Lets Get Inspired

I think we all come to a point in our lives where we lack inspiration and if your like me and are a creative type then you probably hit this point on a regular basis, maybe even too regular. Recently I have been lacking inspiration to blog which is funny in a way because now I'm doing a blog post on inspiration, the thing I have been lacking all this time, funny how things like that work. Inspiration is always there but we just need a little push in the right direction to find it so here are all the things I like to do to get my creative juices flowing again. How do you find inspiration?

Reading

Reading is always one of my go to ways to get inspired because you never know whats lurking inside the pages of a book and sometimes what you find is exactly what you were searching for. I highly recommend that you read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert which is all about creative living and anything by Lang Leav as her poetry is lovely and leaves me with goosebumps.

Quotes

If you didn't know already, I have a slight obsession with quotes. We Heart It is my go to app to find the best quotes and I use it on a daily basis. Feel free to follow me here and have fun scrolling through my all my hearts.

Talking

I think its safe to say that as technology and social media are evolving no body talks to one another anymore (me included). We're all caught up in whats happening on our phones and forget to have real life conversations. This can be detrimental for all creative people searching for ideas and inspiration. When I'm sitting on a train 95% of people are either listening to music, sleeping and reading and you rarely ever see two strangers having a conversation. This deeply saddens me and I think we all need to make the effort to interact with one another and share stories, life experiences, what we had for breakfast, anything because you never know that what someone might say to you could spark an idea or a wave of inspiration.

Music

Music is something that as of recently has become very close to me. I never had a huge interest in music growing up and I think that maybe be because I wasn't listening to the right music but now I am and I love it. The feeling of finding a new song to add to your never ending playlist is one of the best feeling out there and I yearn for it. As J.K. Rowling once said "If you don't like to read, you haven't found the right book," well this works the same for music "If you don't like music, you haven't found the right song."

Write in a journal

Ive had countless moments in my life where I have told myself that I would right in a journal every single day but I think we all know that it never lasts (but if it does for you then tell me your secret please). If you are feeling creatively blocked then journaling could be your saviour. Don't pressure yourself to write everyday because sometimes the pressure is what burdens you but leave a note book on your night stand, in your handbag, on your desk, in the kitchen and when ever you feel like writing or get a idea it will be there so you can jot down what ever you need to.

Other people

Finding inspiration in others can be a very win, lose situation. There are two paths that you could possibly take if you decide to find inspiration in others. One is the path that you will find inspiration and feel fantastic and the other will lead you to comparing yourself and will dig you into a deeper hole than when you started. This is actually believe it or not something that I struggle with on a daily basis and its a nasty habit, worse than chewing your nails. It destroys your self esteem and makes you feel like a failure. I am slowly trying to push the habit out the door and once I have, I will have a whole blog post on it. If you do decide to take this path of finding inspiration in others then remember that you are not them and you will never be them but that under no circumstances means that you can't be amazing like them.

Don't force it

Remember, don't force the inspiration, don't force the ideas because it won't work and it will only make you more annoyed and frustrated. Just relax and let the inspiration come to you naturally, it may take a while but be patient and always leave the door open for the opportunities.

Autumn Essentials

Autumn is here! Which means the weather is cooling down and the leaves are changing colour. When I think of autumn I imagine myself snuggled up in bed, drinking hot chocolate and watching a film or going for a walk wearing a sweater and feeling the satisfaction of stepping on autumn leaves and hearing them crunch. Anyways, here are my autumn essentials.

I have very dry lips as it is but as the weather begins to cool it gets a lot worse and they need some extra special attention. To fix this I like to treat them to a lip scrub and the Lush Bubblegum Scrub is my favourite. It smells delicious and once your done scrubbing your lips, you can lick it off although it doesn't taste as nice as you would think. I'm pretty sure lush needs to bring out a cinnamon spice flavour lip scrub for this time of here but for now bubblegum will do. After scrubbing my lips and getting all the dead skin off (ew) I like to moisturise them. Lucas Papaw Ointment has been my favourite lip balm for years, so i'll lather on a thick layer of that and dry, chapped lips will no longer be a problem. 

As it gets colder and rain becomes a daily occurrence, you are going to be stuck inside a lot. To stop myself from being bored out of my brain I like to read (and watch films). I am currently reading Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Its a wonderful novel that combines old haunting photographs with a peculiar story that will send chills down your spine. And if you finish that book, there are two more in the series that will keep you occupied for days on end. Whilst reading I recommend lighting a candle and munching on some Red Rock Deli Sweet Potato Chips (yes they are vegan). When I first tried these chips I didn't like them but they grew on me and now i'm obsessed. I bought 3 packets at the super market last week as they were on sale and I couldn't resist. I think the orange chip colours reminds me of the autumn leaves making these the perfect snack for a rainy day inside. 

