Lifestyle || #DearMe A Letter to My Younger Self

                          

So to celebrate international Women's Day Youtube have started the #DearMe campaign posing the question 'What advice would you give your teenage self?' It got me thinking what would I say to my younger self if I had the chance so here goes..

Dear Me, 

You'll be happy to hear you made it through school and university and through this you become a confident and beautiful person who is no longer happy to sit in the background and hide or constantly puts themselves down, but this is all part of growing up,putting yourself out there and trying new things so stop being afraid and do them already! Whilst high school is a time where everyone is constantly worried about what everyone else is thinking, stop, who cares you won't even see some of these people again past school so who gives a damn what they think of you. Put your friends first because they are the ones who are still with you now, not your boyfriend whilst love might seem important now he won't always be there like your friends and certainly won't be there to pick you up after its all over.

Look after yourself, I know you hate P.E and love chocolate but exercise can actually be fun, well beneficial and remember you did actually like sports at one point. 

Surprisingly the spelling Cloee has stuck, although it does cause constant confusion and you will have to tell people over and over why you spell it that way but who cares as long as it's not being spelt Chole (which yes people somehow still do). 

Keep up with the crazy colour combinations and throwing together whatever you want to make an outfit, because even though you'll look back one day and think what an earth was I thinking it's all part of experimentation and expressing yourself which is nothing to be ashamed of. Don't think to much of what everyone else thinks, even those who you are close to, if you like a band listen to them or like that bright pink skirt and other people don't -who cares! Don't let everyone rule choices that are yours to make.

Make the most of being at home and with your family. You may want to just shut yourself upstairs every evening and sit on MSN all night until you finally move out to uni, but believe me when I say this - you will miss it! (and you'll definitely miss only having to do a small amount of chores for pocket money compared to doing all of them for free). 

Most of all have fun! Enjoy the many concerts you'll go to, read frequently and never give up the enthusiasm you have for bookseven when studying them make take away some of the joy, and you'll soon realise how wonderful being in London is even if it scares you a little now you'll look back and laugh when you find yourself enjoying a commute one day. You'll find yourself doing things you never imagined you would and whilst they don't fit into what you'd planned it's for the best and shapes you into the great person you have become.

Lots of Love

Cloee

Xoxo

Monthly Favourites || February

         

Without sounding cliché it's crazy how fast 2015 is going and spring is already approaching, bring on the sunshine, pastel colours and chocolate as we approach easter.  I won't ramble so here's what I've been loving this month

Book:

The Accident Season – Moira Fowley-Doyle  

So this book isn't actually out til July, but after I devoured it in one sitting I couldn't not include it in this months favourites. During my work experience at Random House Children's division in September I remember hearing a lot about this debut YA book about a family who every October have 'the accident season' full of bruises, cuts and broken bones and the mystery that surrounds it. Whilst I was at Penguin this month I was lucky enough to acquire a copy from the free books shelf and was so excited to start reading it, I don't want to say anymore with the fear of giving away plot details but I'd definitely recommend pre-ordering.

The Rosie Effect – Graeme Simsion

I loved the Rosie Project and was naturally pretty excited to hear what disasters Don would encounter in the next chapter of his and Rosie's life now they're married with a baby on the way. This was a sequel that didn't disappoint as it included all the characteristic charm and humour that made me fall in love with the first book.

T.V Shows: 

The Voice

I'm not usually a fan of talent competition shows, the XFactor and Britain's Got Talent have for me just lost any excitement and are boring and predictable. So of course I assumed I would hate The Voice, but clearly I have been proven wrong. Yes, the spinning chairs are really tacky and in this day and age we should judge people on their talent regardless of their appearance anyway but that still doesn't stop me loving it. Unlike other talent shows I feel we are spared of the sob stories and acts who are lacking in talent and are able to enjoy people's unique interpretations of songs. Plus Ricky is just such a charmer I enjoy watching him convince all the contestants to join his team.

Broadchurch

I know this is a show that everyone raves about but it is honestly so much better than I expected. Initially I never watched the first series when it was aired on tv, but when I saw it on Sky on Demand before the second series started I thought why not give into the hype and see what it's all about. Within two days I had finished the first series and was eagerly anticipating the second series, but it's such a great drama as it constantly keeps you guessing and everyone is a suspect in the investigation. I feel the second series didn't quite live up to the first, but maybe that's where I had to wait a week between each episode instead, but I look forward to seeing what series three brings when it returns next year.

