Easy Ways to Stay Organised and Tidy!

Hello everyone. I realise that it has been a very long time since I have been active on this blog and so I wanted to start this post of with a big apology! There really is no excuse for why I have abandoned my blog so I really am sorry for the lack of content. But anyway, I am back and I am really looking forward to getting my blog back to the standard that it was and writing regular blog posts for you guys. If  you want to see what I have been up to over the last few months, then feel free to check out my YouTube Channel.

So for today's post, I really wanted to do something that will hopefully offer you guys some help and advice. I feel like it can be difficult to stay organised and tidy and therefore I wanted to give you some of my tips and advice so that you guys can easily tidy away your belongings in an organised fashion so that you know where they all are. I feel that being organised and being tidy are very similar, in order to do one you have to do the other, if you know what I mean. 

Firstly, I would recommend getting an organiser/planner. This probably sounds really obvious, but some people may not have one of these. I got mine from Busy B, which is such a cute little stationary store, definitely check out their website. I feel like a planner is the perfect way to stay organised! I literally live by it, I depend on it. I honestly wouldn't remember important dates or information if I didn't write it all in my organiser. I write everything that I need to remember in it - homework that is due for a particular date, any appointments I have etc. My organiser also has a monthly calendar which I use to plan which YouTube videos I am filming and uploading on which days. And of course there is a notes section, which is really handy if you need to quickly jot something down. Another thing I really love about my Busy B Organiser is that it has pockets throughout it that you can slot any important bits of paper into, which again is so useful, it keeps all of those loose  pieces of paper together in a place that you can easily find them. 

Notebooks are another good piece of equipment when it comes to being organised. They come in so many different designs and colours which is an extra bonus because they look so cute and pretty. I feel like, if I have a cute notebook, then I am encouraged to use it and to write in it. Therefore, if you have studying to do for school, college or uni, then buy yourself a ton of cute notebooks and hopefully that will motivate you to study. Have a separate notebook to write your study notes in for each subject and this will help you stay organised. I have so many notebooks because I use them all the time - to jot down blog post and YouTube video ideas, to write lists, to study etc. Some of my favourite notebooks are from TK Maxx and Tesco - both stores have really cute stationary bits and pieces. Also get some cute pens to write in your notebook with - I love Sharpies! That always encourages me to write down my study notes or write out my research findings for homework. 

Sticky notes have always been something that I am obsessed with. I remember when I was little and I would see my teachers always writing everything on a sticky note and now I see why! I now have an extensive collection of sticky notes because I am literally obsessed and it doesn't help that they come in so many cute designs and different shapes and sizes. It's just so easy to whip out a sticky note and write down whatever it is you need to remind yourself to do. I remember when I was studying for my exams, I would write out all of the facts, quotes and equations that I would have to remember onto sticky notes and then I'd stick them on my door and then everytime I walked past, I would glance at them and try to remember them. I also love using sticky notes to make to-do lists because it helps me know exactly what I need to get done on that day and therefore it helps me to be more organised and productive. My sister Laura bought me a beautiful sticky note set from Tesco which is just adorable. I make lists of all of the homework that I need to do, chores that are needing done etc. 

I am one of those people that always forgets what day it is! It's actually terrible, I would always be wondering what day I was on, what month it was, I had no clue! That's why I am so glad that I did the sensible thing and bought myself a desk calendar. I find that I prefer a desk calendar to a wall calendar as I have to physically change the day and date on the calendar each morning, so there's no way I can forget what day it is! My desk calendar is from Debenhams and it is so cute. Having a calendar right there on my desk keeps me organised as the date is right there and then I am reminded of everything that needs to be done on that day. 

I am a very tidy person. I like everything to be neat and tidy and put away in their correct place. I think that storage baskets, pots and boxes are a really good idea. It's the best way to neatly organise all of your belongings. I have a storage box full of all my important mail and letters so that they are all kept safe and in the same place and therefore they are easy to find. I have another storage box full of all of my electrical appliances, chargers, headphones etc. I have storage boxes for my stationary, my books, my hats, basically everything I own is kept in a storage box! I make sure that everytime I take an item out of a storage box, I put it back in the box that I got it from. Make sure you don't just put it back into any box as that defeats the purpose. Then your belongings won't be organised or easy to find. You can basically find cute decorated boxes anywhere but my favourite ones are from TK Maxx, Tesco and Homebase.

I hope these tips on how to stay organised and tidy have been somewhat useful! Let me know in the comments how you organise your belongings and let me know if my tips have helped you in any way. Thanks so much for reading!

Lucille Xox98

A Beautiful Snowy Day!

Hello everyone! This post is very late as I have been so busy with work and Youtube that I haven't had a chance to just sit at my computer and type this up. Just when I thought winter was ending, it went and snowed and this time there was actually a lot of it! I just wish that it had come earlier - specifically on Christmas Day so that I could have had the white Christmas that I was hoping for! But anyway, better late than never. I wanted to make the most of this snowy day so I decided to let out my inner child and I had the most fun that I have had in a while! Never be afraid to let your inner child shine through. Just live in the moment and have fun! 

