Note To Self // Finding That Balance

I’m writing this a few days after Christmas day (and might I add am still feeling the Christmas blues), but more importantly this brings us on to the next sparkly event - New Years, and with that a whole load of rethinking and renewing (as well as an extra attempt at doing more exercise, but more on that later). To ease into that process I thought I’d gather some thoughts that have been cropping up lately and note them down here. 

So the Christmas holidays came as a blessing and an excuse - to have some time off to recharge and regenerate (and stuff myself with festive food). But it’s also been a holiday where I’ve had to plan ahead, working out how much coursework I needed to get done and when I could find the time over the holiday to do it. This planning ahead and working for something in the far future is something I seem to be doing a lot of, not just lately, but ever since exams and life beyond education came into the picture. 

This doesn’t seem something anyone can avoid, it looks like everyone has to be planning and sacrificing for a result that could come far from now. But it occurred to me a few months back, when I was out at a concert, knowing exactly what painfully early time I’d have to drag myself out of bed the next day, that it’s always healthy to pick and choose. I could have chosen not to go to the concert, I could have stayed at home and felt far less dead the next day, but I would have missed out on the live music and the atmosphere (and the t-shirt). And so the painfully loud alarm the next day wasn’t too much of a regret. 

I have to admit, I like to stick to a list or a schedule, so I know exactly what’s been done and what’s still to-do. It’s nice to know your on track to getting everything ticked off on time. But I think it’s good once in a while to put all of that aside and focus on something that may be unimportant in the long run, but enjoyable or memorable in the moment. 

Georgina

DIY Christmas Phone Case

I always like to jazz up my phone case for the Christmas season, it’s one of those little things that seems to put a smile on my face. I’ve seen some gorgeous phone cases in the shops this last week or two, I especially like the moving glittery ones sold in Topshop. The problem is my poor phone’s getting on a bit and I can’t seem to find many shops that still make cases for my iPhone 4s. Still, there’s nothing stopping me from cracking out the watercolours and cruising Pinterest for some inspiration. 

It's a little rough around the edges and the black labels are a bit wonky, but it's homemade and I quite like it looking that way! 

Georgina 

Top 10 Alternative Christmas Songs

It’s that time of the year again and although I’ve been listening to christmas songs way before the first of December ( yup I’m one of those! ) I thought it was only appropriate to whip this post out as we’re really entering these festive next few weeks. 

I have to admit I’m not one for the mainstream christmas songs, although they do get you in the mood. When it comes to listening on a daily basis I do like something a little more unusual. For anyone on the hunt for some new tunes I’ve made a list of my top ten (with links to Spotify) that I belt out every 

christmas.

Party Hard - Zach Gill 

The Christmas Waltz - She & Him

Santa’s Lost His Mojo - Jeremy Lister  

Another Christmas - Amanda Jenssen 

Someday At Christmas - Jack Johnson 

Santa Claus Is Back In Town - Elvis Presley 

Christmas Blues - G. Love 

Winter Wonderland - Jason Mraz 

No Christmas For Me - Zee Avi 

Jingle Bell Rock - Rogue Wave 

Happy Listening!

Georgina

Christmas Present Ideas For Girls

Christmas is just around the corner *eep* and you can feel that festive buzz around the shops. This year my plan is to start searching and purchasing now so that I can focus on cute wrapping and cards nearer to christmas. To get some ideas flowing I've compiled a list of present ideas and places to look, perfect for sisters, friends and even mums.

(ALSO the photo above reminds me of winter, its not really relevant but it's pretty)

Books

A little selection of books that you'd be proud to keep on your bookshelf.

Sali Hughs : Pretty Honest . a beauty book for someone just testing the waters with makeup or a total expert. it's pretty much a makeup bible. 

Alexa Chung : it . for any fashion lover this is a staple. the pages are made out of lovely thick matte paper, and the photographs make it look like a work of art. 

Lena Dunham : Not That Kind Of Girl . a feminine and hilarious book, I was totally hooked.

Marine Keegan : The Opposite Of Loneliness : a collection of poems, essays and short stories. beautifully written and completely absorbing. 

Nail Polish 

Who can go wrong with a set of unique colours to jazz up any collection

Essie : All I Want For Christmas Gift Box . why not make it easy and buy a pre-chosen selection of christmas shades 

Topshop : Mini Nail Pyramids . cute little polishes in shimmery shades, fit with a ribbon for hanging on the christmas tree 

Cozy Scarf 

Everyone needs one scarf, or two, or five... I couldn't pick particular ones, instead I've listed some shops that sell my favourites

Topshop . not too expensive and they sell the basics like a big grey scarf .

