Little Seaside Town | Tenby

Recently, my family & I went to Tenby with some friends for a couple of days. We stayed in their Grandma's caravan which was in a cute, little caravan site near the centre of Tenby. It brought back quite a few memories as this used to be a yearly tradition for all of us. We would always go and visit the town centre and the beach. We would also normally visit a couple of attraction parks, but we decided to give them a miss this time around. However, we did bring Lily (my families dog) & Lola (our friends dog) along with us this time which was really lovely as we took them for a couple of walks around different places in Tenby. 

One of my favourite memories of the trips to Tenby would have to be when we would all sit around the dinning table in the evening and play various board games and card games for a couple of hours. We used to have a right old chuckle as every time we would play a game the men used to cheat (yet we would always manage to catch them out). This time around we did get to play a couple of games on one of the evenings which was a hoot. (If you were wondering, the men did cheat AGAIN, and NO they didn't get away with it!) 

It was nice to get away and explore for a couple of days. I loved being able to work on my photography and take different pictures of things in the Town.  

I hope you have liked looking through the pictures that I captured when I was in Tenby. I have decided that I am going to be doing a lot more photography blogposts as I have been really enjoying focusing on my photography at the moment. Sorry that my blogposts have been lacking, I am going to start uploading them more regularly from now onwards. If you have any questions you would like to ask, you can leave them in the comments below. It would be nice to hear any thoughts and opinions you may have on the blogpost as well. I hope that this post has been able to interest or inspire you in some way or another. :)

Lauren xoxo

Choices

As a child most of us had ideas of what we wanted to be when we were older, whether that was a ballerina, teacher, astronaut, etc... (I know that I wanted to be a pop star/celebrity, haha!!) We would then most probably change our minds several times until we discovered a more realistic route that we wanted to follow (for me this was the arty, visual side). 


Towards the end of high school I started to think about what it was I actually wanted to do with my life. I found I was asking myself a lot of questions such as 'What do I enjoy doing most? What am I good at? What will I most likely succeed at? How would I be able to build a career with the path I choose?' (and as you can imagine, the list of questions didn't end there) It was then that I realised that I didn't have a particular route that I wanted to pursue. I knew I would have to decide on something sooner or later as I wouldn't be at school forever, which led me to choosing a college course specializing in several subjects (the choice was also based on what I was best at and what I most enjoyed doing) 

I thought that the time at college would help me figure out the specific subject that I would specialise in and have an interest in (I presumed that I would eventually realise what subject it was that I most had an interest in). However, as time went on I started to worry and panic as I was still unsure of what I wanted to do. It seemed like everyone around me had an idea of what they wanted to do which made the situation feel a lot worse (and I felt like I had to make a decision). It dawned on me that I had become lost and uncertain of my career path. 

When making decisions to do with our future, we often find ourselves having to take risks and try new things. This can be scary and can feel pointless at times (well at least that is what I have found), which can put us off wanting to go ahead with anything. It can often lead us to feeling more confused as there are so many different routes and options that we don't know where to start or which one to take. When we don't know what to do, we can sometimes fall into things that we don't actually like doing. This will happen at some point for anyone (unless the person is extremely lucky). However, everyone has a choice; they can choose whether they want to try something new or they can choose to stick to the same thing. If someone is unhappy then they don't have to stick to the same thing (I think it was my nan that said to me 'The world is your oyster') Constantly changing ideas and trying new things can feel like a waste of time, but it could be thought of as part of a learning process (you would be finding out more about yourself that you never knew before).

At the moment I am still currently unsure of what I want to do and what path to take which is why I have decided to have a year or two to think about what it is that I actually want to do (kind of like a gap year). I have learnt that it is okay not knowing and I've discovered recently that there are so many other people are in the same boat as me (which makes it that little bit easier). People can figure out what there passion is straight away, yet others can go years still trying. I guess not knowing can be a good thing as you get to try out new things that you may have not thought about if you knew what your passion was straight away. I have learnt that there is no point in worrying about it though as something will work out in the end as it always does (my nan believes that our lives are already mapped out for us)

This blogpost is a bit different to what I'm used to as I wanted to try writing about something that people can hopefully relate to. I wasn't too sure whether to do this blogpost originally as I thought it may come a cross too deep (so sorry if it has). It would be great if could let me know what your thoughts and opinions on this are in the comments below. If you have any questions you can also leave them in the comments below. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blogpost and that it has been useful in some way. :)


Lauren
xoxo

Afternoon Walks

Every now and then when the weather is decent I like to go for a walk as it helps me relax and clears all thoughts from my head. I take my camera with me as I never know when there could be a moment that I would like to capture. Afternoon walks are one of my favourite times to experiment with my photography as I feel it's the time of day I tend to learn more. 

