Grasmere

Grasmere

Today I visited Grasmere in the middle of the Lake District with Robbie and his grandma. It's always a popular tourist area so we thought it would be really busy on bank holiday Monday, but the visit was well worth the little people and car-dodging we did and it was actually quite quiet in most places.
 

Faeryland - a tea and coffee garden on the lakefront, with cute pastel-coloured rowing boats to hire.

We visited The Potting Shed for food as the menu sounded amazing. I went for the BBQ chicken pitta and vegetable ribbon salad with a feta yoghurt dressing and tzatziki and beetroot dips.

The setting was lovely as it was based in the Grasmere Garden Village - so we were surrounded by stone animals, flowers and wooden carvings of owls.

After food we visited the Wordsworth Daffodil Garden, right next to the famous Grasmere Gingerbread bakery and shop. Wordsworth lived in Grasmere and was therefore known as one of the 'Lake Poets,' alongside others such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The final stanza from Wordsworth's poem, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud. The paths of the park are filled with the names and locations of donors that bought their place on paving stones in aid of the church alongside which Wordsworth is buried.

We saw a few paragliders while walking next to the river. Something I've always wanted to do!





Overall we had a lovely day in the sun! Grasmere is such a pretty place and we walked past loads of pretty little gift shops, ice cream places and cafés. It's also home to the Lake Artists Society, which hosts a Summer and a Winter Exhibition in Grasmere's town hall, attracting over 10,000 visitors each time. The summer exhibition ends on the 7th September and the dates for the winter exhibition are still to be announced on the website. It was really cool to go there and see pieces by people such as my old art teacher and local artists I'd met during workshops. This actually inspired me to start a new Pinterest board based on Lake District art and artists, particularly those featured in the exhibition.

Thanks for reading,
Indy ♥

101 Ways to Stay Creative

101 Ways to Stay Creative

I posted something quite similar to this on an old blog I used to run. It was in response to a question I had been asked, and when it actually came to trying to find an answer, I felt like I had no clue how to respond. I feel like I'm always looking for ways to stay creative myself, so, while this list may help you too, it's definitely something I know I'll look back on while trying to think of new ways to stay imaginative. It's a long list, but there are so many ways to keep inspired that I wanted to share so many! Some might seem a little bit cringey or cliché, like number 28 and 52 (and basically every other number on this list), or even a little out of touch, but a big part of being creative is leaving your comfort zone and doing things you wouldn't usually do; so take risks and follow the list...

