Outgoing Ocean Themed Flipbook

Hi everyone! Today I have an exciting post for you! It's been a while since I last posted but for a good reason...I have created my first ever YouTube video and I'm sharing it with you right now! In the video below I show you a flipbook letter that I have created. A flipbook is a creative letter for your penpal that has several pages to flip through and often has a theme. My swap partner and I agreed on the theme 'Ocean' because we both love the wonderful colours and creatures of the sea! It was a lot of fun to decorate my letter with a variety of my favourite stationery including washi tape and stickers! Not only am I sharing with you my first ever YouTube video, I am also showing you my first flipbook! I recently got into creating happy mail so I am trying out lots of different techniques! I hope to make a tea party themed flipbook soon for the same swap partner where I can use my new doilies! By the way, the picture of the beach scene inside the flipbook was drawn by Kenza from http://5starartists.blogspot.co.uk/ .If you haven't already, go check out her blog because it's full of awesome art! Let me know what you think of the video and the flipbook in the comments. Would you like to see more happy mail posts from me? I have lots of outgoing and incoming mail that I would love to share!

Updates

It's been a while since I last posted so I thought I'd update you on what's been going on! I've been quite busy recently, that's why there has been a big gap between my last post and this one! :)

 I am currently planning a few exciting things for my blog including:

. An art collab with 5StarArtists and anyone else who wishes to join (details here)

. Some fashion posts! I have lots of ideas but aren't sure where to start.
. A What's in My Sketchbook no.2 (check out the original for older sketchbook here)
. A colouring post with my tips, completed pages, recommendations and more

What else have I been up to?
.Looking for a penpal (female, about 12-15, creative). If you are interested then please leave a comment with a few facts about you (such as your hobbies and the country you live in). Check out the extra information later on in this post.
(Thank you very much to everyone who has shown interest in being my penpal! I now have quite a few lovely penpals so won't be swapping addresses with anyone else for the meantime. Thanks again everyone. :D)
.Finally starting a fashion portfolio/scrapbook!
.Working on a school art project!

Extra Info for People Interested in being my Penpal:
Country: UK
Hobbies: fashion design, art, reading, crafting, adult colouring, doodling, baking

Sorry that this was just a quick updates post, keep tuned for new posts! If you want to see specific posts I am planning on writing/currently working on then check out my coming soon page!

PS: The penpal doodle was drawn by me using my drawing tablet in Sumo Paint!

Creative Ways to Come up With a Post Idea

Hi guys! Today I will be telling you some ways to come up with a blog post idea! But instead of giving you some simple tips, I'll be showing you some more creative ways to come up with an idea. Hopefully since they're more creative tips, they will help you to write more creative posts too! Keep reading to see what I have to say about blogging ideas!

Start with something BORING
This idea may seem weird but hear me out! Starting with something you find boring when writing a post can make people intrigued and want to read your post. Think of a topic you find boring (perhaps homework or something else) then use your writing style to make it exciting! Giving people tips on how to have fun with a topic you find boring will draw them in and make them want more.

Ask yourself what you would like to read
Think of you! What type of post would keep you hanging on every word? Wanting more? Well start here! Whatever your passion is: cooking, drawing, writing, whatever-make a post about it!  You could probably go on about it in real life for AGES so why not create a post that shows off your hobbies? Your personality should radiate from the reader's screen making it a better post!

Take a look at blog post ideas-then don't use the ideas
This certainly sounds strange since it seems totally illogical, but I do this often. I think to myself 'hey I haven't made a post in a while, better look for some inspiration' so I trawl through some blog post ideas before leaving without doing any of the ideas suggested. However, this time wasn't wasted! Oh no! I really do get inspired by these posts but none of the ideas jump out to me. Why? Because they'e not from me, they're not my style. But, I do 'recycle' the ideas. What I mean by this is that I see an idea and add to it to make it my own! Perhaps I'll see see a generic idea then decide to put my own spin on it to make it unique.

If you still need some ways to come up with blog post ideas after the more creative ideas...here are my extra little tips for you:
.Take a look at this blog post generator for ways to start your blog post titles
.Keep reading blogs (especially ones that write about similar topics) to get inspired
.Take a look at your stats to see your most popular posts then write new posts inspired by them
.Ask your readers for ideas, after all, they're the ones reading(but don't do their idea if you don't want)
.Keep a blogging notebook to write your own ideas for posts and keep any notes that inspire you

So I hope this post has inspired you to get creative when coming up with blog post ideas and has given you a few extra ideas to help you along. Let me know your best tips for blogging down in the comments!

