Numinous in a quest to set things right.

A mind-bending and violent chase across Canada and the US, Daryl Gregory's Afterparty is a marvelous mix of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, Philip K. Dick’s Ubik, and perhaps a bit of Peter Watts’s Starfish: a last chance to save civilization, or die trying.

Book information from Goodreads.com:

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Published: September 10th 2013 by Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316243914 (ISBN13: 9780316243919)
Genre: Mystery

Synopsis: A brilliant literary debut, inspired by a true story: the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829.

Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.

Riveting and rich with lyricism, Burial Rites evokes a dramatic existence in a distant time and place, and asks the question, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?

New Subscription: The ZAKKA Kit

          This is a pretty new subscription on Cratejoy that comes from Japan. The ZAKKA Kit is part  Neko Box.  

Just look at ow pretty the paper it was wrapped in! It is stiff so it takes a lot to hurt it and the sticker is really cute. This is the November box and the theme was Autumn!

This is a black Brush Pen from Pentel. This is great for planning, journaling and sketching. I did try using it with water colors but it didn't mix really well with water and smudged a little but it was a dream to use in my journal!

Autumn Bird washi tape by Classiky x Ten to Sen a famous design group working from Hokkaido. It is really pretty with small birds and leaves.

I think these are actually washi stickers, very cute.

This is a greeting card by Ten to Sen which seems to feature the same patterns as the washi tape.

Forest of Squirrels Coaster by Classiky x Ten to Sen. I doubt I will be using it as anything other than decoration, but it is sturdy enough for that.

Autumn washi Stickers by Pinup Japan. The colors are really pretty and the scenes depicted make me itch to use them in mixed media compositions.

Autumn Fashion Prints by Neko Box 

Mini Vermilion Grid Notebook by L!fe Stationery. Lately, I've been using a lot of these little notebooks. They are really easier to carry around when you want to jot down something you later add to your bullet journal or whatever.

Finally, Autumn Cat Postcard by Wadouraku x Yumiko Kobayashi. This is one of three designs sent out and if tis was anything to go by they were all gorgeous!

Overall, my first box was a success and if it continues like that in the future I will be a long time customer!

Spotlight Stationery

 **Notice: The purchase price of this stationery box includes a donation to Gloucestershire Young Carers, a charity which provides a range of services for young carers and their families.

The theme for the Spotlight Stationery box is English Classics - A home-grown stationery selection.

The Stamford Notebooks are fountain pen friendly, and hand bound. This Limited Edition notebook is ruled, has a bookmark and an elastic string to keep it closed. It is small enough to fit into a bag. It also has a lot of pages so it will last a good long while.

From Derwin’s we have two items. The first is a line marker called Graphik which is black and in 0.5mm. The second is a Derwent Studio colored pencil in Sap Green. I love the way the line marker glides across the page though it does ghost a little bit and I’ve used the colored pencils before and they are waxy and nice when used with color pencil paper.

This is a postcard from Lonetree, it brings to mind afternoon tea, cream and scones...Yummmmmm.

Silvine Memo book. It has 52 ruled perforated pages so it is easy to use and keep just the pages rather than the whole memo book with you. 

This is a pretty little bookmark by Kate Moby. Thank you Spotlight Stationery for feeding my habit!

Of course no box from Spotlight Stationery every comes with out a personalized envelop which contains postcards by talented young illustrators, and you can find their information above.

I’m never disappointed with the stationery provided by Spotlight Stationery. Good quality items at a great price!

Owlcrate - November 2017

          The November box from Owlcrate has the theme of Castles, Courts, and Kingdoms. I was and still am really excited about what came in the box. 

This is a brooch inspired by the Grishaverse of Leigh Bardugo. The people at Owlcrate sent out three different brooches, and this was the one I got.

I'm in love with this beanie. It is obviously inspired by Harry Potter and I look forward to wearing it soon. I tried it out and it is nice and warm.

Soap inspired by The Lord of the Rings. What more do I need to say?

I have a confession. I never could get into the Game of Thrones books...but that does not mean I won't enjoy this blackberry mint lip balm, winter is here.

Besides books the one thing I do love is a good notebook so I was excited to see this one from Stella's Bookish Art. It has a quote from A Court of Mist and Fury.

Finally, the book. Synopsis:

A banished princess. 

A deadly curse.

A kingdom at war.

Wil Heidle, the only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

This should be interesting whenever I get around to reading it...my reading list is ever so long now **Evil Grin**

Nocturnal Reader’s Box- November 2017

          Continuing with the boxes from November, this is the Nocturnal Reader’s Box. The box contains a beanie, a packet of coffee, 2 books, a pillow case, a flag, and a print. So let us get into it!

