LOTR/Hobbit Inspired Glass Pendants {review}

How many of y'all have read or watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy? I have yet to read the books, and am really looking forward to doing so, but I recently watched the films for the very first time with my brother and am now a huge fan of anything LOTR related.

The other day, I was sent two beautiful pendants to review, from Third Wind Studio, (Also, a little "You're Not Alone pendant") which were LOTR inspired, thus making them all the more awesome!

They came in adorable little bags with handwritten notes included! These glass pendants were blown by hand, and Joseph Chastain, the crafter, says that "no two crystals are the same!"  I believe it, the craftsmanship of these two pieces is unique and intricate. 

Let's start with the Galadriel Pendant. 

When I first was looking through the Third Wind Studio Etsy shop, this is what first caught my eye.  

I love the design of this pendant. It's very unique, and I can definitely see the Galadriel influences. The glass itself is beautiful. Taken from the Etsy listing for this piece, concerning how it was made: "On these Quartz pendants I added a third technique or "Third Realm for the Hobbit fans" of vines spiraling up the stem. Resembling inside cut crystal effect. It refracts the Light beautifully!"

The spiraled vines add a striking, Elvish-looking element to the overall appearance of this piece. 

Even the copper wiring adds dramatic detail and contrast!

This piece is so light-weight and easy to wear! 

Overall, I give this piece a double thumbs up! It is very elegant... Just like Galadriel! 

Find where you can get your own gorgeous Galadriel inspired necklace by clicking here!

Now on to the Arkenstone piece.

When Joseph offered to send an Arkenstone piece as well as the Galadriel pendant, I couldn't refuse! Will and I also just watched The Hobbit (it was excellent by the way!) and I'd definitely say this piece reminds me of dragons and mountain gems!

It has very intricate detailing. I love the "dragon scales" effect on the top fixture, and, Will even pointed out the piece holding the glass globe looks rather like an imitation of dragon claws!

The glass piece is, like with the Galadriel, pristine and other-worldly. It also reflects light well also. 

The silver wiring at the top adds even fuller detail and truly completes the look.

As with the Galadriel pendant, I give the Arkenstone necklace another double thumbs up! It has such a medieval/fantasy aura to it...and you know how I love medieval/fantasy influences!

Find where you can get your own Arkenstone by clicking here!

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A huge shout-out to Joseph at Third Wind Studios for providing these lovely items for review here on Apassionata. Both were such fun to review! 

Why not head over and check out the Third Wind Studio Etsy shop? There are a TON of other cool blown-class jewelry and accessory items to see. Also, you could be really nice and like Third Wind Studios on Facebook!

What do y'all think? Which was your favorite pendant? If you could pick *one* thing from Third Wind Studios, what would it be?

P.S. Have you entered the chainmail bracelet giveaway here yet??? Only 11 days left to do so! Click here!

Soli Deo Gloria,

a.k.a. Leah Kathryn 

Note: I was provided these items from Third Wind Studios in exchange for my honest review/opinion.

Links to the Past Chainmail Bracelets {review + giveaway!}

Greetings y'all!

Today I received in the mail an awesome package from Links to the Past, a shop which fuses modern and ancient alike in its cool chainmail jewelry and accessories. 

I was sent a Slytherin bracelet and also a custom-ordered blue and black bracelet. (Click on the first link to find where you can get your own green Slytherin bracelet!)

Both of these bracelets are surprisingly stretchy. They are very lightweight and made from a durable plastic/resin-ish material which is what allows them to stretch. The middle links are metal. The green one, which I'm keeping, has silver metal links in the middle, which I like. The colors are a nice contrast.

LTTP was very quick in sending out the package. I had barely finished corresponding with them, and already the package had arrived! So a huge thumbs-up for speediness in shipping. 

The packaging was simple but professional. 

Both bracelets are very comfortable to wear. My favorite thing about them is there "rugged", metal-inspired look.  I'm pretty sure my brothers would wear one if they had it, since it isn't overtly feminine or girly. In fact,  these could appeal to either guy or girl!

And of course, what makes these bracelets the most unique is their chainmail inspired look. In my book, anything chainmail related is already going to be inherently epic!

SO. Overall, I give these bracelets a thumbs-up. They're simple, yet durable; as well as inexpensive and not to mention sure to please any medieval or chainmail enthusiast! *grins*

If you'd like to see more of LTTP's work, check out their Etsy shop, or "like" them on Facebook! Also, find them on Tumblr! They're currently having a promotion where you can buy one of their bracelets and get another half off, so don't miss out! Click here.