Music: 

Ed Sheeran – X

After months I've finally given in and bought this album and I don't know what has been holding me back. It has definitely reignited my love for Ed Sheeran with its mixture of chilled and catchy tunes was perfect for listening to on my commute into London

Gabrielle Aplin

I feel with music I go through stages where I'll be hooked to an artist or album for a month or two then will go about a year before rediscovering them on my iTunes and this is what has happened with Gabrielle Aplin. Listening to these songs just take me back to Glastonbury last year and the relaxing chilled tone was perfect for my way home from London over the past few weeks as I could feel as if I was escaping the chaos and was back in a field again instead.

Food and Drink: 

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramels

I am known for being a bit of a salted caramel fiend, without a doubt its my favourite food (or at least one of them) so I decided to treat myself for valentines day and for successfully completely two weeks of work experience in London, with some from Hotel Chocolat and they were most definitely worth it.

Tanya Burr: Cookie Recipes  (http://www.tanyaburr.co.uk/?blog=blogs/archive/2013/10/31/chocolate.cookies.recipe.aspx.   https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GsUzi4x9m-E ) 

My sister has been begging me to make these for quite some time and with the cold drizzly weather this february has brought I thought I'd finally make them as a comforting treat. I'm so glad I gave in because they are honestly the best cookies I have ever made, the result gives that perfectly texture of a slight crunch on the outside but still being soft and gooey in the middle. Its a testament to how good these are that I made them 3 weeks in a row, although by the third week I had to swap from the double chocolate to the chocolate and milk instead to cut back on the chocolate but they were still delicious. The most unfortunate thing is they definitely didn't last much further than the weekend before everyone had devoured them.

Beauty: 

Lush Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar

It has been years since I set foot in a Lush store, but after seeing so many hauls on Youtube I finally gave in. Firstly what I loved about this (aside from the great name) is the beautiful colours of the bubble bar. Secondly the scent, lavender is always one of those smells that I associate with feeling calm and relaxed, which is exactly what I associate with bath time. Thirdly I only used half of this and it was definitely more than enough bubbles for my bath so that made me glad for my choice of bubble bar over bath bomb and even though this was limited edition I will definitely be making a trip back to Lush soon!

Tanya Burr Lipgloss Aurora

I've actually had this for quite sometime, but lip products are something I go through phases with where I'll be hooked to one colour for a while and then swap onto something different and so on. Now I know these have received a lot of praise everywhere else so I won't go on too much about them, but I just love the natural colour and subtle shine it gives to your lips without being too sticky. These glosses have definitely converted me back into a lipgloss fan.

Miscellaneous: 

Charades (Iphone/pod/pad App)

Again another thing that isn't so new but I love it. Charades is a game I usually dread having to play but me and my sister play this all the time and just end up in fits of laughter as we find ridiculous ways to try and explain or describe things.

Books and Quills (Youtube channel) (https://m.youtube.com/user/booksandquills)

I usually watch a lot of beauty videos or daily vloggers on Youtube, but sometimes its nice to watch something different. As someone who is obsessed with books I am in love with Sanne's videos and always feel so inspired after watching them to go read more.

-Cloee xoxo 

Books || Word on the Water Bookshop

        

In part of my aim to explore London more this year I took it upon myself to find the bookshop on a barge, Word on the Water, after having seen the campaign to save the shop on the news in November 2014 I just had to find the shop myself and take a look (and of course I am always on the hunt for some new books to add to my personal library). 

I was amazed by how many books can actually fit onto a canal boat and found it almost impossible to select only a few books (given that my to read list is so long I couldn't buy too many more) since there was such a great variety of both old and new books. With a large and eclectic range of second hand books there's something for everyone both old and young. Of course this means stock is constantly changing but I like many others see this as a box of unknown treasures of well loved books with an unknown history, half the excitement is not knowing what you may find.