These are a couple of photographs that I captured when I was on a dog walk with my parents. It was quite chilly with the slightest bit of sun, as it was winter/spring season, which I found was great conditions to do some experimenting in.  I love a picture with different textures which is why I like taking photographs with a lot of pattern, detail and movement in.   

I hope you liked looking through a couple of the photographs that I took. If you have any questions you would like to ask then you can leave a comment below. :)


Lauren
xoxo

February Fashion Favourites

February was an eventful month for me (as it normally is every year) due to there being several birthdays within my family. Me, my Auntie and my Nan have birthdays within 9 days of each other which means that the celebrations for them are quite close together. I tend to often go away or do something within the month, whether that would be a day out somewhere or a short/weekend holiday. 

As it was my birthday in February I decided to go on a little shopping spree and thought it would be nice to treat myself to a couple of new items for my wardrobe. I was also running low on clothes to wear for the winter/spring season so wanted to update what I already had slightly (which I figured could actually just be an excuse for buying more clothes, haha).

I thought that I would share a couple of everyday clothing items that I have been loving and wearing throughout February.  

Britney Garta Soft Knit Jumper Pink
Shop - Boohoo
Price - £12

Long Sleeve Ribbed Funnel Neck Top

Shop - Topshop

Price - £15

 Khaki Ribbed Long Sleeve Crop Top 

Grey Ribbed Long Sleeve Crop Top

Shop - Newlook (both)

Price - £8.99 (both)

Mylton Shirt Red Check

Shop - Jack Wills

Price - £24 (sale)

Sol Cal Graphic Tank Dark Grey

Shop - Hollister

Price £19

I had been wanting to do a 'Fashion Favourites' blogpost and thought that as I purchased some clothes within February, it would be the perfect time to do one. I like looking at other peoples 'Favourites' blogposts which inspired me to do my own. 

I hope you enjoyed reading the post and looking through the different items. If you have any questions you would like to ask me about then you can leave a comment below:)


Lauren xoxo

Two Tier Flower Cake

I decided to make a birthday cake for my Nan as it was her 65th birthday. I had wanted some experience with making birthday cakes anyway and thought it would be a good excuse to have ago. 
I had to think about what theme and colours to use and did a couple of drawings to plan it out. I also had to write down a list of things that I would need to make it - This gave me an idea of how much everything was going to cost. I wouldn't recommend making a cake unless you are willing to pay for everything you will need. The ingredients and equipment can be quite pricey which is why I made a list to give me a rough idea. 

Baking
I used a Victoria sponge cake recipe to make the cake. I cooked the cake in a 6inch cake tin and 10inch cake tin. For the 6inch tin I made the same amount of mixture that would be made when creating a Victoria sponge cake using 2x 20cm cake tins. I used triple the amount of mixture when using the 10inch cake tin. 


Shaping
When the cakes had cooled down, I cut the tops off both the 6inch and 10inch cakes with a cake leveller to flatten them. I then cut both cakes through the middle like you would on a Victoria sponge cake and put a thin layer of butter icing and jam in the middle. I also put butter icing around the sides and top of the cakes to help the fondant stick to it when decorating.   


Decorating
To decorate the cakes I used fondant icing, flower cutters, ribbon, cake boards and flower wires for cakes. 
I had to make the flowers a day before I made the cake as they take such a long time to make and set. I made these using fondant icing, flower cutters, the end of a paint brush for detail, and a sausage/pineapple and cheese stick to add detail. 
I used a teal colour fondant icing for the 10inch cake which I bought from a cake supply shop before, and I used a white fondant for the 6inch cake which was purchased from a local supermarket. 
I rolled out the fondant for the 6inch cake and placed it onto the cake. I then did the same for the 10inch cake, only using a different colour fondant. I used icing sugar to stop the fondant from sticking to the surface area. 
I then transferred the cakes onto their cake boards. I placed the 6inch cake on top of the 10inch cake in the centre of it. I put a black ribbon around the 6inch cake for decoration. To finish the cake off, I started to decorate it by arranging all of the flowers.


This is just a brief write up of how I made the cake overall. I didn't go into much detail as the blog post would have been too long. If you would like me to write blog posts on how I made the cake in more detail then just let me know in the comments. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. This was my first attempt at making a birthday cake so sorry if you didn't find it that useful. 