Zara . look here for thick, soft and patterned ones you can't find anywhere else .

Asos . you're guaranteed to find what you want here with so much choice.

Face Mask 

They're something I always look at adoringly but never take the time (or the money) to purchase. 

Origins : Ginzing . to wake up tired and grey looking skin .

Superfacialist by Una Brennan : Pore Purifying Clay Mask . intense but great I've found for troublesome skin.

'Splurgy' Gifts 

Fujifilm instax mini 8 .  a great little polaroid camera that produces cute credit card sized photos, to get you snapping away on christmas day 

Ion pure lp record player .  a great present for a lover of old music. since getting mine I've loved going into record shops and flicking through loads of albums in search of something tempting . what's great about this one is it comes with cables to plug into your laptop, to convert records into music for your iTunes library. 

Shops You Can't Go Wrong With 

Sometimes it's best to just cruise around in search of the perfect gift, if so here are some starting points

Waterstones . for the corner they always have filled with lovely bits and bobs that perhaps aren't needed, but definitely wanted 

Happy Jackson Company . any stationary hoarder would love something from here. i personally lurve their notebooks. 

Topshop . perhaps it's me but I'm sure their knick-knack section has grown over the past few christmas'. They have an array of pretty phone cases, purses, accessories and ready made makeup bags that would make a lovely secret santa gift. 

Phew, a lot to get through there. That's certainly got my present-buying ideas going, hopefully it did the same for you. 

Georgina 

Autumn / Winter Palette

  A little bit of beauty, fashion and other things pulled together to form a little round up of what I'm reaching for at this time of the year. I did one of these for Spring, and liked the whole format. This time I've used the whole "holding-the-items-delicately-to-make-it-all-look-casual" type thang, enjoy. 

This first pick is of the lippy Rebel by MAC. A pretty bold and daring affair. I must admit I had to psych myself up to wear this out in all its dark and dramatic glory. It's gorgeous buffed into the lips for a soft and smudged look, but it looks equally good generously applied. It's quite blue toned, I find on my paler days layering it up with an orangey-red shade helps. However it's an overall staple that I think brightens up any lipstick collection.

                      

This gorgeous shadow is another item from MAC called Mythology. It looks pretty ordinary in the pot, but once smudged onto the eyelid it becomes a to-die-for deep red, shimmery gold colour. I love to wear it packed all over the lid, sometimes with a cream eye-shadow underneath if I'm going all out. It's such an eye-catching colour I've found all it needs is a quick blend with a brown or neutral shade and your set to go. I have brown eyes and it works nicely to create a dusty, slightly smokey look. But it would also look lovely with blue eyes, to make them pop.

The last week or so here in England the weather has suddenly turned colder and dryer and my skin has definitely been feeling the effects. My skin is oily to combination and I've found that the harsh weather has caused it to look duller and dryer than usual. Using this Origins GinZing face mask once a week as well as a nourishing moisturiser is helping my skin to adjust and look healthier.

I picked up this red Corduroy Pinafore Dress from Toyshop only a week or two back and have fallen in love. The plush red colour and boxy shape just reminds me of Christmas, I think I'm going to be wearing this often. I had slight issues with sizing however, I found I had to go a size up so that it would fit loosely and keep that lovely shapeless look, but this meant it was slightly too long and so I had to take it up a little. Nevertheless this is a lovely wintery piece that can be dressed up or down, I think a pair of cozy knee high socks would fit perfectly.

                              

I seemed to have picked items in pairs for this post - a second item from Topshop bought in June this year. Not an item I expected to be bringing with me into the colder months, however this snug little jacket has surprised me by being warmer than I expected. I love to pair it with some black skinny jeans and a comfy tee for a grungy and casual look. Or I'll throw on a pastel pink maxi-midi skirt, embracing the 50s edge, a band t-shirt and put my hair in space-buns for a slightly crazy and contrasting outfit I can't resist.

I won't talk for too long about this Molecules 01 perfume. All I'm going to say is that it's lasting power is truly amazing and the scent, well I can't get enough. For links and more chitchat about this item click to see the post here.

And finally, an item that I also spoke about recently; my white Moleskine journal (click here to see how I added the black label). In the colder and darker months where I'm inside sadly a lot of the time, I find myself reaching for this to write random thoughts down about nothing in particular. Sometimes I find getting all thoughts down on paper can clear your mind and help me to feel a little calmer. 

Any items you've been reaching for a lot lately? I'd love to hear.

Georgina 

Staple Autumn Scent

I’ve never been one for fancy perfumes I’ll admit, I always gravitated towards the cheaper ones that can be broken, lost and replaced without a fuss. The Eccentric Molecules, Molecule 01 perfume however is different, and I have been converted. 

