Four Good Things #2

Hello hello! Happy Tuesday! Recently I feel the world has been really up and down with everything that's been going on, terror attacks, heatwaves and Pokemon catching alike! So I wanted to fill you in about a few good things that have been happening throughout my week in the hope of spreading a bit of happiness!

The Lust List #1

Hello! So I'm sure like me, you're generally always on the lookout for new stuff, and whether it's because of the ever-imminent pay day or a special occasion, there's nothing much better than getting something shiny and new! I fancied sharing a few of the bits and bobs that I've been after and that have been catching my eye.. I hope the boyf and my mumma are taking notes!

Summer Goals

Hello! I can't believe it's already July! I really have no clue where this year is going, we're already half way through 2016!! I feel like we might be finally getting some sunshine so I wanted to share some of my summer goals for the season in the hopes of become more motivated, confident and happy! 

Four Good Things #1

Hello! Hello!

Happy Thursday! Recently I've been having a slight writer and photography block with the blog, and I'm struggling to find things to write about without sounding repetitive and boring, but today I thought I'd share with you 4 good things that have been making me smile on those days where I feel that little bit blue.

3 Things We Should All Be Doing More

Hello again!

Today I'm extremely excited because this is the first blog post from my new MacBook Air, a purchase  I made a few days ago and I'm absolutely in love, its beautiful, sleek, light and so nice to use, I pretty much haven't put it down unless to go to work, or sleep.. I can tell its going to be a beautiful romance already! Anyway onto the important stuff, I wanted to chat about a few things we should all try to do more, that I know most people don't do enough of, I'll be honest I'm no saint and I'm guilty of a few of these sins too.

10 Things I've Learnt from Living with my Boyfriend

Hello Again!

Now today I wanted to a slightly less serious post and do something a bit different, I thought this list might also come in handy if you were thinking of living with your other half, and hopefully I can prepare you for the positives aaaaaand the negatives.. So here are 10 things I've learnt from living with my darling other half - 

Birthday Celebrations and Living Life Happier

Hello Again!

So last weekend (Saturday the 13th) was my 20th birthday! My day was filled with pancakes, chocolate, Mexican food and alcohol (although not too much of the latter!). I had such a lovely day lunching and drinking cocktails with my girlfriends and then had a KFC for dinner, not a bad way to end the day in my opinion. 

I'll admit I was spoilt rotten - a leather jacket from my parents being my star gift - and generally had a relaxing, fun day, full of laughs! 

I wanted to do a little recap, or look back at some of the things I've learnt in my 20 years, and give you some tips on life! Although to be honest I have to say, I don't have my shizzzzz together very often, so some of these things I should probably be doing more often!

5 Ways To Find Inspiration

Hello! 

So I have quite a bit of apologising to do as I haven't written a blog post since November! NOVEMBER! I'm mortified and I'm sorry please don't hate me can we move on? Yes?

Aside from me being a very bad blogger and not getting the year off to a good start, I honestly can't believe the first month of 2016 has already gone and for me, it's been a stressful, busy mess of working and deadlines. So I decided it would be a 'trial' month and I'm back feeling inspired and motivated to become better than ever here on Lazy Daisy! 

With that in mind, I wanted to share with you a few tips and hints I've learnt as a uni student to becoming inspired, especially in those days where you just want to curl up in a ball and nap - trust me it happens to me at least 8 times a day!

1. Reading 

Although this is something I wish I could do more, a good book, magazine or even blog online can really help to make you feel motivated and inspired to keep on keeping on, in those times of tiredness or if you're having a mental 'block'. A few of my favourite bloggers are Estee Lalonde, Samantha Maria, What Olivia Did (Olivia), FashionToast, Kate La Vie and Hello October (Suzie)!

It's also a great way to help spark off ideas if you're struggling to feel creative, whether it's in the kitchen, blog writing or even for your latest uni assignment, there's no harm in looking to others to help find ideas and inspiration! 

2. Pinterest

My love, my life, and my joy. 

I was actually introduced to this in my first week of university and its become my one true source for all things pretty, colourful and of course inspirational! If you're looking for a recipe for the best brownies you'll ever make, ways to wear leopard print or even (probably my personal favourite) ideas for your next tattoo/piercing - then you are definitely in the right place. 

It's also an amazing place to find credible images and their sources for university assignments really easily, versus the sketchy images you might find on Google! You can view my Pinterest profile and all my boards here.

 3. Keeping a Daily Schedule / Dairy
This is something that I set as a goal for 2016, and I love the accomplishment of writing to-do lists or ticking off each day knowing I've done something productive. Even if it's just 'get out of bed' or 'make my 9am on time'. The little things can sometimes be the most rewarding! It's also one of the best ways of looking like you've got your shizzz together even if you're drowning in work/food/life!

