(DIY): Hunger Games Tee- Tutorial! In FIVE easy steps.

Hello there! Welcome to my very first DIY t-shirt tutorial.

So, as we all know, The Hunger Games are superfreakinepic and everyone looooooooooooves 'em. The movie premiere is today/tomorrow (23rd March) depending on where you live.
I had to miss the premiere *cries brokenheartedly* but I WILL be going to watch it tomorrow! (InshAllah).
OMGSOEXCITED.

So. Anyway, like any good, self respecting hardcore HG fan, I obviously have to dress up to see it.
I thought for quite a bit, thinking about what I'd wear and shizz and searched the Internet for ideas. Here is what I came up with, for just a few hundred rupees!

Supplies:

1. Gold Fabric Paint - 50 rupees
2. Black Fabric Paint- 45 rupees
3. Paintbrush- approx 50 rupees
4. Black Pointer Pen- approx 25 rupees
5. Gold Glitter- 40 rupees
6- Plain White T-shirt- I used my Dad's, but you could buy one for around 350-400 rupees, from Hyperstar.


Steps:

1. Spread out the T-shirt on a flat surface and put a thick sheet of cardboard/plastic inside it, to prevent the paint from seeping through, and your pen from slipping.

2. Trace the text out with a pencil. This probably won't show up on the shirt, its just so you can get a feel of the thing before doing it fo realzz with the black pointer pen.
I wrote 'Peeta's got Bread', a play on the 'He/She's got swag' phrase, also because I love Peeta and wanted to have a Peeta themed shirt. You could also do a little research and choose another quote of your liking.

3. Write out the text with the black pointer pen. Don't be press too hard, try to keep it light, smooth and easy.

4. Paint over it with your brush, in gold! This will take some time- the brush I used sorta sucked, so maybe your should use a thinner brush. Apply 2-3 coats on each word- more if you want it darker. When the paint was still wet, I sprinkled the glitter over it. Some of it stuck, as you can see in the pictures.

5. Highlight choice words with black. Sprinkle more glitter. Leave for 10-15 minutes to dry!

And wallah, your self made, one of a kind Hunger Games' shirt is ready.

I made this today, so I haven't gotten a chance to test it out in the wash yet. When I do, I shall update this post and let you know the results!

Here are some other awesome Hunger Games' DIYs that I found:

• Other pretty awesome Tshirt DIYs: Here and here!
• The best HG nail tutorial, here.
• The coolest Wedding Shoot EVER! Hunger Games' themed, of course.

Other texts you could use:

-I love the boy with bread.

-Girl on fire!

-I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun. - Katniss

I really hope you guys liked this!
I will probably post more pictures of the actual outfit when I go see the movie.

If you try it out, do let me know in the comments! Email me pictures of your own Hunger Games DIY at chicklitgirl(at)live(dot)com and maybe I'll feature it in an upcoming post!

xx

Chicklitgirl

(life): What I Do and How I Be

What I Do:

• Watch Sherlock. It's so good.
• Read books. They're awesome.

How I Be:

I went to Islamabad a week ago! Will show you guys some pictures from the trip soon! Sneak peak above.
Also, I have all the Vampire Diaries' seasons. Nope, still haven't watched that show. Convince me why I should /should-not in the comments?

xx

Chicklitgirl

(bestbookEVA book review): The Catastrophic History of You and Me

The Catastrophic History of You and Me

by Jess Rothenberg

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 
BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. 
But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. 
With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces? 

Rating: 3.8/5 stars

Romance Swoon Scale: 3/5 stars, Adorable, Gooey, Sweet
Published: February 21st 2012
Series: No.

Swear Words: Not really. No.

Action: Yes- not intense fighting, but a lot of action in its own sweet way.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy-ish, Romance, Contemporary, Chicklit

The Catastrophic History of You and Me (TCHOYAM) was magical. It was truthful and heartbreaking. It was funny and heartwarming. It was just... So so good! 

The story: 

This book is about Brie. A fifteen year old girl who goes through the five stages of grief in magical yet sorta truthful ways and in the end, finally gets what she deserves.

First of, this book helped me so much. I went through a rough friendship-ending thing last December 2011 and I was still not over it. I'm probably still not- but Brie and her thoughts and story helped a lot. Finally somebody who actually understood. On a scale of 1 to 10, where I was ten before- this book helped bring down the sadness to a possible freakin' 7!

Characters and shizz:

I loved how honest TCHOYAM was. 