PS: Yes I took the picture at the the top of this post and edited it in picmonkey!
PPS: I just changed the template of my blog for Spring, hope you like it!

Cardmaking- my tips

Hey guys! There are so many great occasions to give a card for: birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines Day, Easter, Christmas and more! So today I'll be showing you my tips on how to make your own cards. When you create your own cards, they're more personal and show that you have put time into sending a special message! If you want some inspiration for your own cards then take a look at the photo of a card I made myself for an anniversary (at the top of this post)!

Here are my card making tips:


Tip #1- Use sparkly gel pens- These sparkly gel pens can make small details glimmer on your card. I used a gold gel pen to draw a heart in between the elephants!





Tip #2- Use embellishments- You can buy card embellishments from any good craft store but I have used something slightly different! I use gold and silver bindis to embellish my card because I love the way they look on the card. I prefer them to the normal sticky gems that I use every now and then.




Tip #3- Use shaped hole punchers- If you want to create different layers on the card then you can punch holes using a shaped hole puncher. I used a heart shaped hole puncher to fit with my theme, but there are plenty of shapes for any occasion out there! After this you can put something on the inside of the card such as a patterned piece of paper that will show up on the front!

Tip #4- Stick with a theme- Like I said earlier, one of the great things about cardmaking is that you can really personalize the card!  Therefore, you can choose a really specific theme that the receiver will love to see! Instead of choosing Easter as a generic theme, for example, you could choose chocolate as a more specific theme. For my card, instead of choosing anniversaries as a generic theme, I chose  the 14th anniversary in particular to be a more specific theme. The two symbols for this particular anniversary were gold and ivory so I tied these into the theme with the colour scheme and the elephants! Have an idea in mind before starting your cardmaking!

Tip #5- Fill the spaces well- To create a professional looking card you should fill spaces well. This doesn't mean that you have to fill every gap, it just means that you should have a balanced looking card where spaces are used well. For example, if your card looks quite bare you could fill a space with zentangle designs like I have done with my elephant. Not every part of the card is filled but this looks tasteful.

I hope my tips have helped you out with your next cardmaking project or have inspired you to get making! I really enjoyed designing and creating this card, what cards have you made in the past or are planning to make? Let me know in the comments! :D

PS: Do you like the photo at the top of this post? I took time to layout the props, take the photo and to edit, I'm proud of the results! Do you think my improved photography is improving the overall blog? I'm aiming to include at least one well finished photo in most of my new posts!

My Winter in Photos

 Hiya everyone! During Winter (so far) I have taken lots of photos! Some of them are quite good but others didn't make it to this post! I'll be showing you some of my favourites in this post, not all of them are amazing quality but I quite like them all!

This Winter I have been enjoying cuddling up in front of a movie with hot chocolate and popcorn! It's a fun thing to do when it's cold outside! It's a nice treat occasionally, but I don't do this often! It's been snowing in the past few weeks so I snapped a pic of my snacks! I've been watching films such as Frozen when it's frosty out and I recommend that you do the same when you have nothing else to do! These pictures weren't a very good quality originally but  edited them for a while and I'm happy with the results! 



Here is a photo of my Christmas nailart! I am really bad at painting my fingernails (like most people) so I got someone to help me with this. I don't normally do nailart but I think this glitzy deisgn looked great!



When my sister and I were decorating the tree (and our living room) for Christmas, I couldn't resist taking pictures of some of the decorations! Our family keep Christmas decorations for years, even through generations, so there's a story behind every ornament. these two decorations however, are ones that we received during my lifetime. The wooden star decoration was created in front of me at a school fair and the frog prince on the left was a table present form a few years ago. The lighting from the lamp really helped create this beautiful photo but I really took my time to edit it too!

 And last but not least, here is a photo I took in the past few days when it snowed where I live! I went on a walk and took lots of photos in the Winter wonderland but this one was my favourite! You can really see the detail when it is large and up close. My wellies sank deep into the snow and with every step the snow made that satisfying crunching noise! The walk was so picturesque so I thought I would share this you.

So have you enjoyed Winter so far? I just love the cosy nights in, pretty walks in the snow and all the joy that Winter brings! Which was your favourite photo of mine? Let me know in the comments. :) I edited all of these photos on picmonkey, a really great resource for bloggers who want to improve their photography. I've been testing this website out recently and I really enjoy it! One of the best bits of it is that most of it is free and you don't HAVE so sign up. Yes, there are some things that are limited when you don't have an account but there are still plenty of things you can do to your photos. See for yourselves the results I have achieved! I hope you have a great new year and continue to enjoy your Winter! Bye for now!

