Current Favourite Playlist

Hey Guys!

So at the moment I have really loved listening to music - whether that's on my phone, one the radio or listening to Spotify. When searching for ideas, I came across a few to do with playlists, and I though why not give it a go? I want to try and experiment more with my posts and vary them up more. Here are some songs and playlists I have been loving at the moment.

At the moment on Spotify, I have three favourite playlists. These you can find on by going onto my account and looking at my playlists: mimi_emmy. My three playlists I am enjoying at the moment and are my most listened to are: Hits 2016; UK Chart Tracks, Various Artists - Acoustic Cafe and Emily's Party (this one was created for one of my parties!)

Hits 2016; UK Chart Tracks

This is a bit like listening to the radio I suppose. It is updated daily and has all the recent chart tracks. There are a lot of recent new songs, some of which I haven't heard before and some which I really love. There is a variety of different types, however I prefer the more upbeat, garage type music as it gets me in the mood! My top 5 favourite songs on this playlist include:

1. One Dance by Drake
2. I took a pill in Ibiza by Mike Posner Seeb
3. Stitches by Shawn Mendes
4. Fast Car Radio Edit by Jonas Blue Dakota
5. Eyes Shut by Years and Years

Various Artist - Acoustic Cafe

This is a completely different style of music to the last playlist. It has a lot of recent pop songs, however they are sung in an acoustic version, which can be really calming sometimes. There are lots of songs, some again which I haven't heard and some that are so nice in an acoustic way. My top 5 favourite songs on this playlist include:

1. Chandelier Piano Version by Sia
2. Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen
3. Shut up and Dance Acoustic by WALK THE MOON
4. Budapest by George Ezra
5. My Love Acoustic by Jess Glynne

Emily's Party

When I had a party recently I created a playlist that could just be on in the background and that we could possibly dance to if we felt like it! I might have gone a bit overboard which meant that I created over 5 hours of music. However it means when I am doing a long project or something, I have a good playlist I can listen to which will get me into the mood for doing homework. I included a mix of pop, a few ballads and also garage - so a lot of these songs are some of my favourites. But here are my top 5 favourite songs on this playlist:

1. Real Love Tough Love Remix by Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne
2. Intoxicated Radio Edit by Martin Solveig GTA
3. Sorry (I didn't know) by Monsta Boy
4. Can't Feel My Face by The Weeknd
5. House Every Weekend by David Zowie

These are some of the playlists and songs that I have really been loving recently. What are your favourite songs?

Imagine Creativeness

Emily x

Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Hey Guys!

It's another baking post today! I was watching some of Tanya Burr's older videos and came across a video where she made Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M Cookies. They looked amazing and I decided that I might try them. However I adapted them a bit as I didn't have any pretzels and I made more cookies. So this is basically Tanya's recipe however and adapted version. They turned out amazing and taste so good, however I expect they are't actually very good for you! So here is the recipe:

For the cookies you will need:

• 300g Caster Sugar,
• 325g Self Raising Flour,
• 200g Peanut Butter,
• 200g Butter,
• 1 large egg,
• 200g M&Ms,
• Milk.

1) Place the caster sugar and butter into a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Either use a mixer or a wooden spoon - either will work.

2) Then add the peanut butter and mix it all in. It might take a while to mix in but it needs to be a smooth consistency. 

3) After that, add the egg and mix. Once mixed, add the flour a little bit at a time until the mixture is all combined together.

4) If the mixture is too dry, add some milk so that it isn't too wet or dry. Then add the M&Ms and combine together.

5) Gather the mixture into a ball and wrap it up in cling film. Leave it in the fridge for half an hour or until it is harder.

6) Once the mixture is out of the fridge, separate it into little balls and place on greaseproof lined tins. Make them quite thin and spread them out as they expand quite a lot, so don't make them too big in the first place! I managed to split mine into about 20 cookies.

7) Put them in the oven for about 10 minutes. They will come out still quite soft, however they harden up once exposed to air. 

