Society, evolution and #LOVEWINS

It seems that recently the internet has fallen in love with gender fluid Ruby Rose, had a mass positive party for Caitlyn Jenner, celebrated Laverne Cox in all of her black, trans womanhood, talked about John Jolie-Pitt, Rachel Dolezal and obsessed over shows such as Ru Paul's Drag Race. *deep breath* This has been a topic I've wanted to write about for a while now, and with Pride day being today and the legalisation of same-sex marriage in all US states, it felt appropriate to post this now!

I consider myself lucky to be living in a time where so many things are changing for the better; not only are we living in a new age, we are creating it. From same-sex marriage newly becoming a straight-up (no pun intended) civil right to people being identified and accepted as the person they want to be identified as. It's uplifting and empowering to see.

The tea has been spilt pic.twitter.com/9tf0k4kd9z

— Beyoncé Reactions (@ReactionBeyonce) June 27, 2015

Being part of an era with such quick progression is truly something to be proud of, as it's hard to believe that only 51 years ago segregation of race was still in effect in the USA (now sickening to look back on). That same-sex marriage only became legal in the last two years here in the UK and  now finally nationwide in the USA. ( Yay America! )

It seems that as society is evolving (I think evolving is the appropriate word, right?) and we are actively fighting for our rights and the equal rights of others. The 'big bosses' are starting to listen. People are able and free to speak up about previously 'confusing', 'not right' or unholy subjects such as, gender fluidity. The idea of children identifying as the opposite gender was taboo or also unheard of.

Using the internet as our platform, so many of us are showing our 'true colours' and receiving an unprecedented amount of support for what would have been shunned or kept secret in our parent's life time. Even though there are still amounts of people that express hate towards LGBT groups, from where I stand there is a lot less mockery and more acceptance towards these subjects than there used to be.

To quote Laverne Cox:

"It feels like a new day, indeed, when a trans person can present her authentic self to the world for the first time and be celebrated for it so universally." 

This message now rings true for other minorities in their gender, race, sexuality and so on.

It feels good to be living in a society where positive changes are being made no matter how slowly (but surely) and I'm proud that for the age of only nineteen I've lived through some events and acts that will change our tradition and culture into a more accepting and congratulating one forever. Today I am proud of society. 

Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

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Lush: Dragon's Egg review

If you know me well then you'll know to find me fumbling through bowls and bowls of bath bombs in the Lush store every time I say I'm 'going to town'. It's physically impossible to walk past the store without the sweet smell of luxury dragging you in by the nose, and with the Game of Thrones season finale being only a week or so ago (which I am yet to actually watch, no spoilers please!), I picked this bath bomb up with the idea that it would make me into some kind of bubbly Mother of Dragons.

I don't know about anybody else, but I have a certain set up for bathing: candles around the edge of the bath, a little table gets brought in with a towel over it so I can watch endless episodes of whatever on Netflix while I grow a bubble beard and pretend I'm Santa Claus. Mmmm, cosy.

It didn't take long after the foot-in-foot-out of the bath, a few runs of the cold tap etc before I plopped this big bath bomb into the water and watched it fizz. I've been making my way through a list of awesome smelling bath bombs (my favourite was Space Girl, closely followed by Karma) and after giving this citrus wonder a sniff in the store I fell in love. 

It has an outer white layer that goes creamy in the water, bubbling, fizzing and cracking open to reveal a burst of bergamot and citrus scents, shortly followed by colourful and soft 'dragon scales' (melting confetti) before opening up to reveal an amber centre that turns your bath water into a sizzling orange blanket of warmth.

This is how I felt in the bath.

Having lots of allergies, I can safely say that this bath bomb wasn't irritating at all, it didn't leave any undissolved grains in the water and it smelled incredible. I ended up staying in the bath for about an hour. I didn't know water could feel so soft! 

I forgot to mention the popping candy, probably not edible, but it made the bath quietly crackle and pop, brilliant!

I've been quite wary of taking long baths because of my new-ish tattoos (it's been about a month), but my body art is right as rain this morning and my skin softer than ever, not to mention the lingering scent of jasmine. This is by a mile my new favourite bath ballistic, there's no doubt I'll be stocking up on it the next time I happen upon a Lush store.

Do you have a method of relaxing or a favourite bath product I should try next? Let me know!

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Happiness: The Jar

Over the past two years I've been making conscious decisions to be happy.