1. Stock up on pretty notebooks. Take one everywhere you go.
2. Make a creativity playlist - or listen to the 'Creativity Boost' one by Spotify. It's always updated and a pleasure to listen to while drawing.
3. Drink green or herbal tea.
4. Go into a book shop and buy the first book you see. Read it. Even if it's a biography about a train driver (not that I've ever come across one of those).
5. Have a Studio Ghibli film day. You have to watch My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies. But if you cry, it's not my fault. You will cry.
6. Find a new DIY project to do each week.
7. Look through other people's sketchbooks.
8. Learn how to lucid dream.
9. Refresh your living space; get rid of old, unwanted things and replace them with new, pre-loved or handmade stuff. 
10. Go for a drive in the rain.
11. Say yes to all new opportunities (unless they're ridiculous or you are feeling overwhelmed). 
12. Keep plants or grow some flowers. They are pretty!
13. Start a new sketchbook and fill each page with drawings that use a new material - charcoal, lipstick, oil pastels... Use stuff you would never normally think of putting on paper, like wet sand or bright jelly. I sound like an idiot. I am.
14. Have a look at some contemporary magazines to read - Kinfolk, Frankie and Rookie Mag are my favourites!
15. Ask questions. Stay curious.
16. Get a big box and fill it with art materials. You will use it, one day.
17. Use essential oils with different mood properties. Lemon, rosemary, jasmine and neroli are meant to enhance creativity.
18. Take up a new hobby, or just learn how to do something new.
19. Don't think too much about what you're doing.
20. Buy one of the Moleskine 'Passion Journals' - the art and book ones look really good.
21. Go to local markets, vintage fairs and even car boot sales.
22. You'll find some interesting stuff.
23. Decorate an old denim jacket with badges and patches of things you love.
24. Write a list of reasons to be happy. Read them when it's raining.
25. Make a gift for someone you appreciate. Have a lazy day! Spend it snuggled with your favourite book or film.
26. Get a Lomography camera and follow the rules. Get your film developed and laugh at what comes out.
27. Decorate natural things like stones, leaves and twigs. Leave them for people to find.
28. Try not to be a perfectionist. Mistakes can be turned into something new.
29. Draw with your 'wrong' hand, with your eyes shut, or without taking the pen off the paper.
30. Visit the Wikipedia 'random' page and refresh until you find something interesting. Read the whole article.
31. Keep a notebook full of inspirational quotes you come across.
32. Get away from technology for a day. Turn off your phone, laptop, and TV - go outside.
33. Listen to podcasts; you can always learn something new while going somewhere or even relaxing before sleep. I like Stuff You Should Know, The Complete Guide to Everything, and I also find TED talks really inspirational.
34. Complete a Wreck This Journal.
35. Read about people who inspire you.
36. Make a dream collage of all the things you want to achieve.
37. Go on a long bike ride with your headphones on.
38. Read '365 Days of Inspiration' book by Lizzie Cornwall - some of the ideas on here are featured in there.
39. Make your own fruit juice.
40. Find a blank piece of paper and fill it with whatever enters your head - drawings, doodles, thoughts...
41. Eat different foods you wouldn't normally try.
42. Keep a dream diary. Write in it as soon as you wake up so you don't forget. Use stuff that happens in your dreams to inspire drawings or short stories - even if you keep them to yourself. 
43. Create new Pinterest boards based on Dictionary's 'word of the day'. Fill them up.
44. Visit local art galleries and museums. Make sure you see everything.
45. Eat breakfast and drink your morning coffee in the sun.
46. Stick pictures of the things you love on bedroom walls, or around the house.
47. Go for a run.
48. Wear something you'd never usually wear - put bright colours together, or busy prints.
49. Travel. Keep a visual diary for each different place you visit, and keep tickets, notes, sketches and thoughts in there.
50. Be experimental.
51. Look at some of the books Anthropologie sells, they're always inspirational. I bought a 5-year diary and a 52 week list book from the Chelsea shop in New York, and I love them! The UK website stocks different things but they all have the same quirky and expressive feel.
52. On the same topic, Urban Outfitters (another company owned by URBN) have some similarly thought-provoking things on their bookshelves.
53. Learn to love what you do - or do what you love.
54. Go to a science museum.
55. Recycle something old.
56. Work somewhere new; outdoors, in bed, while travelling, in a cafe... Different perspectives can often give new ideas.
57. Get enough rest and don't overwork yourself.
58. Watch a new film each week. Netflix is full of both good and bad, but even the bad films can be... Encouraging...
59. Surround yourself with creative people.
60. Look at classes in your local area and find something that interests you. Draw your own imaginary world.
61. Grow a herb garden.
62. Collaborate.
63. Start using an adult colouring book! They're really therapeutic. I recently bought the Tropical Wonderland one by Millie Marotta, and spent hours colouring in with my three year-old sister. I did also feel like a three year-old, but it was very refreshing.
64. Stay open to new ideas and experiences.
65. Make sure you have time for you.
66. Don't think too much about the past - or the future.
67. Be spontaneous.
68. Start collecting books, even if you don't plan to read them in the near future.
69. Take on new challenges.
70. Break the 'rules' - do the opposite of what you're meant to do. Use colours that clash, forget about composition and being neat.
71. Don't just stick to one thing. You can change your mind whenever, whether it be related to something as big as a change in career path or even what you want to have for lunch.
72. Visit places that aren't obviously inspirational - the supermarket, historical sites, the beach, etc.
73. Help people. It will make you feel much better about yourself.
74. The Paperchase website will make you want to buy cute sketchbooks and photo albums. Even if you never use them, they're there.
75. Make a list of goals for the week, month or year; but make them realistic.
76. Listen more and talk less.
77. Make a mess! This is one of the art 'rules' I live by.
78. Don't compare yourself to others. Everyone has different ideas. Being creativity is very subjective.
79. Notice the small details.
80. Read poems.
81. Don't be afraid to leave something unfinished. You can always go back to it later with new ideas after a while.
82. Remind yourself that art is very personal - everyone should be creating their own thing.
83. Learn to cook a new favourite meal.
84. Learn about new places you've never heard of. Google is your friend.
85. Mistakes are no longer mistakes.
86. People watch.
87. Know that we are all human. (Except nasty people. They are just mean.)
88. Remind yourself that everyone has potential, even if you think you can't create things. Try it. 
89. Everything is interesting, and everyone has something new to teach you.
90. Make homemade ice lollies! Ice lollies are one of my favourite things. You will learn this. 
91. Spend time with your friends and family, but make sure you get enough time alone.
92. Don't rely on material things.
93. Listen to Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann. It will make you feel much better.
94. Discuss your ideas with people. It will give you someone else's viewpoint.
95. Eat healthy foods.
96. Go through a whole year without buying someone a gift - make them instead. Find D.I.Y projects on Pinterest and use them to make things that are much more thoughtful.
97. Draw a new object every day... Even the every day stuff.
98. If you're stuck, list every idea that comes to mind. You'll find something innovative.
99. Reflect on your day each night. Don't think about what you could have done, but about what you will do next time.
100. Trust your instincts. Do what you feel like. Not everything has to be overly thought-out or heavily calculated.
101. Remember -

