Month: April 2020

Posted in Lifestyle

Crafting to Survive Corona

Posted on by Rachel Hall

With the news constantly giving updates on how the government leaders are going to respond to the corona virus, it’s very easy to get stressed out by it all. I know for me, I have to watch it very limitedly and can only be on Twitter for so long before losing my mind.

That’s why I thought it was a good idea to talk about some crafts. Crafts have helped me in the past in terms of my anxiety, and they are still helping me now. There’s just something therapeutic about focusing your mind on a project and making a product out of your pain. You don’t have to be a prodigy to do these things, and please don’t expect yourself to be. This is all about the process and having fun!

  1. Finger Knitting

Finger knitting is something I learned when I was a shy little girl in music camp. One of my close friends taught me how to make little scarfs out of yarn and I have been picking up the craft again. There’s just something nostalgic about it. Not only is it very simple, it also helps you fidget safetely with your fingers without harming yourself. Here’s how to make one yourself:

https://www.wikihow.com/Finger-Knit

If you don’t have any yarn on you, may I suggest Sugar N’ Cream yarn? It’s very soft on the fingers, has plenty of different colors, and come in small sizes.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sugar+n+cream+yarn&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
I’m thinking of connecting all of these and making the longest finger knitting chain in the world. Once I beat the record I may either make a very large blanket out of it, or make a mural out of it.

2. Coloring Books

Another activity I like to do is color adult coloring book pages. I especially like the ones with sayings and mantras on them. I know it’s kind of an old trend, but it is very calming as long as you aren’t too perfectionistic about it. If you are (I know I am sometimes) remind yourself that this is only for fun and that it’s not about the product, but more about the process. If you don’t have any adult coloring books on you, kids coloring books are just as fun. If you have neither, there are links online to print free coloring pages. You can simply go on google images or type in, “free adult coloring pages,” and there’s a wide selection.

This one I did a while ago in a mini coloring book my mom gave me. I’m thinking of ripping the pages out and putting them on my wall somewhere.

3. Junk Journal

If you have a lot of art supplies lying around that you’re not sure how to use, I suggest making a junk journal with the supplies. It’s like an art journal but with random things you have around the house, whether that be magazine pages, washi tape, extra paint, etc. Here’s a link of videos that show you how to make one and some ideas that you can use.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+make+a+junk+journal

I don’t necessarily have a junk journal myself, but I do have a multi-media art journal I use whether I need to create art in a therapeutic way. I do a lot of collages, which are easy just as long as you have a lot of magazines or a printer around. Stickers are definitely a plus too.

If you guys want a part 2 for this let me know. I have plenty of more art ideas to give!

Posted in Book Reviews, Wrap Ups and Challenges

24 Hour Readathon Results

Posted on by Rachel Hall

Hi, I meant to post this on Friday as I usually do, but I wasn’t finished with all my book reviews yet from this readathon, and honestly I just needed sleep. If you missed my 24 Hour Readathon vlog, feel free to see it on my Instagram. It’s in, “OWLS 2020.”

instagram.com/reliving_rachel

My goal for this was to finish at least one book, but what I really wanted to do was finish my OWLS for the Magical Readathon, which was 3 books total. What ended up happening was that I finished two and was 75% done with the last one, “The Immortalists,” by Chloe Benjamin. After a couple days of rest I finally finished it and managed to write all three reviews.

“It was the same mask though, wearing this smile even when I didn’t mean it that opened me up to talk and how I felt inside but wasn’t always able to show. In some ways it made me actually more genuine.”

I finished Happyface by Stephen Emond in less than a day. It was like Diary of a Wimpy Kid but with what makes YA so great to me, dark themes such as alcoholism and divorce. I rated it 4 stars. If you would like to read the full review, here’s the link:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3244766521?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
“As we duel, as we chat, there’s an understanding that “your black is not my black” and “your weird is not my weird” and “your beautiful is not my beautiful” and that’s okay.”

This book I finished most of at the end of my first 12 hours and then some of the next day for my next 12 hours. There’s not a lot of books I would rate 5 stars but this one is one of them. Although I know what it’s like to be a woman, I wasn’t knowledgeable what it was like to be black or even a black woman, but this book definitely educated me. Most of all, it made me scream, nearly cry, and of course root for the main character. If you would like to see the full review here’s the link:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3068890867?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
“Character is fate–that’s what he said. They’re bound up, those two, like brothers and sisters. You wanna know the future?” She points at Varya with her free hand. “Look in the mirror.”

Dark books about life,death, and mortality are like my bread and butter, so this book has been on my TBR for a while. Some parts of it were fantastic and I adored most of it, but it wasn’t perfect in my eyes and had some glaring issues that I just didn’t like. I rated it 4 stars. Here’s my full review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2962251333?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Now that I’m done with my OWLs should I try another career? I was thinking of doing the Writer career, which also requires 3 books.

Posted in Wrap Ups and Challenges

2020 Magical Readathon

Posted on by Rachel Hall

Quick Announcement: Seeing as the Corona Virus has given me more time to blog, my goal is to post once a week. After the virus is done for, I will try to continue that, but if I cannot I will go back to posting once a month.

Now let’s talk about the Magical Readathon. The readathon is a Harry Potter based challenge where you, “study,” your OWLs and NEWTs (they’re like the SAT’s of the Wizarding World.) Each subject you study for corresponds to a prompt, and this year, the certains subjects you study for correspond to a specific career you want to pursue.

Although this is my first year doing this, the readathon has occurred for 3 years, so they have plenty of prompts and career options. This year I’m going small and studying to be an astronomer.

Arithmancy: Read outside your favorite genre. For this book I am choosing Happyface by Stephen Emond. I normally don’t read Young Adult, seeing as it gets too repetitive for me and I tend to not like the tone, but my friend Jay recommended it and let me borrow it.

Astronomy: Read a majority of the book when it’s dark outside. For this book I am choosing Slay by Brittney Morris.

History of Magic: A book that features witches/wizards. For this book I am choosing The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. Technically speaking it features a psychic, but psychics tend to study witchcraft so I figured it counts.

By the time this is uploaded I will also be participating in a 24 hour reading challenge with these books as well. On Friday 4/2/20, I will start Day 1 with reading for 12 hours. Then on Day 2, I will continue to read for another 12 hours. If you can’t do the math, 12+12=24! I will frequently post updates on my Instagram story, which you can find through this link:

instagram.com/reliving_rachel

If any of you would like to join either of these challenges with me, let me know in the comments!