For the past few years, there has been a big focus on traditional craft skills, and many people have been keen to learn skills including quilting, sewing, and painting. For 2024, some of these crafts will move under the spotlight, as people take part in community craft sessions and seek to learn the skills of […]
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]]>For the past few years, there has been a big focus on traditional craft skills, and many people have been keen to learn skills including quilting, sewing, and painting. For 2024, some of these crafts will move under the spotlight, as people take part in community craft sessions and seek to learn the skills of their ancestors. If you’re looking to get into crafting, here are three types that will be big news in 2024.
Embroidery
A deceptively simple-looking craft, embroidery involves hand-stitching images and patterns onto materials. Embroidered shirts were a big fashion trend in 2023, so it makes sense that in 2024 learning to embroider will be top of many people’s agendas. There should be local classes taking place in your city, or there are many videos online that teach the basics of this fun and practical craft.
Pottery
Ceramics are big news in the world of interior decor right now and many people are keen to try out their own skills on the pottery wheel. If you don’t have access to a full pottery studio, creating coil vases and mugs is always an option, and many kilns are willing to hire out space and firing sessions so that novices can have access to the essentials of pottery production.
Lino Printing
A great way to create unique cards and artworks, lino printing involves craving lino from a block and using this as a printing template. Whilst designs can be highly detailed, for many the aesthetic is intentionally naive and free-flowing, so you can let your creativity loose.
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If reading happens to be your favorite pastime, you probably spend a lot of time on Goodreads discovering new books. Their users selected the winners of the annual Goodreads Choice Awards, with R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface coming out victorious in the coveted best fiction category. Yellowface was selected as the best fiction book by over 200,000 […]
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]]>If reading happens to be your favorite pastime, you probably spend a lot of time on Goodreads discovering new books. Their users selected the winners of the annual Goodreads Choice Awards, with R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface coming out victorious in the coveted best fiction category.
Yellowface was selected as the best fiction book by over 200,000 Goodreads users. It easily defeated its competition, including Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, Meg Shaffer’s The Wishing Game, and Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, while the remaining contenders in this category received under 50,000 votes
Goodread’s official announcement describes Yellowface as “a combination of satire, metafiction, and slow-burn thriller, [which] ultimately delivers a sly cultural critique concerning race and tokenism in the book business” and praises its author for delivering “a lacerating parable about the publishing industry itself.”
The list of major winners also includes Emilia Hart’s Weyward (best debut and best historical fiction), Emily Henry’s Happy Place (best romance), Leigh Bardugo’s Hell Bent (best fantasy), and Stephen King’s Holly (best horror).
Several celebrities also made it to Goodreads’ list this year, including Britney Spears with The Woman in Me (best memoir & autobiography) and Henry Winkler with Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond (best humor).
FULL LIST OF THE 2023 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS WINNERS:
Best Fiction
Yellowface – R.F. Kuang
Best Science Fiction
In the Lives of Puppets – T.J. Klune
Best Romance
Emily Henry – Happy Place
Best Fantasy
Hell Bent – Leigh Bardugo
Best Young Adult Fantasy
Divine Rivals – Rebecca Ross
Best Young Adult Fiction
Check & Mate – Ali Hazelwood
Best Romantasy
Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros
Best Mystery & Thriller
The Housemaid’s Secret – Freida McFadden
Best Horror
Holly – Stephen King
Best Debut Novel
Weyward – Emilia Hart
Best Historical Fiction
Weyward – Emilia Hart
Best Non-Fiction
Poverty, by America – Matthew Desmond
Best History & Biography
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder – David Grann
Best Memoir & Autobiography
Britney Spears – The Woman in Me
Best Humor
Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond – Henry Winkler
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If you’ve been dreaming of taking a solo trip, why not add it to your New Year’s resolution and finally make it happen in 2024? Here are five reasons why you should take the risk and go. Self-Discovery Solo travel is an incredible opportunity for self-discovery. It allows you to navigate through challenges, make decisions, […]
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]]>If you’ve been dreaming of taking a solo trip, why not add it to your New Year’s resolution and finally make it happen in 2024? Here are five reasons why you should take the risk and go.
