Autumnal Room Decor | Lifestyle

Transitioning from summer to fall is never one of my favourite yearly events. Early mornings with a midnight sky, the school bell bringing me to my senses, mugs of milky hot chocolate, a dribble of froth oozing down the side of the- well, OK, scratch that, not everything about the fall season is vile and repulsive! However, I do know that it can be a struggle to let go of the warmth and amiability of the year and dip into the unknown months ahead. 

So, because room decor is one of the most simple yet effective ways to brighten your mood, this is my way of spreading a little positivity and magic to help you cope with cold nights in and the beginning of the end of a year. Enjoy!

little patchwork hearts

These little babies are fabulous for bringing a hearty (get it, get it?!), festive vibe to any empty room. Think Santa Clause chic and pumpkin spice latte with a little hint of rustic grunge thrown in. Mmm Tumblr.

rearrange your makeup collection

Make it neat, make it stylish, spice it up to the max or just remove a few lonely dried-up mascara tubes and way-too-sticky lipglosses that you'd never touch in a million years, yet somehow managed to have stashed away with the rest of your collection. I just find that moving things around really helps me feel more organised, productive and ready to take on the world. For real though.

burn, baby, burn

And no, I do not mean this in a literal sense, I mean it in a 'it's finally candle season!' sense. Yes, grab a candle (or two or three), light it up and get ready for the vanilla and cinnamon to wrap you up in a big bear hug. Best. Hug. Ever. 

posters

As strange and 90's as it sounds, posters are a really great way of adding a subtle kick to your room. Just make sure they're classy rather than trashy and you are good to go!

polaroids

You cannot get more retro than this, m'dear. Not only do they look super cute hung up around your room, they're also a great excuse to pull the strangest faces and fall into heaps of giggles with your friends. Try it, you won't regret it!

How to Survive Highschool

 

WHAT TIME IS IT? SUMME- scratch that, it's back-to-school time. Hell yes. School lunches, oversized jumpers that smell like mould, headaches and low energy levels. And although coffee has magical powers that keep you awake during those crummy maths classes, it's just not enough to help you survive. But hey, there has to be some way of going through the next few years of life without collapsing into a pile of books never to be found again, no? 

Well, with a lot of personal experiences, coffee and multiple ingenious moments in the shower, I have managed to gather together the five wonderful bundles of advice I speak about below. You are about to be shown the life changing secrets of a highschool master. Enjoy!

energy

Whether you're up against a life altering exam or just facing into yet another day at the office, you're not going to last the day if you're not packed full of positive thoughts, confidence and energy. To keep my energy levels sky high, I like to start my day with an antioxidant-packed green tea or a scrumptiously healthy breakfast smoothie (like this one here) and if I'm ever in need of a nutritional boost between classes I like to nibble on a TREK bar (preferable peanut flavoured!). These awesome bars are not only gluten, wheat and dairy free, making them 100% vegan, but they also have (wait for it) a grand total of 10g of protein per bar. WHAT?! Perfection.

friends

OK, I know this one's a given, but you can never have too many friends, right? The more the merrier. Smiles all 'round. Whoop-de-whoop. Sadly, however, making friends can be harder for some than it is for others, and that can be really tough if you're heading into a completely new year (let alone a new school). One piece of advice that I have for you, though, is to branch out. Burst from your comfort zone. This may be doing something as simple as saying hi to someone in Physics class or even talking to that girl with the freckles and plump nose who sits beside you in Spanish, but once you do it you will feel 100 times better. 

Don't stick with the same person/ group all of the time. Although they might be the sweetest people you've ever met, they can change. So make friends with lots of different people, spread out, be confident. Smile. And I promise you, everything will be fine.

be organised

This does not mean you have to run around as chairman of each and every club of your school, do everyone else' homework and wake up early every Thursday to bake teacakes for tomorrow's fundraiser (unless, of course, you want to). Being organised and on top of your game is one of the key factors to staying positive and stress free and, overall, happy. You can do this by keeping a sharp eye on time (to hand in projects, go to class, finish assignments) and making lists (this pushes you to be more productive in general, and once you've ticked off all that you've planned to do the satisfaction and relief feel amazing!). I also have a blogpost about being more productive, so why not check that out?

 

take photos

Purely for good times, memories and the joys of being young!

take time off

Relax. School is not all about study, books and snotty-nosed teachers. Make time in your day to chill out and forget about any stress that comes with the highschool package. Read a book, listen to your favourite toonz, take a break, and come back with a fresh mind, ready to fight again.

Homemade Cinnamon + Walnut Swirls | food

When a spicy chill cuts through the air, and the aroma of warm vanilla wafts from the open kitchen door, enveloping you in a big bear hug, you know that sweater weather has arrived at last and it is finally socially acceptable to snuggle down with a creamy mug of hot cocoa to yet another replay of Friends (not that I haven't spent my whole summer doing just that).

And what could be better than settling down to watch Friends with a mahoosive mug of chocolate in one hand, a blanket in the other?

Answer: settling down to watch Friends with a mahoosive mug of chocolate in one hand, a dish of home baked cinnamon swirls in the other, gazing at the cakes as their warmth teases the butter into tiny golden rivers. Basically heaven, amirite (or amirite)?