"The earth without art is just 'eh'."

Too Faced: Chocolate Bar

Too Faced: Chocolate Bar

While in Barcelona, I decided to treat myself to some Sephora buys. I already own too many eyeshadow palettes, but seeing the Too Faced 'Chocolate Bar' made me so happy - all the colours are ones I love to wear, the palette smells of chocolate and Too Faced is a brand I've always wanted to try. Their pretty, girlish packaging has always enticed me, along with their cruelty free mission and strong focus on confidence and empowering women.







The sixteen shades in the palette are all gorgeous; a mixture of very wearable glittery and matte neutrals, plums and pinks, each with hunger-inducing names. The colours are highly pigmented and last all day, even in the heat. They're also mixed with actual cocoa powder, which is where they get their delicious smell!

• Gilded Ganache - a glittery dark greenish-gold.
• White Chocolate - a creamy coloured matte.
• Milk Chocolate - matte, light tan shade.
• Black Forest Truffle - sparkly deep purple.
• Triple Fudge - dark brown, perfect for a strong smokey eye.
• Salted Caramel - almost orangey matte.
• Marzipan - a light but lustrous coral colour.
• Semi-Sweet - burnt neutral brown matte.
• Strawberry Bon Bon - matte, sweet pastel pink shade.
• Candied Violet - a bright gleaming cool-toned purple.
• Amaretto - a glimmering, warm purplish-pink.
• Hazelnut - warm-toned glittery brown.
• Creme Brulee - unbelievably shimmery, a radiant gold.
• Haute Chocolate - a darker, luminous brown.
• Cherry Cordial - a dark, sparkling burgundy-maroon.
• Champagne Truffle - I sometimes use this one as a highlighter; it's a glowy pinkish shade that accentuates underneath the brow really well.

Have you ever used Too Faced products? Which are your favourites? I'd love to try more!
Indy ♥

Benicàssim Festival

Benicàssim Festival

Okay, so I'm aware that my blog is full of travel stuff at the moment, but I've been on a couple of holidays just recently so it's all I've been up to the past month!