Now, the fun part for y'all! Links to the Past also donated an item for a.... *drum roll please* *brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*....giveaway!

You can have the chance to win this cool, edgy blue and black chainmail bracelet just by entering the Rafflecopter widget below!

Tell your friends about it, and be sure to check out Links to the Past! (A big shout-out to them for hosting this review on Apassionata!)

Note: I was provided this item from LTTP in exchange for my honest review.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You Name-Caller! 30 Historically Accurate Medieval Names {WriterlyWednesday}

So, a while ago we covered medieval fantasy name ideas for characters. Fantasy is wonderful, and totally a fun genre to write, but if you are trying to create a historically accurate Middle Ages story, you don't need names which belong in Lord of the Rings. You need names which reflect the period the characters are from.

So today let's take a look at real, historically accurate medieval names.

Girls:

1. Muriel/Muirgheal- (Proncouned MWIR-yal) This name was brought by the Normans to Brittany. It is the medieval English form of a Celtic name which was probably related to the Irish name Muirgel. Personally I *love* the name Muriel.

2. Aethelu - Derives from English, and means "noble". This is rather unique sounding.

3. Líadáin  - (Pronounced LEE-din, or, LEE-a-din) From what I've researched this can be reconciled as one of the few forms of my name, Leah. Since Leah is Hebrew in origin, it is difficult to convert to Irish but it can be compared to some Irish words phonetically and this is one of them. I like the spelling a whole lot personally. The word itself means "grey lady".  Léá is how the name Leah is written in Irish Bibles. Líoch is pronounced LEE-ukh, which could be another means of saying Leah in Irish. It means "beautiful."

4. Beatrice - Derives from Latin, and means "happy".

5. Siofra - (Pronounced SHEE-fra) A lovely Irish name which could be used in either masculine or feminine terms. Means "sprite, changeling, precocious child."

6. Cecily -  A name which derives from Latin, and means "blind". What a name meaning, right? Well, at least it SOUNDS pretty. Cecily.

7. Áinfean - (Pronounced AWN-f'yun) Another Irish name, which means "storm, fury, violence." Maybe this could be a good name for your fierce female antagonist!

8. Gormlaith  - (Pronounced GUR-um-la) Yet another Irish name. This reminds me of a name for a queen or  prominent female leader figure. It means "blue or illustrious princess".

9. Heloise - Derives from French and means "sun".

10. Margery - A form of Marjorie, a name which derives from English and means "pearl".

11. Reina - Derives from Spanish and means "queen"; also derives from Yiddish and means "pure" or "clean".

12. Rhoslyn - derives from Welsh and means "lovely rose" or "rose valley".

13.  AMÉE - Old French form of the name Aimee/Amy. I think this is an interesting means of spelling the name.

14. Cateline - Medieval French form of Katherine.

15. Uainionn (Pronounced OO-in-yin) Another unique Irish name, meaning "foam-white".

Boys:

1. Ríordán (Pronounced REE-ur-dawn) An Irish name, meaning "royal poet". I really like this one.


2. Alistair - Derives from Gaelic, and means "defending men".


3. Rúadhán - (Pronounced ROO-awn) An Irish name, meaning "red haired." I rather like this one also.


4. Bennett -  This is a common name indeed, but it has ancient ties. It derives from Latin and means "blessed".

5. Gawain - This derives from Welsh and means "white hawk of battle". Very LOTR sounding even though it  didn't originate from a Tolkien book at all!


6. Milo - Derives from German and means "uncertain", perhaps, "peaceful"; also derives from Latin and means "soldier."


7. Constantine - A perfect Middle Ages name, which derives from Latin and means "steadfast".

8. Faolán  - (Pronounced FWAY-lawn) A masculine Irish name which is associated with wolves. 

9. Fearghus  (Pronounced FER-a-gus) Irish, meaning, "strength of a man". 

10. Theobald - Derives from German, and means "brave" or "bold".

11. Odo - Derives from German and means "wealth".

12. Bartholomew - This is a very common Middle Ages name, and one of its first appearances was in the Bible itself.  

13. Borislav  - This name can be traced back to having Bulgarian, Serbia, Croatian, Russian and Medieval Slavic roots. It means "fame in battle" from the Slavic element bor "battle" combined with slav "glory".

14.  Dmetrei  Old Slavic form of Dmitry or Dmitrie. 

15. Dragomir - Now, you may be thinking this sounds an awful lot like Boramir, or Faramir and perhaps it does. BUT it is a real, historical name! It means "precious and peaceful" from the Slavic element dorgu meaning "precious" combined with mir meaning "peace" or "world". It has Serbian, Croatian, Romanian and Medieval Slavic roots.

