The Tales of a Wannabe Travel Blogger (aged 12-13)

The Tales of a Wannabe Travel Blogger (aged 12-13)

I just unearthed my old digital camera that I had before I got my DSLR and with that came trying to find an SD Card which led to me discovering all of my old travel pictures from back in the day so I thought I'd do the only thing I know how to do and edit them the same way I edit now and see if I can find anything fun and unearth some memories from old trips. This should be a RIDE! (All of these pictures were edited with my Scandi Collection presets which you can find here if you're interested!)


Italy 2010
I went to Italy for the first time with my family in 2010, we're actually heading there again this summer so this one will be fun to see the difference between the two almost 10 years apart!

Your Local Average Blogger

Your Local Average Blogger

So, a few things about me, I'm 5' 6", I wear a size 8, and size 6 shoes. Literally the most mediocre measurements ever! I honestly didn't even notice until I was in my local New Look this week looking at the sale section, which is incredible btw and deffo worth checking out, seriously discounts AND buy one get one free on the entire sale section, AN ACTUAL DREAM, and I couldn't find anything in my size! Who knew that size 8s were so difficult to come across. I'm in that dreaded range were 6s are a little too snug but 10s are also a little too big but all the clothes I could find were either a 6 or a 10 and above! No 8s in sight! Like does anyone else ever have this problem? I wasn't in a rush and therefore I had plenty of time to look around and eventually found some super cute pieces that were actually in my size (I'm well aware that this is the biggest first world problem I've probably ever cared about and clothes are a luxury and blah blah blah)

That's when it struck me. 

I'm Average. 

I don't even mean that in a skills way (although I can sometimes feel a little average in that capacity too but that's a whole other post) I mean that in a physical attributes way. So many people can classify themselves as petite bloggers, mid-size bloggers, or whatever but I can't claim any of that! So I'm just a girl, sitting in front of her laptop screen pledging to be your friendly neighbourhood AVERAGE blogger. No labels, no frills just plain average, and I'm okay with that! 

(Stick around for some more average content) 

Jumpsuit from the aforementioned New Look sale! (aka the solitary size 8 jumpsuit)

Glasses are Camden from Glasses Direct (get £30 off your first order here*)

iDeal SS19 Collection

iDeal SS19 Collection

THIS POST IS IN PAID PARTNERSHIP WITH IDEAL OF SWEDEN

It's been a long winter, especially if your hometown is anything like mine, but the weather is finally starting to pick up and in order to get fully into the Spring-Summer season, iDeal of Sweden have just released their Spring/Summer collection which allows your phone accessories to match the summery mood that the rest of you is feeling and embracing!

My case is iDeal of Sweden however was purchased with my own money

You can check out the whole collection here* but here's a selection of my favourite products from the iDeal of SS19 Collection that you can get your hands on and you can get 20% off your order with the code ID20-AL110*

Phone Cases
If there's one thing that iDeal of Sweden are known for it's their phone cases. There are so many different fashion cases to choose from but they've just released a whole new collection of patterns in the Spring-Summer 2019 collection including this adorable little sunflower case it's definitely one of my faves!

Power Banks

The cute summer print vibes don't stop there! You can even get all the same prints from the SS19 collection in power bank and QI charger form. These power banks are perfect for travelling, whether that's for a summer holiday, just a quick Easter city break or even just a day at the coast you can be sure to keep your phone battery charged and look cute while doing it!

Saffiano Case

Maybe a fashion case is just a little bit too much for you and you'd rather keep it classic, these brand new Saffiano cases will add a certain amount of elegance and class to your Spring look while also being functional and fit for purpose.

Kensington Crossbody Clutch

Sometimes when you're out and about, you don't want to be carrying your phone around all the time but you also don't need to be carrying a bag all the time. These clutches are perfect for when you only need your phone and a few small items like your card, keys or a little cash and they're fully compatible with all iDeal of Sweden cases.

Hopefully, you've been inspired and feel ready to step into spring with iDeal of Sweden.

*Some of these links are affiliate links and so I will receive a small amount of commission from any products purchased at no extra cost to you, the same also applies for my discount code, just making sure I'm not keeping you all in the dark* 

Best Fake Scandi Life

Best Fake Scandi Life

I just finished 'Quicksand' Sweden's newest (and actually first ever!!!) release on Netflix and let me just say that it's reignited that inner Scandinavian in me (but let's be real, it never really went away). 