One great thing about this perfume is that it smells completely different on everyone. It seems to have a woody undertone that is unmistakable on most people - perfect for autumn / winter. However on me this perfume smells spicy and musky when it’ll smell much sweeter and more floral on a friend. The lasting power is also amazing, I do one spritz in the morning and it lasts the whole day - no top ups needed. 

The thing that drew me to this scent was the description it has when you view it online, it says on Cult Beauty that the perfume has a 'basenote that adds allure to a scent, which works as more of an effect than a fragrance.' This whole idea that a perfume will affect the people around you is something that sounds pretty necessary  if you ask me! And the raving reviews it has seemed to back up the claim.

I have to say I agree with the description, I’ve never had so many comments and questions as to what I’m wearing. For the time being I’ve just got the little bottle and I don’t think it’s going to run out anytime soon, but I’m sure when it eventually empties, the large bottle will have to purchased!

Georgina

Small Things \\ Food Landscapes

These last few weeks I've been chopping up fruit and veg to create mini little forests scenes. They were a little tricky to set up at times, but so fun to do!
The first shoot I did was using broccoli as trees and chopping up the stalks to create a little path that leads the eye through the image. I couldn't resist doing some little doodles on the last two images, using this awesome app called Paper 53 ( best one I've found for drawing on an iPad ).

I wasn't really sure what the plan was with this set of photos. I just knew I wanted to use some carrots with the fancy leaves still on. I ended up making these two weird and wacky scenes that I kinda ended up liking.

This last shoot was probably the most technical, I wanted to be a bit more ambitious so I decided to use loaves of bread as rolling hills instead of a plain studio floor. I liked the idea of doing a winter wonderland scene with lovely candy floss trees. I added the wall in, made out of Liquorice Allsorts, I like how it disappears off the first hill and reappears on the second.

One thing I didn't think through was that the candy floss sort of loses its fluffiness after a while and so by the time I'd built the wall and but all the icing sugar on, the candy floss had crystalised! Still, no biggy though, a bit of Photoshop came in handy.

There are still a heap more from this last shoot that I haven't edited yet - reshaping candy floss trees takes longer than expected! Maybe I'll do another post with the finished images? (can't miss out the nougat snowman!) 

I'll link the artists I used as inspiration here and here so you can see how the pros do it!

Georgina

The Much Needed Dymo Label Maker

For quite a while I’d had this label maker saved as a bookmark on my computer, and finally this week I decided to invest. When I picture a classic owner of these label makers I go for the compulsively neat characters who label everything and anything. However after seeing clever and artsy ways to use this contraption floating around Pinterest I just couldn’t resist.

I bought this one from amazon for just under £13 because it had the best reviews and came with the black tape I was after, you can see I really did my research ha. 

I'll probably end up using this label maker for cute gift tags on Christmas presents and maybe a phone case here and there, but for today's post I thought I'd show you how I jazzed up my notebooks. They're both Moleskines of course, one is my sketchbook and the other my journal. When I was picking out the colour of my soon-to-be journal it only seemed right to go for this monochrome vibe, so white it was and it ended up going nicely with the black tape.

 There are probably slightly fancier ways you could use the labels to decorate this journal, I did think about putting a Polaroid on the front or something. But I ended up with this super simple style to match the simple colours.
Hopefully as my collection of notebooks expands they'll start to look a little more impressive; I like the idea of putting dates on the spine of the books saying when I started and finished them. 
This might all seem a little tedious considering the colour and design of a notebook really doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things! But, I do think that sometimes small amounts of beauty or detail in our everyday lives can make the day feel a little more special. 

Georgina 

Mid-Month Motivation || October

What a gorgeous quote huh? 

Not the most motivational but who could resist grabbing a vast looking photo and cropping it down for extra drama. This photo is of the Cloud Forest in Ecuador and snapped by my friend Amy. 

I'm not sure why I find this quote so captivating. I kept seeing a lot of 'get-up-and-go' quotes when I was scrolling in search of something for this post, but I don't think they're always what you need to hear to feel inspired. 

It makes me think of this artist I found on Pinterest, I'll link her work here. This whole idea of beautiful things bursting from someone's mind sounds pretty lovely to me.

Anything that's been inspiring / motivating you this month?

Georgina

Autumn Is For Plans

I did one of these at the start of summer and fell in love with how I could look back over it and tick things off. This season round it’s all about embracing the shorter days, the icy weather and cosying up with some comfy clothes. Here's my game plan for the next few months..