I once saw a quote that said "Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life." while I was on a day out with my mum. Now usually, I'd pass by these 'inspirational' quotes and brush them off because we see them everywhere, from Facebook and twitter to shop windows and t-shirts. So much that after reading so many they become mockable and boring. 

But for some reason this one really sank in! I think I'd been struggling at the time and constantly searching for a reason to smile on days where I just felt down. Since then, I've grown as a person and come to the realisation that happiness is indeed not a destination, not something to search or aim for but the little stepping stones you walk on everyday. Having this mentality helped me so much.

I decided to start writing events that had happened (no matter how big or small they were) on little pieces of paper and putting them in a jar for safe-keeping, which I then read with my boyfriend Josh at the end of the year. Even though I wasn't dwelling on these good and great things that were happening to me, I was acknowledging them and consciously choosing not to let myself be affected by the bad things.

Learning to seek out the light in situations slowly became a habit (Not in a naive way, like I don't think of consequences at all) while I became unknowingly more present. It also helped me to get 'in tune' with myself and notice when I was feeling sad and why, what I could do to cheer myself up and the positives I could look at instead. 

slay girl, slay

Don't get me wrong, feeling sad sometimes is healthy!

For me, being happy means being motivated and vice versa. In a creative industry like the one I'm in, that is vital to live! So every new year for the past couple of years- after all of the partying and the stagger home- I get to read all of the great things that have happened, the nice things that people said to me and more. It really keeps me going!

What are your methods for staying peppy? Do you have a new mentality or hobbies that keep you going? Let me know!

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Happiness: The Jar

Over the past two years I've been making conscious decisions to be happy.

I once saw a quote that said "Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life." while I was on a day out with my mum. Now usually, I'd pass by these 'inspirational' quotes and brush them off because we see them everywhere, from Facebook and twitter to shop windows and t-shirts. So much that after reading so many they become mockable and boring. 

But for some reason this one really sank in! I think I'd been struggling at the time and constantly searching for a reason to smile on days where I just felt down. Since then, I've grown as a person and come to the realisation that happiness is indeed not a destination, not something to search or aim for but the little stepping stones you walk on everyday. Having this mentality helped me so much. 

I decided to start writing events that had happened (no matter how big or small they were) on little pieces of paper and putting them in a jar for safe-keeping, which I then read with my boyfriend Josh at the end of the year. Even though I wasn't dwelling on these good and great things that were happening to me, I was acknowledging them and consciously choosing not to let myself be affected by the bad things. 

Learning to seek out the light in situations slowly became a habit (Not in a naive way, like I don't think of consequences at all) while I became unknowingly more present. It also helped me to get 'in tune' with myself and notice when I was feeling sad and why, what I could do to cheer myself up and the positives I could look at instead. 

slay girl, slay

Don't get me wrong, feeling sad sometimes is healthy! 

For me, being happy means being motivated and vice versa. In a creative industry like the one I'm in, that is vital to live! So every new year for the past couple of years- after all of the partying and the stagger home- I get to read all of the great things that have happened, the nice things that people said to me and more. It really keeps me going!

What are your methods for staying peppy? Do you have a new mentality or hobbies that keep you going? Let me know!

You can also find me on Instagram

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Bagels in my belly

This morning I woke up in a perfect nest of covers and pillows, so ready to do absolutely... nothing. Having moved back home for summer,  I've had a little more time in the mornings. A little lie in or a jog around the park usually, with a valiant attempt to cook up something new for breakfast.

I'd say I have more of a 'savoury tooth' over sweet (give me a load of cheese and crackers over cake any day!) but this morning I opted for a hot fruity, healthy breakfast in the form of a bagel. Yes, a bagel.

At the moment I'm trying to eat healthy meals with a lot of the food groups. I'm definitely not an expert but if it's seemingly good for me and delicious then everything is A-okay! I originally pulled the idea of this from Blogilates, but changed almost everything except for the peach and apple.

