Category: Hauls & Unhauls

Hauls & Unhauls · Life Style

Redecorating Both My Kindles

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Hello and welcome to a bit of a makeover post! Today I am going to be redecorating both of my kindle devices to give them a bit of a new life, but also add some practicality as well. I was inspired by papernroses over on youtube for this little endeavor. For reference I have an 8th Generation Kindle that no longer is really supported and I just throw in my bag to take with me out in the world. I also have a Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which I only use at home at this point in time. I think when my 8th one fully decides to stop working I will also be taking my Signature around town as well. As of right now my Kindle 8th Gen. just has some dead pixels, but does not impede my reading thankfully. Anyway, now that you have that bit of background information on to the redecorating!

The Supplies

Popsockets; one standard, one magsafe

Transparent cases; one sparkles, one plain clear

Various stickers, mainly knitting or halloween related

After

My newer at home kindle is the one I ended up adding the most to. The main reason for this is because it is the kindle I was able to find a see through cover for where I can collage the stickers together more easily without needing to commit. I ended up adding a Wool of Fortune tarot card, a moth knitting, a fox wearing a sweater, a hand, a la bien amiee sticker of her as a cartoon on a bike, and a moon. I also ended up adding a popsocket to the back as well to aid in holding the kindle while I get sleepy in bed. I found a realy cute one that had a moon and sun.

I ended up not being able to get a picture of my other kindle, but I did end up adding a clear sparkly popsocket and putting a few stickers on it as well. You might be wondering why I was not able to get a picture…well I misplaced it. This is why I have an out and about kindle and home kindle. I do think I know where it is, but I need to do a little travel to check. Oops!

I do hope you enjoyed this small post of my kindle makeover! Have you decorated for kindle? Any suggestions to make mine easier to use or even cuter? Please share below!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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Hauls & Unhauls

What I Got for Christmas

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Hello and welcome to a little post where I share the things I was lucky enough to get from my loved ones in my life. I am attaching some pictures from my instagram account and then I am going to go into some detail into what they are.

The first picture is showing the cover of a knitting book called Mouche & Friends by Cinthia Vallet it is accompanied by the yarn to make two of the stuffed animals described in the book. There are three pink, 1 orange, 1 cream, and 1 brown to make the adorable pigs inside.

The second picture are an assortment of Maple and Thread items. My parents got me the jumbo binder so all my knitting needles can be in one home all together. They also got two pages for my needles to fit in as well as the holders for the needles themselves. They also got me the project page as well. I am really excited to get organizing!

The third picture is an array of small items. There is a brown patch work square based bag from Joji & Co, there is also a bunch from stuff from Katrinkles, these include a darning loom, sweater tags, and project hibernating tags. There is also purl strings so I can try on my sweaters as I knit them, a coco knits makers keep, and really cute needle minders by Hawthorn Handmade that look like a basket of yarn and cup of tea with cookies.

The last picture is of my new boots in a brown color. These boots are called Blundstone and I got the Chelsea Boots to be exact. I have heard really great things about their quality and how they age so I am really thrilled to get these.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read what I got for Christmas this year, in my next post I am going to be sharing my goals and ambitions for 2024!

Thanks for Reading! ClassicBhaer.com

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Hauls & Unhauls

February 2023 | A Random Book Haul

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Hello and welcome to a post where I am sharing the books I am adding to my owned TBR. I have actually been reading a bit this past few months so of course I wanted to reward myself with some new books to add to my stacks. Most of the books I have been reading have been through my library digitally, but I recently went on a little adventure and came across a really lovely local bookstore and I wanted to support them. So, I ended up getting these lovely book. Also, I am adding a bonus of a preorder at the end of this post.

Hauled books laying on the floor.

Local Bookstore Haul

Love at Six Thousand Degrees by Maki Kashimada, Haydn Trowell (Translator)

I have to say, the cover of this book really pulled me in. The cover is a really lovely dark red berry color, with an illustrated girl on the cover in the same color dress. Oddly, you don’t see her face at all as the title is on top of it located on a doodled cloud. Then I ended up picking up the book and looking at the description. It follows a house wife (name is unknown at this time) who has visions and leaves her life behind. It sounded interested and spontaneous. Bonus, the book is under 150 pages. When I got home I added the book to my goodreads and I ended up noticing that this books ratings are not the highest and had only one written review, but I am still intrigued.

