Am I Stretching Myself Too Thin?

When putting your life online, now I know this is not something I have to do, I often shove updates about my day on Twitter or Instagram without thinking. For over a month now I've been working every day (with three days off) freelancing, blogging and at my two part-time jobs, which has been a little too apparent with how busy I've come across as online.

One of these jobs, I absolutely adore. The other is with good people and has guaranteed income. Freelancing is my dream job right now and blogging is a hobby, but all of these things require so much of my time and I'm left with pretty much an hour at the end of most days to do nothing.

Everyone needs a bit of nothing, right?

Movie nights, evening walks and trips out are squeezed in as much as possible but I don't know if it's the adjustment to working life or the fact that I've never worked this much so consistently in my life but I feel like this roll I'm on will come to a grinding halt soon.

People are always saying to me "Oh you're so busy" or "I didn't want to ask because I know you're busy", and I just want to be like "NOOOOO I'm busy doing what I love! Tell me anything!". Honestly I'm doing all of this stuff because I want to be, because eventually I will have enough money to travel and hopefully you will all still be here to read all about it.

Painting and drawing is my passion, so isn't really work to me, as time-consuming as it is.

So please don't be afraid to message me because you think I am busy. I'd love to hear your ideas or create something for you. That's what my time freelancing is set aside for! Busy-ness is what I thrive in. It's okay to take breaks from your passion but right now I don't want to, this experience is something that will definitely be valuable to me in the future.

Working these two part-time jobs have already given me so much confidence and patience that I didn't know I had, so there's that, then there's how much appreciation I have for an afternoon off or moment of solitude. As a student these were things I never made the most of!

There is still the internal debate I'm having with myself about if I can really cope with all this but it seems so far so good. I do miss having a couple of days off at a time as travelling to see my family means staying overnight, and they're probably the thing I miss most about not having to do all this adulting.

I think, for the sake of future me I will try to take some days off soon to rest and do nothing. As you read this I will have already visited Wales with my boyfriend for a couple of days so that's luuuuurvely, I'm so excited for that. ♥ Apologies for this crazy ramble. Sometimes it's nice to just have empty out a stream of thoughts!

How are you doing lately? Are you busy too?

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What to Look For When Viewing Places to Rent

In 2015 I moved into a place that on first viewing, seemed amazing. High ceilings, double beds, furnished, with a living room and a room we donned 'the snug', for its small yet cosy size. This house actually turned out to be one of the worst I've lived in, purely because when viewing it I did NOT know what to look for.

When looking for a place to rent it's often hard to see past the decoration, especially if it's ugh, 'oh-so Pinterest worthy'. It's easy to see yourself living somewhere when the walls are that perfect shade, or the bed frame is one you'd totally buy for yourself had you the money.

When renting you should always keep your peepers peeled for things that might catch bother you if you were to move in!

Subtle smells:

This is a weird one so bare with me. Not every house is going to smell amazing but as I said before, if the place you're viewing smells like someone hung some wet clothes inside on a hot day, that's a red flag. Look for mildew, damp parts on the ceiling or bad paint jobs where mould has been covered up. A lot of landlords will not deal with the problem head on and try to paint over it. This means it comes back!

Hot water:

Check the taps. Do they all work? Is there hot water? It's okay not to take someone's word for everything, especially when it's their job to sell this house to you. Check that the hot water tap is actually hot. This is sometimes an indication of how good the boiler is, and whether or not you'll be dealing with deathly cold mornings come Winter.

Natural light:

Which way is this house facing? Will you ever see the sun rise or set? Natural light is important to open up a space, elevate mood and over all make your living space less depressing. You can check this on the compass on your phone, as you can't visit at every time of day.

House mates:

If you're moving into a house share, look around the communal areas and notice how they're kept. Is the shower dirty? Is the kitchen clean enough to cook in? Most of your housemates will work full time or be studying at university so won't always have the time to clean. Is this something you can live with?

Storage:

If you're anything like me, you'll have a lot of little plants and books, things that usually live on shelves. Is there room for everything here or do you need to declutter your life a little? Perhaps you need a good old storage haul, or come up with some clever ways of giving your belongings a home.

Utilities:

Does the place have a washing machine or a dryer? Maybe it does both! It's always good to have the option but this isn't make or break. As long as it works. If you'll be living with a lot of people, remember you will have to wait for the washer/dryer so invest in a clotheshorse or somewhere to dry your threads. A dishwasher is SUCH a bonus.