I'm obsessed with everything Scandinavian, I sometimes feel like I was born in the wrong country. I always tell people that the second I stepped off the plane in Copenhagen airport, something shifted and I knew that I was in my favourite place in the world, I knew that I was home. It sounds like a lie but when that fresh Danish air hit me I knew that I loved this place.

How do I embrace the Nordic life when I'm over 1000 miles away from my home away from home? Well here's a few ways to live your Best Fake Scandi Life, just like me

Music
The Scandi music scene is booming! Especially with Eurovision coming up it's the perfect time to get stuck into some sweet Swedish symphonies (100% a Zara Larsson reference). Here's a little playlist I've put together of some good Scandi pop to brighten up your day! (also Rix FM which is Sweden's top radio station play absolute bops all day every day and I highly recommend giving it a listen if you're tired of your own local stations)


Media
As I mentioned I've just finished watching Quicksand on Netflix. Nothing truly screams Sweden quite as much as Scandi-Noir series, from Wallander, to The Bridge, to The Killing there are so many Scandi-Noir dramas to choose from but moving away from the dark dramas, Norway's SKAM truly revolutionized tv as we know it and to this day is one of (if not my absolute) favourite shows of all time. (I wrote a post about that as well, you can check it here if ya wanna see what it's all about!) and there's plenty of other good Nordic tv shows that you can sink your teeth into. 

Style
I'm trying my hardest to live my best Fake Scandi Life by stealing the Scandi style, Minimalist, Basic, Black, Layers and Details that's the Scandi way. I recommend checking out brands like Arket, Samsoe Samsoe and Cos if you're after that high-class Scandi look or my absolute fave Monki if you're going more for a casual everyday look! Here are just a few of my top picks for embracing Scandi style as we come into the Spring!

Interior
IKEA IKEA IKEA, who doesn't absolutely bloody love a trip to IKEA? surrounded by Scandi design it truly is my way of escaping back to Sweden for a few hours even though I've just driven 20 minutes down the road. With a minimalist, classic design, you really can't go wrong with the flat-pack giants to add a touch of Scandinavia to your home! I'm also a huge fan of Søstrene Grene for homeware but also literally everything, I once went in to look around and came out with playing cards, scrunchies, socks and a bag of sweets, so never underestimate the sheer power that Danish things have on me.

Language
Learning a language has never been easier than now with everyone's favourite passive aggressive bird on Duolingo. I've completed the Danish course but I'm definitely far from fluent but it gives me a sense of achievement after I learn some new words I can use the next time I visit. Duolingo is currently available to learn Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian (Bokmal) as well as a whole load more.

getting fruity.

getting fruity.

I haven't written a faith post in a while so I thought I'd use today just to share a little bit about what I've been learning recently and it's a biggie. How can we live a godly life? What does that mean? How can we best portray Jesus in our daily living? SO MANY QUESTIONS but here's a simple way to make a start.

I once heard a sermon (it's this one by the way, I highly recommend checking it out, he talks about this all way better than I can) which talked about how to be most like Jesus, one time Jesus spat on people, do we do that? Jesus wore a toga, do we do that? Jesus had long hair, do we do that? We could, but it's not the best way to do it. I probably wouldn't even try to do the first one though, just to be safe. The best way to do be like Jesus is to take on the characteristics of Jesus. These are most exemplified in the Fruit of The Spirit.

Raise your hand if you were also a Sunday School kid who had the Fruit of the Spirit drilled into you from an early age, because I know I was. Ephesians 5 says that 'The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.' (if you sang that to the tune of the song you get bonus Sunday School points).

We all learned the Fruit of the Spirit as kids but how good are we at actually putting them int practice as adults. Notice how they are referred to as FRUIT and not GIFTS, this means that we all have the opportunity to grow them in our lives. One small way that I've been doing this recently is by finding one way that I displayed the Fruit of the Spirit each day.

Maybe it was patience when a co-worker is not co-operating, maybe it was showing love to that person who was by themselves, maybe it was showing kindness to someone when they were alone, maybe it was having peace among the stress of deadlines, maybe it was choosing joy in the times when joy didn't seem like an option.

It's a really simple thing to do, just reflecting on the ways we live a Godly life can help us grow in developing our Godly life. Some days we might not show an awful lot of patience in one area, but we found peace in another area. We're not perfect, none of us are going to be able to display all of these characteristics all the time, some of them will come more naturally to us than others but by growing them and reflecting on how we've been displaying them it really helps you to harness the things that matter enabling us to live the best possible life that God has mapped out for us.

Coat: Zara (thrifted), Sweater: M&S (old), Jeans: TK Maxx