General Insecurities and Blogging

Note: By writing this I'm not saying I'm the only one who has every had insecurities or anything like that. I just wanted to get stuff off my chest.

Don't insecurities and anxieties suck? I'd love to be one of those people where; I'm not super awkward when meeting people due to worrying whether the person will find me annoying or hate me, doing a presentation in front of more than one person isn't a big no no and  even a small thing that turns into a huge thing for me, like having my photograph taken was easy peasy.

I do have 'selfies' (as the hip kids call them) but, that doesn't bother me as much as having my photograph taken by somebody else, I guess because I have control of deleting 100's of photos until I'm remotely near being comfortable with a photo. Also, I can play about with the angle of the camera till I'm happy that my double chin is tucked away and not saying hi.

My insecurities about the way I look especially I believe are down to constantly being called Ugly by a boy in my high school. No matter how many times someone calls me pretty it still doesn't cancel out the negativity. I think that's why I love complimenting people because I like knowing I've made somebody feel good about themselves. 

When it comes to Uni I'm forever second guessing the illustrations I create which means it takes forever for me too finish pieces of work and even when I do I doubt whether it's good enough. Since being off for Summer I feel that I have gained more confidence in my work whilst experimenting with collage. Hopefully with more confidence I will create stronger and stronger illustrations.

Blogging wise I'd love to do outfit posts to show my personal style but, I always care too much about the way I look in the photos. Over thinking whether my faces look okay to be unleashed on the public eye and trying not to include it in photos if I'm having a bad day etc. Another thing that holds my blog back is me questioning whether

I want to have more faith in my self to succeed instead of forever thinking that my efforts will be good enough. Also, to stop comparing myself to others I see as being pretty or successful because let's face that's not going to my insecurities one bit!

Do you have any advice for me when it comes to confidence, insecurities and anxieties? 

I'd love to hear any advice you have

Thanks for reading, 

Love from

Katie

x

I Love Making Lists

With my third and final year of Uni is fastly approaching (scary times) I thought I would do a list of things I want to start doing/improving on in hope of feeling better health wise and happiness wise. Some may take longer and be more difficult to do than others.

1. Start a mini note book filled with illustrators that inspire me and inspirational quotes
I think it would be nice idea to just keep in my bag to flick through when I'm having illustrators block.
2. Be more positive
I promise I will cut down on complaining, promise.
3. Go for a walk at least once a day 
I'm the worst for sitting inside all day
4. Find a way to de-stress or become less anxious 
maybe try getting properly into yoga and reading regularly 
5. Have more confidence in myself and stop over thinking
I'm the biggest self doubter and now I'm getting to the stage where I think that well used phrase 'Life's To Short'.
6. Start going to the gym
I would like to try going at least once a week to start out but, do daily exercises using YouTube videos and such 
7. Stop comparing myself to others 
I'm the worst at this, which definitely has an impact on what I think about my work!  
8. Draw every day
Even if it's just a super quick drawing
9. Drink more water!
Drinking 8 glasses of water a day can't be that difficult, right?
10. Work hard on developing my illustration style
Experiment with different materials and use a sketch book better & daily.
11. Look after my skin
Washing my face with water and using cleanser probably isn't enough & could be the reason why I have the skin of a 13 year old.
12. Blog more!
This means blogging on here more regularly instead of once a month (if that) and also using my illustration to document the progress of my work (at least once a week).
                                          

                   The illustrations featured in this post are by illustrator Marc Johns, so feel free to check more of his work out.

Thank you for reading 

Love from

Katie

x

Fundraising for Alzheimers Society

This is a bit of a change from the usual clothes wish list blog posts I normally do but, this is very important to me.

     In September I will be taking part in a Memory Walk to raise money for Alzheimers Society and I'm doing it in memory of my lovely Grandad. I set up a JustGiving page for any donations, I would love to reach my target of £100 and hopefully get over my target amount. 
It would be amazing and I would appreciate it so much if anybody reading this post could donate just a little, if you would like to my JustGiving page
is www.justgiving.com/katiesmemorywalk2015/

Here's a bit of information about Dementia for people wanting to know more:
What is Dementia?
Dementia is a term to describe symptoms such as memory loss and having difficulties with thinking, problem solving and language. It also can also change the persons behaviour and mood. The changes start off small but, over time becomes severe enough to affect daily life. How quickly dementia develops is down to the individual person.
The most common types of Dementia are Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular Dementia, Mixed Dementia (Alzheimer's Disease & Vascular Disease), Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Frontotemporal Dementia.

The number of people will Dementia is estimated to be around 850,000 in the UK.