Bries voice was so freakin' perfect- the perfect amalgamation of teenage girl. Her tone was sarcastic, funny at times, and gah, I loved it. 

I could totally see her being my friend.

“News flash, Bozo. Don't ever tell a girl to relax. It only makes us madder.” 

― Brie, from The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Also, she actually acted her age, and had friends! 

Not some weird girl/s who took advantage of her and who Brie couldn't/didn't confide in- but actual best friends, and three of them! 

I loved her friends and whatever stories Brie shared about them- they reminded me of a time when I had my own circle of girlfriends and made me miss them so much. (None of them live in the same city as me now since I had to move, and one of em moved to Canada and etc).

The whole fiasco with Jacob was also so perfectly understandable. Whatever choices Brie made were something I think a lot of teens would make.

I also really liked Patrick. He was however the unrealistic bit of the story, which had to be there, otherwise it would have sucked and been sad. I mean, there would have probs been a nice ending if he had been eliminated, but an okay one, not gooey and cute. 

The Patrick twist is probably why this book didn't get a whole full 4 star rating. The big twist with him in the end seemed so- disconnected and outa the blue. But whatever- it was cute, and I got over the unbelievability, so it wasn't that bad.

Other things I loved:

-How each chapter began with the perfect song title describing it! Such perfect song choices!

-Hope. 

One thing I especially loved other than well, everything was how hopeful it was. While reading it you think of how the pain you've been through (or, if you haven't ever, the pain Brie goes through) is definitely bad, but you can and will get through it.

The ending was maybe a bit too perfect- but its okay, I wont hold the Jess Rothenberg against it. Sometimes happy endings are exactly what one needs. 

Overall The Catastrophic History of You and Me was adorable, super duper hopeful and a lovely, lovely read.

People who should read this book: Happy ending lovers, people who've suffered a breakup, romance lovers, people who want to read a happy teen book with sad undertones laced with hope and best of all- a ton of love.

From Jess Rothenberg's website: I like to think anyone who’s ever had their heart broken will enjoy the story—whether they happen to be thirteen or thirty-five. Nothing like a broken heart to reconnect you with your inner fifteen-year-old!

Some awesome quotes from the book, all by Brie:

-“The trouble is, sometimes words are like arrows. Once you shoot them, there's no going back.” 

-“Love is no game. People cut their ears off over this stuff. People jump off the Eiffel Tower and sell all their possessions and move to Alaska to live with the grizzly bears, and then they get eaten and nobody hears them when they scream for help. That’s right. Falling in love is pretty much the same thing as being eaten alive by a grizzly bear.” 

-“Turns out, hell's not so much a burning, scalding pit of fire and misery. It's actually much, much worse than that. Hell is when the people you love the most reach right into your soul and rip it out of you. And they do it because they can.” 

-“There’s no such thing as too much Disney.”

xx

Chicklitgirl

(book review): Half-Blood

Half-Blood (Covenant #1)

By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pure-bloods. 

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. 

Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. 

And that would kind of suck.

Rating: 3.25/5 stars

Romance Swoon Scale: 2.9/5 stars, Nice, Cute-ish, Seth ftw, Aidan's the sweety. 
Published: October 18th 2011
Series: Yes. Daimon, Pure, Deity and Apollyon. 

Heated Moments: A few. But majorly one.

Sex: Nope
Swear Words: Kinda, yes.
Action: Oh yeah.

Genres: Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Paranormal-Fantasy-ish, Romance

Half-blood was different from a lot of Greek-myth related books I'd read and I enjoyed reading it.

The Story:

Half blood was fast paced and, even though there was a ton of action, the thing that made me finish it was probably Alex- her voice was awesome. 

The story itself was engaging too. The whole twist on Greek myths with the half and pures was pretty interesting- though it made me wonder.
WHY had the half not done anything about it as yet? The whole thing about the half being used as slaves- either the fighting kind, or the cleaning toilets kind, and how they had to worship the pures, seemed a bit unbelievable. I mean, I got through this aspect of the novel with grudging acceptance, and suspended my disbelief and shizz, but still. I love Jennifer L. Armentrout, but I thought this seemed so dark-ages. And kinda lame, since, the half-bloods were so rigorously trained, couldn't they revolt or something? Why did they allow this to happen? I don't know. 
But if you ignored this glitch in the plot and read on, like I did, the story was, pretty good.
Action, with Alex training under the unattainable guy she liked, some twists and turns along the way. More action with Alex fighting for her life.
 Pretty great stuff, in my opinion.

