Friday 28 November 2014

The Good Old Days



Sitting in university swamped with work, I can feel the knots in my shoulders that just ache of stress, usually if I was at home I'd play some of my favourite songs in an attempt to calm down but sadly today I've forgotten my earphones and I don't want to burden everyone with my strange playlists, but hey, it might help everyone else loosen up too, as my songs play through Mr Brightside by The Killers begins and everyone perks up, starts singing along and by the chorus we're all having a blast belting out our worst singing voices, this sparks into a frenzy of sharing old songs from when we were in our early teens, we all seemed to have memories with the same songs and it was so nice to share them with each other and got me thinking about putting together a playlist of all the old, cheesy and cringey songs I used to love but that bring back the best memories from a younger, carefree version of myself, so i did it;


And here is my 'Throwback to the good old days' playlist, I'm listening to it right now and getting the best feeling of the days before coursework, exams, relationships and changes.

And to you, if there is anyone out there reading this, I hope some of these songs bring back the same feeling for you as they have fore me, if so then lie back and take your mind on a walk to those days.

Hope you have a great day.

Zoe x

Sunday 19 October 2014

Autumn Time

I'm not a huge fan of this time of year, I think it's down to the dark, wet mornings, the increase of creepy crawly insects around my home and I usually spend most of the autumn sniffing and coughing. 
Although I'm not an autumn person I've started to do little things to perk up my mood and find the good in this season, I thought I'd share my new list of Autumn pick-me-ups with you;

Lush Cosmetics Autumn and Winter Range



'oh my, oh, my, oh my'
The excitement in me as I walked past Lush at 8am and saw the employees unpacking the new delivery, that could only mean one thing; 'THE NEW RANGE IS IN FBKHGBSKJGBS!!'
and as soon as I got out of my morning lecture I sprinted to the store where I spent a shameful amount of money on bath bombs, bubble bars and bath ballistics, even the staff got excited over the new products and the old classics making an appearance again, throwing them under my nose and showing me what the new ones were like in the water, I was really in my element.
I bought a full bag of goodies that day and I have 3 left.....that took place about 2 weeks ago...and I plan to go back tomorrow to see what else I can grab...but think about it, I could be spending my money on much worse things...

Hot chocolate



This Autumn I have developed a new found love for hot chocolate and I dont know why I had never appreciated it as much before, as soon as I roll in after a busy day the first thing I do is rush to the kitchen where I grab my favourite mug and throw three heap spoonfuls of chocolate powder into it, showering it with a tonne of milk (see? calcium...in a way its healthy) and then put it in the microwave for 2 glorious minutes, when I open the microwave I'm met with a bubbling, warm, cosy potion of chocolate gorgeousness, but it doesnt stop there....
for the full experience you toss in a handful of little fluffy marshmallows who, when met with the chocolate oblivion in the cup, melt into a frothy blanket of nectar, yummy right? oh but we still arent finished, now for the fluffy cloud of cream, and dont be shy with it, tower it above the brim of the cup and your taste buds will love you foever.

Ive been drinking this every night and its the perfect concoction if youre feeling a little stressed out and want five minutes to yourself. 
(best served with Ed sheeran singing angelically in the background)

Bedroom makeover




Its a cosy time of year, why not adapt your environment to that as well? 
My bedroom is pretty tiny already, but I prefer to think of it as 'Cosy'
but there are little ways to make it feel more like your own little hobbit hole;

Candles-
As long as youre careful and dont leave it burning unattended or have kids running around its such a gorgeous way to make your room cosy, especially with a scented candle, my personal favourite is Christmas cookie by yankee candle, although I havent got one yet I plan to ASAP.

Fairy lights-
I got these from Ikea over the summer and this time of year is perfect for them, they give such a subtle, warm glow to any room and I just feel so at home when I can cosy up next to them in my room.


and the other day I got these little pumpkin ones just for Halloween. woohoo, festive!


Slippers



I was never a slippers fan, but last week I was in hospital for a couple of nights and my dad bought some for me to wear out of bed and I haven't had them off since, before I get my hot chocolate I throw on these puppies and I can tell you, my feet thank me for it. 

Cosy scarves


Im a huge fan of scarves, and I love to layer up for my walk to the bus stop in the mornings, this paired with my little flask (of hot chocolate of course) just make mornings better for me.

Halloween

Im actually really excited for Halloween this year as I plan to go all out with my costume (stay tuned for that) but for now, I'll leave you with a few little ideas courtesy of Pintrest...



Zoe x

Wednesday 24 September 2014

New Routines

It can be hard for some people to get used to a new routine. however I do find it quite easy, since I moved school to do my A levels back in 2012, I loved the routine I got into, getting up and putting on my school uniform, not having to worry about what to wear, getting a free school bus with friends, learning my timetable off by heart and not going to sixth form study when I should have been in art class...

It was a routine I found easy to get into, but it lasted no time at all, 2 years seems like a longer time than it actually is and having only 2 years at a new school, with new people and new teachers isnt at all long enough to become fully accustomed to a daily routine, even though I found it easy enough, I did stuggle with the time I arrived home everyday which was about 20 past 4. see, in my previous school, we got out at 3pm and I was home by 3.05pm because I literally lived such a short distance away from it, so with the longer days in school during my A levels when i was getting out of school at 3.20pm, I would often find myself asleep on the bus, resulting in awkward pictures and videos of my lying with my mouth hanging open as if I was trying to catch flies. oh dear.

