inspiration

Hello and welcome to my third official post of 2016… okay, calm it Tolly, it’s not a radio introduction… today’s post has been brewing in the back of my mind for a while now, and it’s all about aesthetics and finding that ‘vibe’ that fits you. I feel like I’m currently in a good place with my personal style, which is a big thing for someone my age because we’re always constantly changing along with our personalities. It’s a good thing though – I like having the true freedom to experiment with what I wear… it’s a shame that, that kind of fades away at a certain point. That needs to change!

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I think my current personal style has started to form through different influences, mainly social media. I know I go on a lot about being yourself (because it’s true, you should be) but I think there’s a big difference between taking inspiration from and plain copying. Taking inspiration from different aspects of life can make a huge change in your wardrobe.

Like I said, for me, social media and places like Tumblr have really being do it. Creating an aesthetic isn’t just about looking at clothes, it’s about creating this whole idea and almost ‘way of life’ of how you want to go about things… so I don’t just look at outfits, I look at text posts, quotes, colour swatches, photograph etc… they all add up to create this broader image of what I’m trying to put across.

If I had to put a label on the aesthetic I’m currently channelling, it would probably be called something like… ‘Pink Peanut Butter’. That sounds really odd, but it basically started off when I discovered Rad.co and they’re stunning and simple collection of sweaters (that sounds sponsored but I honestly swear it is 100% not), one of them being a plain yellow number with the embroidered words of ‘Peanut Butter’ (scroll down to take a peep).

If I had to give a list of things I’m loving it would probably go a little something like this…

SHOP: 1 // 2

In terms of my recent purchases and how I’ve actually been channeling these vibes into my personal style, I picked up this rather ‘peanut butter’ style sweatshirt from Pull & Bear which has a tasteful slogan, 70s colours and peanut butter colours. I can’t wait to style it up throughout the year, even layering it for the warmer days so it becomes more of a slouchy throw-over (you can see a snippet of it over on my Instagram)… but as I mentioned above, I’m in love with Rad.co and I am eagerly awaiting the day when they start shipping worldwide… *daydreams*

I didn’t want to write a full post about it because I just want the news to sit with me for a bit, but of course I have acknowledged our tragic loss of the inspirational legend that is David Bowie. I wrote a tiny snippet over on Facebook as to why I’m not making a full piece, so I hope you understand. He made a big impact in my life and I will forever be honoured that I was alive at the same time he was. So thank you, David Bowie, please go and be as free as that bluebird.

The other day I had a bit of a brainwave… why not share some creative people’s scrapbooks in my Scrap Social series? You guys seem to love the series so much so it only seemed to right to share the love! So today I have fellow blogger, Holly Cassell, from The Persephone Complex! I’ve asked her 12 questions to go along with some of her favourite pages, and some of the answers are pretty interesting! I hope you enjoy…

Why do you use a scrapbook? It’s cathartic, mostly. I make pages about people, things I’ve experienced, dreams I have, or even certain sub-sections, or mini characters, within my own personality.

What are your favourite methods? I find cutting paper and gluing it down really trance-like, and my method remains pretty much the same no matter what. I like to think of a concept for a page, choose a phrase or a lyric that is stuck in my head, and then look for images that suit the mood of what I’m trying to make. I have some cute craft materials and I always use acid-free glue so that my work won’t ruin over time.

You feature a lot of text in each page, why do you think that is? I find working exclusively in images or exclusively in words really limiting and frustrating. I always need both to express myself. Which is probably why I love blogging so much too! You can get so much more across by mixing mediums. The right words can completely change the meaning of an image, and vice versa.

Has your scrapbook inspired you for any ideas/projects (or are you going to start one because of it)? Definitely! I’m currently working on an ebook that should be available via my blog quite soon, featuring new material as well as some of the stories behind my art. It’s going to be a deeper, more explicit insight into my art journal and why I started making the kind of work that I do, which often focuses on some very dark themes.

