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

The 'me time' Tag

Hey Guys!

Hope that you are all having a good week - it's certainly been a long one for me. As Charlotte on her blog recently posted the 'me time' tag and tagged me in it. I was't quite sure what to write about this week, so I got to Charlotte for inspiration. She gave me the idea for the 'me time' tag, which I thought I would give ago so you could get to know me a bit more. You can find Charlotte's blog here.

1) What do you like to watch/read during your me time?

At the moment, I don't really watch many TV shows as I never have time or don't have Netflix. However if I am going to watch something, I would usually go for Youtube. My favourites to watch at the moment are The SacconeJolys and Zoella, both two of my favourite youtubers. I don't always have much time to read, however in the evening before I go to bed, I try to read for at least 10 minutes if not longer so that I can settle down and so I actually feel tired! At the moment, I am reading Girl Online On Tour by Zoe Sugg, and it is a really interesting book.

2) What's your go to comfortable outfit?

Usually at the weekend if I am going to Romford or out, because of the weather, I try to keep warm so that I don't get cold. I also want something that is comfortable. On my legs, I would either go for leggings which are my go to at the moment or jeggings. I recently bought a pair from Primark and they are so comfortable as they are not only soft, but have elasticated waist. ON my top, I usually wear just a short sleeve top along with my favourite flannel shirt. It is the most comfortable outfit I have and I literally wear it all the time. 

3) What are your favourite me time beauty products? 

Do bath bombs count as beauty products? Because if they do - it would definately be these. Whenever I am stressed or just want a bit of time to myself, a bath is always nice with a Lush Bath Bombs and a smooth bath soak. My favourite bath bomb at the moment is either Frozen which Charlotte recently bought for me and ButterBear - however they only do that at Christmas time.

4) What's your favourite comfort food?

It always depends what mood I am in, what we have at home and what time of the year it is. At the moment though, I think it might be chocolate. I know that sounds really unhealthy but after receiving so much chocolate at Easter, I seem to have so much, and I just love chocolate!

5) What's your current favourite scent?

I have quite a few sprays I am going through at the moment. Usually everyday I will put on a spray in the morning along with a perfume. My favourite spray is  Tease which is one of Superdrug's own and has a lovely floral scent to it. Then my favourite perfume is Zoella Let's Spritz, as it has again, a lovely scent to it. 

6) Do you ever have outdoor me time?

To be honest, not really. Occasionally do I go outside on my own, however when I do, it is usually to the shops or in the garden. I have recently been going on the trampoline when the weather is nice, but recently I haven't had much time and it has been quite cold! 

7) Would you ever go to the cinema alone?

I don't really go to the cinema much however I did last week to watch the Jungle Book (which was a great film for those of you who want to watch it). I don't think I would really go on my own because it would be a bit boring, and you always need someone to laugh or talk to about the film during and after. It just doesn't seem the same on your own. 

8) What's your favourite shop?

My favourite shop is New Look. I love when I get vouchers or money and I can go and spend it there. Recently in Romford they have made the store bigger, so there is now a teens section, however I prefer the store in Lakeside as it is larger and there is more in there. I love all the clothes and accessories they do as they are really good quality and great price too.

What do you like to o in your me time? Let me know in the comments below.

Imagine Creativeness

Emily x

DIY Toothbrush Art

Hey Guys!

I haven't actually done a DIY for quite a while - so thought it might be a good idea to do one. I recently did a piece of art homework where I made a starry sky. This involved using a toothbrush and paint and flicking it onto a canvas - surprisingly taking me back to young days and making me have lots of fun. I find it so therapeutic just to flick paint! Anyway I thought that these could make really pretty unique art that you could stick pictures to or frame - the choice is yours.

For this DIY you will need:

• Paint in lots of different colours,
• Water,
• Toothbrushes,
• Card,
• Templates of your choice.

1) To start off, you will need to mix each colour paint with a little drop of water, so that it will be easier to flick rather than thick paint. Mix in the water with the head of the toothbrush and set aside.

2) If you are wanting to make a shape with the art, a template will probably be needed as the paint goes everywhere. You can either cut one out yourself or print one off - any shape or size you want. You will also need some card to paint on. Black works better as the colours come out bolder, however white will still work. 

3) Place some form of sheet on the floor, and preferably - so it outside! This can go everywhere as it is quite messy, but on a warm sunny day, it's quite nice to do it outside.

4) Using the template or just a piece of card, start taking each colour with a toothbrush and flicking it onto the piece of card. Build up all the colours and add layers till you have the desired amount of paint on your piece of card. Once finished leave to dry.

These can be really nice as either a present or to frame a picture in. You can have so much fun experimenting and making all sorts of different things with this type of art.

Imagine Creativeness

Emily x

No Bake Carrot Cake Bars

Hey Guys!

