One New Album Each Day • 41 - 50

The next ten albums I listened to on my quest to listen to one new album every day this year, and this might just be the best installment yet!

Forty One. Blackstar - David Bowie
Thoughts: I mean, c'mon, it's Bowie

Forty Two. If I Should Go Before You - City and Colour
About: Acoustic folk.
Favourite Tracks: Northern Blues, Mizzy C
Thoughts: YAAS!

Forty Three. Made of Water - Ziggy Alberts
About: Singer songwriter
Thoughts: Cute, summery vibes

Forty Four. Every Night - Lo-Fang
About: Indie pop, alternative
Favourite Track: Every Night
Thoughts: Beautiful

Forty Five. Pure Heroine - Lorde
Favourite Tracks: Tennis Court, Royals, Swinging Party
Thoughts: Bit of a cheat as of course I've listened to this album before, but not for ages. Liked it even more this time

Forty Six. Blue Film - Lo-Fang
About: Indie pop, alternative
Favourite Tracks: #88, You're The One That I Want
Thoughts: Lovely + ohh it's that song from that advert

Forty Seven. Birthdays - Keaton Henson
About: Folk rock
Favourite Track: Sweetheart What Have You...
Thoughts: Mellow

Forty Eight. If You Leave - Daughter
About: Indie folk
Favourite Track: Youth, Lifeforms
Thoughts: So much more complex than the album I listened to a little earlier this year

Forty Nine. When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired - Mothers
About: Folk, experimental
Favourite Tracks: Too Small For Eyes, It Hurts Until It Doesn't
Thoughts: Brilliant, absolutely brilliant

Fifty. Sound & Colour - Alabama Shakes
About: Blues, rock, soul
Favourite Track: This Feeling, Miss You
Thoughts: All of them!

Favourites: Lo-Fang, City + Colour, Daughter, Mothers + Alabama Shakes

xo

The Click List #2 // Hazelnut Chocolate, Eco Friendly Products + The Lonely City.

Another small selection of wonderful posts, written by some incredibly talented people! 

. . .

 

Hazelnut Chocolate Bar with Sea Salt  »  Nettle & Bay 

Bloglovin'  •  Twitter  •  Instagram

. . .

The Lonely City   »  Bookswept

Bloglovin'  •  Twitter  •  Instagram

. . .

Eco Friendly, Natural Products  »  The Coveteur

Bloglovin'  •  Twitter  •  Instagram

. . .

DIY Body Scrub Bar  »  Pale Lily

Bloglovin'  •  Instagram

. . .

 

A Poem for Prince  »  The Paris Review 

Bloglovin'  •  Twitter

. . .

 

Curiosity  »  Carly Watts

Bloglovin'  •  Twitter

. . .

xo

Favourite Things, Currently Reading + Great Podcasts • Newsletter #4

F R O M   A R O U N D   T H E   W E B .

• Anohni Finds Hope in Hopelessness
• Antony Micallef Paintings
• The Pretty World of Pixar
• 21 Brilliant Books You've Never Heard Of 
• The Shame Sticks To You Like Tar
• The Dark Side of Guardian Comments
• Writers Shouldn't Have To Deal With This
• Film Dialogue from 2000 Screenplays, Broken Down by Gender and Age
• Shooting Starman 
• Patti Smith Reads Her Beautiful Letter to Robert Mapplethorpe
• Why Do Cats Love Bookstores?
• Becoming The Person You're Meant To Be

F A V O U R I T E   T H I N G S .

• Too Faced Hangover Rx Primer
• Swanlights 

B O O K S .

Currently Reading.
Cries for Help by Padgett Powell

P O D C A S T S .

» Someone Knows Something
» Breakdown
» Unexplained Episode Two: Resurrected Dreams

S O N G S .

» One More Night - Michael Kiwanuka
» Giving Up on You - Wild Belle
» Don't worry about me - Frances 

xo

Then // Now

Making sense of invisible chaos (the kind that resides inside my head + of which there's certainly more than enough of whirring around up there) seems to be easier to process than tangible chaos. At least when said tangible chaos is concentrated in one, smallish space.

My sense of the chaotic certainly hasn't gone anywhere. And I'm really quite glad about that. I'm not really sure who I would be without it. 