How And Why You Should Write Letters

Hi guys! As more and more technology is developing, it is so easy to instantly contact someone. Although this is a great thing, this means that letter writing is fading away! This is a big shame because it is such a lovely thing to do! As a blogger I love writing, so I often write letters to people! It is such a creative, fun activity to do! I think you should write letters because it is more meaningful in my opinion than sending a text because you have taken the time to write about all that is going on! It is so nice to receive a letter in the post. I am one of those people who rush to the door when the postman arrives, it's so exciting when an envelope arrives with your name on! If you're that sort of person then letter writing is for you!
      One of the best things about letter writing is that you can really personalize your letters! So when I am saying this is 'how you should write letters' I really mean these are my tips for being creative!

Tip#1. Create small gifts- Why not slip in a little gift like a bookmark, hairclip or some stickers? You can easily craft these yourself and they can make someone's day! Unless you are OK with paying extra postage, you should keep these as flat as possible! I've always thought that I should start making lots of little gifts and keep them for the future but I've never got round to it!

Tip#2. Include sketches- If you are an arty person you could add in your drawings instead of a gift! This can help you to practice your art and the person who you send it to could even help you with some feedback on your art!

Tip #3. Use cute stationery- I am a big fan of stationery so I suppose that's the best part of letter writing for me! I get to use all of my favourite paper and washi tape and pens and EVERYTHING! Hehehe! :'D Most of my letter writing sets are from Paperchase , which is one of my favourite shops! There are so many different designs to choose from so you can choose which one (or two or three or four...) suit you best!

Tip#4. Create your own paper- If you don't want to spend too much on writing sets, you can create your own pretty paper! You don't have to have pretty paper, but it helps! :P You could use stamps or washi tape to create designs on plain paper! Perhaps you could doodle a border? There are so many possibilities for this tip!

Tip #5. Only write when you want to- Talking about nothing is a real skill, so I recommend that you wait until you have something to talk about before you write! One week you could be staying at home doing nothing and the next week you could be going out on several day trips or doing lots of fun projects! Don't feel pressured to write back straight away if you don't have anything to say! Things you could talk about are clubs at school, things you do online (such as blogging), where you have been recently, what you did on a special occasion and whatever else you can think of!

I hope you have enjoyed this post on letter writing and that it has inspired you to write letters to your family, friends and penpals more often! Letter writing is one of my hobbies that not many people can relate to but as a creative audience I hope you like this idea!

PS: I hope you like the photo I took at the top of the page! It took me a quite while to get the layout right and to edit it! :) I was inspired by missamrunaway's background ideas for blog photos post here . Hopefully you'll be seeing more better photos from me soon.
PPS: Have you seen the new layout/theme of my blog? It's for valentine's day that's coming up soon! If you didn't already know, I change up the look of my blog every now and then depending on teh season or special occasions that are going on at the time!

Read With Your Cuppa' #5

Fashion Trend                                   




A big trend this Spring will be primary colours! These bright, bold colours make your outfit pop! It's perfect for brightening up Spring! It makes a great change from the pastel colours of Easter eggs! Mix up your look!






Youtuber to Watch




If you are interested in art then Baylee Jae is a great youtuber for you! She shows you the method of her art, tutorials, challenges and more! I enjoy watching her videos for inspiration and guidance in my drawings!





Inspirational Quote




This post's inspirational quote is about making dreams a reality. Make your dreams goals and make plans for how to achieve them! Always try before saying you can't do something! You should always give something a go!





Recommended Website





www.topmodel.biz is a great website for budding fashion designers! On this website you can share your designs, create new ones, enter contests, play games and more! It is an awesome community of young designers joined together in one place! There is always something going on!






Snack to Try



A long with the new year, lots of people are trying to be healthy and cut down on snacks! So for this post I'll be showing you a healthy snack! Frozen grapes are a refreshing, delicious and quite healthy snack for you to try out! Just pop some grapes in the freezer for a few hours (or over night) then enjoy them as a more fulfilling alternative to normal grapes!



I hope you have enjoyed this Read With Your Cuppa' post. Please leave suggestions for next time in the comments, write what you want to see and I may make it happen! Thanks for reading!