Self-Discovery
Solo travel is an incredible opportunity for self-discovery. It allows you to navigate through challenges, make decisions, and rely on your instincts. You’ll be surprised how much personal growth will happen on your trip.
Freedom of Reflection
Solo travel is an incredible time for reflection, goal setting, and personal reset. These moments spent in a new place are perfect for recharging your mind.
Unrestricted Exploration
Traveling alone offers the freedom to explore at your own pace and on your terms. You can take spontaneous adventures, change plans on a whim, or spend as much time as you want without having to compromise with anyone else’s itinerary.
Stepping Out of Comfort Zones
Embracing new cultures, meeting strangers, and navigating unfamiliar territories can be intimidating but also incredibly rewarding. The experience will push you to adapt, learn, and become more resilient.
Deepened Cultural Immersion
Traveling solo encourages deeper immersion in local cultures. Without the buffer of companionship, you’ll be more likely to engage with locals and participate in community activities.
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Goodreads is the most popular website with book lovers from all around the world, and there’s a lot of anticipation surrounding its annual Goodreads Choice Awards. The final round of voting is now open, and the time is running out to place votes for your favorite books of the year. The list of contenders for […]
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]]>Goodreads is the most popular website with book lovers from all around the world, and there’s a lot of anticipation surrounding its annual Goodreads Choice Awards. The final round of voting is now open, and the time is running out to place votes for your favorite books of the year.
The list of contenders for the Goodreads Choice Awards was officially unveiled on November 14, and the final round finally opened two weeks later – on November 28. You have until December 3 to place your votes, while the winners will be announced on December 7.
Best fiction is the most popular category at this virtual ceremony, and the list of candidates this year includes Jenny Jackson’s Pineapple Street, R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, Jojo Moyes’ Someone Else’s Shoes, and Meg Shaffer’s The Wishing Game.
You can place votes in 14 more categories, including historical fiction, mystery and thriller, romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, young adult fantasy and fiction, debut novel, non-fiction, memoir/autobiography, history/biography, humor, and newly introduced romantasy.
Goodreads Choice Awards sparked controversy when the nominations were first announced because several important categories were eliminated this year. Poetry, graphic novels/comics, and children’s books didn’t make the cut, making it difficult for authors of these overlooked genres to get their names out there.
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Scoot Airlines is celebrating its 10th anniversary in style by partnering with The Pokémon Company to introduce a Pokémon-themed in-flight experience. It’s a fun twist for passengers of all ages. Flights fly mostly in Asia, between Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo. Let’s take a closer look. The Jet The Pikachu Jet is decorated inside and out […]
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]]>Scoot Airlines is celebrating its 10th anniversary in style by partnering with The Pokémon Company to introduce a Pokémon-themed in-flight experience. It’s a fun twist for passengers of all ages. Flights fly mostly in Asia, between Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo. Let’s take a closer look.
The Jet
The Pikachu Jet is decorated inside and out with all of your favorite Pokemon characters including Pikachu, Pichu, Shaymin, Psyduck, Lapras, Celebi, and Meganium. There are even some characters hidden under the wings of the plane, helping you fly to your next adventure.
Onboard Experience
The Pikachu Jet is an immersive Pokémon experience, with themed cups, fun merchandise, and in-flight announcements by Pikachu himself. Even the cabin’s overhead bins and seat rest covers feature Pokémon characters, all adding to the atmosphere. Each passenger also gets a themed tote bag, bucket hat, aircraft model, and other fun gifts to take home.
Meals
Scoot Airlines will take your culinary experience to the next level with Japanese-inspired dishes and sweet treats, all served in Pokémon-themed packaging.