Broken things:

Sometimes, when moving into rented spaces, things are broken from the tenant before. Check how many plug sockets are in your space and if they're all in tact. Take a quick peek at the light and on moving in, take photos of any damages and send them to your landlord so that when it comes to getting your deposit back, you're not blamed for anything that was already there. 

Phone signal and wi-fi: 

In this day and age y'all know how important phone signal is. Check your phone signal, and potentially wi-fi speed if you're a Netflix addict like me. 

Ask about allowances:

Check the smoking, pet and decoration policies that your landlord has. Do you mind living with other people's pets or smoking habits? Are you allowed to decorate your rented space? This kind of thing is important for making a rented place feel like home and will definitely help you come to a decision.

Lastly, don't let the letting agent pressure you! We've all heard 'I have another viewing in 10 minutes', or 'this place is going to go fast'. Remember it's their job to sell you a place, and you have the right to as much time as you need to decide. You can go home and even sleep on it.

Keep your options open and you'll eventually find somewhere that you love.

I hope this has helped you! What have your best/worst experiences been with renting?

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What's in my Bedside Table

We all have that one drawer in the house that's filled with miscellaneous sh*t that we don't need. Mine is usually the top drawer next to my bed, so while organising it I thought it would be cool to show you some of the things I've hoarded (or not, I don't know. Tell me if you liked this!). 

On top of the bedside table is my bonsai tree, currently dealing with a visit from about a million baby greenflies, incense in a sand, gecko shaped holder that Alex's family got for him, eucalyptus oil mixed with coconut oil in what was the lid of a candle and the Tuscany candle I won at the Bloggers Blog Awards last year. This has almost run out but it smells so good that I'm dragging out every last bit haha.

I always keep my water bottle by my bed and my phone is usually never far away either! 

Every morning this is where Alex and I have our coffee or tea in bed so it's usually covered in spills and incense dust. I cleaned it just for this post, spoiling ya- I know.

Nag Champa is my FAVOURITE SMELL IN THE WORLD, right next to the Lush Northern Lights range. So you can bet that our room always smells like that, though recently I've been burning 'Earth Angel', which has lots of notes of Frankincense. 

I made Alex this 'instant comfort pocket box' filled with teeny tiny notes of mushy stuff for when he's having a bad day. This is always either on his desk or in the table. Living together as a couple comes with ups and downs but it's amazing 99% of the time. This is for that 1%! Haha.

On the vibe of comfort, there are some tea bags (cmon, don't act like you've never taken them from a hotel before) which I probably will never use because I don't drink caffeine unless it's in coffee. 

I like to keep some Vitamin C tablets in the bedside table too as if I think I'm getting run down, I can just pop one in my water bottle for an instant fizzy vitamin boost. These ones are from Aldi and do the job well!

What's in the white parcel box you say?

Of course, my Nintendo and it's broken, bashed up 2005 best friend. I've said it before and I'm not ashamed!!! Animal Crossing is my long time love. 

As you might have seen on the blog before, I love to grow herbs and cacti so I keep some plant food in the top drawer for easy access. It's also there as a little reminder to not let them die, though my herbs have suffered so bad with this crazy fickle weather lately. Cryin'.

After I take my make-up off I like to pat a little of this Rio Rosa oil on my skin for it's anti-pollution and antioxidant properties. It smells so relaxing so helps me sleep and keeps my skin hydrated until the morning, when I put a little coconut oil on it. 

Eucalyptus really elevates my mood and helps my breathing so I sometimes mix the two oils.

Finally, speaking of breathing, I have asthma. Here are just a couple of the inhalers I own (seriously I have probably ten on the go at the moment, not sure how). 

The blue one is a reliever so I always have one at hand in my table, in my bag, in Alex's pocket, wherever I am there is at least two of these. The purple and white ones prevent asthma attacks and the tablets are a steroid for my lungs. As a kid I barely ever used to remember to take these but now, after 21 years, I'm finally in the habit. GO ME !! *cheerleading*

What's the weirdest thing you have in your bedside table? Also let me know if you like this type of post as I've never done a 'what's in my' post before!

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Tropical Butterfly House, Lancaster | Photo Diary

When I was a kid, the only things I used to draw were rainbows and butterflies. So original, I know.

There's always been something about these little creatures that has drawn me to them, from their symmetry to their beautiful colour and how calming they are to watch! Playing Animal Crossing (which I still do now) I'd go around catching all the butterflies, reading their info cards.