Do you think each page represents a period in your life, or the mood you are in? I can sometimes make a whole collage about something as small as a text message that has been sent to me. Sometimes I won’t make one for months. I have a strange mind that sometimes chooses to focus on unlikely things, and see importance or beauty where there isn’t any. My pages are just the manifestation of this slightly off-kilter focus.

When and where do you create your wonderful collages? Always in my bedroom. Always at night. Always listening to music.

Do you think your scrapbook is a representation of your personality? I think most people have many different personalities that they inhabit at different times, or around different people. I use my scrapbook as a way of coming to terms with them all, or expressing something that I don’t get to in “real life”. We keep a lot of ourselves bottled up, and because of that, those parts are often the most beautiful and shocking when splashed across a page.

You’ve bought a new magazine which would be perfect for scrapbooking… do you chop it up straight away after reading, or wait a little while until it’s considered ‘old’? HAHA That’s such a good question! I usually wait for a while until I’ve read the magazine a few times, but sometimes I do get impatient. If a magazine doesn’t interest me very much I’ll be ruthless and gut it straight away. I’m not precious about magazines any more. I see them all as potential collages..

This top image is my favourite page, which is your favourite out of this selection? If I had to pick one I’d probably choose “This Is How The Story Begins”. As far as my aesthetic goes, this one really represents me. It’s quite dark and fairy-tale themed, and the words are menacing and hopeful at the same time. They were said to me by a real-life monster I met once.

Paint or Ink? Ink, just because I’m a better writer than I am painter.

Neat or Messy? Both.My collages are very precise, but I wouldn’t call them neat. Kind of like an organised explosion.

Glitter or Puffy Paint? Glitter paint. Glitter everything.

~ ABOUT HOLLY ~

Holly is a blogger and freelance creative-type who lives in a pretty white apartment she’s too lazy to keep tidy. Her work is mostly inspired by love, text messages she receives in the middle of the night, and archetypes from ancient literature that no one else remembers. Her floor is always covered in glitter.

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This was so interesting! A big thank you to Holly for letting us take a dive into her scrapbook! I love some of the pages and they have definitely given me some inspiration for some of my own pages. Let me know in the comments what you think of Holly’s style, and if you’d like to share your own pages in your very own post! 

Helloooo! Long time no blog. Sorry for the slight delay in posting, I’ve actually been quite busy and some of the posts which I was meant to post just weren’t coming across 100% tip-top, but I have one finally! Another apology for the fact that my recent OOTD/My Style posts have been so close together… I won’t be posting one for a while due to LFW, so I thought I would give you twice as much in one go! Today though, I have an outfit post with a bit twist. I’m doing a little thing with Phiney Pet and I hope you enjoy… (Inspiration images via Tumblr)

Frida, Denim & Embroidery (Tolly) // Circles, Monochrome & Summer (Phiney Pet)

Just as an introduction for those of you who don’t know of Phiney, she is an upcoming designer who I found through Style Bubble (Susie Lau’s blog). Phiney mainly paints clothing which I think is really cool and unique. One of my favourite things she has done was her SS 14′ jacket. It was so intricate and detailed, I loved it! For the first stage of our little ‘collab’ we put together some ideas for the box clutch via some images from Tumblr. I’ve been loving denim recently and I think badges and embroidery all mix in really well, especially with a summery vibe. I’m all about bright colours also so it’s basically the perfect mix for me. Flowers are a huge inspiration for me too, so of course Frida Khalo had to be mixed in! Phiney said that she accidentally used images which all involved circles, and it came out quite well! I gave Phiney some other ideas like including fruit and palm trees and the result is pretty cute! ^.^

What I Wore: Denim Jacket (Jumble Sale), Spotty Dungarees (ASOS), Pom Pom Headband (ASOS), Black Shimmer Dr Martens (Jumble Sale), Badges £3.00 each (Phiney Pet)* & Custom Lunch Box Clutch (Phiney Pet)*

I admit it, this outfit is pretty simple, but sometimes comfort is key. Although it is simple, it’s perfect for this kind of year as it isn’t too warm and isn’t too cold. It’s great for the transition between summer and autumn. Due to spots and denim being involved in our inspiration images, I obviously had to wear my jacket and favourite dungarees. They’re too cute! Phiney (Josephine really) also gave me a keyring which I knew immediately would suit my pom pom headband, so the outfit came together quite quickly. I also had on this super cute little crochet crop top but I completely forgot to photograph it. Grrrr!