But suddenly I found myself thrown out of this routine into another one, a longer one, which isnt as accurate with its times as sixth form. University is very, very, very draining, and I'm waiting on the 'All nighters' to begin soon enough with the amount of work I have (although it is fun, it still takes a lot of of me since I am so tiny and lazy too). 

There will be days that I get up at 6am, and sometimes even 5.30am (dont ask why, I just suddenly wake up) and then going out into the world for the day and arriving home at 7pm, thats over 12 hours and when youre having to use your mind so much and walk across half a capital city to get to your college, that is a very, very long day. 
Then other days when I wont be leaving the house until 10am and coming home at 2pm, and for the distance I have to travel and the fact I now have to pay £8 for a bus each day, that seems a bit of a waste of time.
Then there comes Wednesday and friday, oh how I love them, the days when I get to stay at home because I have no lectures.....WRONG, as I am in my first year, that means a lot of team projects, which means I still have to get that 40 minute bus journey, and pay £8 and walk that 5/10 mins through the city with everyone else rushing around me. 

Dont get me wrong, I do love having something to do all the time, but when you fall asleep on a public bus next to a little old woman and scare her as you jump awake with a twitch (we've all done it)....it gets old after a while.

I have tried to perk my days up a lot with little things I love like;

COSTA COFFEEEEE



Oh Costa how I love you, if only I could afford my flat white and lemon muffin everyday I'd be the happiest girl alive. Sitting with my sketch book watching the world go by on busy mornings, I find it so relaxing and rejuvenating before I head off to class to daydream and doodle things in my books instead of taking notes (I swear art school is the only place you'd get praised for doing that). But honestly, this start to my day makes for a happy Zoe the rest of the day.

MUSIC

I honestly love nothing more than to close my eyes and listen to music on the bus, or even as i sketch, I love music and as my friends know I love to dance to it when we go out (maybe a little too much).
The other day I decided to create a playlist from the songs I have on my phone, but I chose ones that perk my mood up when I listen to them, especially on the way home as i daydream about taking off my makeup and welcoming the cosy warmth of my bed (as i said in a previous post, I am very easy pleased). 
I thought Id share that playlist with you now, so have a listen and enjoy.




YOUTUBE

I have an unhealthy addiction to Vloggers, dont ask why because I dont know why...
Is it weird to say that I get inspired with these people? The fact that they have such interesting lives and share them with us, I just love, Its like having a friend you just havent got the chance to meet, you know them inside out and what they get up to. i respect them for sharing so much of their lives online, but I guess its a modern day diary...
Here are some Vloggers I love to watch;


I normally watch them at the end of the day when they post their videos, but lately Ive enjoyed watching them as I sit with my coffee in the mornings, gives me something to think about that isnt to do with whats going on in my life, its like an escape for 15 mins from my own life as I relax before my own day starts. 

Hope you have a great day!
Zoe x

First Week At University


After my attempt to get into a new routine by purchasing endless amounts of 'to go' coffees and setting seven different alarms to wake me up each morning, I've finished my first week at university. 


Even though I haven't had any classes yet, I had a full week of inductions, meeting other students and trying to familiarise myself with my new surroundings, I can say that I have a feeling I'm really going to love it here. 

One thing I loved most was getting to know the area with people I was sharing my course with. I know Belfast pretty well, but struggle with the area around my uni, so we were given a task;

Take this sheet of riddles, the answers to the riddles are locations around the city, when you get there, take a picture of your team there and tweet/instagram the photo using the hashtag '#UlsterBSA2014' along with your team name, ours was 'TeamAnim8', how creative are we?

Anyway, we made our way around the city, finding places and having a laugh along the way, it was such a great idea for us to learn about the city and eachother.

While walking around to find these places, I came across some of the cutest and bizzard places in Belfast that I had never seen, my favourite place was this little street I found, It looked so European like i had turned into a street that transported me to Amsterdam. 


Little places like this makes me realise the gorgeous country Northern Ireland is, and I hope to see more pretty places like this as I go through Uni.


Being such a shy person this gave me a great chance to talk to everyone and helped me feel more comfortable with my new surroundings, like, c'mon, do I look awkward and shy in our photos? I didn't think so, and that's something I'm proud of (I'm easily pleased) especially when I feel like I fit in somewhere.

Looking back at my interview for this course I remember watching the first years doodling ideas on the walls and having ideas written everywhere, I felt like i was meant to do animation, running back to my art teacher at my school back in march and talking with massive amounts of excitement about the course and smiling so much my cheeks were sore, and now I'm here, in that same room, but I'm the one writing my ideas over the walls and windows and making animations. I honestly cant tell you how happy I am right now. 

Zoe x

Friday 12 September 2014

Puppy Love!!

Meet Izzy, the most gorgeous 8 week old jack russell puppy you will ever see! 
Izzy is my sister's new puppy and I am a very happy auntie to this little bundle of cuteness! 










So welcome to the family little Izzy.

Zoe x