I got back from a trip to Spain with my flatmates and a couple of other friends about a week ago. We had gone to the festival in the first week and Barcelona for the second week (more on that in a later post). The festival itself was in Valencia, so after arriving at Barcelona airport we took the three hour bus to the town of Benicàssim. The bus was freezing as the air-con was on way too low - or high? But as soon as we finally arrived we had to trek our suitcases through the heat and what seemed like miles of bumpy dirt paths, so I'd have been grateful for any cool air!

Just a warning that this is going to be a really photo-heavy post, as usual...



Playsuit: Missguided
Shoes: Superga
Bag: Primark
Anklet: from a stall in Benicassim town. I haven't taken it off since I bought it, so it's survived a lot of swimming in the sea and wandering around Spain!

Landing at Barcelona airport - the sunset looked amazing. I always love flying while the sun goes down, the colours are unreal.








Issy's bag: New Look
Stopping off at a service station for a snack and a break while on the way to Benicassim from the airport.

Our faces got progressively glittery as the week went on. We also didn't get Wi-Fi by the tent so I made my own Snapchat filter. So clever.

Right at the beginning of the week, on the bus en route to the beach.

Enjoying watermelon from the fruit stand! Grabbing some fruit and freshly-squeezed orange juice in a morning was so refreshing after waking up in a boiling tent.

Headband: Claire's Accessories - I don't usually shop here, but I'd gone in with a friend once as she looked for something and thought this would actually be really cool for festivals!

The inside of the Toastie Shack was really cute, with bright bunting and metallic signs. It even had a disco ball. Amazing.

Some of the pretty streets we found in the town. There were quite a few colourful buildings too, it's such a nice place! We spent most of our days sunbathing / sleeping on the beach and going in the sea to cool down, then wandering around the town looking for nice places to eat.

Vegetable and smoked cheese bruschetta, with aubergine, courgette, tomato and leek.

Salmon carbonara - this was actually really nice but I ate the tiniest bit as I was so full after my bruschetta starter! I think our stomachs were shocked whenever we tried to eat a full meal, as we lived off baguettes and crisps whenever we weren't by a restaurant.

Playsuit: Missguided (as seen before)
I actually look tanned on here - I somehow ended up being the only one of us that didn't burn! My face doesn't tan well though, so it always looks really pale in comparison to the rest of me when I go away.

Necklaces: New Look

Dress: ASOS
Shoes: Topshop

Bralette: Calvin Klein
Tattoo: from a strange shop in the town

After looking back on this post, I've realised I haven't put photos of the acts themselves - I mainly took videos or all my images were on Snapchat, which weren't saved to my phone. Oops. We saw some amazing people though, some of my favourites were Mac Demarco, Biffy Clyro, The Chemical Brothers, Muse, Hannah Wants, Skepta, The Vaccines, Disclosure and Bloc Party. I did miss a few acts I wanted to see, like Massive Attack, as everything is on until about six in the morning due to there being no acts on in the day. I'd really recommend the festival on the whole though; I just didn't sleep great and I am always tired anyway - I struggle to stay awake past 10PM at the moment. It was lovely being able to camp at a festival without getting caked in wet mud though, as there was obviously very little chance of rain. I'm used to English festivals, where it pours for about a week and everything gets ruined due to basically camping in a swamp. Overall, the festival was a great experience for my first time at Beni - but here are some tips for next time...