Scootitude Activities
On top of all that, specially prepared Scootitude surprises add an extra layer of fun to your journey, ensuring that your flight is a memorable adventure.
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Halloween is here, and we all know what that means: it’s painted pumpkin season! Painting pumpkins is one of the most popular and colorful Halloween traditions, and don’t let anyone get you thinking it’s a holiday delight meant for children alone. Getting extra creative with your pumpkins is definitely an all-ages-type thing, and social media is […]
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]]>Halloween is here, and we all know what that means: it’s painted pumpkin season! Painting pumpkins is one of the most popular and colorful Halloween traditions, and don’t let anyone get you thinking it’s a holiday delight meant for children alone. Getting extra creative with your pumpkins is definitely an all-ages-type thing, and social media is here to help us all catch up on the hottest painted pumpkin trends of 2021.
Classic Orange with a Twist
If you’re not into working hard and doing your pumpkin from scratch—using its natural orange color is a great way to go. The top choice seems to be adding simple white patterns on top of that orange backdrop, like leaves, flowers, or stars.
Floral
Okay, so flowers aren’t Halloween-spooky, but they’re just so pretty! And they seem to be trending this year. They’re pretty easy to paint (no need to be a modern-day Picasso here), plus, you can go crazy with the colors and it would still look good.
Black and White
Black-and-white pumpkins are painted proof that you really don’t have to be over the top in order to stand out. Let your creativity shine through shapes and patterns rather than colors.
Starry Night
Another popular trend this year is the dark sky with moon and stars motif. This can be done in all kinds of ways and seems to always create this enchanted/witchy vibe that Halloween is so famous for.
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If we had to pick a single celebrity whose fashion choices this year make for a great Halloween costume, it would be Olivia Rodrigo. The young pop singer is the biggest rising star of 2021, and here are five of her best looks that you can use as inspiration for your costume this Halloween. “Good […]
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]]>If we had to pick a single celebrity whose fashion choices this year make for a great Halloween costume, it would be Olivia Rodrigo. The young pop singer is the biggest rising star of 2021, and here are five of her best looks that you can use as inspiration for your costume this Halloween.
“Good 4 U” Music Video
Rodrigo gave us one of the defining songs of 2021 with “Good 4 U”, and you can easily recreate her look from this video by wearing a cheerleading uniform and long black leather gloves.
“Sour” Cover
The cover art of Rodrigo’s debut album Sour is also pretty easy to copy, as long as you’re okay with putting a bunch of colorful stickers on your face.
“Sour Prom”
Rodrigo embraced the “crying prom queen” trope in her concert film Sour Prom and gave us another Halloween look that you can copy with minimal effort.
“Brutal” Music Video
Rodrigo’s music video for “Brutal” was basically a Y2K fashion time capsule and she gave us countless nostalgic looks to choose from when coming up with your Halloween costume.
Met Gala Look
If you want to have your Met Gala moment this Halloween, how about trying to recreate Rodrigo’s black lace Saint Laurent jumpsuit with a feathered neckline?
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Did video really kill the radio star? Whether you listen to them during your morning run, while you’re washing the dishes, or in the car podcasts have proven to be one of the best time passers, and their popularity only seems to increase. If you’re looking for something new to get into or wonder when […]
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]]>Did video really kill the radio star? Whether you listen to them during your morning run, while you’re washing the dishes, or in the car podcasts have proven to be one of the best time passers, and their popularity only seems to increase. If you’re looking for something new to get into or wonder when your favorite show is coming back, take a look at this list of some great podcasts to listen to this month!
Bad Blood: The Final Chapter
This podcast dives deep into one of the wildest fraud cases in recent history—the story of the former youngest self-made billionaire in the world. Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the blood-testing startup Theranos, is accused of leading a massive fraud and lying to investors, doctors, and patients about the capabilities of her technology. But she may be able to avoid 20 years in prison with an unusual defense strategy…
How to Fail with Elizabeth Day
Turns out ‘you must fail in order to succeed’ isn’t a cliche. In this fascinating podcast, journalist and author Elizabeth Day asks her guests—actors, authors, athletes, and politicians, to talk through some significant moments in their lives where things just went wrong. Not only is it interesting, but it’s also a reassuring and even heartwarming listen.
