Disney Pin Haul

One of the things I like to collect and trade is Disney Pins. I've been collecting for around 10 years now and have only recently started to purchase them on Ebay. The pins I'm about to show I have purchased over the past 4 months either on Ebay or from Disney World itself. These pins are not for sale or trade.

This Aristocats pin was part of a DisneyLand 2010 hidden Mickey series which featured 5 pins each showcasing characters from the film. This pin shows Marie, Berlioz, Toulouse. I love the Aristocats film and the kittens in particular. I bought this pin on Ebay from the seller debbie7073 and it was delivered earlier than expected.

This pin was originally sold on the Disney UK website and it LE of 800. I usually don't buy Winnie the Pooh pins but I thought this was so adorable with the saying. I also bought this pin on Ebay from seller kidneyboy11.

I bought this pin after recently watching The Little Mermaid (for the first time either ever or for over 10 years). It features Ariel and Eric in a flower frame which is so pretty! I like how they are dressed in what they wore when they first met. I bought this pin from juliaellietate* on Ebay.

This pin is probably my favourite out of the ones I've purchased recently as this Springtime Minnie reminds me of Mary Poppins. This cast member pin is an LE of 3014 and originates from DLP. This pin along with the next three pins were all bought on Ebay from the seller mainstreet.trading who I have felt really happy purchasing from.

This Meeko pin again originates from DisneyLand Paris and was released on a pin trading day in 2013 as an LE of 500. I bought this pin and the next pin after watching Pocahontas for the first time and falling in love with Meeko's character. 

This LE of 600 pin was released on the same day as the one above and features both Pocahontas and Meeko with a dangle feature. 

This 2014 pin is LE 600 and I really liked the retro feel. Lady and the Tramp is not one of my favourite films but I do love the characters. 

These two pins I asked my dad to get for me whilst he was in Florida and they were 2 of the Christmas 2014 pins. I was really attracted to the vintage feel and how the ribbon allows you to turn it into an ornament. 

When I saw this Russian doll collection online I was super excited and its one of very few collections that I've actually wanted to collect all of the pins. I bought 5 mystery bags each containing 5 pins and I got them all except for Cinderella! How annoying, needless to say I have quite a few doubles to trade with. 

This pin is my most recent purchase off of Ebay from theotortoise and features Ariel on the Art Of Animation Christmas pin. I was really pleased to find this pin as I love the purple/blue snowflake that it features my favourite princess.

So that's my pin haul from the past couple of months. Over the next couple of months I hope to sell some of my pins on ebay and maybe even get into Instagram pin trading!

I filmed a video over on my YouTube channel talking about these pins, which you can see below. 

Until next time, Sophie x

A Book Review | City Of Women by David Gillham

Rating: 3/5
Pages: 389

City Of Women follows a german civilian called Sigrid Schroder who try's to be the perfect German and perfect soldiers wife. Sigrid lives with her mother-in-law in Berlin however she hides a secret. Whilst Sigrid's husband is serving on the eastern front fighting for his country she has been meeting up and having an affair with a Jewish lover. 

We follow Sigrid as she not only try's to keep that a secret but also one of the girl who lives in the same building; she's part of a group that helps to hide and transport Jews and others people trying to avoid the Nazi's. 

I found this book to have a really interesting plot line and its not like anything I've read before. Firstly it was quite a nice change to hear a story from a German who doesn't necessarily have to worry about being persecuted but it was intriguing to see her still put herself and others around her in so much danger. However overall I wasn't too thrilled with the book and I wasn't racing to finish it, I felt that I didn't really warm to any of the characters and that played a big part of me enjoying the book, hence only giving it 3/5 on Goodreads. 

I must say this isn't a ww2 book to read if your below the age of 16/17, I found it to be very graphic and sexual at times so that's something to bare in mind going into it. 

I was also quite shocked how common it seemed for the characters in the book to have affairs and sleep with multiple people whilst their other half was either back at home or on the frontline. 

One event in the book really stood out to me and that was when Sigrid's husband comes home and tells her how he and his comrades set a barn on fire with a group of innocent people trapped inside it. Needless to say it was a graphic scene but it also made Sigrid realise what she didn't want to admit, that her husband really was a murderer.  

