Finding Motivation...

Sometimes as humans we can totally loose motivation and I think it's fair to say that procrastination can be a thief of motivation; I know for sure I am NOT the only one that thinks that, therefore I'm going share a list of things that help to motivate me.
As someone that has never liked the thought of doing a job that has just been "expected" of me or a job that can seem, quite frankly, mind-numbing, I have to find motivation, especially when that involves working for yourself! I think it's fair to say that people can expect a lot of you and that can sometimes push you into doing things you don't want to do, but I have been determined, some may stubborn (to be fair I am Libra mixed with Scorpio), to follow my dreams and do an apparently "unconventional" job. The thought of not living my life to the fullest and happiest scares me and I can't imagine myself pursuing something just because someone thinks I should.

1. I NEVER understood why people made lists, I just didn't understand how writing a load of things down could help you to order your thoughts and calm life, they're just pieces of paper how can they help?! Oh how wrong I was, I started to write lists of things when I started at a work experience placement to help me to remember the task I had to do (the joys of having a bad short term memory) and I just became addicted. Having everything laid out can definitely help with motivation as everything is suddenly a calm and collected list rather than a whirlwind!

2. When the zero motivation kicks in, one thing that can definitely help is just to think of the reasons you started and the excited, happy feeling you have when doing something you love.

3. As I mentioned earlier people can judge no matter what the situation or what you are working towards, most of the time these people only want what they think to be the best for you but it can be dis-heartening and un-motivating. I know that feeling of thinking shall I give up and just do what these people want me to do? But the answer should always be no, you are living for you and if someone doesn't like it, TOUGH.

4. Set yourself manageable targets and think of how good it feels when you achieve them, you'll want to keep ticking things off.

5. Don't feel down hearted when something doesn't quite go the way you planned, remember bad things even happen to Beyonce, we may not know what those bad things are but believe it or not she is still human.

5. A good song or playlist to release some mood-enhancing chemicals and pump you up!

6. Allow yourself a break! Sometimes you just have to listen to your body and allow your body to stop. Pushing yourself is lowering the motivation, come back to the job in 30 mins, 1 hour, tomorrow and you'll do better than you would have done if you'd kept going.

Love El
xxx

Blockley

You know when you visit somewhere that your favourite TV programme or film was shot and you become a total fan girl? Yeah, well that was exactly what happened to me and my best friend Jess when we visited Blockley.

If you read my second to last blog post then you will realise just how much I love The Cotswolds, and therefore one of my favourite programmes is Father Brown. Jess and I have been watching Father Brown for a little while now and we both love it, there's just something about The Cotswolds that truly feels like a giant hug.

Blockley and Blockley Church are just some of the settings for this programme and even though we have driven through the village many times we finally parked up and had a wander round (mums in tow, they're big fans of the show too). 

Of course, as one of the locations is a church you have to be sure to be respectful but as someone who has always been fascinated by churches and their architecture, this one was extra special.

(#Geeks)

Love El

xxx

Favourite Fashion Bloggers

These are just a handful of my favourite fashion bloggers and there are still 7 of them!

You know when you see outfits and you think "wow, that looks incredible, I could NEVER pull that off" or "how did they think to put that outfit together" well that's exactly how I feel when I look at these bloggers! 

Have any of them even experienced a bad outfit day?! Definitely not.

Sarah Ashcroft

Starting off with Sarah.

Sarah was one of the first fashion bloggers I ever found and I have never stopped being in awe of her! She just puts together the coolest outfits that I don't think I could ever pull off but would love to, whenever Sarah puts up a new lookbook or blog post I just think how does someone become so "cool" (probably not by saying cool, that has inevitably aged me.)

Sinead Crowe

Sinead was also featured in my Inspirational Bloggers post so I am clearly a big fan of this girl!

Again, Sinead just seems to be able to put together the coolest outfits that I would never even think of, her sense of style isn't like anyone's I seen before and I've always marvelled at people who can step outside the box fashion-wise!

Lydia Elise Millen

I'm not lying when I say I can't quite cope with how incredible Lydia looks all the time!

Lydia's outfits are so classic and just stunning, there isn't really any other way to put it. The classic look of Lydia's outfits is something I always try to achieve and she was definitely the inspiration behind me buying my first designer bag. 

