A Piece of Me

Today I’m mourning a side of me that I feel is wasting away; my creative side. It seems hard to believe I once had the time to make scrap books, write letters to my friends, keep a diary, make paper flowers and friendships bracelets for the hell of it. I don’t even read books anymore, just journals or text books for my course. I miss being creative! I even miss having time to stumble other far more talented and creative people. Now it’s all about science, reports, dissertation, presentation or if I’m lucky a job application. No fun at all, damn final year.

Having said all that I have had a very productive day and I’m pleased with what I’ve achieved. So, now as we literally just hit 2300hrs and I’m chilling in the library as per usual, I’m going to make a little inspiration board of creativity as a shout out to my formally creative self. 

 

Home made porcelain - From thejunkwave.com, Bunting - From tlbc.com.au, Classic books - From weheartit.com, Finger painting - From browneyedbellejulie.blogspot.com, Scrap book - From yumcity.tumblr.com, glitter pots - From tumblr.com, Friendship bracelets - From honestlywtf.com, Paper flowers - From 3.bp.blogspot.com, Paint brushes - From missmustardseed.blogspot.com

From imgfave.com

If it wasn't Tink

If my favourite Disney character wasn't already Tinkerbell, it would have to be Gus, or the mental Scottish chicken from Robin Hood. 

                                                                                         Picture found on pinterest

Turn To One You Love

This post could of been filled with pure hatred directed at someone who will never read this. But instead I'm going to take a leaf out of a better person's book and just project that energy to someone I love.
If I believe in anything it's that everything happens for a reason, we might not be able to see it now, we might never know it, but there will be a reason. Maybe some good will come of something that you thought could never end well, or maybe you're avoiding some far worse fate that you'll never have to live through. It's all swings and round-a-bouts. Good people, who are truly good, deserve good things, and they will come, have faith. Alternatively there are those good people who do bad things, God knows I've done my share, they will get their just deserts, even if its as simple as realising you had the opportunity to be a better person, you failed and now you've got to make your peace with that. There will always be someone who will never realise their faults, will never grow and they aren't worth mentioning here. Their punishment will come in many other forms. 
Cliche as it is, you will have thicker skin, you will be a stronger, better person for your heartache. You may not feel it now, but nobody ever does when they have to be strong.  It's only when you look back at yourself later that you realise the kind of person you are, you are strong, you are wonderful and if you feel you have to prove that to anyone then more fool them, they're the ones without.  
In the mean time, take comfort in that you are not, nor will you ever be, alone. Let someone else look after you this time.  xxx

The £10 Week

This week should be interesting. My friend Robyn directed me to this article on The Guardian a few days ago and it inspired us, the £10 week challenge. Simple as it sounds really, live on £10 a week. Which for us, makes it feel like a fun way of dealing the fact that we are completely broke, a sort of 'we're not broke just completing a challenge...it's fun...' mentality.

The original idea came all the way from China, apparently a rich 24 year old called Wang Hao wanted to persuade "high-earning, big-spending people" to stop spending out of control, and get back to basics. We read it as Stuart Jeffries attempted it for The Guardian, he does alright too! However he did have business meetings with sandwiches to steal, a partner and generous friends buying him coffee and probably food in fridge already, which is something I don't. 

Well I'll be honest, in my cupboard I have Frosties, a can of Asda smart price mushy peas and a can of kidney beans, 2 packets of cous cous, 3 red onions (pretty sure they're inedible), 3 slices of bread and lots of gravy stock cubes.Oo and maybe even some pasta if I think about it. Easy peasy. Right?
One of my friends suggested that if we really wanted to do it we were meant to only eat what £10 could buy us, so not use anything in our fridge or take freebies from friends/loved ones/work. However, we are students, not homeless. So we'll take whatever we can get and I refuse to waste food that's sitting in my cupboard!

I've decided to document our success/failure here. Starting today. For the record my boyfriend Tom was meant to be getting in on the action, but he bought fish and chips from Revolution (which was torturing for me) about 3 hours in so I'm betting he doesn't last the day with that £10.

Wish me luck!

Unnaturally large onion

Found this freaky fella lurking in the kitchen at work.

Pure Focus

I am obsessed with this playlist, I doubt I could get through a day in the psych library without it.

Study Vitamins

 

Ilkley = the North but 'done posh'.

So I had this dream...

My good friend Pittsy probably does this alot better than me but it's on my mind and I felt like sharing. 

Last night I dreamt I was running through a big old house (that looked suspiciously like an posh version of my psychology building) and I ran into a lift. Again it was quite old fashioned mechanisms but with glass walls. Weird. There weren't any buttons but a brass lever you turned round to choose what floor to go to (like in Titanic).