The Icepick Surgeon by Sam Kean

When I walked into the store I really wanted to get a nonfiction read or a horror book. Sadly, their horror was VERY limited. Only about 20 books and I will be honest I read them all. So, I ended up picking up the above talked about book and then walking over to the nonfiction and this title grabbed me right away. In recent years I have realized I really enjoy learning about the history of medicine. I have read and loved The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris. While The Icepick Surgeon is medical related, it explore the lengths people will go in to try to prove something. Some of the things in this book are medical, but it seems to focus on science in general.

Pre-Order

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

Now, I wont go too much into this book due to the fact it is the second book in a series. The first book followed Jade Daniels a high school student who LOVES horror. She watches and consumes it to not focus on her not so great home life. But, this knowledge ends up coming in handy since she is about to be in a horror story herself. She deals with quite a lot and can be difficult to read for some. I will say, reading this I can see that Stephen Graham Jones loves horror himself with constant nods to other works. I highly suggest checking it out because I have not been this excited for a horror series in a long time.

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Hauls & Unhauls · Let's Talk

My New eReader

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Hello and welcome to my little spot on the internet Today I am going to take a moment to share with you my new eReader. My last one, which you can read about here: Let’s Talk | 6 Month Review of Kobo Libra H2O, was one I really loved. Unfortunately, that one has ended up malfunctioning. It was constantly getting stuck in a bootloop and I was not able to use it consistently. So, it was time to move on and get a new one, especially since I have recently had to downsize my book collection to about a forth of what it was. I am planning to really shift to digital books because my lack of space, but I do have about 13 physical books still on my shelf waiting to me to read.

Kindle paperwhite signature edition box

Now, my past eReader was a kobo and I absolutely loved that thing and how easy it was to work with my local library. So, you might be thinking, “why is there a picture of a kindle there?”. Well, with a lot of thought I ended up going back to kindle. There was a lot of thought that went into it, but here are really the main points.

I really loved my Libra H2O, sadly Kobo does not make the model I fell in love with and to be honest I was not really thrilled with the newer models they were coming out with. I went with this model for the physical buttons, backlight, and screen size. They do have a similar model, but it was more money with not a lot of differences for me to personally pay more. The next reason was not being able to go to a store and get a giftcard to buy books. I try to spend within a budget so this is the easiest way to manage how much I spend on books. When I got my kobo I read I could get giftcard at a store, but that is no longer an option. Lastly, the integration with my library was a huge selling point because getting kindle books was so difficult at the time I was buying my last. In recent years, this has changed.

So with all of that in mind I looked at some alternatives and settled on a Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. It has a similar size screen, I can buy gift cards to load on my account to buy books if I wanted to, and my library has a ton of great books I can load it with. I also had the ability to wait for a very good sale and ended up getting a bundle and saving money.

Contents of the box, kindle paperwhite signature edition, quick start guide, charger/sync cable

So, I made my tough decision, I actually thought about it over a month and waited for a good sale to finally pick it up. I ended up getting the ad free version with my bundle because, well I didn’t want ads on something I own. Inside the box came a quick start guide and a cable to charge the devise via USB or sync with something on my computer. But, my bundle came with a wireless charger stand and a cork cover as well that came in a different box. I have never had anything with wireless charing so I have been having a blast with this, but to be honest I have only needed to charge it once so far and I have had it over a month at the point of writing this. Not to bad!

Holding kindle ereader showing covers of current reads and knitting on lap at the beach. Current Reads: The House Across the Lake, Ninth House, Billy Summers,

I have already bought this eReader out and about with me. I have bought it on a few trips to the beach, it lives in my bag, and has even gone on vacation with me already. It has worked marvelously, I was a little worried about the sun and the screen getting funky at the beach, but all was well. I have found the size to be good for me and the auto backlight is pretty on point as well. I will say the sleep button would have been nice on top because it can be a bit awkward at times to wake up the device. I also have read that people have put their devices to sleep on accident while reading, thankfully I have not done that, but I can understand how annoying it is. As with my previous eReader I will do a bit of an update once I have used it for longer, but for now I am happy with my purchase and look forward to a bunch of reading!

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Hauls & Unhauls · Knitting, Crochet & More

La Mercerie Knitting Haul

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Hello and welcome to a little haul from an online shop called La Mercerie. This is the second time I have purchased from them and both times I have been thrilled with the quality of the products and the quick shipping. So, I wanted to take a moment and share what I picked up this time around because I am so thrilled and I would not have been able to get these items in my local store.

Picture of Sock Set and Worsted Book

Worsted – A Knitwear Collection Curated by Aimée Gille of La Bien Aimée

I have been eyeing this book since I have heard about it. I have really been wanting to move away from making bags and winter accessories for the most part, I still want to be warm this year, but I wanted to make more wearable pieces and work with worsted weight yarn. As of late I have worked with a lot of fingering, which I love don’t get me wrong, but I want to explore more types of yarns. The curator of this book is an owner of a well known brand and I have seen a few people already starting to make projects from these pages and have heard great things. As a newer knitter, this is a must, I am still learning to read patterns in regards to knitting, crochet I am a pro at this point, so I need something that is clear, but challenging and this seems to be just the thing.