Characters:

I really liked Alex, the protagonist. (The story is written from her point-of-view.) 

Brave, strong and stubborn, she was the epitome of kick ass heroine. She was also sarcastic and snarky two traits which really make a good heroine for me.

Her love interest Aiden was sweet, and probably the epitome of 'perfect boy', a Prince Charming type and so obviously, I liked him. However, I may start liking Seth way more... just because he had that spark of personality, which out shined Aiden's- sorta too perfect to the point of being a bit dull character.

Overall, Half-Blood was a pretty good book, filled with action, a kick ass heroine, two lovely love interests and Greek mythology! 

Now I await its sequels eagerly.

xx

CLG

In My Mailbox! (1) aka Book Haul (4)

In My Mailbox is a meme created by the Story Siren. Its basically a 'book haul' sort post, but features books one has received during the week or month for review, as giveaway prizes, or books one had bought him/herself.

Books I bought from Readings this week:

1. A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
2. Milkrun by Sarah Mlynowski
3. As Seen On TV by Sarah Mlynowski
4. Turn Me On by Cherie Jeffrey

Books I received from the publishers for review:

1. Voyance by Rhonda Brutt
2. The Virgin Diaries 

(Click on the titles to know more about them.)

Quite a wonderful week isn't it? I bought the Readings' books for a total of five hundred rupees only! Was super excited to find the Libba Bray book for just 150 rupees.

What books did you buy/read this week?

xx

CLG

(book review): The Education of Hailey Kendrick

The Education of Hailey Kendrick

by Eileen Cook

Hailey Kendrick has always done exactly what's expected of her. 

She has the right friends, dates the right boy, gets good grades, and follows the rules. But one night, Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way...and with a very unexpected partner in crime. 

Hailey gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them. In the process, she loses everything--her best friend, her boyfriend, her popularity, her reputation. 

But some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost...or are they?

Rating: 3.2/5 stars
Published: January 4th 2011
Series: Nope
Swoon Scale: Makes Me Laugh, Perfect Boy Material, Cute 
Heated Moments: Nah
Sex: No 
Swear Words: None that I recall.
Action: Nope
Romance swoon scale: 2/5 stars 

Genres: Young Adult, Chick lit, Romance, Boarding School Stories, Contemporary

The Education of Hailey K started of a bit slow but the pace picked up pretty fast. This was a great feel good book that left me with a smile on my face!

The writing was nice, straightforward, and easy to read. I loved the concept of a school for rich people and the whole idea of the story: girl finds herself- ends up more confident- goes through a bunch of problems which have you cringing and rooting for her all the way.

I laughed out a loud so many times- I LOVE Drew. You know how boys are described as funny and witty in certain books (The False Princess)? But you never actually see them act that way? 

Well Drew was funny and the things he said to Hailey to tease her always made me smile and sometimes even laugh.

I love books that make me laugh!

Total love. It also helped that for some reason I pictured Drew as: 

and dude YALE? MAJORING IN ENGLISH? Oh yeah. My kinda guy.

I also sometimes could totally identify with Hailey and I loved that.

She was flawed, but had a good heart, and I'd love to be friends with someone like her. 

Kelsie, Hailey's best friend was one person I did not like though.  

She was like the worst best friend ever! I did not like the fact that Hailey made up so many excuses for her. Kelsie seemed totally one dimensional with the set goal of getting the boy.

I really didn't like her. She seemed... stupid, ditzy and selfish.

Overall though, a wonderful, fun, contemp read!

This was my first Eileen Cook novel, and I'm happy to say, I really liked it. 

Will most def be picking up Unraveling Isobel in the future.

Read it if: You're in the mood for something light, fun and cute.

Teaser quote:

"Tell me the truth. When you were a kid, did you always color inside the lines?” 

"Coloring in the lines is the whole point. That’s why they have lines,” I said.
“That’s where you’re wrong. The lines are there just to hold you in. Like a prison. Think what you might have created if there hadn’t been any lines." 

xx

Chicklitgirl

11 Bookish Questions

I saw the following 11 questions on another book blog- I'm sorry I don't remember which one!- And thought it would be fun to answer them on my own blog too. 

1. What is your favorite genre to read?
I mainly love all kinds of young adult books with romance! I also read a bit of  adult chicklit and sometimes I even branch out into the Adult-mystery-thriller genre.