What I also loved was the inviting atmosphere, it's honestly a book lovers paradise with so many books filling the shelves but without overflowing or being cluttered and full of charming décor which makes you want to continue looking for longer, not only at the books but the lovely interior.  You're made to feel completely at home whilst you browse both inside and outside this beautiful haven within London, it's like a secret escape and you forget for a moment that your in the capital. 

     

The prices are definitely reasonable at £3 for paperbacks or two for £5 and Hardbacks are £5 each so its definitely worth a visit if your not looking to purchase anything in particular.  I myself walked away with two books, taking advantage of the offer, The House of the Spirits – Isabel Allende and When God was a Rabbit - Sarah Winman. Although one thing to remember is that it is cash only so take some with you if you intend to walk away with some books. 

Even if you some how don't walk away with any books, its worth a visit for the unique shopping experience you won't get anywhere else as the shop regularly plays host to poetry slams, readings, and live acoustic music on their roof stage. 

The shop only stays in one place for so long so keep up to date with where the bookshop currently is via their twitter page to avoid disappointment: @wordonthewater

 

Books || February Book Haul

                                     

As an avid reader I am constantly collecting new books on my travels or sometimes just on a rainy afternoon on Amazon and this month I have managed to acquire A LOT. I was extremely lucky at the beginning of the month to have a work experience placement at Penguin (an absolute dream) and they have a set of shelves where each department basically puts any books they don't need or want anymore for anyone to take and your entitled to two a day, so I definitely took advantage to get some more variety into my personal library. I've also indulged in some kindle offers and rather guiltily bought myself some books when buying presents for someone else. So here's all the books I've gotten throughout the course of February:

Work Experience:

So the following are the books I got whilst during my work experience, so are published by either Penguin or Random House

The Accident Season – Moira Fowley-Doyle – A book I'd heard a lot about during my previous work experience at Random House I had to satisfy my curiosity when I saw copies available  

Little Lies - Liane Moriarty

The Day We Disappeared – Lucy Robinson

Techbitch – Lucy Sykes, Jo Piazza

Recipe for Life – Mary Berry  - Despite this being an autobiography, which are usually aren't my type of thing I just couldn't resist as a huge fan of Mary

Him & Me – Jack Whitehall

Love Tanya – Tanya Burr – As someone who has been a fan of Tanya's for years I couldn't resist picking this one up whilst I was there

The Lorien Legacies: The Lost Files – Pittacus Lore – I've never gotten round to reading these despite reading the rest in the series since I thought these were only available as e-books so it was great to get a physical copy  

Kindle Purchases:

I know these books were all on offer around Valentines day so I decided to give into romance and treat myself

Lobsters – Lucy Euson and Tom Ellen

The Lover's Dictionary: A Love Story in 185 Definitions – David Levithan  - Having heard a little about this book, my curiosity was definitely peaked and given the low price I couldn't resist

The Rosie Effect – Graeme Simsion – I fell in love with the Rosie Project and Don Tillman when I read it so after trying to resist because I had so many other books to read I finally gave in to the second instalment of the story

Penguin Little Black Classics:

I saw these in a Youtube video and couldn't resist when I went into Waterstones, for 80p a piece and  the perfect size to fit in your handbag it would be rude not to buy a few. There are a total of 80 in the collection and for now I chose:

(No. 15) Femme Fatale – Guy de Mau Passant

(No. 33) The Beautifull Cassandra – Jane Austen – Which I hadn't heard of before so am very

much looking forward to giving it a go.

(No. 42) The Yellow Wall-Paper – Charlotte Perkins Gillman – I know this was reference to frequently in criticism for the module I did at uni on Victorian and Decadent literature and shamefully I can't remember whether I read it or not, either as a second read or a first I'm looking forward to it.

(No. 53) The Goblin Market – Christina Rossetti – I remember reading an extract in A Level English to compare it with Chaucer's Wife of Bath, but despite being intrigued by the poem have never read the whole thing, so after much anticipation I look forward to reading this.

Baking || Making Beer Bread

Bread is not something I would usually attempt to bake, mainly because it can be so time consuming waiting for it to rise and I'm someone who simply likes to have my cake and eat it too. However I am always up for a challenge and enjoy trying new things especially when it comes to baking or cooking so when I was given this as a gift I was excited to give it a go (especially since it combines cooking with drinking, always a perk).