I know I was in a hurry and needed to get as far away as possible as quick as possible, I don't remember why, so I whipped the lever right to the end.

Only then did I look closely, the numbers started out evenly spaced, floor 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 but then jumped, 70, 80, 100, 200 all the way up to 800. I freaked abit, trying to figure up just how high up 800 floors is, I mean how many floors is the Empire State building? I tried to turn the lever back, and it moved around, but I just kept on going up, slowly passing each floor.  Until I went out the top of the building, Willy Wonka style, I realised I was going to have to go the full 800 but I had no idea where floor 800 would be. 

Towards the end I was sat in the corner of my lift and was travelling horizontally across big city until we came to the bottom of a towering skyscraper and I knew that was next, 800 was right at the top, I looked up at it, tried one more time to turn back the lever, and as the lift lurched upwards, I woke up. 

No prizes for figuring that one out. 

Thing's It's OK to do on Sunday...

• have a lie in
• eat roast dinner
• watch bad films
• watch good films
• catch up on missed tv
• go for a walk on the moors (I miss Ilkley)
• go for coffee
• go to church 
• walk the dog
• visit family members

It is not OK to eat coco pops and Chinese food, lie in bed, spend 6 hours filling in a form that should of taken 20 minutes, get really hyper then bum hard and feel kinda sorry for yourself. No, it is not.

Tomorrow will be better.

Temper Tantrum Time

NO.
I will NOT tidy my room. 
I will NOT do my washing. Why even buy stupid hand wash clothes in the first place. WHY did I need the sequin top and "wash with similar colours red jeans" - YOU'RE BRIGHT RED. NOTHING IS A  SIMILAR COLOUR TO YOU.
I will NOT finish application forms. Don't want a job anyway. Don't need it. I'm going to sit in my bed watching Jenna Marbles videos and eating coco pops for the rest of my life. 
AND I will NOT answer emails. And book more meetings for next week. I will NOT write my dissertation. EVERYBODY CAN JUST LEAVE ME ALONE. Until further notice. 


IT IS A SUNDAY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. 


End. Of. 

Quick update 
- I did manage to stop eating coco pops and finish one application form. Yey for me. 
- That baby is completely hysterical. Love it. I think I'll post it every so often just so it always appears on the blog homepage.

On Ilkley Moor Bah t'at

I'm feeling a little homesick. Not quite sure why. 
Everyone seems to hate Ilkley. With the exception of my grumpy flatmate I've found most of those people are people who've yet to leave. I love it. And I miss it. There is no shame in being small town and admitting it.

If you look closely you'll see the bridge where I pause for thought on walks with the pup (Layla), my high school, my initials on the sign my best friend and I put up on our last day, the now flatmate pulling a brilliant face and a 16 year old me with maybe my first love.
(I say maybe as if I ever figure out what love is I'll know better who I loved first)

Too Soon?

Graduation dress?

hey whatever keeps me motivated I guess

Snooty Frox in Harrogate 

LOL

I Do Believe In Fairies

I’ve had a few names in my life, my parents couldn’t come up with just one name for me when I was born so I have three – Rebecca Stephanie Jane. Among other nicknames is ‘Tink’ which is what my Mum calls me.  This is because 1. It’s cute & I like it 2. Peter Pan has always been one of my favorite stories & favorite Disney film. In fact the only time I’ve ever regretted getting my hair dark is when I realized it means dressing up as Tinkerbell is a lot harder in future if I ever get the chance (I miss fancy dress).  

I’m telling you this because I really wanted an excuse to find pretty pictures of fairies and Mia and I spent most of our lunch hour talking about Disney…

 

Peter Pan quote - From google.com, Fairy dust - From google.com, 3 girls - From razzmatazzblog.blogspot.com, Gold fairy dust girl - From beautiful.tumblr.com, Peter Pan shadow! - From the-tum-tum-tree.blogspot.com, Neverland - From pinterest.com

Soup for the Soul

But tell me now where was my fault, in loving you with my whole heart?

Before the Bubble Burst

Remember Remember

"Remember remember the fifth of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason

Should ever be forgot."

Happy bonfire night everyone. Please remember to be safe if you are setting off fireworks!

