Hyper Japan

 

 

Last weekend I drove my brother and I down to London to attend Hyper Japan, the biggest Japanese culture show in the UK. We had an amazing day and came out with our purses/wallets considerably lighter, stomachs full of sushi and blistered feet after spending eight hours wandering around stalls upon stalls of kawaii goodness! There was a variety of entertaining performances including traditional Japanese arts, a Cosplay parade and, my personal favourites, J-Pop and J-Rock acts. Seriously. Watch Anna Yano's 'Shape My Story' music video all the way through; if this can't cheer you up on a bad day I don't know what can.

 

I adored getting to meet some sickeningly talented artists and buy their work. I treated myself to a orginal pencil and ink drawing by Shiitake Gensodo, an art zine by Japaneze Baby, and two portraits; one by Zephyrhant and the other by Chi Kutsuwada. Check them out!

 

Hyper Japan is coming back to London for a special Christmas edition in November 2014, and I will definitely be getting tickets. Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 



Art, lately..

 

 

 

I finally put my phone down and picked my pencil up! I procrastinate and internet way too hard and spend hours upon hours of my free time scrolling through Instagram looking at beautiful tattoo artwork and wishing it was mine. I have discovered a new love for drawing mandalas and using dotwork, it's so theraputic in that it calms me and focuses my mind, almost like meditation.

It's hard for me to put my drawings out there into the internet world as I am so critical of my work and I get really conscious and awkward when people ask to look at it. But I really want to have more opportunities to be involved in creative projects and grow my portfolio of work so I'm going for it and trying to not let my insecurities keep holding me back from what I want..

So here it is. I hope to try and do some new work each week and make it a regular post on this blog; let me know what you think!

Hearts and Flowers

 

How adorable is this dress? This was my first purchase from the Depop app and it's safe to say I am officially an addict. I had the app on my phone for a while and I admit it sat there not doing much; I barely looked at it after intially setting my account up. Now I can't put the bloody thing down! I have made so many good buys off there over the last few weeks that I will be doing a seperate video/post on my purchases as they are too darn good not to share. For those of you who haven't heard of Depop before, it's basically a mobile app for you to sell/swap things (mostly fashion items but there's all sorts) set out in a similar format to Instagram so it's a much more attractive shopping experience than eBay. It's like a having a hip thrift store in the palm of your hand! A word of caution though; make sure you buy from reputable sellers, as with any good idea there are those internet spam demons out there ruining the experience for all the genuine buyers and sellers. So be careful and sensible and you will find some absolute gems on there! And those clothes in your closet with the labels still on, or the pair of shoes you thought were a good idea in the store but have been collecting dust since - sell them to a good home and get some extra cash, win win!

Outfit: The dress I am wearing is originally from Primark, I snapped this up for £6 which, to say postage was included, is an absolute bargain! It's very light and floaty which makes it perfect for summer and it can be dressed up or down. It has a cutesy vintage vibe to it; I personally adore this style of dress as it's flattering for my body shape. Location: The field of poppies is not far from my house, I drive past it on my way to work and when I spotted this gorgeous sea of red I just had to go and shoot there before they are all gone - I've never seen so many in this spot before!

Spring

Outfit:

Hat - H&M
Dress - F&F
Tee - Primark

Boots - Boohoo

It's been forever since I've done a proper blog post. The past few weeks have been pretty tough and it's taken up most of my energy to just knuckle down and carry on with day to day stuff, so I admit I have abandoned my little internet space as of late! I confess I have also been playing Final Fantasy XIII again so...yeah. But because I've been away so long I've got plenty of new bits and pieces to write about - watch this space!

The Big Announcement

New video up on my channel!

It feels really good to be able to get this off my chest, and I can't wait to start documenting my journey whether it be a success or a failure.

Please subscribe to my channel if you would like to see how this pans out! I would also love to hear from you if you have had a similar experience or any advice..

xx

The Liebster Award

Recently I have been nominated by two fabulous fellow bloggers, the lovely Sian and Roseanne, to do the 'Liebster Award' tag!