So I have never actually made anything like this - and as I was looking on Pinterest, I thought these would be good to try out. I was also quite intrigued when they said 'no bake' as this meant I could do this recipe quicker and easier. As I hadn't made these before and they made quite a few, I decided to half the recipe as well as replacing some ingredients for others due to not having them. I thought they turned out really well and they tasted so good! Sorry that the measurements are in cups, I just wasn't sure how to convert them! But here is the recipe for the adapted bars I made - let me know if you try them out...

For the Bars and Frosting you will need:

• 2 large carrots, shredded or grated,
• 1/2 cup whole almonds,
• 1/3 cup raisins,
• 1/4 cup dried coconut (this can be found in Primark),
• 1/4 cup dried banana (also from Primark),
• 3/4 cup rolled oats,
• 1/8 cup maple syrup,
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon,
• 1/4 teaspoon mixed spice,
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg,
• Pinch of salt.
• 100g icing sugar,
• 50g butter.

1) Place the shredded carrots, almonds, dried banana and dried coconut in a blender and blend until a crumbly mixture is formed. Make sure all the nuts are fully blended so that there are no large pieces in the mixture.

2) Add the oats, raisins and spices into the crumbly mixture and blend altogether until everything is mixed. Take it out the blender and place into a large bowl.

3) In the bowl, add the maple syrup into the mixture and stir. This will make the mixture stick together so that it can firm and won't crumble much.

4) Line a tin with greaseproof paper. Press the carrot mixture into the tin and flatten it out. Put it in the freezer to set.

5) While the mixture is in the freezer, mix together the butter and icing sugar to create buttercream. Although you were supposed to use cream cheese, I didn't have any so made this icing. However if I make them again I will use buttercream as it sweetens the bar more.

6) Take the mixture out the freezer and use a spatula to put the frosting on top of the cake bars. After it is set, cut into reasonable sized squares to the size you want. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Make sure you keep them in the fridge as there is no sugar in the bars. Also let me know if you have any DIYs you want me to try out as I want to do some but have no ideas! Have a great week!

Imagine Creativeness

Emily x

Twilight Lush Review

Hey Guys!

This will now be my second Lush Review, and although I didn't do one that long ago, I enjoy writing about their products. The bath bomb I will talk about today is 'Twilight'. I have not actually used this bath bomb before and was excited to use it as others had said how good it was. Saying that I didn't have the best experience that others had said they had.

Lush describes Twilight as 'Let the sun set on worries'. Now it is definately a bath bomb that will soothe your worries, however I wasn't sure that there were visions of the night sky. 

When I first placed the bath bomb in the water, it took a while until it started to form pink bubbles. But it doesn't stay pink for that long because when it gets to the centre of the bath bomb, a bright blue emerges and swirls in the water, creating a purple colour once mixed. 

It takes a while until all the colours are mixed, but when they are a layer of foam is created on top, leaving a soothing, soft feel to your body. Bubbles form and colours fade, but that soft feel is still there, leaving you feeing luxurious. 

The aroma was quite sweet - Lavender and Tonka - however together smell amazing. They soothe your body and calm you down, leaving a sense of relaxation behind. 

I had one fault with this bath bomb though. Although people have said it to be amazing, it wasn't my best bath bomb. It didn't emit bold bright colours, just pastel, unlike other pictures I have seen. I don't know whether it was because the bath bomb wasn't completely fresh or whether it was because my bath didn't have really hot water - I don't know.

I am happy to try out the bath bomb again for only £3.50 and will use it fresh to see if there is a difference.

Let me know what you think of this bath bomb and any others your recommend.

Imagine Creativeness

Emily x

What's In My Bag?

Hey Guys!

Today I thought that it might be interesting to do a What's In My Bag. Whenever someone does a video or a post on this, I am instantly pulled in as I am always intrigued to see what they have in their bag. Please don't ask why though! Let me know if you like these sort of posts and if you want others like What's On My Phone in the comments below. Here is what is in my bag...

First of all my bag is from Primark and is a little handle or on the shoulder bag. It was only £10 which I thought was reasonable and is a fairly standard size that I was looking for. It is a tan/brown sort of colour with grey and gold attachments. I use it everywhere I go and it has been a great purchase.

Firstly in my bag is my purse. Again it is from Primark and it matches my bag pretty much exactly at only £6. It is the tan/brown colour, but this time with white. It is quite big, however it has lots of pouches and pockets to put your money and cards in safely. 

Next is all my little bits and bobs. I keep a spray because who doesn't want to smell nice? Hand Cream and Hand Sanitiser incase my hands get dirty or dry, Lip balm, Tissues, Plasters (because you never know what might happen!), Tablets, Hairbands and a few pins. To be honest I probably don't need all these things however I feel that they are all quite essential!

I also keep a little notebook and pen inside just incase there is something I need to jot down or something I need to remember. It hasn't actually come in useful yet, however I keep it in there because you never know...

Lastly I keep some form of mints in my bag, such as gum or mentos. Sometimes after I've eaten I feel I need to freshen up, or sometimes, I just fancy a mint!

This is everything that is in my bag!

Imagine Creativeness

Emily x