I remember a few times as a child I'd find injured butterflies in the garden which I learned at the Butterfly House usually just means they are old and withered, putting them into open Tuppaware boxes filled with leaves, grass, flowers and bottle caps of water.

Sometimes they'd pick up and take off again much to my bittersweet dismay but getting to stare at them while they recovered was one of my favourite past times.

I've known about this butterfly house for a such long time but never been to visit! So when I managed to snag a rainy afternoon off work, Alex and I took the train to Lancaster, making the uphill walk from the station to Williamson Park.

I have never seen so much beauty all moving about in one room before! The Butterfly House was basically a large, walled greenhouse. The climate was hot, about 30 degrees and humid but not uncomfortable, so I soon got used to it.

Big blue wings glittered all over the walls, ceiling and pops of orange, yellow and red flew past. One of the creatures had wings that looked like an owl's face when they were open, so awesome.

I celebrate Earth Day everyday in my life so let me tell ya, I was in my ELEMENT at this moment.

Huuuuuuge banana leaves (if you look closely you will see teeny, tiny pearl-like butterfly eggs), wild little ferns and fruit was everywhere for the insects to feed on- I have never felt so at home haha.

In the centre of the room was a white gazebo seating area where I rested for a while to just soak up everything happening around me. This is when my favourite butterfly (the crazy, bright blue one) landed on my flower tattoos. Over, the, moon.

I think next time I visit, because I'm totally coming here again, I'll bring my sketchbook and some watercolours. Being someone who draws a lot of inspiration from nature I was gutted that I didn't bring even my good camera let alone some art supplies, so sorry for the quality of these pictures! 

If you're local to the area or just swinging by, this exotic Butterfly House is definitely worth a visit. Not only do they conserve these beautiful winged creatures here but Williamson Park is also home to the Pendle Witch trial spot, a gorgeous pond / waterfall area and lots of other creepy crawlies. 

After a brief stop in the café for some hot tea, when walking back to the station, we passed a 'witchy' shop where I bought some Eucalyptus essential oil, which has really helped my breathing and smells incredible! 

Definitely put Lancaster on your list of places to visit in the UK.

Are you a bug fan or do they creep you out? Is there anywhere like this near you that I should visit?!

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Simple Mindfulness Tricks for Busy Minds

We're lucky to live in an age where we have whatever information we need, literally at our fingertips, whenever we want it. Though this perk doesn't come without it's downsides!

The average person checks their phone every six minutes - ever been in a public place without it and just not known where to put your hands? So often our brains become riddled with a constant stream of information, over-sharing and pressure to put on a show or fit into a niche for social media. 

Not only this, but a lot of us are working or are studying and have other things to think about. What will you cook for tea tonight? Did you remember to post that parcel? What time were you supposed to leave again? STOoOooOooOooOOoOP, just breathe for a second.

If, like me, you're super busy and don't always have time to sit down and mediate, here are some tips to help you declutter your mind and slow down daily.

Bathroom break

You don't really have any responsibilities when you're taking a bathroom break (right?)! Take this blissful moment of alone time to choose a colour, and count five things around you that have that common thread. While you wash your hands, think about how the soap feels and focus on the sensations of hot, cold, what does the water really feel like?

Calm commute

It can be difficult if you're on a packed tube, or any public transport, to relax. Close your eyes for a minute (except if you're driving, obviously...) and relax your shoulders. feel the rocking of the vehicle and realise that at this moment, there is no immediate pressure. If there's any time of working day you're allowed to take a breather, it's on your journey. 

Queuing

There's nothing more British than queues. Whether you're stuck in a traffic jam, waiting in line for your morning caffeine or on your lunch break, if you have time in the queue, take some deep breaths and look around at things you wouldn't usually notice. Look at the shoes people are wearing or really take in the smells around you. 

There's nothing like tea

Everyone has time for tea. When making yourself a cup of tea, really get into the ritual of it. Pour the water and milk slowly, steep it for the perfect amount of time. When your tea (or coffee) is ready, sip it and really think about the taste and temperature of it in your mouth. Be the teaaaaa!

Food for thought

As with the tea, when you eat, really think about the food. Notice the taste and texture of what you're eating. Take a break from distractions (such as the aforementioned constant information) while you eat and focus only on the food. You'll appreciate the meal a lot more as a bonus.