Ingredients:

• A bagel of your choice (I chose a 'Thin' Warburtons raisin and cinnamon bagel)
• 1 peach
• 1 apple, cored
• 1 tbsp natural yoghurt (optional, decided I either used too much or didn't like it. Try honey instead!)
• 1tbsp rolled oats or museli

Awesome breakfast instructions:

1. First, cut your bagel in half and pop it in the toaster for 1-2 minutes, depending how you like it. Did anybody else know that the numbers were minutes and not levels of toastiness?!
2. While that's toasting, cut up your peach and apple into small chunks. You can peel the skin if you like but I chose to keep it on as it's nutritious!
3. Drop the chopped fruits into a frying pan with a splash of water and cinnamon. Sautee on a med-high heat until golden, all of the water should have evaporated.
4. Toss in your rolled oats or muesli and add a tiny splash more of water. This should stop them sticking or burning and cook them at the same time!
5. Put the bagel on a plate and pour the fruit and oats onto it. Be careful not to get burned by steam or the fruit itself. 
6. (optional) Plop the natural yoghurt ontop for a sweet tang, or drizzle some honey over the top. 
7. Tuck in! Enjoy your breakfast.

I hope your day is as good as your butt.

Tell me if you make this or something similar and if you liked it! What's your favourite breakfast?

You can also find me on Instagram!

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Bagels in my belly

This morning I woke up in a perfect nest of covers and pillows, so ready to do absolutely... nothing. Having moved back home for summer,  I've had a little more time in the mornings. A little lie in or a jog around the park usually, with a valiant attempt to cook up something new for breakfast.

I'd say I have more of a 'savoury tooth' over sweet (give me a load of cheese and crackers over cake any day!) but this morning I opted for a hot fruity, healthy breakfast in the form of a bagel. Yes, a bagel.

At the moment I'm trying to eat healthy meals with a lot of the food groups. I'm definitely not an expert but if it's seemingly good for me and delicious then everything is A-okay! I originally pulled the idea of this from Blogilates, but changed almost everything except for the peach and apple.

Ingredients:

• A bagel of your choice (I chose a 'Thin' Warburtons raisin and cinnamon bagel)
• 1 peach
• 1 apple, cored
• 1 tbsp natural yoghurt (optional, decided I either used too much or didn't like it. Try honey instead!)
• 1tbsp rolled oats or museli

Awesome breakfast instructions:

1. First, cut your bagel in half and pop it in the toaster for 1-2 minutes, depending how you like it. Did anybody else know that the numbers were minutes and not levels of toastiness?!
2. While that's toasting, cut up your peach and apple into small chunks. You can peel the skin if you like but I chose to keep it on as it's nutritious!
3. Drop the chopped fruits into a frying pan with a splash of water and cinnamon. Sautee on a med-high heat until golden, all of the water should have evaporated.
4. Toss in your rolled oats or muesli and add a tiny splash more of water. This should stop them sticking or burning and cook them at the same time!
5. Put the bagel on a plate and pour the fruit and oats onto it. Be careful not to get burned by steam or the fruit itself. 
6. (optional) Plop the natural yoghurt ontop for a sweet tang, or drizzle some honey over the top. 
7. Tuck in! Enjoy your breakfast.

I hope your day is as good as your butt.

Tell me if you make this or something similar and if you liked it! What's your favourite breakfast?

You can also find me on Instagram!

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Hi, hey, hello

As this is my first blog post, I thought I'd introduce myself. My name is Sarah and I'm from The Lake District in Cumbria, England. I've been reading (stalking) blogs for a few years now and hadn't really considered creating one myself until a little while ago, when I came across like-minded people with interesting posts and thought 'Hey, I could do this!' So here goes.

I'm the wee half-pint in the middle.

I grew up in a town called Barrow-in-Furness. Usually when I tell people this (mostly taxi drivers, who are always curious where I come from) I receive the rolling eyes and 'Ohhhh, yeah, Barrow-in Furness...'' response. If you've ever been to Barrow you might know why. However, it's not all bad, we have the Lakes on our doorstep where I spend many summer days in the water, woods, or one of the numerous humble café's we have.

Living in the Lakes has definitely been a huge influence on who I am and the art I create. In the past year I moved to the city of Preston where I study Illustration for a BA Honours degree. I've just finished my first year and it's been an awesome journey so far; having newfound independence is one thing but learning things I never knew about myself and what I'm capable of is another. I'd recommend university to anybody thinking about it, but I'll probably delve into that in another post. 

First Year Illustration group

Currently, I'm home for the summer and waiting for a new lease to start in my lovely new house in September when I'll be moving back in with my friends. Ultimately, this blog is here to open up parts of my life to the world while I have not much else to do over summer (and definitely while I get back into a uni routine), share new discoveries, thoughts, recipes and art etc. Hopefully you'll find something you enjoy here!

You can also find me on Instagram
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Tell me a little about yourself in the comments, or leave a link to your blog! As I'm new here I'll be binge following a bunch of you interesting people out there.