To be quite honest the clutch wasn’t quite was I was expecting in terms of size and style, but I actually kind of like it’s quirky charm. Even if I don’t get to wear it out that often, it will always be a reminder of finding new upcoming designers like Phiney. I love the little pineapple and the spots and everything painted basically. It’s just so cute! I think on holiday it would look adorable with all your beach essentials inside… aww, now I really want to go to the beach and sun bathe… *sighs*

Finally lets talk about the little details. Josephine also really kindly slipped in some of her super cute badges, they’re adorable and I especially love the pastel ones. They give an added girly-ness to my denim jacket, which I also love. It’s a little bit cropped (aka. too small) but I’ve got a lot of wear out of it which is always good. Speaking of wearing, I haven’t worn my Docs in ages, especially this pair. I definitely need to get some more boot socks for these bad boys. I will not have blisters for winter!

Thank you so much to Phiney Pet for joining me in this post, I hope that lots of you (my lovely readers) will have a nose on Phiney’s site… it’s super cute, so I totally recommend that you do. I cannot wait to see your SS 15′ collection PP! Did you like the clutch Phiney painted? Let me know in a comment! Speak soon 😀

I’m back! It’s been so long! I actually feel excited to be writing again! I’m so glad none of you got too upset I was gone 😉 I had a lovely 16 days of chilling with my family and getting lots of baby smiles! I shall not babble on for too long, and tell you how I have been waiting so long to do this post! I’ve been wanting to do a ‘monthly favourites’ sort of post but not things like clothing/products I’ve worn and used, more like things that I have seen and enjoyed looking at… hmm… you’ll get the gist! 😉 (Images from Tumblr/Etsy)

Tumblr – My first ever blog, was actually on Tumblr. I don’t really count it as a blog because all I did really was outfits, but after that I sort of left Tumblr, and now I’m back, and oh am I glad. I get so much inspiration from browsing and re-blogging people’s posts. I now know what Pastel Grunge is and I have been left quite confused about what Sea Punk is? I like to post weird and wonderfully coloured things, GIFs of Eddie Redmayne, and gorgeous doodles. If you have Tumblr do let me know because I would love to follow you! You can follow me here or click on the button in the sidebar!

Freya Flavell Does Doodles – I actually found Freya on Tumblr, and I’m in love with her doodles! They are so simple, yet so cute and colourful and she should be really proud of her work. I love finding illustrators who are young and obviously love what they are doing. Her drawings also give me inspiration for outfits and my future hair when I can face up to the fact that everybody and their dogs (that is actually true, their was a programme on it) dyes their hair, and that I will probably end up doing a full shabang rather than just dip dye. Talking of dip dye, doesn’t that purple hair on that one illustration look awesome? Make sure you check out Freya here!

The Carrie Diaries – Seeing as I am a little bit young for Sex In The City, I recently started watching the prequel with my sister whilst she was over, and even though this is still quite rude and eye boggling at times, (only watch it if you are 13 and over, I warned you) but I really do enjoy it. I enjoy it so much that I am now up to date with the current season. I have ordered the book too so I’m excited to see how well they have portrayed Carrie. Anna-Sophia Robb was a good pick though, she is a really good actress and I have always been fond of her work. Plus, if you want some outfit ideas, then watch this show… or you could follow my Carrie Diaries Outfit Tumblr! 😉

Cryybaby – I have started to reach out to individual and more handmade stores instead of just going to my comfort shopping store, ASOS. Whilst searching on Tumblr (surprise surprise), I found Mimi’s store, Cryybaby from Etsy. Being a teen myself (oh my dear waffles (umm) I’m 14 this year!) I love supporting fellow teens, and I love Mimi’s stuff! It’s all so simple, but so cute and pretty darn cheap too! I’m actually going to get a custom necklace made which is pretty cool! Make sure you check out her store! It’s pretty cool!