Fireworks banner - From google.co.uk, Toffee apples - From thepinkwhisk.co.uk, Roasting marshmallows - From gardenofsimple.tumblr.com, Hunter wellies in chocolate brown (like my own!) - From gabbagabbagorg.tumblr.com, More fireworks - From keepitchic.com, Love sparklers - From adorebychloe.co.uk, Adorable little girl - From 27.media.tumblr.com, Bonfire food - From google.co.uk, Sparklers - From fuckyeahsparklyshit.tumblr.com, Wrapped up warm - From theclothes.blogspot.com, Bonfire on the beach - weheartit.com

The Unsent Letter

I am fast approaching the 12 hour mark of my time in the psychology building and have given up on my critique of an article for today after it dawned on me that in no way have I done enough reading yet to be blabbing away about it being a fundamentally flawed slap in the face to traditional experimental psychology. So I've made the decision to do that tomorrow instead. I do this after remembering some wise words in a pep talk by Rhiannon Nicole at HeyGorg (incidentally, stumbling upon HeyGorg was a big part of inspiring me to blog in the first place).

I wanted to write some advice, I know my advice is only based on my experiences but honestly I've been told it's quite good even if often I fail to follow it myself (see!) so here we go. Today a friend asked me for help and I told her something my Mum told me when I was 12 years old that I've lived by ever since: write it down. 
Without going into any real detail, the first time I used this strategy I was quite young and not sure how to deal with very strong feelings of hurt and anger. My Mum told me to write a letter and then we'd decide if I wanted to send it. I did too, poured my little heart out, but when I was finished I didn't really need to send it, didn't want to any more. I'm not going to pretend this got rid of the pain that the person the letter was directed to had caused me, but it eased. 
I've done that ever since. It doesn't really matter what you do with the letter once you've finished it. Burn it, bury it, save it, keep it in a box under the bed. It's writing that's healing, a chance to clarify your thoughts and calm your heart. In my case I know sending certain ones would have caused more trouble than it was worth, and some things once said you can never take back. Hence the benefit of taking some time to think, is it really worth saying? Not all unsent letters need to be angry though, sometimes it's just something you feel you need to say but maybe it shouldn't really be said or you aren't ready for it, some are all about love. 
My friend and I did this today and I'm wondering if hers will get sent after all, you can really see when anger has filtered out of the person and into the letter. 
Since there's no chance I'm going to broadcast any of my own, you can read lots at Letters I'll Never Send. Submitting something anonymously is always another option for an unsent letter, and proof that I'm certainly not alone in this theory. So that's my first bit of advice; take a deep breath, let it out and let yourself move on.

Happy November Starbucks

The Starbucks Red Cups are here! Oh happy day! Along with some adorable little treats for Christmas including new Christmas mugs, red instant coffee and an adorable little red cup tree ornament! This perked up my day no end. I went adventurous and had the new Praline Mocha as I'm planning to have the toffee nut latte with my friend Sarah on Monday as is tradition. It was lovely but the only suggestion I'd make is get it Grande and give it a good stir, not Tall like I did as there was just a bit too much chocolate powder at the bottom.

Turns out I'm not the only one whose spirits are lifted by the change in Starbucks menu, I did a quick google search hoping to find some nice red cups photos to collate but it's already been done so beautifully at mode grozzer buzh - and if it ain't broke don't fix it!

http://grozzer-buzh.blogspot.com/2010/12/midweek-slump.html

 I know it's a tad late but Happy November everyone - enjoy the weekend!

Cocktails in the City

Last week I had the pleasure of doing something slightly out of the ordinary for a Wednesday evening, I went to Cocktails in the City with my lovely friend Mia and my lovely man Tom. Whilst despite working in bars for the last 3 years I am by no means an expert on cocktails (as Tom is fast becoming), I really enjoyed seeing what the best bars in Edinburgh had to offer and after 4 cocktails and a master class I left feeling sophisticated and rather tipsy. I would definitely recommend the event to anyone if there's one coming to a city near you!

Anyway I won't go into much detail as promised (Settle Back In) but I have had a go at my first ever inspiration board. I obviously need some practice but overall I'm pretty pleased with the end result and hope you like it too! All this talk of cocktails has made me thirsty; I think Tom and I might head to The Villager for a night cap.

Now Edinburgh uni don't really teach you how to reference blogs but here goes – “Cheers” wedding bar from decor8blog.com, amazing electric blue cocktails from google images, Rose champagne from citified.blogspot.com, stars and stripes shooters from hostessblog.com., Tray of lavender cocktails from sunday-suppers.com, drinks with ribbon straws from ohjoy.blogs.com, wedding day cocktails with stripe straws from stylemepretty.com, Blonde girl with drink from weheartit.com, Green and pink glass cocktails jars from thesweetestoccasion.com.

P.S.Hope everyone likes the new layout! It's not exactly as I want it yet but I'm not of the technical ability to really sort it out!