I was one of Cute Stew's lucky winners, and won a super cute Hello Kitty nail kit which came with nail polish and a sweet nail file. I love that it gives my nails a great sparkle! I love Hello Kitty's spunky don't speak face or at least its how I interpret it. I guess it could also be Hello Kitty blowing you a kiss, or Hello Kitty OMG! I'm big Hello Kitty fan so it is awesome to win a Hello Kitty prize! I loved the sticker (the dog sticker on my laptop) and the cute card Melly Kay from Cute Stew sent me! I think I might have to get a Blythe doll because of her blog, they are so cool and cute and awesome! I used to play Barbie dolls 24-7 as a kid but then I was "too old". My favorite part was the clothes, with Blythe dolls I can get back to minature stylin'.
I thought I'd also write about Open Books which is the other sticker next to the adorable doggy sticker on my lappy. I am a huge fan of Open Books starting about a month ago, the funny thing is I heard of them before, I even donated books at printer's row to them. A friend of mine wanted to intern there, it just so happened it was right by my other favorite shop Papersource. What is Open Books? They described themselves as "Open Books is a nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond." I like to think of it as the awesome store where I can get $1 dollar comics and other books I've been dying to get but was always broke so it stayed on my wishlist.
One of those books is A Child's Life and Other Stories by Phoebe Gloeckner, a graphic novel that is beautifully illustrated and written by Gloeckner. I was drawn to it by Amazon's sample of a girl that loves dolls but with a disturbing imagination, kind of like me! :P I also really wanted to get to know more female graphic novel writers/artists since I'm a big comic book fan and wanted to support my fellow womens. Girls like me, need more role models, I know gender is not everything but when it seems only boys are doing it, it seems harder to break through. A Child's Life and Other Stories shocked me because it was very graphic, like penis, pedophiles, drug use, rape graphic. However it is an amazing read because it reveals how girls do unfortunately get used and abused, she gives a voice to all the children and teens that were ever hurt by adults and by the world. One amazon reader wrote ""A Child's Life" by Phoebe Gloeckner is like witnessing a car wreck or a street fight: you are horrified and appalled, but you can't stop looking". If you want to buy it or see some samples click on link below!http://www.amazon.com/Childs-Life-Other-Stories/dp/1583940286/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
The second book is The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman, I wanted to read this book for a long time after I became enamored by the fairy tale/legend of the Ice Queen. I will save that fairy tale/legend for later post. I read Skylight Confessions just because it was by Alice Hoffman, and I really love that book. She is such a good writer, she also wrote Practical Magic, one of my favorite movies as a kid! She is the kind of writer that can transport you to a new world! I picked Skylight Confessions up at Goodwill for a dollar, and I only thought it was fair to spread the joy and donated to nonetheless, Open Books! So when I saw they had copies of The Ice Queen it seemed perfect! I have just started it but won't be surprised if I read it all night. Be sure to check out Open Books if you are ever in Chicago or live near by! For more information about Open Books you can visit their website.http://www.open-books.org/