Jess - Copper Garden

While Jess is jet setting off around South Africa and all other kind of places this year her style has definitely not taken a back seat. Every Instagram post she uploads and blog post published there is so much inspiration to be taken! This girl has a talent for looking incredible no matter the weather.

Victoria Magrath

Every-time I look at Victoria's Instagram, Blog and YouTube there is a new outfit to be adored. I don't think anyone does classic, sophisticated outfits quite like Victoria does, and I can't even tell you how much I would love her to dress me! Always looking incredible Victoria is of course another blogger I am in awe of.

Freddy Cousin-Brown

Freddy got it spot on by saying how she loves being the "pink in a sea of black", there is definitely not enough pink wandering the streets, especially in Winter! Freddy's pastel and girly look is one that always looks so enviable, and even if she has admitted that her outfits may not be the warmest for the English weather, what does that matter when you look as amazing as Freddy!

Angela - The Sunday Chapter

Angela was one of the first bloggers I ever found, and I have loved watching her blog grow and grow and it really is no surprise that it has. Even though I can't instantly take inspiration from Angela's blog as she lives in Australia and wearing a mini dress in early Spring may not be the best idea, I can marvel at the stunning outfits she puts together and pieces that she finds!

Love El

xxx

My Cotswold Guide

If you've read my blog for a little while you'll already know about my massive love for The Cotswolds! There's just something about it that feels like a huge hug.

So today I thought I would share some of the places that I would definitely recommend visiting!

Broadway & Broadway Tower

The vistas from Broadway tower are spectacular you can see unbelievably far even without going up the tower! And the village of Broadway itself is stunning. 

Stanton

Stanton is just one of Cotswolds picture perfect villages, there's just something incredibly calm about Cotswolds villages, horses riding up and down the lanes, and rose covered houses, does anything sound more perfect?! And of course you must visit Stanton's famous pub "The Mount Inn", my second image is taken from the pub garden!

Bourton - on - the - Water

Bourton is always a must see at Christmas, we go every year and has been a tradition pretty much since I was born! Bourton is an extremely popular destination in The Cotwolds, which is really no surprise.

Bibury

William Morris once described Bibury as "the most beautiful village in England" and if that doesn't warrant a visit then I don't know what does!

Batsford Arboretum

I definitely don't have any photographs that do Batsford Arboretum enough justice, I can't explain how stunning it looks! If you can go at only one time of year then make it Autumn, there are just read trees everywhere, or blossom in Spring!

These are just a handful of the places I love.

Love El

xxx

Megan Mckenna - Miss Pap // Lust List

If you're a TOWIE watcher like me then there is no doubt in my mind that you won't LOVE some of the styles shown on the show. Everyone always looks so glamorous and dolled up, and lets be honest I wish I looked that amazing walking down the street! But with Megan Mckenna's collection with MISSPAP there is an opportunity to look at least half as stylish as the beautiful girl!

These are just some of a few of my favourite things from the collection:

(Tap the images for details!)

Which piece is your favourite from the collection?

Love El

xxx

Dairy Free Banana Bread

You know when you really want to upload a fashion or makeup blog post but the World decides that's not what's going to happen and gives you an allergic reaction...well unfortunately that's exactly what happened to me. An allergic reaction equalling in a face of eczema and (sorry to be disgusting but this is actually what happened) blisters a makeup post and fashion post is just not going to happen! I was gutted when I couldn't publish the posts I wanted to but with a face now reaction free we're nearly ready for those posts.

But something that can definitely cheer you up during said allergic reaction is the smell of banana bread! So I have a really easy recipe that I have slightly changed from Pippa Middleton's Celebrate book, to make it dairy free.

What You'll Need:

100g Dairy Free Butter

175g Light Brown Sugar

200g Self Raising Butter

1 tsp Baking Soda

3 Ripe Bananas

1 Large Egg

What To Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C

2. In a bowl cream together your butter and sugar

3. Into the same bowl, sift in your flour and baking soda, and mix together well

4. After mushing (clearly a technical term) your bananas with a fork, in a separate bowl add to the rest of the mix along with your 1 Egg

5. Pour into your loaf tin and place into the oven for about 55mins, I checked on mine a 45 mins but it needed those extra 10! (You can check it ready by sticking a knife into the cake and if it comes out clean it's done, also the cake will have risen and become golden!)

This is such a delicious recipe!

Love El

xxx