Tips

• Make sure to get enough sleep, even if it is on the beach during the day. Just don't fall asleep in the sun!
• Take some old trainers you don't mind getting ruined. My white Supergas were brown by the end of the festival, but I had to wear them while in the arena to avoid my feet getting trampled while in sandals. The dust and stones also get into sandals really easily, so trainers were often more practical.
• Buy a couple of disposable cameras to use while you're there.
• Learn a bit of Spanish before you go. It goes a long way when you're trying to communicate, I know I struggled sometimes.
• Buy the Benicassim bus card at the beginning of the festival. It's only 15 Euros and makes getting on and off the bus so much quicker, you even skip the queues sometimes.
• Take tons of baby wipes and antibacterial stuff - 'Wet Ones' wipes are really handy for keeping hands clean and bacteria-free. You and everything you own will either get covered in dust from the ground, or sand from the beach.
• Be prepared with all the medications and creams you need. I was our camp's go-to pharmacist as I had loads of different creams with me, from antihistamines and calamine lotion for bites to aqueous cream and Elizabeth Arden's 8-hour stuff to use as extra-strong aftersun.
• Drink a lot of water and wear a hat. Being dehydrated and getting ill from sun stroke is absolutely not fun.
• Buy a cooler box and make sure to get ice from the supermarket every day to keep drinks and aftersun cool. Drinking warm Desperados is never fun.
• Take a good portable charger for your phone. I lasted the week without my phone dying once, as I had bought a RavPower charger for about £20 - it charged my phone a full six times! This also stops you going to the charger tent and spending 10 Euros on a charger that will only charge your phone once, if that, before it breaks; this happened to a friend.

Have you ever been to Beni? How did you find it?
Indy ♥

M&S Home Favourites

M&S Home Favourites

I have to admit that M&S wouldn't be my first place to go for homeware, but at work I'm always walking past the home section and seeing stuff I'd love to buy. With moving back to university soon, I've been looking on the  website  too, and there's so many pretty new things out to decorate your space with! Here are some of my favourites, some of which I'll definitely be buying in time for moving into my new flat.

1. Kerava Armchair - £249 - I love the colours on this armchair as well as the geometric print. While I probably won't be buying any armchairs any time soon, I love the idea of using a statement chair to brighten up a room and this one really stood out for me.
2. Tribeca 4 Pack Mixed Side Plate Set - £19.50 - The botanical prints on these plates are lovely - can you tell I'm a huge print fan yet? Side plates are also the perfect size for snacking (something I do a lot).
3. Lavender and Chamomile Lidded Filled Candle - £12 - I love the smell of both lavender and chamomile, as I always have a chamomile tea before bed and spray my pillows with lavender scented sleep spray; so this candle would be the perfect thing to help get me to sleep.
4. Metal Globe - £69 - I'm not much good with maps but I know I need to improve my geographical awareness. This metal globe would be a great accessory to any room.
5. Pom-Pom Throw in Cream - £69 - Using a throw is one of the easiest ways to change the look of your bedroom and make things feel cosy. As I love bright and colourful bedding, a plain one with fluffy pom-poms would mean nothing looked too in-your-face.
6. Hexagonal Mirror Frame - £19.50 - This mirror has a clean, minimalistic feel, which I love alongside busy prints and an abundance of useless trinkets. I'm a bit of a hoarder so often find my spaces looking a bit too fussy if I'm not careful.
7. Abstract Paint Wall Art - £19.50 - I really love abstract art (I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to the movement), and the colours in this piece are really eye-catching.
8. Floral Birds Trinket Box - £29.50 - Another cute, delicate print. I own so many little bits and bobs like jewellery and small washi tapes that clutter my desk, so I'm forever looking for nice boxes and holders to keep them all in.
9. Alphabet N Cushion - £15 - All the alphabet cushions by M&S are individual, but they're all brilliantly colourful and quirky!
10. Metal Ornate Fruit Bowl - £19.50 - This is similar to the mirror with its gold hexagonal shapes, and metal accents make any room look utilitarian cool.
11. Isobella Bedding Set - £15 - £45 - This is something I'm definitely going to buy. The double set is only £25, a bargain for a good quality M&S product!

I hope you like the items I've picked out. There's so many more to see on the website, so it's definitely worth having a look for yourselves if you're thinking of decorating a room with lovely pieces! Which are your favourites?

Thank you for reading,
Indy ♥