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SO. There you are! I'll acknoledge that I put a lot of emphasis on Irish names in particular. Originally I didn't intend to do this but the more I researched name etymology in this language the more I decided I loved some of the names and needed to included them here. I've been sort of obsessing over what my name would be converted to in Irish. As I stated above, under Líadáin, it has been very difficult to determine how to do this and what exactly the results are. Liamhain is another feminine name which sounds similar to Leah, it is pronounced LEE-a-vin. I like the spelling better on Líadáin  but the meaning of it is "grey lady", and the meaning of Liamhain is "comely,beautiful", so...I don't know. :P Won't lie, the meaning of the latter sounds nicer than the former! Laoise is another which sounds phoenetically like my name, somewhat. it is pronounced LEE-sha, and means "radiant girl."

If you would like to know a general converted form/equivalent of your name, let me know in the comments! I love researching names and languages. Actually, I'm even considering dual enrolling in Spanish. But that's another topic for another day!

Hope y'all found this useful and beneficial!

Blessings,

(Also known as Green Tea Girl or just plain ol' Leah Kathryn ;P)

Giveaway Ops This Month

Howdy y'alls! 

So, lately I've been finding a bunch of giveaways around on different blogs, and thought I'd share some of the  neatest ones with you.

For starters, if you haven't checked this out yet, you certainly need to head on over and enter the APOC Group Giveaway! It's hosted by my fashion blog, 9 fabulous prizes from 9 fabulous people! Ten days left to enter, so get your entries in while you can!

Next up, you probably will want to take a look at this giveaway at Momma in FlipFlops!

Pin this image to win a shirt from Conversation Pieces! I think these tops are all really cute. My favorite is the black one though. 

 Check out Another giveaway from Momma in FlipFlops. 

Here you can win a pair of skinny jeans to your choosing! 

If you love skirts, you'll definitely want to check out this giveaway. Below is the skirt I'd pick if I won. So cute!

Love to work out? Visit this link to a Performance wear giveaway

SO, how's y'all's spring going? I am so loving the green and fresh, clear blue skies! What's your favorite thing about spring? Oh, and what do you think of the new blog design? I was getting tired of all the pink. xP

Have a blessed day!

Feeling Slightly Elvish {photoshoot}

I don't know why but today I just had this urge to do a photo shoot with the katana sword which my uncle gave me. Also, I bought this elvish/fantasy medieval looking shirt from GaelSong a while back which hasn't gotten used nearly enough, so I figured I could wear it and call this an "elvish" photo shoot.  xP

Okay. 

So, it's just a shirt; paired with a regular, black skirt. What's so elvish about it, you're thinking?

Well, maybe nothing. Buutttttt we had just watched Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers last night and I am particularly in love with the elvish society therein sooooo...well, 'nuff said. 

This ^^ one is unedited. I left it that way to show my hair color...it is surprisingly red here.

(another unedited)

The shirt is very see-through, therefore I put a black tank top on underneath for modesty. I had to take in the shirt in the chest a good deal because it's a tunic and was so BIG when I bought it. I looked terribly frumpy in it...which was a disappointment. I like big and baggy for around-the-house tshirts and sweaters, but not for  fancier blouses and tunics. Especially when I spent 30-40 bucks on the item with shipping and all. Noo.

(Another unedited one)

So. Anyways. This was quite a random post, wasn't it?  I guess you just never know what you'll get on this blog here. xP

What do you think? Is it weird to mix Japanese katanas with elvish couture?

P.S. If you haven't entered in the APOC group giveaway there are 14 days left so head over and get some entries in there while you can!! Click here to do so!

Ten Questions! {blog hop}

Greetings and salutations, fabulous peoples! I hope y'all are having a blessed Sunday?

Well, a sweet writing friend of mine, Bethany, tagged me in a blog hop so here we go with another tag-post.

THIS time, it be about...mah fabulouso novel in progress! *grins*

On with the questions...

(a make-shift pretend book cover I made)

1: What is the working title of your book?

 "The Rebels of Florida: In the Presence of the Enemy" Long, I know. o.O

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?

Oh my. Since I started the basic bones of the project about 5 years ago, and it has changed and evolved SOOO much since then, I can't exactly say where I got the first idea. However, over time, I've gotten most of my inspiration for this novel from the world around me and people I know/meet. 

3: What genre does your book come under?

Historical fiction. 