"The Liebster Award is for bloggers with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer the 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate other bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer.  It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

11 Random Facts About Me

1. My birthday is on New Years Eve (31st December) and I am well and truly a Capricorn.

2. I am a cat momma to two beautiful boys, Gary and Robbie.

 

3. I am the eldest of four siblings. I have two younger brothers, Sam and Thomas, and a little sister, Eleanor.

I would move mountains for the lot of them. <3

4. I am a massive geek.

5. I suffer with anxiety and every day is a battle to fight the fear.

6. Fruit Bat is the pet name my Mum has called me since I was little.

7. One of my dreams is to travel around Asia.

8. My boyfriend is seventeen years older than me and we have to deal with a lot of prejudice because of that. Age is just a number and love is limitless.

Plus he's a babe.

9. These are my earth angels.

10. I did Ballet for eleven years and wish I had stuck at it.

11. I am absolutely hopeless at getting up in a morning. I am in love with my bed.

Sian's Questions for Me

1. What made you start blogging?

I used to keep an online blog in my early teens, back in the days when Open Diary and Live Journal were king; so it's something I've had an interest in for a long time. Even then it was a great community to be a part of and I made lots of friends through having an online 'journal,' some of which I am still in touch with even after *cough*eleven*cough* years. I love reading different blogs and discovering new ones, there's so many out there now! I have also become unhealthily addicted to YouTube, again, the amount of great channels available to watch is insane. These all inspired me to start blogging/making videos again and I also made a resolution that I would be more creative this year - so here I am!

2. What is your biggest achievement?
Oh god, I hate questions like this as I'm always very hard on myself and don't ever feel like I've accomplished anything extraordinary. It probably sounds trivial, but the feeling I get when I finish a piece of artwork is when I am at my happiest. I like tangible things.

3. Favourite song?
I don't think I could pick just one favourite song; there are so many close to my heart. But if I have to I think it would be 'Lua' by Bright Eyes.

4. Milk, dark or white chocolate?
ALL OF IT.

5. What is your favourite palette? 
The Urban Decay Naked palettes are always winners.
6. Have you still kept your New Years resolutions?
Yes and no. My main resolution was to be creative again. I'm really happy that I decided to start this blog this year and can't see me giving up any time soon! However, I still want to start drawing and painting again and I haven't made the time to do this yet. All the other resolutions to get fitter and eat healthier went out the window long ago.
7. Biggest fear?
Spiders. Death. Death by spiders.
Living with an anxiety disorder it's difficult to pin point one fear as my biggest. I am constantly worrying and overthinking things which leaves me feeling scared the majority of the time. Most of my anxieties will revolve around fear of dying or fear of failure so they would probably be my biggest.
8. What is your favourite part of your make up routine? (Do you love contouring, applying mascara etc...)
Taking it off! Can't beat that feeling of having a freshly washed face.
9. Favourite colour? 
Red lips. Black clothes. Turquoise jewels. Pink hair.
10. Black or brown mascara? 
Black, by a country mile.
11. What is your favourite blog to read?

I love The Little Magpie by Amy Bell; this lady could wear anything and make it look like it's come straight out of Vogue. I also like Frilly and Fancy by the super cute Kalel and the outfits and quotes on Candyfloss Curls, Cupcakes and Couture by Elizabeth Daisy.

Roseanne's Questions for Me

 1. Favourite makeup brand?

My heart will always belong to Mac.
2. Favourite highstreet store? (beauty, fashion, anything...)

Waterstones - I can spend HOURS in that shop.

3. Favourite candle scent?

Pretty much all of the Yankee candles.
4. Mac or Benefit?

Hands down, Mac.

6. Favourite quote?

"This too shall pass."
7. Beauty/Style icon?
Here are some lovely ladies that inspire me with their unique style:

Maia Leech, Amy Bell, Anastasjia Louise, Marzia Bisognin, Zoe Sugg 
8. Favourite holiday destination?

Italy or New York.
9. Most used/repurchased beauty product?

Nivea Lip Balm
10. What do you like to do on a rainy day?

Stay tucked up in my pjs with my ipad and plenty of snacks, and listen to the sound of the rain.
11. Guilty pleasure?

Erotic fiction. And X-Factor.

Phew! That took longer than expected, cheers ladies! I really enjoyed writing this post, and I hope it gives you a little bit more of an insight in to me and the things I like.

I tag Alexandra and Maia to have a bash at this and my questions are:

1. Describe yourself in three words.

2. What is your holy grail beauty product?

3. Dream destination?

4. What is your star sign and do you think it fits your character?

5. Do you have any special items of jewellery that you wear every day?

6. Favourite Blogs or YouTube Channels?

7. Favourite item in your wardrobe?

8. An Artist or Author whose work inspires you?

9. Red lips or winged eyeliner?

10. Describe your perfect Summers day.

11. Do you have any OCDs or strange habits?

xx

February Favourites

Better late than never!