4. Enjoy What You Do
Something I think is so important no matter what, whether its school, uni, work or even hobbies! By doing something that genuinely interests you or that you have a passion for, can mean you're much less bored, tired or even uninspired when doing it!
Now, obviously it can't be said for everything, I'm sure not all of us are lucky enough to love our jobs etc - sometimes working in retail for me is total hell - but I think embracing the good parts of it and just trying to enjoy the bigger picture can be so much better for you! There are times when I totally hate my job or my uni course, if I'm having a bad day or things keep going wrong, but then at the end of the week I look back and see that I have really enjoyed myself! Try to just immerse yourself in whatever you're doing and you'll find yourself stating to enjoy it much more!

5. Surround Yourself With Positive People
The last and probably the most important thing - especially for me - is to be surrounded by people who bring the best out in you, whether that's colleagues, friends, family or relationships. I feel really lucky saying that I have a fantastic support system around me, I'm really close with my parents and my boyfriend is probably my bestest friend, and it's one of the nicest things to home after a long stressful day to have a chat and be relaxed by positive, happy people!
I can tell my parents and boyfriend absolutely anything, from what I had to eat for lunch to a horrible situation at work, and I think it can really help you if you just sit and chat to loved ones, whether it's something serious or just the little things that occurred in your day! I also live for the pep talks my mum gives me, (anyone else?) when I'm feeling down, worried or just bored with uni work, she'll give me a talking to and I'm ready to face things again!

Do you have any other suggestions about what get's you inspired? I'd love to here your thoughts in the comments below!

Love, Chloé

5 Things I Love About Nottingham

There are many things I've come to love about my adopted city of Nottingham, but today I wanted to narrow it down to 5 broad categories, and explain the things I've come to fall in love with whilst living in this fabulous city. 

I've lived here now on and off for around about a year, going home and coming back again in term time for university, and although there's so many amazing things about Nottingham, I wanted to talk about the main things that would probably influence a lot of students and even adults to move to any city generally! The great thing about Nottingham though is that there's so much to do and see - so there's pretty much something for every lifestyle and taste!

THE WEEKLY MARKETS:

Nottingham holds food and clothing markets weekly in the city centre of market square, which in my opinion are the best places to kill time and find little gems of jewellery, food and pieces of clothing for cheap prices! They're also a great way to find local producers and give back to the community you live in, so it's generally a win-win situation!

There was recently a world foods market in Nottingham which was amazing to walk round and look at all the dishes, cakes, bread and other specialities from different countries!

THE CHOICE OF FOOD:

I wish I could be slightly more sophisticated with my reasons for loving Nottingham, but truthfully, one of the biggest reasons I love being here, is the huge choice of restaurants, café's, deli's and just foodie shops in general.

Nottingham has everything - I mean EVERYTHING you could ever want.
Whether you're craving pizza, pasta, sushi, burgers, curries, and anything in between you'll find something. And of course there's everyone's favourite chain restaurants too - Nandos, GBK, Pizza Hut, Five Guys etc etc.

Vegetarian? Vegan? Fussy eater? There s literally something for every taste and it genuinely makes me very happy!There's also a Whetherspoons on pretty much every corner so if you're feeling poor from a night out and need a hangover fix quickly, you're sorted!

A few of my recommendations are definitely Annie's Burger Shack for - obviously - a fantastic burger, the Handmade Cafe for amazing sandwiches, coffee and cakes, Georges for really lovely fish and chips and a personal favourite Bagel Nash, for (you guessed it) fabulous bagels.

CHARITY AND VINTAGE SHOPPING:

Another thing I've found which is a real treasure being on a student budget is the vast amount of vintage and charity shops throughout Nottingham. Don't get me wrong I love Urban Outfitters and Topshop like the next girl, but it's really not sensible for me to be spending £22 on a T-shirt when I need to eat and buy toilet roll (being an adult is really exciting).

As a result of this, I've spent a considerable amount of time frantically searching through charity shops in desperate need of splashing the cash - or not so in many cases!
Some of my favourites are Wild Clothing, Cow, Ark, The White Rose and generally charity shops altogether!

LACE MARKET:

The lace market in Nottingham has kind of become my spiritual home, and one of my favourite places throughout the city! It's a great place to visit if you're bored to just go have a wander, and you'll be sure to find something that interests you, whether its shopping, eating or even going out for a night out!

I'd really recommend anyone to go and explore the area if you haven't been before!
Chock full of vintage shops, quirky bars and amazing gift shops, this place is great if you're wanting to find a real gem in terms of clothes, food or trinkets.

STUDENT LIFE:

One of the best things I've come to realise when living in Nottingham, is the vast amount of things students can do and benefit from. Whether its discount on restaurants, shops, or nights out!

I'm sure a lot places have student discounts in most cities, but Nottingham is really accommodating to its students, with the majority of shops, cafe's and bars/clubs having some kind of perk or discount to take advantage of, and if you aren't sure - just ask!
Another thing I learned as that students actually make up for 50% of Nottingham's entire population, so I'm sure there's some kind of discount or benefit of being a student that you can find!
It could mean a free meal, 25% discount, or even 2 for 1 drinks at your favourite bar!

Have you been to Nottingham? Do you have a favourite aspect about the city?
Let me know in the comments!

Chloé
xo