I wouldn't race to re-read this however I do think it has an interesting plot line that many would enjoy. 

I filmed a corresponding video on my thoughts which you can see over on my Youtube page.

Until next time, Sophie x

My Cath Kidston Collection

Im a huge fan of the chain of shops called "Cath Kidston". It's typically British and i've been collecting items from there for the past couple of years. Before I start I want to say that I do work for Cath Kidston however it does not affect my views and I'm not being sponsored, I was a collector way before I started working for them. The links I provide below are purely to help direct you to the product and are not affiliate links. Below I will take you through the items I own and add links if they are still available. So grab a hot beverage, sit back and enjoy all that is Cath Kidston. 

    

So lets start with what they are most well known for and thats their bags. They have a wide variety of patterns and styles so there's always something for everyone. The bag on the left is a cross body bag (with the option to adjust it to over the shoulder) and is light blue with small pink flowers and a buckle feature. The bag on the right is slightly smaller and is a light green with small pink and white flowers. I purchased the blue one from the outlet at Gunwhalf Quays and the right one on Asos.com

This navy polka dot business bag was again purchased earlier this year at the outlet. I purchased it with the purpose of using it for uni as it is huge to fit any sketchbooks or photography equipment in ( which it does perfectly) but also has a cushioned laptop sleeve perfect for anyone who likes to travel with their's. It has a large front zip pocket and 3 more pockets on the inside. The oilcloth material makes it perfect for cleaning and resists the rain. 

This is my most recent bag which I bought a couple of weeks ago in the sale for £20 when it was originally £38. This bag has a cotton exterior however the inside is completely waterproof and the contents stayed dry when I was caught in a rain storm. Another benefit to this bag is that it is completely machine washable! Believe it or not this bag comes folded up in a small pouch which you can then use to organise the inside with as there are no internal pockets. So far I've seen people buy this for work, travel/planes and even for a trip to the hospital.  This style and print of bag comes in the smaller size shown and a larger travel bag which costs £25 in the sale. Here are the links to both the smaller and larger size. 

This mug I bought before Christmas and since has gone in the sale, it is the Christmas London print on a cedar style mug and I love it! This print shows typical London monuments in a snowy winter scene. Online I could only find the non Christmas style which features a light blue background and no snow however that has sold out. NO FEAR! It is now available on their Stanley mugs which you can find here.

This jumper is my most recent CK purchase and boy did I resist it for ages. It comes in black, emerald green and the ruby red that I own. However I can't find either of the three online. The other day I saw that there was just one size which was a small ( usually I am a 6/xs at CK as their clothes run big) and I just had to try it and surprisingly it fit well, a little oversized but it didn't look too big on me. It is super soft despite the glitter aspect which you can't even feel. I got it for £20 down from £38.

This jumper I bought late November and non stop wore it throughout December. I didn't have a Christmas jumper before this and I had to buy it. I love thats its grey and can be worn with absolutely anything. You can still find this online here on sale from £35 to £18.

The next item is this beautiful red bus dress. I bought this in a size 6 and as a short person I need to take the hem up. I've seen it styled with a long sleeve T-shirt for the winter but is also light enough for the summer. It also has pockets which is a feature I love. You can find it in the sale here.

In my collection I have to pairs of pj bottoms both in xs. On the left is the same bus print as my dress which I got for Christmas and on the right is the Christmas London print( the same as my mug). They both have pockets on the sides and one on the back. I find that these come up quite long (for reference i'm 5ft1). The bus print isn't in the sale, however the London one is in the sale.

This piece is one of my most recent and is part of the new spring line, it is called the "Paradise Fields Jersey Dress With Collar". I really love the Paradise Fields and Paradise Bunch prints this season and I plan to get a few more pieces from this line. The dress is £55 and you can find it here.

This last piece is a gorgeous soft jumper that features three tulips and is made out of 100% wool. Despite the photo making the jumper look black it is actually navy and is speckled with red, yellow, blue and green thread.  I did purchase this as part of my uniform in which the company gives us an allowance to buy a piece of new fashion to wear to work. 