 Check out my latest favourites video for the fashion, beauty and other bits I have been loving recently. I'm even getting a bit saucy this month.. ooo matron!

xx

Art and Anxiety

I haven't made the time to do any artwork for so long now. Sometimes I think the reason why I suffer so much with my anxiety is that I'm not allowing myself to vent those emotions with a creative outlet. When I'm lost in drawing, writing or reading I'm completely absorbed and calm and I know I need to make more time to do these things that I love. I have been passionate about art since I was very little; I would spend hours and hours imagining stories and drawing the characters. My Grandparents are all very creative and growing up they really nutured my love for drawing, painting, sewing, writing, etc. Going through school was quite tough for me as I was bullied; I was always quite 'out-there' with the way I dressed and presented myself and a lot of people couldn't accept that and made me feel afraid to be myself. I remember always having a sketchbook with me and I would sit at the back of my classes doodling away and it helped me through the negative emotions I was going through at that time. I then went on to study Fine Art at college and this was a real rollercoaster ride for me. I went through a really shitty relationship and was taking drugs, I was hardly eating and weighed about six and a half stone. Amazingly, with the support of family and friends, I pulled through this and achieved top marks in my qualification and got offered a place at University. I left the crap behind and felt the best I had in ages. I ended up leaving University after the first year; I wasn't enjoying the course and I felt I had hit a wall with my artwork and that I wasn't going anywhere. I lost all confidence in my creative ability and since then I've been scared to put my pen to paper and try again. It's infuriating as doing my art used to be my release for all my feelings of fear and stress, and now I feel like my anxiety is holding me back from doing something I care about. I have made half-hearted attempts to sit and produce something, but it's been years since I was able to make art without worrying that it won't be good enough. Which is ridiculous, it's my art, it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks.

Sorry for rambling on. The point of this post is for me to put my feelings in to words and to make a promise to myself that this year I am going to make a conscious effort to start making art again. For me. Starting this blog and my Youtube channel has made me realise how much I miss being creative and how important it is to me. It's in the very fibre of my being. So here it is. I promise to make more art.

Leading Lady

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful and inspiring woman; my Grandmother.

79 years beautiful!

<3

February Update and MeadowHAUL Video

New haul video up on my channel!

I've been up to lots of lovely things over the past week or so. Had some really nice days with both mine and David's family as well as going out and spending some quality time together as a couple. I've eaten so much scrumptious food as well I'm stunned I can still fit into any of my clothes! 

I've had my Aunt's, my little Sister's and my Stepdad's birthdays to celebrate so far this month. My Aunt and I went out for a days retail therapy sesh at Meadowhall, including a big breakfast and a pitstop for nachos and wine! She spent the night at my place and we had a curry, more wine, and rested our weary legs from the shopping miles we had done. My Sister, Eleanor, turned 5 the same week and I went along to her party where she and her little friends got to go round a farm park and of course us 'adults' had more fun than the kids and ate most of the party food. I did get some video footage of the day which I will upload soon. 

Valentines weekend was exceptionally lovely. On the 13th David took me out for one of the best meals I've had in ages at The Copper Beech; the food was bloody gorgeous and really good value for money. On Valentines Day itself we spent a cosy night at home and I cooked a meal; nothing extravagant, but it was so nice to have a romantic and relaxed evening together enjoying each others company. 

Over the weekend we had David's daughter and my little Brother and Sister stop over (I was on babysitting duty as my Mum had taken my Stepdad out for his birthday) so I made sure we had all the essential treats for a sleepover: DVDs, pizza, popcorn and plenty of sweeties! The following day we cooked a big Sunday dinner for everyone and got my Stepdad a surprise birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday! 

So that's some of the highlights of my February so far! Have you done anything special this month? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.

Xx

Monday Blues and a New Video

New video up on my channel!

This has been an absolute bitch. My attempts at getting a video uploaded over the past couple of days have been thwarted by numerous laptop/internet issues. It doesn't help that my patience is wearing rather thin at the moment (geek cue "Like butter..scraped over too much bread.")

Forked out a load of money last week to get my car through her MOT and the poor old girl got a broken spring on the way to work this morning. So I had to turn around and take her straight back to the garage for another expensive repair. Oh and, of course, because the part is a 'special order' I won't have her back until later today; so I've had to call in work - which is always a joyous task - and will have to battle the elements ON FOOT to my doctors appointment this afternoon.