January – Sock Sets – 2022 Year of Socks

So, I ended up getting their January sock set for their year of socks. I missed out on their buy the entire year upfront and subscription options, but I really wanted to get my hands on this beautiful sock set called Snowdrift by Grenouille Co.. I really loved the deep winter feel of both the main color and mini. I can’t wait to make these into a cozy pair of socks!

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Hauls & Unhauls

February Book Haul

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Hello and welcome to the first book haul of 2022. Each year I have a list of books I really want to take the time to read throughout the year, most of which are from the International Booker Prize shortlist. Since my reading was so reduced in December I held off on picking any of them up. But, with my reading taking off in January with 9 books, I thought it was a good time to add these books to my tbr pile since I am activity reading a ton.

Stack of hauled physical books.

Physical Books

You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann, I read another book by Kelmann last year called Tyll and I loved how out there it was. Knowing this one of my friends off line picked this book for me to pick this year for my 12 in 12 challenge. This short story is a horror novel that follows a family that spends 7 days in a rented house. From the description I am getting Jack vibes from The Shining by Stephen King for the main character. Which, for me works because I love The Shining. I am curious how this short story is going to turn out because his other works were wild and out there, but also mesmerizing and I couldn’t put it down.

The Employees by Olga Ravn, this is a science fiction novel. This too was on the shortlist for the International Booker Prize, but I am intrigued due to the fact that in the description it mentions it follows those who were born and other who were created. That really piqued my interest.

Breast and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, I have read about 2 other works by this author and this one has been on my list for a bit. I finally decided to pick up a physical copy. This book takes a look at being a modern day woman in Japan. The story itself is fiction, but it touches on the experience of the author and others. At least that is my current understanding.

When I was Ten by Fiona Cummins, this one I added to my TBR because it was picked by Little Miss Booklover 87 for my 12 in 12 challenge I placed on twitter where I asked people to pick a book for me to read this year. All I know about this book at this point is that it is a thriller that takes place many years after a double murder. Where someone finally decides to break their silence. I have not read a ton of thrillers over the past few months so I though this would be a good time to read it.

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut, this is a nonfiction novel, but seems to have some fiction as well, that takes a look at science, discovery and those who make these breakthroughs. It appears that this book touches on Albert Einstein, Alexander Grothendieck, Erwin Schrödinger and Werner Heisenberg.

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez, this is a collection of short horror stories that was also placed on the International Booker Prize shortlist. I love horror and it is refreshing to have some short stories on my shelf to grab when I don’t feel like reading an entire novel.

The War of the Poor by Éric Vuillard, is a horror novel that was placed in the shortlist for the International Booker Prize. It deals with inequality and takes place during 16th century in Europe. With the combination of horror and history I feel like this book will be a win for me personally.

Digital Books

Immune by Philipp Dettmer, I picked this up because I heard it mentioned on a twitch stream with Bob, Wade and Mark. I thought it would be a really interesting read and I do love myself a good nonfiction here and there.

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Hauls & Unhauls

Katrinkles Haul

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Hello and welcome to a bit of a maker post this time around. I did a little shopping on the Katrinkles website, which makes a lot of stitch markers and tools and such for knitters, crocheters, and fiber artists overall. The last half of the year as my reading really took a nose dive I really took solstice in crocheting and learning how to knit. This is a brand I saw all over and as I explored making more complex items, at least for me, I realized I needed some knew tools to help me along the way.

Hauled items discussed below on crochet blanket.

Wrong Side/Right Side

As I have explored crocheting and knitting I have started to explore making more wearable items and sometimes the patterns require me to pay attention to which side is the right and which is the wrong. I am TERRIBLE at this and never keep track of it, so when I saw these stitch markers, I knew I needed to add them to my cart. Also, they come together to make a cute acrylic unicorn.

Kitchener Stitch Mini Tool

The next thing I picked up was a little reference tool that has the directions to the kitchener stitch. The first thing I learned to knit when I started to learn halfway though 2021 was a sock, I learned to do it top down. Due to this, I need this stitch every time I finish a sock to close up the toe. When knitting I try to get away from technology so I don’t want to whip out my phone to look up the directions. Having this tool on hand on the project bag will be really helpful and convenient.

