Jams of the Week 9/15/16

Howdy and welcome to jams of the week!

This weeks jams have been stuck in my head all week so sorry in advance for when they're stuck in yours! 

and oldie but a goodie that I revisited because of Donald's new show "Atlanta"

Retro [ROUGH] - Childish Gambino

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Sad but uplifting is my favorite genre. This song is perfect for feeling sad but not wanting to curl up into a ball, maybe dancing it out instead?

Good Grief - Bastille

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this stupid song - ugh - has been stuck in my head since I heard it. That would be fine, but I have the part that isn't really words from the beginning stuck, so I'm just mumbling syllables and stuff. Thanks Kiiara.

Gold - Kiiara

till next time,

Maggie

Jams of the Week 9/4/16

Hiya! Welcome to jams of the week! I hope you guys are having an awesome weekend and a happy labor day. This is the first year in a long time I haven't been laboring on labor day so I'm pretty jazzed. 

Sometimes remixes or covers reallly get on my nerves, but I think this has enough of the original Leslie Gore that it works. 

You Don't Own Me - Grace feat. G- Easy

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"Drawn to your face like never before/

Even the mistakes aren't really mistakes at all"

see also: Stockholm and Trojans. Great jams.

Molecules - Atlas Genius

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Today is Beyonce's birthday, yasss queen, and she released another video from Lemonade on youtube so I can actually share it here! Bonus, it's one of my favorites! If you still haven't sat down and watched all the Lemonade, do it now.  Right now. 

Hold Up - Beyoncé

till next time,

Maggie

Jams of the Week - 8/16/2016

Welp, slap on the wrist for me, because I haven't posted a Jam of the Week since Cursed Child came out. Harry Potter kind of takes over my life. Anyways here we are, back at it again with the jams

I want to post soo many pop songs I am digging right now, but I have a feeling those jams are also songs you hear all the time on the radio so I'm going to skip those. S.O honorable mentions to Heathens - Twenty One Pilots, Cold Water - Major Lazer +Bieber. 

I haven't heard these first two on the radio so I'm counting them as jams of the week. First off, Bacon, so damn catchy. I'm also a sucker for "Close" feat. Tove lo.

Bacon - Nick Jonas ft. Ty Dolla $ign

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Kind of obsessed with this song since I saw the movie. The soundtrack is pretty good, the movie...eh.

Sucker for Pain - Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons w/ Logic & Ty Dolla $ign ft X Ambassadors

Can we talk about how Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars is a DJ now? I added the song to Spotify and I listen to it a lot which drives me nuts because things he says in the press make him seem like a dbag. Kudos to you Augustus.

Home Alone - Ansel Elgort

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Welcome to Your Life - Grouplove

"Welcome to your world, my girl

Let it be your fantasy, oh yeah"

till next time,

Maggie

Harry Potter Awesome Art Roundup Vol. 7

Happy Harry Potter week muggles!!! Day two includes the ever epic Harry Potter Awesome Art Roundup, volume 7! It's extra jam packed because it's an awesome week (and can I just say how coincidental it is that it's number 7, the ultimate Potter number???)




First up, this awesome bunch "Witch Gang" via dasstark.
Dasstark has an awesome tumblr, and if you're also a fan of the Raven Cycle, she draws an awesome Ronan =)

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I am loving all these characters by Brittany Myers, particularly her Draco seems so spot on.

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How sweet is this Philosopher’s Stone set by Bear + Crocodile??

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I want the burrow to be a real place I can go to ASAP. Maybe that should be my new life goal? It looks so awesome in this print by twiggymcbones

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while we're on the topic of weasleys, here's the whole famdamily by xxKaseixx. the width makes it hard to look great on the blog so click the link.

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Check out this lil badass Trio on their way to kick some butt by theGorgonist

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Top 3 favorite Harry Potter fanart projects has to be  audreylynnillustrationhp who I've put on a different volume before. She's working on the whole Harry Potter book (books?) and each image is so wonderful and sometimes they're in GIF form and even more wonderful! 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Chapter 9 The Midnight Duel 

“They weren’t in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden. They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Chapter 7 The Sorting Hat 

“Oh, you may not think I’m pretty, But don’t judge on what you see, I’ll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me. You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall, For I’m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can cap them all. There’s nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can’t see, So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be. You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart; You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you’ve a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind; Or perhaps in Slytherin You’ll make your real friends, Those cunning folk use any means To achieve their ends. So put me on! Don’t be afraid! And don’t get in a flap! You’re in safe hands (though I have none) For I’m a Thinking Cap!”

I could honestly post them all! Please check her out when you get a chance =)

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Because it's volume 7, let's go with another top 3 fanartist, Rosalia Radosti. Her character portraits are amazing, but I've put those on here before so here are some of her other adorable Harry Potter prints. 

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I find wizard families really interesting (obviously) but one small detail that I've always appreciated was the Black family's astrological names. This print by Dromedas does a wonderful job compiling them and showing their actual locations. 

 If you check out the link, there are individual prints for each constellation. 

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taryndraws is doing a wonderful 8 days of Potter art leading up to the new book, and so far everything she's posted has been wonderful

Day one - "no post on sundays" prompt 

Day two- "expecto patronum" prompt

Day three - "Ickle firsties" prompt

the best part of this whole thing? I get to find so many more amazing Harry Potter artists!!