2. What is the first romance novel you ever read and how old were you when you read it? 
Well, I don't think I ever actually started with an all romance novel. I started with a bit of romance- The Sweet Valley middle school series! Where the twins 'liked' boys. LOL, I always got this forbidden sorta thrill reading 'em since my mom was very strict about 'bad' books, being a Muslim and stuff.
From there I moved on to RL Stine's Fear Street YA books, which had a bit of kissing in 'em (even more bad girl thrill! Ah!) and I think I used to hide those books from my parents a lot. From there I got hooked to Meg Cabot, Christopher Pike and etc. *Sigh* Good times.


3. How many books--paper or ebooks--are in your existing TBR pile?
 [TBR = your To-Be-Read and typically refers to books you already own but haven't yet read]
Wow, I don't even know. Lets see, paper-books: around 93, and e-books, I dunno, A.LOT. Probably more than a hundred. Yeah. I kinda like to read. A lot.


4. Do you read nonfiction? If so, from which sub-genre?
Nope, not really. Recently I was sent The Virgin Diaries for review, so that's one non-fiction book I'm currently reading. 


5. Do you own an e-reading device? If so, which one(s)?
I love reading on my iPhone. Its so super convenient, and that way I always have a ton of books to read whenever I'm bored, or feel like it! I use the Stanza app. 


6. Which one book have you re-read most often? 
Probably the Harry Potter series. They're freakin' awesome.  Also when I was younger I read and re-read the Famous Five, Wishing Chair and the Faraway Tree books by Enid Blyton a bajillian times.


7. How many library books do you have out right now?
None. I don't really get books from the library anymore, because the only library I have access and membership to is the Lahore Gymkhana Library. And it sucks.


8. How do you mark your place in a book?
Dog eared pages. Yup. I'm one of those girls.

9. About how many books do you typically read in a month? 
Probably 12 to 15 books a month.


10. What was the last book that made you cry?
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver made me almost cry. The last book where I actually dripped tears: A Long Lone Sleep by Anna Sheehan.


11. What was the last book that made you laugh?
The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook. (Drew dialogues! Gotta love.) And the Queen of Funny, Sophie Kinsella's I've Got Your Number.


It doesn't matter if you're a book blogger or not.
Love to read? I'd love to hear your answers! Either post 'em in a comment below, or blog about 'em.


xx


Chicklitgirl

Shadows (Lux #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

                                         Shadows (Lux #0.5)

                                                  by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane. Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable. 

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren't a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in. Captivated. Lured. Loved. 

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

Rating: 3/5 stars
Published: February 21st 2012
Series: Yes, the prequel to the Lux trilogy.
Swoon Scale: Hearts In My Eyes, Adorable Gooey-ness 
Sex: No 
Swear Words: Kinda
Action: A bit, not much.
Romance swoon scale: 2.9/5 stars 

Shadows is a Lux novel. Its the story of Dawson and Bethany, and takes place before Obsidian.

After Obsidian, I had expected good things from this novella and thankfully it did not disappoint! 



The romance was as warm and gooey as ever and I loved Dawson- the male lead. Hes a nice, non-brooding guy who actually acts upon his feelings for once! 
He was sweet and adorable- and I'll say it again, I really liked him. 
Bethany was also nice enough I guess. 
If I had to choose between Kat (from Obsidian) and Beth though, Kat would win hands down, thanks to her sarcasm and book-blogger-ness. But Beth's an artist! So that's cool too.


  It was also fun to get to know the Luxen a bit better, and although I knew the ending, thanks to Obsidian, I really hoped it would not end the way it did. 


Speaking of the ending, I felt it was a bit too rushed. 
I wish the emotions of loss and pain had been more drawn out. Jennifer L Armentrout had succeeded in making me care for her characters and  if the ending was handled better, this novella would had definitely left a stronger mark.


Other than that, a nice little romance novella with a paranormal sci fi touch. If you are planning to read Obsidian (which you totally should) read this first. 
Or, if you loved Obsidian, this book is a must read.


xx


Chicklitgirl

Divergent- Which Faction Are You? App!

The Divergent facebook page has this really awesome app which tells you which faction you might belong to!
I got Dauntless, which was surprising. I always thought I'd be Amity. But the description they gave in the end is true to quite an extent to who/what I am. So... I dunno anymore.

Take the quiz here to find out your faction now!

{First learnt about this from this blog post.}

xx

Chicklitgirl