I don't think Max (my dog) was very sure of the snow. He just looked freezing even with his little jacket on! But he played in it for a little bit before whining in pain as much to say 'take me inside!' Being the big kid that I am, I took out our sledge and decided to take Daniel for a little spin in it. Well at least that's what I thought. Turns out Daniel is a lot heavier than I expected. I think I just thought 'I did it last time, so I can do it again' but I never thought about the fact that he has aged about 5 years! 

So we ended up carrying the sledge over to a hill where we had so much fun. When Daniel and Laura were going down the hill on the sledge it didn't look fast at all but it was a completely different story when I had a turn. I never expected it to go so fast and then it toppled on me at the end! Of course I am afraid of getting messy and I could feel snow in my boots, my jeans were wet and then a massive lump of snow fell from a tree, right onto my head. So you could say that I wasn't very amused!

And we basically spent hours outside in the snow, just like we used to when we were really young! It just made me smile because it brought back so many great memories and it was like we were little kids again, just having fun without a care in the world! Laura and Daniel made a snowman together but I went inside because my hands were freezing and I felt like they were about to fall off! I don't think that I have ever made a snowman, which sounds ridiculous! But I have always hated the cold and the feeling of numbness in my hands, so I have never actually made a whole snowman. We would always start making a snowman together and I would end up going inside and watching from the window as the rest of my family finished building the snowman. Is that weird? I guess so. Haha! 

Thank you so much for reading this blog post! I will try my very best to get back into the routine of writing a blog post for you guys every week! Don't forget to check out my vlog from this day. Click here to go to my Youtube Channel. I love you guys so much! Thanks again!

Lucille Xox98

Valentines Chocolate Cupcakes!

Hello everyone and happy valentines day! I hope you are having an amazing day whether you are spending it with your boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, or even if you are just spending the day with your loved ones like your family and friends!

As you may or may not know, baking is one of my favourite pastimes and so I thought that Valentines Day would be the perfect excuse to whip out all of my baking gear and whiz something together! So I decided to bake these very simple, yet cute, chocolate cupcakes which are so delicious! 

 

Ingredients

• 110g self-raising flour
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 110g softened margarine
• 110g caster sugar
• 2 eggs

Equipment

• Scales
• Sieve 
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Wooden Spoon
• Measuring Spoons
• Cupcake Cases
• Muffin Tray

Method

Firstly, pre-heat your oven to Gas mark 5 or 190 C. Then sieve the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. After that, mix in the margarine and caster sugar. Add the eggs into the mixture and beat well. Keep whisking until the mixture is light and fluffy. You can then just go ahead and divide the mixture into the cupcake cases. I used red cupcake cases because they make the cakes look more valentines day themed and I was able to make 10 cupcakes using the mixture. Next, you carefully place the cupcakes into the oven and leave them to bake for around 15-17 minutes. Then leave the cupcakes to cool before icing them. 

Ingredients for Icing

• 50g softened butter
• 45g cocoa powder
• 100ml milk
• 450g icing sugar
• Sprinkles for decoration

Equipment 

• Scales
• Small Mixing Bowl
• Jug
• Wooden Spoon
• Piping Bag 

Method

In your mixing bowl, beat the butter and cocoa powder together until combined. Next add the milk and continue to beat until smooth. Gradually add in the icing sugar and mix well until the desired consistency is achieved. I added another little drop of milk to my mixture because I felt like my icing was too thick. So depending on the consistency of your mixture, you may also need to add more milk or icing sugar. Then either use a piping bag or a palette knife to transfer the chocolate icing onto your cupcakes. Decorate how you wish. I just used lots of red sprinkles to make kisses and heart shapes which I think worked quite well. 

And there you have it! That is how I made these very cute and simple chocolate valentines day themed cupcakes. Let me know if you try out this recipe or tell me in the comments what treats you like to make for valentines day. Thank you guys so much for reading and stay tuned for my next blog post. X

Lucille Xox98

Family Cycle!

Hello there!

Today's post is just another random one where I let you guys know what I have been up to. My little brother, my little sister and I decided to go for a cycle on one of the most cold and miserable days ever and I am not quite sure why. I absolutely love cycling but I don't really like cold and wet weather, although you think that seeing as I live in Scotland I'd be used to it! Anyway, we cycled to one of the most lovely 'cycle routes' near where I live (University of Highlands and Islands) which I just love and I think that the view is just stunning. As you probably know, I am not really into exercising although I really do wish that I was interested in it and that I enjoyed running or going to the gym but I really don't. Cycling is probably the one type of exercise that I really enjoy and that I do for fun and not just because I feel like I have to do some form of exercise. I find that it comes naturally to me and I really enjoy just going at my own pace and exploring whilst being able to admire the different views and scenery.