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Hmmm. That's a ways off. Butt, for starters: Emma. I would definitely play her. She is basically me in historical fiction form, anyways, so wouldn't that make sense? Not sure about the others yet. I suspect I will be very very particular on who plays my precious characters. ;) 

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

 Oh gosh. Please. You want me to describe this book in ONE sentence? *Much reluctant sigh* Okayyy, fine. If you really insist upon it. Lemme think.

"Five souls all caught up in the midst of their own battles...five souls caught in the presence of the enemy." 

How was that? :P

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

It ain't published yet. But I've got huge dreams for it. That's all I'll say.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Once again, it ain't finished yet. In progress, five years and counting.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 

Hm. Tricky. Maybe "Cold Before Morning" by John Paul Jones, for the historical values. I can't think of anything else at the moment. 

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

 The people around me, and my own experiences with life. 

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

When I said that it is based of people I know and experiences in my life I didn't intend for that to be taken figuratively. I have literally had to spend hours thinking of ways to manipulate characters so that they don't too closely resemble their inspirations in real life....it could end up being very awkward if certain people found out I was writing about them! :P

Besides that, well, if you're into the War between the States you should love this book. It's a war story as well as a domestic drama sprinkled with a powdering of romance and intrigue. It's factual yet fictional.

My goal is for you to not be able to tear your eyes from its pages until you are finished reading it! 

Learn more about it here. You can also see my make-shift Pinterest inspiration board.

  

 Now on to the tagging part....

Bah. Forget individual names. I'm tagging everybody on my GFC followers list. If you're subscribed to my blog, you're tagged!

Have fun!

Oh, and be sure to leave a link in the comments so I can see your post. Have a blessed new week!

Ze Fashion Tag...

Soooo, I wasn't "officially" tagged in this but I saw it on things the books forgot... and thought it looked fun, so here we go. I haven't ever done a fashion-related tag so this is kinda a new deal for me!

1) How would you describe your style?

Hmm. Describing my style...*thinks* Well, conservative/modest for sure. Putting into further description, ehh, unique/preppy/bright/boho/vintage/retro/classy?  A verrry small sampling in photo:

2)What are your wardrobe staples?

Jean skirt, cowboy boots, cognac faux leather jacket, skinny jeans and tunics. Also, I love scarves.  

3)Most expensive item you own?

I'm guessing this means clothing-wise? Hm, not really sure there. Most things in my closet were gifts from family or thrifted/yard sale items.

 4) Most wanted item?

 Right now? A nice, LONG (mid-calf to ankle length) maxi-dress which isn't a tube top or sleeveless, and is in a bright, summery color.  

5) Favorite Designer?

Well, as far as BRANDS go, I am not really picky. As long as it's made well and doesn't cost too much, I'm good! 

6)How much do you spend on clothing?

Not very much. I am a cheapskate when it comes to clothes and accessories and most of my wardrobe came from yard sales and thrift stores. Also, giftees from my awesome family. HOWEVER. I do occasionally splurge and buy myself a dress or skirt from a department store. 

7)Favorite places to shop?

THRIFT STORES and YARD SALES! As far as department stores go, Sears, JC Penny, and Belk, these days. I don't really get the chance to go out clothes shopping and when I do it's usually at one of these three.  

8) Favorite fragrance?

Bath and Body Works' Black Amethyst. My all-time favorite body spray scent. Miss Dior from Sephora is really nice too but I haven't ever bought any of that....just got a little sample in the mail and liked it. *Teehee* 

9)Favorite way to have your hair?

My default hairstyle for every day excursions and life around the house/'farm' is a simple, messy topknot/bun thrown together in a scrunchie. Not very flattering, but it's the most practical since I have pretty long hair which can easily get in the way. 

For when I go out, however, I like it either down with a hairband, or in a side braid. 

Examples: 

(hair down with hairband)

(hair down)

(the crazy/messy bun look) 

(side braid)

10)What is your go-to outfit when you have no idea what to wear?

Depends on the mood I'm in and where I'm going. If I'm just staying home for the day I'll throw on yoga pants and a loose sweater or t-shirt. If I go out, it will likely be a skirt and blouse... with either Sperrys or cowboy boots. Or sandals.

11)Most prized possession?

Clothing wise? Maybe my jean skirt...no... my Ariat cowboy boots. :D Those things have lasted for years now and have gone through both blizzard and heat wave, mud and classy conference. I'm amazed at their durability!

FINALLY, the part where I tag some people....

• Katelyn 
• Bethany
• Natasha
• RJ
• Ashley
• Evangela
• Mikaela
• Britt
• Amanda
• ANYBODY ELSE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS!

Leave me a comment with your fashion tag post, I'd love to see it!

Blessings!