This jumper retails for £85 and to be honest  I personally couldn't justify the price if I didn't have my uniform allowance which made it a lot cheaper. Having said that if you can afford this or wait until it goes in the sale later in the year then I really suggest it as its so soft and beautiful. You can find it online here.

For any pieces that may be sold out check out your local outlet store which you can find here.

I hope you enjoyed this post, i've actually done a Youtube video showing these items in more detail which you can see below.

Until next time, Sophie x

A Book Review | Just Between Us by Mario Lopez

Pages: 272
Rating:3/5

For Christmas I received Mario Lopez's autobiography "Just Between Us" and this month I finished it and therefor wanted to review it. Firstly I'll start off by saying I'm a huge fan of Mario and Saved By The Bell and he even replied to my tweet on twitter! Major fangirl moment. 

I found this book to be a very quick read and it was nice to read an autobiography that was so recently written.

Mario's book follows him from growing up in southern California to being on Saved By The Bell and then to the present day and having his two children. 

I found it interesting to read about how Mario was expected to die as a baby yet his dad took him to Mexico to see a witch doctor and subsequently survived defying doctors opinions. It was intriguing to read about such an experience and how sometimes out of the ordinary remedies can work.

I found that Mario was extremely open about his life which I find admirable and shows that he was really willing to put everything into this book. Two events in particular show this the first being when Mario got a girl pregnant at quite a young age. Even though he knew they were probably too young to have a child Mario was willing to stop his acting jobs and get a "proper job" to help support this girl and their baby. He knew either way that it was the girls decision to abort the baby or not and he was about to fully stand behind her whatever her decision, (Spoiler she had it aborted). The second event was when Mario invested $60k into a bar business in Mexico that eventually was unsuccessful and a waste of money. However despite these two things happening Mario has always taken responsibility for his actions and he seems very down earth because of it. 

One part of Mario's life that I did want to hear more about was his time on Saved By The Bell. I was intrigued to find out about the shows schedule (which we did) but also about the cast dynamics and the gossip that went on around set. We did hear a little about what Mario thought of his cast mates and lifelong friends however we of course can't ask for more than what he has written. 

I found myself enjoying the book more towards the end when the events he were talking about were more recent including his time on Extra, interviewing celebrities and meeting his future wife. In particular it was interesting to read about the struggle they faced to have their children and how happy he seems to now be a father.

Overall I gave this book 3/5 stars on my Goodreads page which you can see here. I found it one of the better autobiography's to read and is a nice light read. Like I said I would of liked to hear more about his time on SBTB and all the gossip from his interviews but it was also nice to hear how he got to that stage in his life and how he still values his Mexican roots.

That's all for today's post so until next time pick up a book and read! Sophie x

A book review | Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Rating: 5/5
Pages: 352

Girl Online is Youtube sensation Zoe Sugg aka Zoella's debut novel. Its been widely reviewed both good and bad and she has been criticised for using a co-writer (Siobhan Curham) to help write the story. However this being said I LOVED IT. I really had no expectations going into this book and didn't know much about the plot line therefore I really was pleasantly surprised. 

The story follows a girl called Penny from Brighton (remind us of anyone?) and needless to say she isn't the best for social situations. Penny also writes a blog and uses that as her way of distressing. Penny's parents are wedding planners and are offered the chance to plan a last minute wedding in... NEW YORK of all places. Penny suffers from anxiety since being in a car crash therefore is initially worried about being on a plane and far from home however with her best friend Elliot the four of them make the journey to the big apple. 

Once there Penny meets a boy called Noah who we all fall in love with and is such a sweetheart, however we get the impression he's hiding something from here. My initial thought was that he was famous ( if you've read the book you know what happened) and we find this huge plot twist out near the end of the book. When this twist did happen I was so intrigued to see how the book ended and raced through the last 100 pages. 

