“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”
[MovieMaker Magazine #53 – Winter, January 22, 2004 ]
― Jim Jarmusch
Hello friends, I’m feeling inspired to create floral projects with hints of light blue and pink this month. Pink is one of the main colours on my blog but I rarely use it in real-life projects. After watching Bridgerton and My Happy Marriage, I’m very much drawn to florals, pale pinks, and blues. I’m also really vibing with Ali Hazelwood’s books since I just reread Love on the Brain and her latest release Not in Love. So, it’s a very romantic time for me right now 😂
Mood Board
Books: Love on the Brain and Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
Love on the Brain is one of my favourite books so revisiting it this month was a lot of fun. And then Not in Love came out. I made it last for three days (very proud of myself) and loved it. Hazelwood writes books that just hit the mark for me and I love her covers. I love that she has the person who drew her fan art when she wrote fanfiction creating her covers. At least for the Love Hypothesis. I didn’t research the rest but the style seems the same. I love it all!!!
TV Shows
My Happy Marriage on Netflix
Not my first anime but the first one I really enjoyed. My Happy Marriage is a bit of a Cinderella story but better. Miyo is abused by her family and finds escape in an arranged marriage. Through this arrangement she finds the strength within herself to be her own saviour. So, while she’s dependent on her new fiance to rescue her at first, she comes into her own later and chooses to be with him.
I enjoyed the story but what really got me with this show was the visuals. It’s so beautiful and heartwarming.
Bridgerton on Netflix
I absolutely love the changes this show is bringing to the historical romance genre. The race swapping is brilliant and I hope to see gender swapping in the future, and some LGBTQ+ representation. And for the love of god, less rake and virgin pairings, please!! It’s also wonderful to see a larger woman in a romantic role on TV. To see her properly portrayed for how beautiful she is, that someone loves her body and finds her sexually attractive. We don’t get that enough on TV.
Hopefully, we’ll see more books following suit within the genre. I know they say it’s to be historically accurate but in my opinion, they’re already inaccurate simply from having the wealthy members of the gentry be nice people.
Music: Studio Ghibli Lofi
I’m not really an anime fan (I’ve been tipping my toes in recently) but the music is so lovely. This Studio Ghibli Lofi playlist has been my soundtrack most mornings this month. It helps me adjust to being awake and sets a nice tone for the day.
Pride & Prejudice Ephemera and Fussy Cuts Kit
And here’s the result of these influences. The colours and florals in this kit came from watching My Happy Marriage though I decided to stay away from cherry blossoms. Of course, Bridgerton makes me want to create Regency kits. I went with Jane Austen because her books are public domain so I can use excerpts and I think she’s more accessible. I chose roses instead of cherry blossoms cause it suits the British Regency more. I was also very influenced by my previous kit Regency Romance where I annotated Emma by Jane Austen. I had annotating in mind while creating the elements in this kit and I can’t wait to add them to Pride and Prejudice.
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Elaine Howlin 
I absolutely agree with you about Bridgerton. Before the season aired I was worried that they were gonna try and hide her body during the spicier scenes but they really proved me wrong. They made her beautiful and desirable in a way that big girls just aren’t usually portrayed in media. It was amazing.
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