What helps you to stay mindful and relax on a busy day? Is there anything you do to clear your mind?

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How to NOT Kill Your Passion

A wise blogger friend of mine recently said 'creativity is like a puppy' (thank you Rhianna for this amazing analogy). It truly is. As stubborn as one, as needy as one and to anyone who owns it, as adored and valuable.

Rhianna highlighted in her post the importance of looking after your creativity. I read this post while coming to the end of, of course, my current favourite read, 'Big Magic'.

I've talked about this amazing book a little here and here. I believe it to be an essssssential read to anyone standing on their own two metaphorically creative feet. Somewhere in that plethora of goodness, Liz Gilbert mentions "if you are alive, you are a creative person". She talks in such an inspiring way which makes you dig out the memories of poems past and paintings present, to look inside yourself and make you want to patch up that relationship with your creativity, further your passion.

An important thing to understand is that no matter how much you nurture your passion, you will always go through a rough patch. Y'know what? You might even nurture it enough to smother it. Ever over-watered plants and watched them die? *come back lil herbs I still love you*

It's okay to give yourself a break from your passion if you need to. If you see it wilting, or you're relying on it, spending everyday with it and getting bored, have a break. Ross and Rachel the sh*t out of your passion. Sleep with another passion. Take up something else for a while if you must- your passions don't require monogamy. Your passions won't leave you in the night because you decided to dabble in oil painting or Podcast making (though your partner might if you're talking to a microphone constantly at three in the morning).

Inspiration is the food you should feed it and everyone's taste is different! We all have our own palettes, it just takes a while to discover what sets a fire in you and what doesn't. Look at a million different things and plant those seeds because eventually an idea will grow, which you must grab while you can.

You can't make your passions run around after you 24/7, but exercise them regularly!

I once visited the studio of an artist in the Lake District who told me she 'makes a mark every day, even if it's just one line on a piece of paper'.

Her walls were strewn with huge colourful, messy canvases, shelves were lined with sketchbooks (goals af) and she seemed pretty content to me. Creativity radiated from in her home so I soaked up as muuuuuuch as I could, the only reason you're hearing this story now!

So feed your passion a little everyday, flex it, squeeze it, tell it that it's in your thoughts, value it and it will never die or leave you. 

What are you passionate about? Is there anything new you'd like to try?

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Mystery Tea House Afternoon | Photo Diary

I sat in this brightly decorated yet crazily calming tea house for a good two hours the other day, barely paying attention to my phone or anyone around me. I've been coming here for almost five years now, from when I started visiting Preston city to now, moving into a place of my own having graduated from university! 

No matter how much changes, the tea house stays the same. The smell of literally hundreds of different teas meets me as I walk in and I'm always greeted so so warmly, sometimes with a hug! I always sit upstairs because I'm a creature of habit, but it's also where the most beautiful paintings are displayed and crazy little old books to read.

We go upstairs and Sam, one of the guys who works here takes our order. Two vegan wraps and a pot of Citrus Rainbow tea (which I think is lemon, apple, hibiscus and some other fruits)! It arrives with agave and lemon, then before we know it, we're almost emptied the amazing bright pink tea- but not before the two wraps arrive along with homemade hummus (plus the biggest side salad you've ever seen).

Seriously, I don't know what they do with these wraps but a wrap has never tasted so freakin' good before.

The wraps were so good and we were too full to move, so ended up reading the little books that are dotted around the sofa area. I pick up a 2001 Collins book about space which was fascinating and Alex reads about British wildlife, as you do. 

It was refreshing to soak up so much information and images from a book instead of a screen! Strange how it's so normal now to head straight to Google. Making more of an effort to stay conscious of how much I use my phone in everyday life, haha.

We chilled for a good while longer before heading home. Isn't the decor here so awesome? I believe a lot of the paintings are done by local artists. The teahouse advertises lots of classes on mindfulness, yoga, meditation. It's such a hub for the hippie lifestyle and I'm so down with that- in fact I will be starting some meditation sessions in September when they begin again, just to see if I like it!

If you're ever in Preston you need to visit here as what I've shown you is only a snippet. The little tea house is usually quite busy, but we caught it on a quiet day for once which was just what I needed to clear my mind!

Are there any places like this near you? Where's your favourite place to relax outside of your home?

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4 Podcasts Worth Waking Up For

If you lived in my house, at 6am every morning you'd usually hear me giggling from the bathroom as I do my make-up.