Please excuse the ridiculous length of this blogpost, I'm kind of a perfectionist! Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

for the pillowy dough

• 3 1/2 cups of spelt flour
• 1/5 cup of coconut sugar (let's keep things healthy, ok?)
• 3/4 block of unsalted butter (because salt and cinnamon just don't work)
• 1/4oz fresh yeast (this makes things interesting)
• 2/3 cup of milk (I used full-fat because ha YOLO, but you can use whatever type you like)
• 4 eggs 

for the sticky, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth filling

• 1 cup of roughly-chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup of coconut sugar (I'm in love with the coco)
• As much cinnamon as you desire (aka A LOT)
• 1/2 a cup of agave nectar (optional)

for the golden topping

• 1 egg
• A little bit of milk (go freestyle here)
• A couple of drops of vanilla extract
• A few tablespoons of coconut sugar
• A few tablespoons of cinnamon and allspice

 

How to make this magical badboy:

•  Put the flour, sugar and diced butter into a bowl and roll up your sleeves 'cause you're making breadcrumbs
• Sprinkle a shimmer of sugar (such alliteration, oh my) over the yeast to activate it and whisk it into the milk, followed by the eggs. Dollop that into the dry ingredients
• Mix well (who needs a gym when you can mix by hand? #gains)
• Knead the dough well for 10-15 minutes, making sure NOT to add any extra flour. The mixture may resemble something from Shrek's swamp at first but stick at it and soon it will improve, I promise
• Gently plop the dough into a lightly-buttered bowl, cover it with a tea-towel and leave it sit for 1 hour in a warm, dry place (quite a challenge, as it is autumn)
• Make the filling by crushing all of the dry ingredients and combining them with the agave nectar (if you have decided to use that)

• Once the dough is as soft as a baby's stomach (too weird?), cut it in half and roll each piece out well until they form rectangles
• Dust the filling over each sheet and roll in with a rolling pin 
• Then tightly roll each slab by hand until they look like cool logs
• Cut each log into wacky-looking snails and lay them onto a greased baking tray
• To make the topping, mix all ingredients together. Using a brush, coat the snails with it. Dust with extra cinnamon and crushed nuts of your choice
• Preheat your oven to a high heat (I set it to gas mark 5) and let your little snails rest for 30 mins before popping them into the oven for yet another 30 mins
• Eat hot (because who lets baked goodies cool, anyway?)

 

 

Sweater Weather | TAG

Hey everyone!

I've decided to do my very first tag. And I'm pretty excited about it, I must say, especially since it is so autumnal and cosy and hot-chocolate/cinnamon/pinewood scented and all that good stuff. I mean, who doesn't love a good snuggle by the fire? Enjoy!

(Inspired by Niamh's blog - why not check it out?)

• Favorite candle scent?

Can we all just agree that candles are bæ when it comes to sweater weather? The capability of choosing just one thing (whether that be an ice cream flavor or fave song) is a talent I have not yet mastered, but I have fallen in love this crisp apple and cinnamon darling (bottom of page).

• Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?

Coffee. Black like my soul (but milky Darjeeling is another favourite of mine).

• Best autumn memory?

Reciting a poem to an old neighbor when trick-or-treating. She joined in and I could even make out the glint of a tear in her eye. That's something I will never forget.

• Makeup: winged eyeliner or dark lips?

I love me a bitta berry on my beak and a flick of frozen black on my eyes (oh those Autumn trends!). However, I think a pair of plump rouge lips is what I like to go for.

• What do you want to be for Halloween?

Oh please, Olaf is coming through, everybody!

• Hats or scarves?

Beanies are my fave (although I do not have the skills to pull one off).

•  Most worn sweater?

Like, just about every one I own! I think my absolute favourite one, however, has to be be a white oversized jumper from Abercrombie & Fitch.

• Fave Autumn nail polish?

Deep reds and plum colors remind me of snobby old women, which I don't always enjoy being reminded of, thank you very much - I'm more of a pastel-nails-even-though-it's-Autumn-like-I-don't-care-throw-my-hands-up-in-the-air kinda gal, and absolutely lav to sport Rimmel London's Breakfast in Bed on my nails all year round.

• Skinny jeans or leggings?

Skinny jeans are one of my closet staple MUST HAVES, so definitely those! 

• Boots or Uggs?

Uggs are darlings, I've gotta say, but sorry, it's a no from me. Boots are much more stylish and make it look as though you put in much more effort than you actually did (shout out to all you lazy people AKA moi), while Uggs just make it look as though all you wear is slippers 24/7 (please excuse the negativity!)

I hope you've enjoyed my very first tag, please let me know in the comments whether you'd like me to continue dabbling in Q&As and the like. Personally, I absolutely love to share funky little details about myself with you! 

spiced quinoa recipe + mr bean

Hey everyone,

Did you know that quinoa is not a grain, but a vegetable (probably in disguise)? Or that you're actually able to make a dessert from it? Wait what? Um, yaaas . . .

Here is one of my favourite fall dessert/breakfast ideas for when the leaves turn brown and all you want to do is curl up and watch Mr Bean's Holiday and be reminded of those yummy summer days. 

ingredients

• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 a cup of organic quinoa
• a snowfall of ground cloves
• a shimmer of mixed spices

how to make this magical badboy

• Mix the spices and almond milk over a medium heat until smooth and as gold as the leaves outside your window
• Pour in the quinoa and stir occasionally, while following the orders on the packet 

Enjoy!

all my own photos

- curling up to watch mr bean (bæ) -

zee finished product

for a surprise blogpost click here!