I've always got really excited about homeware. I love trips to Ikea, picking up bits to glam up my room and of course picking up quirky home pieces in TK Maxx. I was lucky enough to receive a gift card for when I was moving out for University to pick up some pieces to glam up my room (but also essentials too!)
As you can see my rooms quite girly! I picked up a few bits and pieces including a duvet, pillows, bath mat and a few pots and pans! I think TK Maxx is a great place to visit when you're looking for something new but unique. I'm a massive fan of TK Maxx but I can go there sometimes and not buy anything!
Bath Mat (used as rug) - TK Maxx(*)
Love Sign - Vintage Purple Spotted Washi Tape (used to decorate the shelving) - Amazon
I was lucky enough to be gifted some of the new flavoured Lambrini flavours to try which are peach, strawberry and cherry. They are actually really nice and my favourite was definitely the peach one! Being a fashion student I couldn't forget my fashion books! These are just a few of them. I love just sitting and having a cup of tea and grabbing some inspiration from these books! So here we have it, a little sneak peak inside my university room thanks to TK Maxx for helping me out with making my room that little bit more homely!
Are you at University? Have you moved out for University lately?
Life's been a real whirlwind for me this past year. This time last year I'd dropped out of university, moved back home and not got a job. I was deadly convinced university wasn't the right option for me. At 19 I still had a lot to learn and taking this past year off studying has been really good for me on the whole!
Currently I've been stuck for blogging motivation as life just gets in the way sometimes. I'm writing this post sat in my new flat (with not so good wifi) having just had dominoes with my new flatmates (who are all absolute babes) and I realised this was the happiest I've been in a long time!
I'm currently just starting the 2nd year of a Fashion Promotion degree which I'm enjoying so far, but it's still early days yet! I've moved in with lovely flatmates and have a really supportive boyfriend too!
I'm writing this post to hopefully inspire some of you that despite how hard things may be, it will get better. Here's a few tips I've learnt along the way this year...
Nobody's Life Is Perfect
Once I left university I kept looking at other peoples lives who were still studying and enjoying their course and wishing that could be me. Wishing I was still in their shoes. But nobody's life is perfect. If you keep comparing your life to other peoples lives you'll never be satisfied with your own life and where it's going.
Make a plan of what you're going to do next
Sometimes it's really hard to motivate yourself with making a plan of what to do next but as soon as you have a plan you have something to work towards. Once I left University I started looking for jobs straight away, restarted driving lessons, re-applied for university and started saving. I can successfully say I found a job, passed my driving test, got into university and I'm still saving!
Be grateful for what you do have
Do you have awesome friends? partner? family? flatmates? when you're not feeling good about your life these are the people you go to. When times get tough you'll need these people to be there for you! Make a list of five things you're grateful for here's mine: Family, Health, Friends, Boyfriend and my (new but really lovely) Flatmates!
Read Positive Quotes, Books, Focus on Positivity
One thing I'm trying to do more of is read motivating books, books about positivity, positive blogs and articles on online sites. These sorts of things can really uplift your mood and help keep you positive through-out the day.
Hang Around Positive People
Do you have a toxic friendship which sucks all the happiness out of you? Do you have a relationship with a friend which is getting you down and making you feel worse? If needs be or if this has gone on for a long time it's time to cut out the negative people in your life. Being around positive people all the time will make you feel better and happier!
I was going through my photos from went I spent 2 months travelling in New Zealand and I just had to share with you all some more of New Zealand's beautiful sights! You may have caught my last New Zealand photo diary here! So here's another photo insight of some of the sights I saw and what I got up to! The first photo was on the South Island of New Zealand in a place called Nelson. It was absolutely beautiful and walking along the beach at that time was just something else! The following 3 photos were from a trip to one of New Zealand's national parks which is called Abel Tasman. It really was stepping onto Paradise. The park was absolutely stunning and you had to get there by a water taxi! We went to Nelson's Light Festival which was basically a lot of light installations displayed really creatively and here's a few shots from that! I absolutely love travelling and I can't wait to hopefully go and visit New Zealand again!
Have you been travelling this summer? Where have you been?
A couple of weeks ago I headed down to London to a blogger event held by the lovely people over at Dolce Gusto and it was an absolutely amazing evening! I've been lucky enough to receive a Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine and I haven't stopped using it! In my house we're really big coffee drinkers and the Dolce Gusto machines are amazing! We took part in this amazing workshop where you learnt the art of calligraphy but with coffee which was really fun and relaxing! We also had lots of yummy food and I caught up with some of my fave bloggers which was so nice!
Here's my attempt of a selfie trying to get my outfit in from the event! I wore my favourite leather look jacket at the moment from Boohoo with a white cami and my new ripped jeans from Topshop with a pair of chelsea boots! This cami top is a style staple of mine at the moment! You can pick one up for just £12 in the sale here and currently for London Fashion Week you can get free delivery on your order with the code 'LFWTREAT'!