Crack out the super dark lips - my fave is MAC rebel 

Invest in some fairy lights with little lanterns on the end and string them up around my room 

Light up a spicy warm candle every evening 

As tumblr as it is don’t judge - pumpkin spice lattes are calling 

I’m not ready to say farewell to sandals yet, so embrace the socks and sandals 

Wrap up and go on long walks to savour the last leaves on trees 

Stock up on some heavy, snuggly jumpers 

Try and pick up my journal more often to write down passing thoughts

Embrace the rain, don’t let it get you down, sit and watch it with some music and a book

Start carrying my kindle / book out and about with me to squeeze in some reading now and then

Start planning some Christmas present ideas - it’s never too early!

Try and top up Instagram with regular posts - it ends up becoming a little collection of memories 

Take time for yourself - don’t get too stressed out - a little perspective always helps 

Pick up some whacky sunnies and pair with a dark lip

Try mix and matching textures and prints to jazz up a classic autumn outfit 

Book up a few trips to galleries equipped with a backpack, sketchbook and camera 

These are a little less ambitious than my summer list but still just as tempting. Any ideas you have for the upcoming months? I’d love to add to this list. 

Look out for weekly posts on a Monday morning from now on.

Georgina 

Little shoutout to my friend Darcey for coming up with this genius and ingenuitive post idea, well done, well done..   ( can you hear the sarcasm? ) 

3 Staple Camera Lenses

There's just something about buying and having a choice of camera lenses that appeals to me. The whole process of reading reviews of the best ones online to then switching between them myself, it's a very satisfying (and slightly pricey!) hobby. I thought I'd show you around my stash today, for any camera techie readers out there, or for someone that wants to dip in and try out. 

So to start with this is my beloved camera, a Nikon D5100 Digital SLR with flip screen - which comes in super handy, especially for any macro photography when you're down on the ground. In my opinion, lower budget Nikon cameras are much easier to navigate than a Canon for someone like me who learnt all the technical jazz after getting this camera. It's not that small, you could fit it in a backpack if you attached a smallish lens, but it's big enough to handle nicely and feel like a 'propah' camera. 

This Nikkor 18-105mm AF-S lens came with my camera and it's the one I stick to for landscapes or shots that don't need a small depth of field. I snapped a photo below so you can compare the type of image these lenses produce, you can see from this one that you can get a pretty wide angle shot without having to stand too far back from the subject. If you want to see what kind of shots it can take click here.  

This second lens, a Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.8 is my newest addition and I honestly don't know how I survived without one! Great for taking photos of people and food, you can get a really small depth of field, so you achieve that lovely soft effect that looks professional and flattering in photos and videos. It's also pretty mini so great for days out when you want to keep things easy to carry. This photo above was taken from the same position as the previous lens, you can see how it's much more zoomed in than the wide-angle and has a much softer effect. You can click here and here if you want to see how this lens looks in video. 

This is the Sigma 105mm macro f2.8 lens, my final and most treasured lens. Gorgeous for when you want a sharp and detailed image of anything really small. The photo above doesn't do it any justice, but it lets you see how zoomed in the image is when the camera is in the same position as previously. If you want to see what kind of shots it can take I'll link some here, here and here.  

Hopefully this was helpful or just interesting to read, I do love a good techie chat from time to time. Any staple lenses you want to share? I'd love to hear. 
Georgina

Dabbling In Bulb Photography

Bulb photography is something that has always had me a little bit amazed. For anyone that doesn't know, it's when you fiddle with the shutter speed (making it say 30seconds long) and using a torch to draw shapes in the air. It's something I've always wanted to try but it's not often you find yourself in a field at night. So this summer when I was camping with a couple of friends I found myself rigging up a tripod and fiddling with the camera settings for a little taster session.

We did lots of 'taster shots' at the beginning aka an excuse to go crazy and make zigzag shapes all over the place. Then with the right settings and camera position in place we could get a little bit more creative. 

The idea in this shot above was to create three silhouettes all layered on top of each other, to make it look like someone was stepping upwards. I think we were a little ambitious but it kinda worked!

In the next three photos we tried to write '2015' in the air, sounds simple but then it dawned on us that 'oh wait, we have to write these numbers backwards'. It took a few shots, the suspense when you're waiting for the photo to load was intense, sometimes we really couldn't tell whether we were drawing the number the right way round! 

 None of these photos are perfect, and being a slight perfectionist I'd love to spend a few solid hours getting some shots just right. But it was so much fun, we ended up having one person hold down the 'photo taking' button so we didn't have a set time to draw - because 30seconds just wasn't long enough! The whole rushing to the camera to check how the photo turned out was super fun and meant a lot of gallivanting across the field!
If I ever happen to be somewhere dark and spacious again with tripod and camera in hand ( you never know ) I think shoot two will have to happen. 
Georgina