Zoe/Siobhan's writing really reminded me of British children's writer Jacqueline Wilson and I can see why it would appeal to anyone from the age of 8-15 but even I as an 18 year old could enjoy it. Despite having a ghost writer I could see where Zoe had her input especially when it came to Penny's anxiety. When she described Penny on the plane I could really relate to what she was going through and the symptoms Penny was feeling. ( I plan to write a blog post soon on my Anxiety journey).

When Penny was writing her soulmate list about Noah I could completely relate to my younger self and I'm sure a lot of youngsters have done that at some point. 

Overall I found this book really cheesy but I adored it for that, it was slightly predictable at times but the plot twist saved the story. The chapters were small which I personally like as I find it easier to read more in a session.

I gave this book 5/5 stars as it really had me gripped, I would recommend it more to younger teenagers but it is still relatable to older teens.

Over on my Youtube channel I have a corresponding video of me reviewing this book which you can see below.

Until next time, Sophie

Holocaust memorial day 2015 + my concentration camp experiences.

So today, Tuesday the 27th of January 2015 marks 70 years since the liberation of Auschwitz- Birkenau and it is known as the Holocaust memorial day. In light of todays event's I thought I would share my experience on visiting two concentration camps and my thoughts on being a Jew in 2015. 

Let me preface this by saying my fathers side of the family is Jewish therefore somewhat making me half Jewish and it is something I am extremely proud of. Yesterday I wrote a blog post on my top 5 Holocaust books which I'll link here. 

So back in March of 2011 I was given the chance along with others from my year group to go on a school trip to Berlin (which coincided with our GCSE history course). I immediately said yes as this was something I personally wanted to do. Some of the places we visited were the Wannsee Conference House where the final solution to the Jews was decided, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. 

Wannsee Conference House

Sachsenhausen camp

The first thing I noticed when we entered Sachsenhausen concentration camp was there were no birds, it was a beautiful spring morning yet there was no noise. Trees were growing but there were no flowers, death still lingered 70 years on. I instantly felt very overwhelmed when walking through the gates marked "arbeit macht fret" and tears welled up. I found it a time to be alone and often shied away from my peers despite their comforting words. Sachsenhausen is known for holding mostly "criminals" and it's extensive medical experiments.

Our teacher (who was also Jewish) wouldn't take us into a gas chamber as he felt it would be too distressing however I was extremely curious to know what lied behind closed doors. One room he did take us to was an underground chamber in which they would hold dead bodies for their experiments. Everything about it felt like a gas chamber cold, dark and blood stained, as out teacher closed the door slightly I felt extremely confined and wanted to get out as soon as possible. We then went over to the museum in which you can see where one of the barracks was torched in 1992 by Neo Nazis, It disgusts me that such people are aloud to freely walk the place and that such groups still exist. 

In the Museum they had books and online software which gave the names of the dead. There I was looking at a book which contained my last name, it was then reinforced by my peers showing me on the computers. It's not a very common name therefore there is a high chance we are related, once again I felt the need to step away from my classmates and have a moment to myself. 

Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. 

Another monument we visited was the Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe which features large blocks of concrete varying in different heights and sizes. I found it really moving to walk through and it felt like you could see the light at the end of the tunnel but it was extremely hard to get their due to the uneven flooring. Over the years the memorial has been subjected to vandalism. Whilst we were there both class mates and children were seen running through and on the concrete which I felt was extremely disrespectful to what it represented. 

Overall it is definitely a trip I will never forget. 

Auschwitz I

In February of 2012 my dad and I decided to take the trip to Poland to visit Auschwitz, it was something we had both wanted to do for a while and it was an unbelievable and completely different experience to the one at Sachsenhausen. As you can see from the photo above it had been snowing and therefore added to the experience as it made you imagine how cold they would of been in just thin rags. I can only imagine that they never got warm as I had about 5 layers on and a hot bath still couldn't warm me. 

We were taken on a guided trip around Auschwitz 1 and it was very educating to have someone tell you about all the different buildings. Once again it was extremely quite and all I could hear was the leader speaking and our boots on the snowy paths. We passed small cells, endless amounts of barbed wire and a wall where they would line inmates up and shoot them. 

One thing that surprised me was that you could smell death, literally there was a distinct smell in the air that can only be described as death and burning bodies. It is something that has stuck with me 3 years on. 