Note an old blu-tack mark on the wall + strategically balanced out-of-reach-of-bunny-teeth wire. We're far from pinterest perfect in these parts. And we're okay with it. But I will paint over that spot. One day. Eventually.

Pretending / Not.

When I first started school the thought of answering my name to the register each morning, that one second where the only voice everyone in the room would hear would be mine, was too overwhelming for thought. Until one day I did answer and everyone made such a fuss that I can, almost, still feel the intense burning of my cheeks. To me it wasn't a big deal, but to everyone else it was. And that was the day I learnt that not only do you sometimes have to do things that feel so impossible, you have to do them whilst pretending it's okay, or that it isn't taking all of your power in that moment to do it. Pretending became second nature and I was very good at it. I am very good at it. I've been convincing even myself for a very long time.

But when I gave myself permission to finally feel something again it was like opening the curtains after a long winter night. And at first it was as though I was an outsider looking into my life, my soul, my very being and I couldn't see very much at all. An almost void. Near emptiness that was being thinly veiled by anything I could grasp and hold on to tightly for long enough to deflect any eyes that may have been trying to peek inside, because if no one else knows there's nothing there, then there's nothing wrong. 

But for the first time in a long time, there was something new there. It may only have been whispers from the ghost of the girl who once felt like she could take on the world and come out on top, but all we ever need is the reassurance that there's still something, someone in there somewhere. 

So I may not have an answer. There probably isn't one. Answers are rare and often disappointing beings. But I do know that although feelings of giving in may try to seduce you, it's often the easy option, and sometimes you do have to do things that feel impossible. Things that will take everything that you possibly have to give. Pretend that it's easier than it is if it helps to get you through, but being honest, even simply with yourself, can feel like standing on top of the tallest hill, staring up towards a starry sky at midnight and shouting hello, here I am.

Freeing. 

The Click List.

A few posts I've found inspiring in recent weeks...

Spring Beauty Picks » Sophie's Make Up

  

• • •

What You Can Do Every Day To Grow » A Branch of Holly

  

• • •

Art: Walking The Line » A Little Twist Of

  

• • •

Homesick » Megfee

  

• • •

Rainy Record Store Days » Casuallly Awkward. 

  

• • •

xo

Glossybox: The Spring Preening Edition

This month Glossybox are aiming to help us refresh our beauty regimes in time for Spring, from finishing touches to exciting beauty innovations.

• Next Make Me Beautiful Sheer Chubby Stick
• Leighton Denny Expert Nails Miracle Mist
• Studio 10 Brow Lift Perfecting Liner
• Swiss Smile Whitening Toothpaste
• The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil

Natural lip shades will forever be my favourites, but I'm trying to experiment a little more with colour and first on this list is this lip crayon. If the Leighton Denny mist really does help to dry nail polish quicker, well, what could be better? I'm sure we've all painted our nails and then suddenly remembered something that needs to be done immediately but all we can do is sit there, helpless until they dry.

My favourite item this month is the facial oil. It promises to feel lightweight, boost radiance and nourish, which sounds like the perfect combination. I hope my skin doesn't hate it like it seems to hate every other skincare product at the moment.

xo

Dark Chocolate Puddings, The Adele Make Up Tutorial & New Art Work • Newsletter #3

My editorial calendar tells me I should be writing a Birchbox post today, but I just...can't. I can't. And side note, the words editorial calendar are up there with the most ridiculous words I've used in a sentence to date. Not because there's anything wrong with them, but because it appears that I'm currently unable to write on demand, even when the person doing the demanding is myself. Or maybe it's because the person doing the demanding is myself. Who knows. Either way I'm operating on a writing what I fancy basis and hoping it makes this space a little less...blah.

Beatrix is now brave enough to jump up on to just about everything there is to jump up on to. We've got extra covers on all beds, sofas and chairs because she does love to nibble on everything. So far the spare bed is her favourite because it gets lots of afternoon sunshine and has an especially soft blanket on it.

F R O M   A R O U N D   T H E   W E B .

• The Miracle of Morning Pages. 
• Truffles and Toffee Crisps: cooks on the 'good' food they hate and the 'bad' food they love.
• The Triumph of Bookchat on the Internet. 
• Julia Styles! 10 Things I Love About You. 
• Mysterious Stacks of Books in NYC are Connecting People from Around the World.
• The Adele Make Up Tutorial. That liner though! Abso-bloody-lutely perfect. 