As much as we would like to stay inside all autumn, we can't and there are days when we have to leave the house. This means we have to rug up in some warmer clothes. I absolutely love sweaters and recently I have purchased a couple of new ones. The cream one in the photos is from Glassons and I love it, the neck line can be left as is or you can roll it down for a different look. Its also cropped so its perfect to wear with a high waisted skirt. Which brings me onto my next essential; TIGHTS! Throughout autumn, tights will become your new best friend. It can be frustrating wanting to wear a skirt or a dress but its too cold to, well chuck some tights on underneath and your good to go. My favourite tights are from Bonds which I have been wearing tons recently. 

My last essential is of course a scarf. I have been on a serious hunt for the perfect plaid scarf and low and behold I found it. Its by the brand Princess Highway and I love it. The material is perfect, the colours are perfect and it will keep your neck nice a toasty when your outside. Plus its so big that if you ever want to have a spontaneous picnic, just throw this on the ground and you have a picnic blanket.

Those are my autumn essentials. What are yours?

Whats In My Bag?

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to film a whats in my bag and put it on youtube or do a blog post about it, in the end I decided to do a blog post as you can probably tell while reading this. I personally think what someone keeps in there handbag says a lot about them and who they are. So for all you nosy people out there (including me) who just like to know what others keep in there handbag then this is for you.

Dangerfield Crossbody Satchel

A couple of months ago I spotted this bag in Dangerfield and I immediately fell in love but I knew that I didn't need a new handbag and it just wasn't a priority purchase so I walked away. From that moment forward I could not stop thinking about this bag, I know, I am so dramatic but I seriously could not stop thinking about this one bag so a few days ago I gave in and I purchased the bag. I usually only buy bags in black just because I know that it will match with everything but I wanted to try something a little different and I think the brown colour just makes it look a lot more vintage and old and I love that. From what I can tell the bag is made extremely well made and was a very reasonable price. It has a detachable strap so you can wear it cross body or you can just hold it by the little handle. It is the perfect size to hold everything I need and overall I just love it.

You can shop the bag here.

Wallet

My wallet is probably the oldest thing ever and I should probably invest in a new one soon but for now I am just using a pink Bluebird one. Its nothing special but it does the trick.  

Phone

I usually never leave the house without my phone and I suppose most people don't either. I currently have a silver iPhone 6 which I quite like, the only reason I upgraded was for the better camera quality which is great. Im also currently loving the app Best Fiends which I used to call Best Friends before I noticed that there was no r in the word.

Sunglasses

These sunglasses are by the brand LeSpecs and when I received them as a gift for christmas I really loved them. They were the perfect shape for my face, they were really comfortable and I wore them everywhere. But as a couple of months went by and they broke and I was shattered. I tried to fix them which sort of worked but there really wonky now and don't really sit right.

Hand Sanitiser 

I think hand sanitiser is a 100% necessity for every bag. I use it almost everyday whether I am at a shopping centre or in a public toilet. The one I have is just from the Supermarket and I am not sure whether is is vegan and cruelty free or not so if you know of any good vegan hand sanitisers then please let me know.

Vicks Inhaler 

If you are like me and get hay fever, allergies, etc then you need a Vicks Inhaler. You pretty much just stick it up your nose and then sniff and it just clears your nose. Its a good thing to have in your bag incase you need it one day, plus it is quite small and takes up hardly any room.

Perfume

The Vanillary Perfume from Lush is always lurking around my bag no matter what. I wear it daily and because the bottle is only 10ml, it fits perfectly in your bag. Also vanilla is one of my favourite scents so it is the perfect combination.  

Paw Paw Ointment

There is nothing worse than sticky, gross lip balms that tastes disgusting and Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment is none of those things. I constantly have really dry chapped lips and I am always picking at or biting my lips. I can truly say that this ointment has saved my life. It is extremely versatile and can be used on insect bites, burns, sunburn, cuts and minor open wounds. 

Pen

You never know when your going to need to write something down and having a pen can just save your life sometimes. 

Ear Phones

I always have ear phones in my bag no matter what. They take up no space and always come in handy when I'm bored and want to jam to some tunes.

Portable Phone Charger

I actually got this as a freebee when I purchased my phone. It is a nifty little rectangle box that you basically charge up and then when you are out and your phone runs out you can just plug it into this and it will charge. So handy!

What are your handbag necessities? x