Parts of some buildings had been turned into museums and housed thousands of prisoners personal belongings such as shoes, suitcases and prosthetic limbs. 

Prisoner's glasses

Our tour guide then proceeded to take us to the gas chamber. I knew instantly I had to see it for myself however my dad was quite hesitant and only poked his head in. It was extremely eerie as you can almost hear the thousands of screams and see the scratch marks on the walls. The large room had only one window located in the ceiling where the officials would drop the poison in. I didn't want to stay in there for too long and proceeded to the room next door which housed the ovens for them to quickly and continuously burn the bodies. 

After that we were then taken a couple miles down the road to Auschwitz-Birkenau which is the main camp and famous for its elaborate entrance and train tracks. It was extraordinary to see the vast amount of space and we only walked a very small amount of it. We walked into what should of been barracks for houses yet it would of housed hundreds of people inside each one. I remember my dad and I didn't talk much as we were going around as we were too busy taking in our surroundings. 

 I naturally wanted to document everything I saw and took hundreds of photos, it wasn't until I got home that I saw something interesting in one of my images. A small number had been etched/written on the side of a bunk, I'm not sure what it meant but I can only assume that it was a prisoners number. You can see this in the bottom right corner. 

Overall I'm really glad that I made the trip as it was something that I personally needed to do. I felt extremely moved that I could walk around there FREELY with my dad and at the end of the day walk back out of those gates when so many couldn't. 

I asked my dad what he felt about our trip and he said "it was very sad and moving but he felt he had to go, if you want to see grow men cry that's the place to go".

The Holocaust is something we need as a generation and as humans to learn from and always remember otherwise it will happen again. This quote that I found in Auschwitz 1 is extremely accurate.

In 2015 we have already encountered the terrorist attack in France and anti-semitism is at one of its highest points, I feel that more needs to be done to support those who feel in fear just because of who they are or what they believe. I reiterate that I am extremely proud of who I am and where my family have come from and I will continue to voice my experiences and thoughts on the Holocaust as soon there won't be survivors left but just their stories to tell.

Until next time, Sophie 

My Top 5 Holocaust Books

In light of it being 70 years since the atrocities of the Holocaust I have decided to compile a list of my top 5 Holocaust related books. I have a real interest for ww2 and the Holocaust as I studied it at GCSE's and have myself visited 2 concentration camps. 

1. The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank: This book is a classic when it comes to non-fiction books. I'm sure you all know about Anne Frank and her story but if not it is about her and her Jewish family having to live in a secret annex for years to avoid persecution. It is a timeless book and is amazing to have it written as it was happening rather than many decades later.

2. Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies: Miep Gies is one of the few people that helped to hide the Frank and Van Pels families. I found it really interesting to get an outsiders point of view and to see what risks she took to hide them. This book not only features the hard times but also shows how Miep was still able to laugh during that period. It definitely one to read if you are interested in Anne's story. 

3. Annexed by Sharon Dogar: Sharon's book is of a diary style of which features what it would of been like for Peter Van Pels ( the young boy also staying in the annex) and what he might of been feeling during that time. Again it is a great to have another potential view on their situation and is a must read if you liked Peter and Anne's diary. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: This is another classic when it comes to Holocaust related books and since its publishing has been turned into an amazing movie. The book features a young girl called Liesel who stays with a couple in Germany in which they later have to hide a jew. The book follows how Liesel deals with the new addition as well as doing anything to get her hands on some new books. I would completely recommend this book to anyone who wants to start reading ww2 related books. 

5. Out Of Hitler Time by Judith Kerr:  This books is a bind up of three of Judith's books which are; "When Hitler stole pink rabbit", "The other way around" and "A small person far away" Despite reading this many years ago I remember really enjoying it and was one of the first ww2 books I read. It follows a girl called Anna who is just a child in the first book and then throughout the following books we see grow up. I would definitely recommend this series.

I filmed a corresponding video which you can see here.

If you've got any Holocaust or ww2 related books then leave me a comment I'd love to get some new recommendations. 

Until next time, Sophie