8) Leave them to cool once out the oven and enjoy! 

These cookies are amazing and taste so good. I expect that they probably aren't that good for you but oh well! Let me know if you tried them in the comments below.

Imagine Creativeness

Emily x

How to handle too much Homework

Hey Guys!

It's coming up to that time of year where everyone is asked to do end of unit tests or just exams in general. This means there is more pressure in homework and we are given loads of it. Sometimes I find it so hard to sit down for ages and try to get it all done with other things I have to do too. So here are a few things that might help you when you are in the need of motivation and need to get all your homework done.

MUSIC - Listening to music quietly in the background makes homework more fun for me. Although some people say it can distract them, I feel that personally, it actually helps me to focus more on what I am doing. I find a playlist that I have been loving on Spotify and either plug in earphones or put it quietly on in the background. My two favourite playlists at the moment are Hits 2016 and Acoustic Café.

WATER - Keeping yourself hydrated is a must. If you aren't drinking, you are going to feel more weak and tired, so making sure you drink enough is key. I try to drink as much water as I can throughout the day so that I can stay focused and know what I am doing. Keeping water beside me when I am doing lots of homework makes me want to drink more, so I am not dehydrated or tired.

BREAKS - Sometimes, short relaxing breaks are what everyone needs when they start to get stressed. It can take your mind off work for a bit and keep you in the mood. It keeps me away from what I have just been doing to give me a rest and time to think. Some of my favourite things to do when I have a break could be taking a long bath, or even going out in the garden for a bit of fresh air. Whatever you do, keep away from your work for a short amount of time to reframe your mindset.

FLASHCARDS - Sometimes if I have a lot of revision and it's too much to be doing it all at once, I will create flashcards for the topic my revision is on. I find then that I can take them with me wherever I go so that I don't have to do it all at home. Maybe on a long car journey or a bus ride to school, flashcards are a great way to revise when there ins't much time.

SNACKS - To be honest with you, I can't really do much homework unless I have had a snack or a drink. When I get in from school I like to have something to eat to keep me going until the evening. It keeps me focused and I don't feel horrible or moody because I'm not hungry anymore.

YOUTUBE - Although some people find this distracting, I find again like music, it helps me stay more focused. I won't usually put a video on that you have to watch, otherwise I am drawn into that instead of the homework, however a chatty vlog or video gets me in the mood. It allows me to do something I enjoy whilst doibg something we don;t enjoy. Best of both worlds!

These are some of the ways you can handle a lot of homework and some that I find useful. Have a great week and make sure you keep on top of everything.

Imagine Creativeness

Emily x

Living a Creative and Inspiring Life...

Hey Guys!

So today I thought that I might try something a bit different and see how it turns out. I found a quote on the internet about living a creative life, and thought about perhaps expanding it and seeing how many things you can add on. Here are some of the ideas I came up with.

To live a creative life we must...

• Loose our fear of being wrong,
• Try new things that interest us,
• Let our imagination run wild,
• Take inspiration from those we love,
• Experiment through new projects,
• Surround ourself with inspiring people,
• Take risks and new opportunities,
• Know that things won't always be perfect,
• Understand that frustration is part of the process,
• Express ourself through things we love, 
• Make friends with those who enjoy our creative presence,
• Push ourself that extra mile to make our creative side stretch further,
• Accept when it stops and we struggle,
• Learn to live with criticism from ourself and others,
• Focus on action, not opinion,
• Set ourselves a reasonable target we can achieve,
• Do our best in everything we do, not matter how hard it is,
• Live the life we imagine it to be,
• Not quit or give up when things get tough,
• Set a goal that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning!

These are just 20 ideas on how to live a creative and inspiring life that can encourage those around you as well as yourself. They can boost your self-confidence and make you feel better about yourself. Have a go at trying some out if you want to live a creative and inspiring life. Start with the smaller ideas and build it up. Let me know how it goes and if you like this kind of blogpost.

Imagine Creativeness

Emily x