F A V O U R I T E   T H I N G S .

• Snow Cake. You know I watched this and teared up throughout because Alan Rickman! 
• Sleek Pout Polish in Bare Minimum.  Forever on the lookout for the perfect nude lip, but I always come back to this.
• Pacifica Island Vanilla Perfume. 
• The newest addition to my print collection. I even braved Ikea during half term to get a frame for it.
• Alpro dark chocolate puddings.

B O O K S . 

• Currently Reading: A Reunion of Ghosts by Judith Claire Mitchell
• Next Read: My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman

P O D C A S T S . 

Generation Why. I's no Serial - the storytelling isn't the best - but I can't stop listening.

S O N G S . 

When We Were Young » I sob-cried-sang-along to this last Saturday night and it was a beautiful moment.
All I Ask » When the sound system failed, we carried on singing.
Hope There's Someone » Because Anthony and the Johnsons have been on repeat for the last two weeks.

A P R I L   B I R C H B O X . 

It seems somehow fitting to finish this newsletter with April's Birchbox, the post I had intended to write today but didn't because, I think, the contents don't feel as inspiring or exciting as they usually do. The Balance Me Tinted Eye Cream however is very gratefully received by my under eye circles.

Happy Friday! 

Have you had a good week? 

•

Jennie May
xo

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The Subscription Box for Creative Geeks: The Cartoon Edition

There's now a subscription service for just about everything and I've come to the conclusion that they're often tricky to get right and very easy to get wrong. Generation-A is a subscription box for creative geeks and each month aims to curate a box that will inspire and they kindly sent over their March box for me to unbox.

I N   T H E   B O X

• Spectrum Noir Blendable Markers 
• House of Holland Push Pins
• Cupets Toy
• Adventure Time Badges 
• Micro Munny World Raffy Figure
• 'Dream It, Do It' Tee

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I must admit I loved looking through and opening everything. The House of Holland push pins are probably my favourite thing from the box because they're adorable and useful. I haven't downloaded the Cupets app yet because I have a feeling it might be a bit addictive and I haven't forgotten that time I got sucked into Farmville for about 6 months, but I'm sure I'll cave eventually. And you'll know when because there probably won't be any blog posts for a while...!

What do you think of the Generation-A boxes? 

Use code SAILJEN for £3 off any plan!

xo

The Week I Gave Up Hot Drinks.

The MoneySuperMarket One Week Energy Challenge is all about highlighting how we take prized possessions for granted and what happens when we don’t have those items anymore if, for example, energy bills are too high and sacrifices have to be made.

My kettle and I have been in a long term relationship for many years. We've had a few ups and downs, i.e. when I had to give up coffee (headaches) and then again when I chose to stop drinking tea (only really liked it with approximately one tonne of sugar in each cup), but we've always made it through, namely with copious cups of hot lemon & honey and, of course, the pure joy that is a comforting mug of hot chocolate. Despite this I thought going without it for a week would be easy-peasy. Oh how wrong I was.

A quick Google has told me that it costs around 1p to boil a half full kettle. If I were being really energy efficient I would just boil a cup every time, I haven't been doing that, but I will do from now on. Pre-challenge I was probably boiling the kettle five or six times a day, so that's 6p per day, 42p per week, and almost £22 per year. It doesn't sound like much, but you know, that's a few books or an extra donation to a good cause every year. I also recognise how privileged I am to not have to think about that 6p a day too much in the first place.

Thank you to MoneySuperMarket for setting this challenge for me, it's really got me thinking and I now appreciate how small things add up over a relatively short period of time much more clearly. The thought of comparing energy prices (which you can do here) admittedly does make my eyes glaze over somewhat, but saving a few pennies here and there to do some good with sounds better than those few pennies lining the pockets of a big energy company. And so as I sit here writing this with a cup of hot lemon & honey next to me, I will now always remember to appreciate this little luxury even more than I did before.

Have you ever given up something you love for a week or perhaps even longer? 

Did it change how you felt about it? 

xo

- This post is in collaboration with MoneySuperMarket, but all thoughts are, of course, my own.

Dear April.

You've started pretty spectacularly. And it's now up to me to make sure, without question, that it continues. 

xo