On a brighter note; I hope you all enjoy my first ever monthly favourites video. Despite all of the technical frustrations, I love writing this blog and making videos for my channel; it's so nice to be doing creative things again and taking babysteps towards being more confident in myself and not let negativity hold me back!

Cat children

The past couple of days have been pretty crappy, so I've not felt very inspired to sit down and write anything or do any editing. Things have been getting me down at work, which means I've been coming home tired and grumpy. Yesterday was particularly bad so David took me out for dinner; we ended up sharing a bottle of red with our meal, so I've failed on my tee-total January challenge. Although I'm still chuffed that I've managed two weeks without so much as a sniff of alcohol, even though we've still got so much left in the house after Christmas. Today has been much better; I've spent most of the day just hanging out with my cats Gary and Robbie. I love my boys, they always cheer me up when I feel down. There's nothing better than the unconditional love and trust of a pet and the comfort it brings. THEY ARE MY FURRY CHILDREN.

Vlog Virginity

It's official! My first video is up on my YouTube channel!

*celebration trumpets*

It's basically a very rough edit of the footage I recorded whilst away in London for my birthday and New Years last week. It feels like it's taken forever to put together because I'm out at work all day and as I'm someone who is usually in bed for 9pm, I've had to retrain my body clock these past few days to allow me to function on less than 5 hours sleep. Needless to say I've overslept a lot and it's been bugging me  constantly in the back of my mind to get it done.

It's a long one! 

(that's what she said)

If you manage to make it the whole way through and you are still awake (I'm impressed!) leave a comment, hit subscribe and all that lovely jubbly stuff...

Patience

Don't you just hate that feeling of your day being a complete waste? Especially on weekends!

Well I've been having one of those days. To start off I completely slept in, which really annoyed me because David was out at work and I had planned on getting up to run some errands and make the most out of the morning. FAIL. So of course before I knew it, half the day had passed and I hadn't even so much as got dressed or brushed my hair. I then attempted to continue editing the vlog footage from my birthday, but the wi-fi and laptop decided to pack up on me which left me feeling more deflated than before I had started. I'm really enjoying getting back into blogging and editing again, but I forgot how much malfunctioning equipment can raise one's blood pressure!

So after giving up on the computer I decided to finally set up my new Wii U - which was my Christmas present from David and I still hadn't had the time to get it up and running. Another rookie mistake. Don't ever play platform games such as Super Mario Bros that require patience and control when you're already feeling wound up and defeated! Little fucker with his red hat, moustache and rubbish jump range...

I've had a soak in the bath and David has fixed the wi-fi, but all in all I'm still feeling rather rubbish. It's just one of those days.

What do you do to cheer yourself up when you're feeling blue?

Guess who's back!

Gary came back home today; I'm so relieved!

So begins another year...

I've finally sat down and got my feet up after a busy couple of days in London!

Yesterday was my birthday and David spoilt me to tickets to see the Phantom of the Opera. The show was stunning and I was totally absorbed in the music and the performances throughout the entire thing, and the costumes and sets were gorgeous! I can't get the songs out of my head again and will most likely be playing the soundtrack in my car for the next few weeks. We also went for the most amazing meal before the show at a little Japanese fusion restaurant and takeaway place in North Greenwich. It's called Zaibatsu and I found it via Tripadvisor - the customer reviews and photos speak for themselves. It was deeee-lish and David successfully used chopsticks for the first time! We spent the last hour or so of the 31st in an Indian club that had a Bollywood themed dj set on - definitely the strangest place I've been for the countdown, but the atmosphere and music were brilliant!

We were going to revisit Highgate Cemetry on the way back but the weather was bloody awful, so we gave it a miss and came home for a carvery instead and went to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug at our local cinema afterwards.

I did a ton of vlogging whilst we were away and I will get round to editing and uploading it to my new YouTube channel eventually... Unfortunately I'm back at work tomorrow (boo hiss!) so it won't be happening tonight.

All in all, I've had an amazing time away with the fella, but it also feels sooo good to be home. Apart from Gary has gone missing again (David's son has been catsitting whilst we were away and he said Gary hasn't been home since Monday) so I'm going to be a worrying wreck until he shows his furry face.

Watching the end of Harry Potter on itv then it's bedtime for me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!