          I’m not one for wearing beanies but my husband does and he loves this beanie with a Game of Thrones reference...

I love getting coffee in my subscription boxes and this looks like an interesting blend, Hell House blend from Coffee Shop of Horrors.

     

 A pennant from 2 Gould Press.

          

 The first book is The Wilderness Within by John Claude Smith. This is a previously released book.

The new release book for this box is Ronald Malfi’s first short story collection. 

An art print inspired by Clive Barker’s Hellbound Heart and the Heallraiser films. The artist is Chris Galen.

Finally, a throw pillow case featuring a Shirley Jackson Quote.

My Thrill Club Box

           I like My Thrill Club because it is a no fuss subscription with no bells and whistles but feed two of my habits, books and movies. So let's get down to it. In this box as usual there are two books and one movie, I'm going to start with the movie. So far all the movies that they have sent me are ones that I've never seen or heard of before and this month is no different. 

Genre: Suspense
Rating: R
Actors: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet
Director: Michael Haneke
Writer: Michael Haneke

Synopsis: From Amazon.com "Michael Haneke is a modern master, which his spellbinding films Cache and The Piano Teacher proved to an international audience. When it came time for a Hollywood remake of his ultra-disturbing 1997 picture Funny Games, who better than Haneke himself to helm the new version? And indeed, the second Funny Games bears the impeccable sense of control and technique that the Austrian version had: it is a horrifyingly precise account of a family terrorized by two psychopathic young thugs at a vacation home. For anyone who's already seen the '97 film, this new one--a nearly shot-by-shot transcription of the original--will seem superfluous, no matter how impressive the performances of Naomi Watts and Tim Roth are. (Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet are suitably creepy as their menacers, too.) For newbies, the movie might be as infuriating and thought-provoking as Haneke intends it to be. That's because Funny Games is an intellectual game itself, a direct rebuke to the audience that gobbles up gratuitous violence and cynical manipulation. Haneke sets up our expectations, and then refuses to provide the conventional catharsis… or the conventional anything. All of this was pretty bracing in the first go-round, but feels like gamesmanship in the remake. Even if you dig what Haneke's up to, this is a brutal movie-watching experience. --Robert Horton"


Next up is book number one: Eternal Sonata by Jamie Metzl

Synopsis from GoodReads: A few dead bodies are a small price to pay in the quest for immortality.

In 2025 America, it’s hardly news when a renowned octogenarian scientist dying of cancer disappears from a local hospice, but when Kansas City Star reporter Rich Azadian begins to dig, he discovers that other elderly scientists around the world have also vanished recently—all terminally ill and receiving the same experimental treatment from a global health company. His investigation leads him to the reclusive Noam Heller, a brilliant researcher exploring new technologies to reverse-age cancer and other cells. Using revolutionary stem cell treatments and snippets of DNA from rare, immortal Arctic jellyfish, his breakthrough promises the genetic equivalent of the fountain of youth.

But when Heller is murdered and his lab destroyed, Rich and his girlfriend Antonia become targets themselves. With the local police and federal authorities failing to see the big picture, he realizes he must take matters into his own hands to survive and stop the killing. His only hope is to mobilize his network of brilliant misfits and infiltrate the vast and lethal race—among cutthroat corporations, national intelligence services, rogue scientists, and a mysterious international organization—to control the new technologies and perhaps the secret of life itself.


Finally, Dolphin Drone by James Grundvig.

Synopsis from GoodReads:

A taught, high-concept thriller that humanizes the men and women behind military espionage.

James Grundvig’s Dolphin Drone takes us into the complex underworld of global terrorism with razor-sharp plot twists, remarkable characters, and fascinating insight into the technological advancements of the US Navy.

Using dolphin sonar-tracking technology, Ex-Navy SEAL Merk Toten stumbles of freshly laid Iranian sea mines while conducting surveillance on two US ships that were hijacked by Somali pirates on the Strait of Hormuz. This discovery occurs on the same day that a fake intelligence report draws three US drones away from the Persian Gulf. Toten investigates the parallel events to uncover a new super-terrorist group made up of a network of Somali warlords, Islamic assailants, Yemen-based terrorists, and ISIS sympathizers.

When Merk Toten and the beautiful CIA Operative Jenny Myung King discover a plot by this new terrorist organization to bomb New York Harbor, the duo must race against the clock to stop the devastating attack.

Dolphin Drone is a tense thriller that combines cutting-edge marine technology, high-stakes undercover operations, and complex and frightening political underpinnings.