Who does it affect?
It affects both men & women and mostly people that are ages 65 and over. However, there are more that 40, 000 under the age of 65 have Dementia in the UK. 

What could donated money go towards?
- £5 could pay for one person to attend a half hour session at a monthly Dementia Café, providing information and support for people with dementia and their carers.
- £10 pays for someone with dementia to enjoy a Singing for the Brain session, boosting their confidence and well-being.
- £20 could pay for 100 copies of Understanding and respecting the person with dementia - one of the Society's most requested factsheets.
- £30 allows a person with dementia to attend weekly Dementia Cafe sessions for a month where they can meet others, share experiences and feel less isolated.
- £50 could fund a PhD researcher for one day to continue vital research into understanding the causes of dementia, how it can be treated and, ultimately, to find a cure.
- £120 could pay to run Talking Point for one day - the Society's 24/7 online community for all people affected by dementia.

My Story

My Grandad was never officially diagnosed with Dementia but, a number of doctors had said that he showed symptoms. At one point he did forget who I was which was so difficult but, I was lucky enough that he did have good days as well bad where he would still love a good laugh, this normally involving doing very silly dances. He did struggle with what definitely seemed like Dementia, having days where he would often just want to sleep and would barely talk to any body, which was unusual for my Grandad who often was a rather chatty person. In February was taken to hospital as he was very confused about what was going on & who people were, which showed signs that he could have a urinary tract infection (this causes sudden & severe confusion known as 'delirium'). Unfortunately, his health deteriorated rather quickly whilst in hospital with him refusing to eat and drink which I think is due to Dementia. Sadly, my lovely Grandad passed away on the 7th of March (the night before my 21st birthday) and I've felt heartbroken ever since.

I will always remember my Grandad as being my number one fan especially when it came to my artwork and how his face would light up when I would come & visit him when I returned home from uni for the weekend or holidays. I miss him so very much!

If you would like to donate please go to my JustGiving page

www.justgiving.com/katiesmemorywalk2015

Also, if you want to know more about Alzheimer's Society and Dimentia head to 

www.alzheimers.org.uk/ which is where I got all my information.

Thank you for reading this post, I know it's been a bit of a long one but, I found that this writing this post was very important.

Love from

Katie

x

I'm Selling On Etsy!

So, whilst being off for summer I decided to dust my sewing machine off and try my hand at making some bunting. After, getting used to making it and finding out the method that works for me I decided to sell my bunting on Etsy as you may have seen on the badge on the sidebar of my blog.

Here's what they look like

I am also making hand decorated mugs like this one I made for my cousin

Feel free to check out my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LipstickandPaisley

If you would like a hand decorated mug please email :-)

Love from

Katie

x

My ASOS Favourites

The other night whilst procrastinating I browsed ASOS, as you may be able to tell I looked mainly at dresses. I saw a lot of clothing that I wish I owned or had the money to own, so I thought I would share with you all my favourites.

There's a bit of a 60's/70's look with all of these picks, I love the bright & bold patterns of dresses 3, 5 and 9, they look nice and summery but could be layered over a shirt in the winter with tights too. I've been saying a need a denim A-line skirt for months now but, after seeing the denim dresses (2&10) I think I need to go all out denim! The embroidery on the shirt (my 1st pick) is so delicate and is nice change to the usual plain white shirt that I wear. 6 is a must for my favourites as I've wanted a Fred Perry shirt but, this is a must! However, until I'm rich I doubt I'll be buying this £75 dress *hangs head in sadness*.  With a collar large enough to kill someone no. 11 is a firm favourite, covered in a what looks like watercolour flower print. This shirt takes me straight back to the nineteen seventies. No. 7 isn't something I'd usually go for due to it's plunged neck line but, how could this not be a favourite with it's jazzy flared sleeves and it's beautifully delicate lace back detail. Also, I'm quite a fan of the black and what I'd describe as a peachy/terra cotta colour palette. Another favourite is the Ranch shirt from Sister Jane sold on ASOS which is one super jazzy shirt.

I love the simplicity and shape of dresses 13, 15, 16 & 17. I think number 16 would be prefect for summer, the off the shoulder style looks lovely. I couldn't go a single wishlist without including a stripy piece and this dress ticks all the boxes with it's skater style skirt and halter-neck. I'm a huge fan of denim pinafore dress (no. 15) it would go perfectly with a shirt or even t-shirt teamed with a pair of Converses for a laid back look or a pair of Chelsea boots to dress it up. I think the A-line style of the dress is super flattering. Number 12 & 14 on the list are both beautifully patterned and looks nice and light for this time of the year. Number 14 especially could be easily dressed up taking the look from day to night. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and feel free to leave any comments you feel.

Thank you for reading

love Katie

x