I have only ever made bread from packet mixes but even so they can be time consuming, but this one was so much easier than any I've tried in the past. All you have to do is add a bottle of beer to the ingredients in the packet, mix together and pop in a greased loaf tin in the oven for 45 minutes. The packet does give the option to use cider if you prefer but I was a little skeptical about this adding an extra flavour to the bread of apple.

I was given the Chilli and Garlic mix and it was definitely a lot better than I expected it to be. The garlic flavour was delicious and the chilli definitely gave an extra kick to the flavour. 
Having searched amazon there are quite a selection of other flavours which sound great so I definitely think I'll be buying another to try in the future given the success and ease of this one.

-Cloee xoxo

Monthly Favourites || January

Book: 

Literary Listography: This book combines two of my favourite things, lists and books. It was so great to go through the book and look back on what I've read over the year and go through my shelves to fill it in and is something I can continue to fill in as I read more.

Film: 
Into the Woods: Fairy Tales + Musical = Winner 

T.V Shows: 
Pretty Little Liars: I have been hooked to this show for a LONG time, but finally it's on Netflix exclusively and every Wednesday I can get up ad watch a new episode (YAY)

The Undateables: I'm usually a bit a of a cynic when it comes to love, but this series on Channel 4 is brilliant in providing a look into the world of dating from a variety of perspectives.

Music:
Hozier: Hozier

James Bay: Hold Down the River

Food and Drink: 
Costa Caramel Latte: Christmas has gone and sadly so have the festive drinks (Boo!) so I've had to move on and find a new drink at Costa and this is it.

Chambord (Black Raspberry Liqueur): Perfect with a glass of Prosecco

Cocoa loco organic Chocolate & Raspberry Stars: the perfect bite size treat 

Beauty: 
Rimmel - Brow This Way (medium brown): This is just so quick and simple to use and keeps your brows in place for the day as well as giving some colour and is a lot easier than using an eyebrow pencil. 

Miscellaneous:
Yankee Candle Tea Lights - Angel Wings: I got these in my stocking for Christmas and they give such a gentle and soothing scent perfect for lighting in the evening whilst you snuggle up with a good book.

-Cloee xoxo 

Books || 712 More Things to Write

Creative writing is something I haven't done since I was in school when I basically had to. However it is something that I would like to get into again, but it is something I often find myself struggling with. As someone who often suffers from writers block I can never come up with an idea, but once I have one I can write for hours. So to get me back into the swing of things I decided to purchase this book, after having bought my sister the drawing equivalent for Christmas and seeing as she successfully got on with it I decided to branch out and take another attempt at creative writing, but for fun this time.

As the title would imply the book is filled with 712 prompts for writing ideas and guides you through various scenarios to write about and perspectives to write from. The pages inside vary between those divided into four, two or given one topic, some giving obviously short topics such as lists, personal ads or instructions. One of the great things about the topics in the book is there is such a great range, which include both opportunities for personal writing which allows you to draw on your own experiences "worst date of your life" or "how to get from your house to the nearest supermarket" as well as characters which are far removed from your own situation "the migration of Southern Floridians if sea levels have risen by three feet by 2050, at which point Miami will be underwater and uninhabitable". The topics also range throughout the book to the amount of detail which is provided for the writer from "a place from the past" to "You are a famous actor being interviewed by a bright young reporter about the movie you just made. You thought the script was lousy. You had a terrible time on set with the director. You dated and dumped your costar. You start the interview praising the film but gradually the truth slips out. Write the scene from the beginning" giving you a lot of freedom to expand the characters your creating however you wish with only a minor restriction on what you're supposed to be writing about.

My main criticism of this book would be that some of the topics provide only a small area to write in which if like me you have large handwriting or simply like to write at length then you can find yourstruggling to keep everything contained, although I guess this is dependent on the individual. Overall though I think I will find myself getting a lot of use out of this book as something to sit down with when I have nothing to do and is easy to flick through and pick a page at random. If like me you struggle with coming up with ideas or simply just want to push yourself with your creative writing then I'd definitely recommend it and it would make a great gift for any creative writers you know.

-Cloee xoxo