Lauren
xoxo  

Animal Safari

In the winter things to do and places to go seem to be quite limited. I wanted to go somewhere close to home with my friends for my birthday so I decided to look into different ideas that we could do. I found there was only a couple of things that would be possible to do within travel distance - go away shopping for the day (which would mean spending lots of money) or go to an attraction park. I decided on the attraction park as I felt it would be more relevant for everyone. I thought that the West Midlands Safari Park would be the best place to go to as it has a variation of things to do there (plus my friends don't like rides so it would be more suitable for them). 

My parents kindly took me and my friends to the Safari Park as none of us could drive. I made up a picnic for everyone so that we wouldn't have to buy food there. We spent 2 hours in the car looking at the animals (which was good as it was cold outside). At one point we couldn't stop ourselves from laughing as my friend had bought a pack of 4 apples to feed to the animals. (We found this funny as you weren't actually aloud to feed them anything besides the animal food that you can buy there. It was also because my friend had spent more on the apples then she would have on herself and decided to give the animals a whole apple each. It may not sound very amusing, but I guess it was one of those times where you had to be there in the moment to find it funny.) 

I decided to take some pictures as I wanted to see how well they would turn out using my phone camera to take them. 

I hope you have enjoyed looking through the pictures and reading about my Safari experience. My overall day was really good, and I would definitely recommend going if you would like to go on a lovely day out somewhere. If you have any questions you would like to ask me then you can leave a comment below. :)

Lauren

xoxo

What I Got For My Birthday

I spent the daytime of my birthday with a friend in Cardiff shopping and had a takeaway in the evening with my family (we ordered a Chinese and Indian). When people wanted to know what to get me for my birthday, I mainly told them that I was interested in getting some new books - this is why the picture mainly consists of different books. Recently, I have started to read more before I go to bed as it helps me get to sleep at night. I didn't know what books I wanted, so to give people an idea of what to get me, I told them that I liked reading 'Girl Online' by Zoe Sugg. I also asked for a couple of cookbooks as I am interested in cooking. 

I chose a couple of the gifts that I got for my birthday to include in this blogpost. I am truly grateful for everything that I got for my birthday from my family and friends. 

Love, Tanya -
Tanya Burr (Youtuber, Blogger,
Author)

The Doorstep Girls -
Val Wood (Author) 

Now That I've Found You - Ciara Geraghty (Author)

Bracelet - Buckingham

Golden Wonder - Lush Bath Set
(Golden Wonder bath bomb 200g, Gold Fun 100g)

The Oh She Glows Cookbook -
Angela Liddon (Blogger, Author)

I decided to do a blogpost on what I got for my birthday as it can sometimes be nice to look at gifts other people get (or that could just be me as I like to be nosey, haha!)
If you have any of these items, I'd love to know your thoughts on them! If you would like to share them with me, or you have any questions, you can leave a comment below. :)


Lauren
xoxo

Movie Marathon

Do you ever feel every now and then its sometimes nice to have a day of doing nothing? (I know I do!) It can be nice to just snuggle up under a duvet and watch loads of movies. On days like this I often tend to have movie marathons where I constantly watch one film after the other for the whole day. 

I normally like to snack on things while watching the movies. A couple of my favourite movie treats used to be popcorn, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Fruittellas, Maltesers and Minstrels. However, as I've started eating healthier recently I no longer have these as treats, (although they do taste great). My favourite healthier alternative treats are popcorn (that I make myself), or a bowl of mixed fruits with a small amount of agave nectar. (What are your favourite movie treats?)

To give myself a variation, I often pick a couple of movies within different genres. I will usually chose a Romance, Action, Adventure, Coming of Age, Drama or Musical. Most of the films will consist of more than one genre within the ones that I listed. My favourite genres though are Action, Adventure and Romance. I am not a big fan of horrors; they are not something I would particularly choose to watch when I am on my own. However, I don't seem to mind watching them as much when I am with other people, (is that just me or?).

There are a couple of movies that I have really been loving recently. (I sometimes struggle to find good new films that I really enjoy to watch.) My recommendations will be based around my favourite genres that I listed in the previous paragraph (so sorry if those particular genres aren't your cup of tea). 


 Love, Rosie                                                       Divergent

  
















    

 The Fault In Our Stars                                            How I Live Now

I hope you've enjoyed reading my blogpost, and I hope it has been useful in someway. I've only given recommendations of things I have personally liked myself (so they may not appeal to you whatsoever). If you did try watching any of my recommendations, or you have ideas of films you feel I may like, I would love to hear about it all in the comments below. :)


Lauren
xoxo