Seasons Readings – A Book Lover’s Gift Guide

What is a niche blog without a holiday gift guide? Not much, I can assure you! I’m happy to introduce the very first Novels and Nail Polish Gift Guide for book worms and polish lovers alike. ENJOY!

Novels and Nail Polish Gift Guide

  1. Litographs The Great Gatsby Book Poster ($24) – A good book is a work of art, but this takes it to a whole different level! The Litographs book posters use the text of classic novels and turn them into a gorgeous, visual display of the book.  Grab this for the artsy-fartsy book nerds in your life!
  2. Litographs Temporary Book Tattoo ($5/set of 2) – I adore these temporary tattoos from Litographs! I joined the lucky group of backers for their tattoo Kickstarter campaign, and am now a part of the world’s longest temporary tattoo chain. These tattoos are made to be entertainment quality, just like the ones makeup artists use in the movies and TV shows. They apply easily, and if you’re a commitment-phobe, you’ll finally be able to live out your tattoo dreams!
  3. Nails Inc Winter Wonderland ($29) – There are two main reasons I love NailsInc. One, the polishes apply beautifully. Two, their new bottles are absolutely gorgeous! I definitely bought this set for myself on Black Friday, and it is perfection for the holidays! For ladies that want to sparkle and shine their way through December, these are a must!
  4. Rifle Paper Co. Puffin in Bloom Collection ($16 each) – Those who are familiar with my previous post about cover redesigns know my love for the Anna Bond designed covers runs deep! Whether you’re looking for shelf candy or actually want to read these classics, they’re a must-have for any serious book collector.
  5. Fangirl ($19) + Mint Polish in Original Mint ($12) – If you love YA Fiction, chances are you love Rainbow Rowell, or have at least heard of her. She’s written a handful of incredibly popular and moving stories, and Fangirl was the first, and favorite, I’ve read of hers! The cover is the perfect mint, so it’s no surprise that I paired it with Mint Polish’s Original Mint! I am a huge fan of this brand and their products, and if you’re going for mint, why wouldn’t you grab it from a company who shares the name?!
  6. I’ll Give You The Sun ($18) + Essie Polishes in Capri, In The Cab-ana & Blanc ($8.50) – I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson was one of the most highly anticipated YA novels of the fall. It’s two stories in one, each half told by a brother and sister. It’s high on my TBR list, especially because I already have a couple of great ideas for a cover-inspired manicure! I paired Essie polishes with it because the brand is one of my go-to lacquers. White, aqua and orange effectively capture the essence of the cover, without looking like a circus!
  7. AngeliqueInk Custom Book Stamp ($40) – I received this stamp for my birthday six months ago, and it quickly became one of my prized bookworm possessions. The simple type paired with the custom hand-lettered calligraphy embodies everything I love in design. Stamps like this will bring the biggest smile to any book hoarder in your life!
  8. R. Nichols READ Candle ($45) – How many people would raise their hand if I asked who loves the smell of libraries and old books? A TON, I’m sure. If you’re one of those bibliophiles, this beautiful book candle will be the perfect addition to your reading nook!
  9. ThinkGeek Book Pillows ($10) – Pillows are important, but they’re not all created equal. That’s where these ThinkGeek book pillows come in! This set is their holiday collection, and they’re completely and totally necessary for your next all-night read-a-thon!
  10. Hogwarts Travel Posters ($15 each) – Harry Potter. Minimalist travel posters. Enough said, my friends.

Tell me, what’s on your Christmas list? I’m always looking for more book/nail polish things to add to my already massive collections! Happy Reading!

 

Inspired Instas {6}

A funny thing happened this past week on Instagram. For the first time, I experienced people stealing my pictures/ideas! On one hand, I am flattered that people like my photos and manicures that much, but it mainly disappoints me that a simple fix of tagging me in the photo would totally avoid this problem. Thankfully, there haven’t been A TON of occurrences for me, because I know some people have to deal with that a lot. I just wish people had the respect to always give credit where it is due!

Enough of my soapbox though, back to the prettiness! I think I’ve finally found a general Insta theme that I really love. From the beginning, I tended to use the same handful of filters: Valencia, Walden and Nashville. Recently, I tend to gravitate toward Nashville in almost every photo and I’m really happy with the way my photos look!

Motivational Monday: I love to doodle pretty words and quotes from time to time, and one morning, I felt I needed a little extra oomph to get me through the work day. This quote, plus the pretty peony on my desk, made the day fly by!

Quote and flower

WIWT: A great outfit + great book can have an incredible effect on your day and self-confidence! We had a mini fashion shoot in my office this day, and it was too fun.

WIWT

Naked Bookstack: There is so much beauty in pretty dust covers, but there is equal amount of beauty in a naked book! Some covers just shine when naked, and these three were perfect together!

Naked Book Stack

TATBILB Cover Inspired Manicure: This is one of my favorite book manicures I’ve done to date! It conveys the feeling of both the dust jacket and naked cover, while being simple enough to stand as chic manicure without the cover for explanation!

TATBILB Manicure

Welcome Fall: Autumn is back! I love boot and sweater weather! Bring on the changing leaves and chilly nights.

Happy Fall

NailKale Manicure: The kale trend has been hot for the last couple of years, but the closest I’ll get to the nasty green stuff is on my nails in the form of Nails Inc. NailKale! Its application is wonderful and has great staying power! Can’t wait to purchase more colors from the line.

NailKale Manicure

fREADom: Last week celebrated Banned Book Week. I grabbed a couple of my favorite banned books and made this pretty stack!

Banned Book Stack

Fall Sky: The past weekend was gorgeous here in Southern California. There was a slight chill in the breeze and the sky was bright blue! I had to take advantage of it while reading We Were Liars (which was incredible and will have its own cover-inspired manicure soon).

Book and Sky

Fangirling: Some of my favorite posts to create AND some of the most popular on my Instagram have been quote posts. I love finding my favorite quote and telling a story through it.

Fangirl Quote

National Coffee Day: Yesterday was National Coffee Day, and unfortunately I wasn’t feeling too hot. But that was improved a bit by a good book and a pretty mug.

National Coffee Day

Happy Reading!