Acrylic Cast On Counting Stitch Marker Set

This handy set of stitch markers, at least for me, to use while making my socks as well. I recently found my perfect row length needed for the foot section of my socks (50 rows) and I really need to keep track as I go or I end up loosing count because I just get into a relaxing rhythm.

I know this is a little different of a post, but I really have been loving making things with my hands lately and I was super excited about these tools to help me in getting even better at both of these crafts.

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Hauls & Unhauls

Barnes and Noble 50% Hardcover Haul

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Hello and welcome to a very surprising post. I had not expected this sale, but I was really happy that it came up because I was able to pick up some books I was putting off buying due to their price. If you did not already know, Barnes and Noble had a 50% off Hardcover sale starting on boxing day and the day after, as far as I am aware that is the length. I ended up going to BN for another reason and saw all the signs all over the store so I ended up picking up 5 books.

Photo of hauled books

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon, this is the newest book in the Outlander series, book 9. This one is also a huge book and I have wanted to pick it up, but was waiting for it to come out in softcover.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw, this horror novella caught my eye and I have seen the cover around and I thought I would give it a shot. My understanding is this horror tale is a combination of lore from Japan and takes place in an abandoned building.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, I have read about 3 of Jones’ work and have generally enjoyed his stuff. I had this on my list to pick up when the softcover released, but I didn’t need to wait anymore because of this sale. He tends to write horror fiction that reflects his Native American roots.

Billy Summers by Stephen King, I enjoy Kings novels, but there are only a few I will reread and because of that I never pay full price for them. I have been waiting for this book to have its softcover release or go on sale, which yay, it did! This work of his is more thrilled than horror based, but still has his horror roots. It follows a killer for hire that will only take jobs that target bad people.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, talk about timing with this book. I was just recommended this book by a friend and I walked into BN and it was right in front so I scoped it up! When I first read the description it sounded like a fun fiction, but the more I read it turned into a mystery thriller, which really intrigued me.

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Hauls & Unhauls

Local Indie Bookstore Haul

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picture of hauled books

Hello and welcome to a small post sharing my finds at my most recent trip to an indie bookstore. I posted earlier in the week about taking a day trip with a friend and going to visit a yarn store, you can read about that here: Local Yarn Shop Haul. On this adventure we also walked around the corner and took a bit of stroll to a really lovely bookstore. I didn’t get a chance to take a picture, but this bookstore was packed with books. There was not a nook or cranny that was not filled with books and I was so excited. It was also one of the most busy indie bookstores I have seen before, which made me happy. Anyway, on to the two books I ended up picking up!

The first book that caught my eye was The Stone Face by William Gardner Smith. What first caught my attention was the black and white cover that really stood out among all the colorful and saturated colors of the other covers. This ended up being a historical fiction novel from around 1963 and this was a rerelease. This story follows a man named Simeon Brown who lost an eye in a racist attack. This story focuses on how he left America to escape racism and made a home for himself in France, which at the time was known as a safe haven for black artists. My understanding from the description is that the book mostly follows him once he is in France, but I cannot be 100% sure. I look forward to reading this ASAP. I had no idea that France was ever seen as this so I am curious to explore that.

The second book I picked up is Dune Messiah, the second book in the Dune series by Frank Herbert. I am only about 100 pages into the first book and I can tell I am going to want to continue the series so I decided to pick it up and support this indie bookstore. At first I didn’t think they had the book in stock, but a really lovely person helped me locate it. I was so thrilled because this was the one book I really had a plan of buying this day.

Anyway, while this is a small haul, I am really happy with the books I found and added to my TBR. The past few months my book hauling has slowed quite a bit and has been more meaningful and honestly, I am really happy about that.

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Hauls & Unhauls · Knitting, Crochet & More

Local Yarn Shop Haul

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Image of hauled items

Hello and welcome to a little post sharing some of my more recent yarn related items. This past week I took a trip with a friend of mine to go to a little local yarn shop to stock up on some items that I can’t really get in the crafting stores in my area. I had such a great time not only spending it with my friend, but us also going through all of the amazing stuff and struggling to narrow down what we actually wanted to take home with us. Trust me, I wanted to take home more, but my wallet said I wasn’t allowed.

I am so excited to finish my final present project I have currently going so I can jump in and start using these products I picked up. I think with the Sly Fox dye I am going to attempt to knit a hat for the first time. I am planning on following the pattern Sockhead Slouch Hat by Kelly McClure, which is free at the time of writing this. As for the Sharknado skeins I am planning to make a really nice and comfortable pair of socks using a pattern called Cafe Mocha by Twin Stitches Designs. I feel like it would look really cool in the colors I picked up.

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