First off, this AMAZING gif by Zannarl

and then Luna with her patronus by sonyacreates

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Again with the Burrow and the Weasleys, I know, but this one by smelslikeart is too adorable.

“Harry stepped in, his head almost touching the sloping ceiling, and blinked. It was like walking into a furnace: Nearly every thing in Ron’s room seemed to be a violent shade of orange: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling.” 

AND YOU KNOW WHAT, 

I'M JUST GOING TO END WITH MORE

WEASLEY

BECAUSE IT'S MY BLOG AND I'LL WEASLEY IF I WANNAAAA

and because this wonderful art from Pottermore seems like a great way to end this volume. 

Till next time!

-Maggie

P.S t-minus 70 Hours!

Harry Potter Week: Butterbeer Cookies

 

Happy Harry Potter week 2016 my fellow nerds! It's the week of the Cursed Child. I feel many mixed feelings about it, but I'm embracing the HP love and going with it. So with that, here is day one - the basics - party food. These butterbeer cookies are a favorite go to from Bake at 350. My brother got me a really cool 3D printed Harry Potter cookie cutter for Christmas so I stepped the cookies up a notch with that bad boy. Feel free to use your favorite sugar cookie for the base if you'd like, the glaze is the real showstopper here.



Butterbeer Sugar Cookies 




3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
2 sticks butter
1 egg
1 tsp butter flavoring
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

First things first, preheat your oven to 350.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, set aside.
Cream the sugar and butter.
Add the egg, butter flavoring, and vanilla; mix until well-blended.
Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. The dough will be quite thick, you may need to knead in stray bits of flour from the bottom of the bowl by hand.

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cutter. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. These cookies may also be rolled into 1 inch balls if you prefer. They are similar to shortbread in the way that they won’t spread much.










Butterbeer Glaze

1 1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 TBSP light corn syrup

Place all of the ingredients in a glass or metal bowl and heat over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler).
Stir occasionally, until melted and smooth.

Put the cooled cookies on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Pour the glaze over the cookies and spread with an offset spatula.

Deeeelish.

Till next time, hope your having a very potter week =)

Maggie

Jams of the Week 7/20/16

Howdy, and welcome to Jams of the Week.

This first jam I heard, shazamed, and since then have listened to on repeat constantly. It's burrowed into my brain and I love it. I think anyone who's ever had to get over someone can relate to this song.

Billy Currington - It Don't Hurt Like It Used To

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I've been digging those Spotify playlists that are suggested on the homepage. One led me to this song, which was great to jam to when closing down the coffee shop.


Madcon - Don't Worry feat. Ray Dalton

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Last up, I love seeing movies and I try to go every week. Last week I saw Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates and it was way better than I thought it was going to be. The soundtrack is super upbeat and great to drive in the summer to. Also recommend the song Zac Efron recorded for the soundtrack called "Stang Life."

Good vibes only bro.

Outasight - Do Something Crazy (Feat. Cook Classics)

Till next time,

Maggie

July Bookish Box - Fantasy Review

Howdy! I received my July bookish box today in the mail today and wanted to share what was all included. After last months Classic Novels box I decided to unsubscribe to Bookish, but I was still hoping for some awesome goodies in this last box.  (You can read my review of the Harry Potter Box here) 

For July I didn't know the theme before I opened it, but I was hopeful based on the Deathly Hallows on the side of the box. This was the first month where the theme wasn't put on the side for me.

The theme turned out to be Fantasy! Excitedness started with a Maggie Stiefvater quote on the opener.

So the first items were a headband and a small bag of Dragon Rider coffee. I work at a coffee company so I don't really need coffee but it's a cool name. I'll edit this once I brew! The headband pattern is cool - and I think referencing The Raven King? - but look closely at the second picture.

You might notice, it says "baby"

and that's the size brain it fits - maybe! It's so small, I don't know how they expect it to fit on anyone's head =( I can't wear it so that's a bummer.

Next in the box was a tote that had a long handle which was a nice touch. The quote I had to google, it's by Cassandra Clara via the Mortal Instruments. Is it weird that I don't get the quote? Why can't I have the joy of reading and feel like part of the story?

The Tee of the month was "a single dream is more than a thousand powerful realities," which again, I had to google. It's apparently one of those quotes people think someone said but they never did? In this case it's often attributed to Tolkien, but it was from a review of Tolkien in actuality. I like the quote either way, but I don't love that it's on a plain white t-shirt. I tend to never wear white because 1.) I will for sure spill on it and 2.) Washing whites is one step more complicated than colors and I'm lazy.  I should note that Bookish now offers the box without the Tee, and I would maybe do that if I ever re-subscribed. 

Last thing in the box was a "hold the door" bracelet. I know it's a Game of Thrones reference because the internets exploded after that episode, but I stopped watching GOT for reasons explained well here.  So anyway the bracelet is cute, but I will never wear it.

This box helped me confirm that this box just isn't for me. I can think of some fellow nerds who do like a lot of the things in the box, but with this and the Classic Novels box I only connected to one item, so it isn't worth the cost. I would totally support another Harry Potter box, because I know it will be 100% interesting to me, but other than that I'm happy with my decision. 

Do you have a box you subscribe to and love? Share below!!