You’re Dead To Me
This fun history podcast isn’t new, but it just came back after a months-long hiatus. The first episode of season 4 takes us to 16th century Russia and introduces us to Ivan the Terrible. You really don’t have to be a big history buff to get hooked onto the entertaining and fascinating narration this podcast offers.
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While we’re just a few days into September, we can already feel the Halloween vibes and it’s time to start decorating! Tiktokers have been getting ready for the spooky holiday early this year by making DIY Halloween candles. It’s become the latest DIY craft and #halloweencandle is trending on the platform with over two million […]
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]]>While we’re just a few days into September, we can already feel the Halloween vibes and it’s time to start decorating! Tiktokers have been getting ready for the spooky holiday early this year by making DIY Halloween candles. It’s become the latest DIY craft and #halloweencandle is trending on the platform with over two million views. Did we mention we’re only in September? We expect the number to increase.
@xoilluminatedco Sound on
♬ original sound – TJ.it’s the little dice for me
launching 8/13 @ 10am pst! ##fyp ##halloween ##halloweentiktok ##candle ##candlemaking ##spooky
The best part about Halloween candles is that you can watch the TikTokers make them before buying the one you want from their site. There are all sorts of candles to choose between and many of them look too good to light. They’re really giving Bath & Body Works a run for their money!
@magic_flame_candles ##foryou ##fy ##fypシ ##fypシ゚viral ##halloween ##candle ##candles ##halloweencandle ##pumkinspice ##smallbusiness ##viral ##viralvideo ##California ##supportsmallbiz
♬ MYSTERY GIRL – James Holt
There’s really a candle for everyone and they make amazing decorative pieces—they’re sure to put you in the spirit. There are ones dedicated to Halloween movies like Hocus Pocus and Harry Potter as well as traditional, seasonal foods like Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSLs), caramel apples, pumpkins, and candy corn.
@wilsoncandle Starting my Fall/Halloween Candles
♬ Sally’s Song (From “The Nightmare Before Christmas”) – Just Kids##Halloween ##Food ##Apple ##Carmel ##fypシ ##foryoupage ##fypシ゚viral ##candlemaking ##smallbusiness ##blackownedbusiness
Buying these unique, one-of-a-kind candles is the perfect way to support small businesses and they’re really affordable with most of them costing between $15 to $30.
Are you ready to start spooky season?
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During the pandemic, people have turned to new, or shall we say old, ways to keep themselves busy and one of the things we’ve been seeing everywhere are Victorian-era crafts. DIY has never been so popular and we can’t seem to get enough crafts from the era. If you haven’t already, it’s time to keep […]
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]]>During the pandemic, people have turned to new, or shall we say old, ways to keep themselves busy and one of the things we’ve been seeing everywhere are Victorian-era crafts. DIY has never been so popular and we can’t seem to get enough crafts from the era. If you haven’t already, it’s time to keep our hands busy with these crafts.
Natural Dyeing
Prior to bottle dye, people made dyes from plants, fruits, and vegetables found in gardens. Natural dyes are a great way to be eco-friendly.
Embrodiery
This form of needlework was to tend and mend clothes and fabric. It has many techniques like whitework, crewelwork, and ribbon embroidery, so you’re bound to find one you enjoy. If you’re new to working with needles and thread, get an embroidery kit.
Flower Pressing
Victorians gathered flowers, leaves, and ferns and press them. Today, you can use dried flowers, leaves, and seaweed to create sunprints, scrapbooks, trays, and wall art.
Shellwork
Mosaics and artful objects were created with common items like pinecones, moss, wood, paper, and shells. Shellwork can be used to create picture frames, wall sconces, trinket boxes, and light fixtures.
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