Thanks to Dolce Gusto for an amazing event! Do you like coffee? Are you a Dolce Gusto fan?
I thought I'd carry on after so many of you loved my last post about 5 Reasons You Should Travel! I really enjoyed putting that post together so I thought I'd do another one!
Do you ever feel like you want to do something different but you're too scared to? Do you want to change and enjoy life more? Well here's some tips I've learnt to help me step out of my comfort zone!
1. Learn to let go of your past - This is something I still struggle with but the only way to move forward is to let go of your past. It sometimes feels like the hardest thing to let go and move on. Sometimes the only way to get rid of 'old baggage' is to get your hands on some new luggage! This means join that club you've always wanted to, you may make friends for life by doing so.
2. Life is a challenge - It's easy to get into a routine and never do anything new. One of the best ways to step out of your comfort zone is simple - you need a challenge. It's sometimes so easy to say 'No' to things because it's something you're not used to. Why not say 'Yes' and accept a new challenge and trying something new? Life is full of ups and downs for a reason!
3. Say 'Yes' - Have you ever fully declined doing something because it makes you feel uncomfortable? One thing I'm trying to do more of is to say 'Yes' to the uncomfortable things. Whether its a night out with a certain group of friends, going to see that scary film at the cinema or going on that visit to see a friend at university in a different part of the country! Why not say yes? You might just learn something new about yourself.
4. Is one way the best way? - Have you ever wondered why you do something a certain way? There's other ways of doing things. Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone only serves as a reminder that you are living a healthy life. Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone makes you really appreciate what you already have.
5. Take opportunities which come your way - It's so easy to let opportunities slip through your fingers. I'm guilty of this myself as most of you probably are too! I'm trying to make more of each and every opportunity which comes my way. Whether it's travelling to a new country, seeing that friend in a place you've never been to before or just saying yes to an opportunity because you can!So basically what I'm trying to say in the post is make the most of opportunities you have, say 'Yes' to some of the things you'd normally say no to and let go of the past/people which are holding you back!
Have you got the travel bug? Around this time of year it feels like everyone is going away. Travelling is one of the best things you can do with your life and I was lucky enough to be able to travel to New Zealand and Australia this summer!
Want to travel? Here's some reasons why you should explore...
1. You (probably) don't have any responsibilities - If you're like me and you are early 20's you don't have many responsibilities. Soon you'll have a house, a full time job, insurance, electricity bills, a mortgage the list just adds up. What's stopping you from saving up some money from a part time job picking a country and just going off travelling? NOTHING!
2. You're going to spend the rest of your life in debt - While you are young you don't have that much debt. A phone bill, car insurance and maybe a year or two of university. You may aswell borrow what you can, bite the bullet and pack your life away for a while and explore the world!
3. You learn so much about yourself - If you decide to travel alone it's a whole different experience from travelling with friends and family. You'll figure out what makes you happy, what drives you, what inspires you without having to worry about doing what the other person wants to do as the only person you have to impress is yourself!
4. You have the energy - Well you're only young once right? Make the most of it! Bungee jump, climb that mountain do all those things you've written down on your bucket list you thought you'd never do.
5. The experience is invaluable - Have you ever thought of working abroad for a few weeks? I was lucky enough to work with one of the best marketing agencies in New Zealand this summer and I think foreign experience will always look good on your CV! Thought about volunteering? Want to teach abroad? Go for it!
What do you think about travelling? Have you travelled anywhere this summer?
University is pretty much just around the corner now! In just a couple of weeks I'm going to be at Univeristy and I've been packing my things and searching online for some new homeware bits I can buy to personalise my room a bit and make it a bit more of a home!
All these homeware pieces are under £15 which means they're really not breaking the bank! Tesco is great for homeware pieces. I love this floral duvet cover and think it would be perfect to make my uni room a little bit more girly! I've had my eye on these bowls for a while and they've gone down to just £6 in the sale. I've seen these wire heart baskets online and think they'd be perfect for storing perfumes and jewellery.
I've loved seeing jars like this on Pinterest and I've finally found this online! I can't wait to purchase one to make cocktails with while I'm at University. One thing I love having in my room is a diffuser to make my room smell nice and this berry flavoured one from Tesco seems perfect!
Are you going to University? What homeware purchases have you made lately?
I'll admit it the past week I've been a terrible blogger. I've had all these ideas but never had the time to actually sit down and put them into blog posts! Today I'm sharing with you all my last installment of travelling to Sydney, Australia and visiting one of my fave blogger girlies Kim from Sweet Monday! We went and did a little bit of sight seeing on the first day I was in Sydney and heading to a cute little cafe for a drink and a proper catch up before we went and saw the sights! We then headed to a yummy burger place for lunch where I had my first proper beef burger! I loved having mocktails and just enjoying being in Australia! I loved seeing the Harbour Bridge and The Opera House too! After a bit of shopping and trying on lots of clothes we then headed back to Kim's flat for thai food and we watched Mr and Mrs Smith!
What do you think of Australia? Have you ever been travelling?