Part of my routine is to watch whatever shiny new video catches my eye from my Youtube subscription box while I get ready, but lately I've been stretching into Podcasts for a more 'enriching' alternative (because who doesn't love to feel productive when really they're doing nothing).

They're so good for learning new things. Did you know that 'unschooling' is a thing? Parents take their children out of school and let them choose the base of their learning through what they're interested in. How cool is that? Imagine learning outside, counting with geckos like Ellen Fisher's children, instead of reading out of a text book!

I've also learned why patience is a virtue in the baby steps to self-love, how to go freelance and what happens when you travel alone for a year. Most of the podcasts I listen to are 40-60 minutes long and amazing to have on in the background while doing- well, pretty much anything. Here are my favourites at the moment!

A Beautiful Mess - Steph Yu

Stephanie is a young woman but a wise soul at heart. She's been through a lot in her mind and body, most recently eating disorders and adrenal fatigue, giving her life experience beyond her years. So uplifting, inspiring and interesting, listening to this podcast is like having a heart to heart with a friend! My favourite episodes have to be her discussions on self love, not taking life so freakin' seriously and any with a guest podcaster(er-erer?). I could lose days listening to this one!

The Ricky Gervais 'Guide To...' Series

This is an oldie but a goldie. Pre-Idiot Abroad, we meet Karl Pilkington in allllll his grumpy, Northern glory. This podcast is basically Ricky and Steven Merchant taking the p*ss out of Karl for hours while discussing crazy fascinating topics like medicine, history and science. It's absolutely hilarious and great if you're more visual as this was also animated! You can check out the audio at the link above. 

Earth To Us - Hannah McNeely & Evan Oliver

Hannah is hilarious. From Orange County, California, this vegan college teacher provides us with an ethical discussion dream. Not only does her attitude towards life brighten my day but her words crack me up. I recently listened to her talking about the difference between goals and dreams, whether it's a good thing to have them and how we all work differently in the hopes of reaching these goals.

Every episode has a unique topic, so maybe listen to one that you don't know a lot about! This is where I learned about unschooling and alone world travel!

Make it Then Tell Everybody - Dan Berry

Dan Berry has been in the creative industry for a while now, and his podcast really represents that. With every episode having a new illustrator, artist, designer on, this really makes for an intriguing and motivating listen. Often funny and always uplifting, Dan and his interviewees share a lot of creative secrets. It's like peeping at sketchbooks, but in stereo. 

What podcasts have you been loving lately? I can't get enough.

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If You're Reading This, I'm Back Baby

Sometimes my blogging mojo decides to curl up in a corner and die only to be resurrected in full force, overflowing with ideas while begging for more hours in the day to nurture this passion. 

You may have noticed eerie silence here for the past few weeks (I am a bad blogger, I know).

A couple of months ago I began planning for a relaunch with the aim to whittle down my niche, reformat old posts (getting there) and bring you all some fresh regular content with a new design and new vibes to boot. Hopefully, if you're reading this, I've managed just that. *self high five* 

A loooot of killer work went into this reboot and I know that you often like to see behind the scenes (sketchbook doodles anyone?) so I thought I'd throw some images your way of the work that went into this relaunch. I really, really hope you enjoy the new content coming your way and the new direction I'm taking this space in!

The Scarlet State is slowly manifesting into a place where you can come to relax. a place that I hope you'll get to know inside out.

I'd love for more conversations (one of the nicest things about blogging is getting to know more beautiful, familiar personalities) where we can give advice, discuss, debate or simply listen to one another.

I'll be tackling some more taboo topics, feeding your soul with yummy vegan recipes and taking you on my travels everywhere I go. There will be lots more on mindfulness, living yo' best life, having a calmer mind and living in a positive light. Some exciting ethical beauty and lifestyle giveaways will be appearing here soon too, to kick things off. I've also switched up the design, logo, gadgets and categories so have a good explore! The only thing the same here are the old posts.

On the way also are more creative posts than ever, occasional free illustrative downloadable packs for you to use as you please, with a couple of secret Etsy codes dotted about the site. See if you can find one!

Honestly I'm so excited to be sharing my life more in depth with you all, to be back in the blogosphere again is an amazing feeling! With graduation and moving house I've really felt a change in myself and wanted this little corner of the internet to truly reflect who I am, being a platform for us to all share!

Tell me what you've been up to lately in the comments, I'd love to catch up!

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