 

I feel like the UHI is such a serene place where everything is so calm and I always feel happy when I am there as everything is so peaceful, people are walking their dogs, or cycling, or are having a nice family walk together and it is just so lovely to see. My brother Daniel really enjoyed going over the ramps that are there for bicycles and so many other children were so content and happy with going up and over the bicycle ramps time and time again. There are also ducks and swans there which were really nice to look at. Although, I went up close to one to try and get a good shot and it started hissing at me! I have never been so afraid nor have I ever moved so quickly! I thought it was going to attack me!

My bike currently has a puncture and I have been nagging my dad for weeks on end to fix it but he hasn't got round to it yet. He is one of those people that always says 'I'll do it tomorrow' whereas I always do things right there and then. (Although repairing a puncture is something that I haven't got the slightest clue about!) So I have been using my dad's bike for the last couple of months even though I can't touch the ground when I am on it! It is literally massive, I need help to try and get on it! Laura says it is hilarious watching me trying to clamber onto the bike.

We had such a fun little adventure, just admiring the beautiful scenery, chatting and having a laugh. I am so blessed to have such amazing siblings that really are the greatest friends that I could ever ask for. It really is the small things in life that matter the most and that is why I love taking photographs so that I can treasure these moments and memories forever. My brother is literally the cutest little thing you have ever seen! I say little but he has grown up so much in such a short time. He had a great time climbing walls and jumping off them and doing all those other things that boys do for fun!

Laura is such a cutie too! She is the one person that can make me laugh even when I am in the worst of moods. She is always so cheery and she is always smiling and I just have so much fun when I am with her. We honestly talk for hours on end and we really are the best of friends! She is so hilarious, she even did the Shakira pose out in public! Haha! 

I had such a great day doing something as small as going for a cycle with my siblings. It's my amazing family that make little outings like these so special as we always have so much fun together. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing family that are always there for me and I love them to pieces. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Let me know in the comments where your favourite place is to go for a family walk or cycle as I'd love to know. Thank you so much for reading. X

Lucille Xox98

What's in my Bag?

Hello there!

I recently filmed a 'What's in my bag?' video on my youtube channel and I just felt like doing a small blog post on it too! (I say small, but we all know that I do like to ramble on and on!) I tidied out my bag before doing this blog post so normally my bag is also full of receipts, chewing gum wrappers and other weird and wonderful bits and bobs. 

So starting of with my bag! It is this gorgeous 'pleather' black backpack which is just the cutest thing ever. It has been my go to bag ever since I bought it a couple of months ago. It has really cute gold accents on the buckle and the zip and it is extremely roomy and comfortable to wear. I bought it from New Look and it was only £19.99 which is such a bargain. It is also available in different colours so click here to buy it or to have a wee nosey. 

I don't really keep a lot in my bag, just because I like it to be quite light because if I am out and about, I can sometimes have it on my back all day. When I am shopping, I like to put all of my purchases inside my backpack too because it is so much easier when it is out of the way and in my bag and plus you don't bump into everyone because your hands are full with shopping bags. Seriously, this bag is that spacious! 

So obviously I keep my purse inside my bag. My current purse is from Accessorize and is very simple but cute. It is a large grey purse which has a zipped section, two slip pockets and eight card slots. Again, it is very spacious as I can even fit my phone inside it. I am not sure if that is what it was designed for, but my phone fits nicely in one of the slip pockets which is great! Moving on to my phone, it is the iPhone 6s Plus which I absolutely love and I currently have this cute popcorn case on it from Skinny Dip London. I always make sure that my phone is in my bag because I would pretty much be lost without it. It's also great for those awkward situations where you are sitting next to a complete stranger on the bus and you don't know where to look, so you just take out your phone and scroll through Facebook! Voila, problem solved! Haha! 

And as I live in Scotland and it is always freezing, I make sure that I always keep a hat in my bag. I never used to really wear hats just because I don't think that they really suit me. But needs must! I would just freeze if I didn't wear a hat and so I have found a style of hats that I like and I now have quite a few of them. My favourite hat at the moment is this cute grey pom pom beanie bobble hat from New Look which is just so cosy and because it is grey it goes with everything! 

I also keep a small make-up bag inside my backpack. I use the Zoella Beauty coin purse because it is compact and is just the right size to fit inside your bag. I don't really top up my make-up throughout the day but I always keep my Rimmel London Hide the Blemish Concealer in my bag incase any of my spots need a little more coverage. I also keep my L'Oreal Paris Miss Manga Mascara and whichever lipstick or lip balm I am wearing that day in my make-up bag too!

I always carry my vlogging camera with me as I like to vlog as often as I can because I think that it is a lovely way to capture precious moments. The camera that I use for vlogging is the Canon Powershot S120 which I absolutely love. It is so compact and light which makes it perfect for vlogging and the quality is great.

A small notebook (and a pen) is something else that is always in my backpack. It is generally just incase I ever need to note something down or incase a blog post or video idea ever comes to me when I am out and about. The notebook that I currently keep in my bag is so cute! It has 'Dream' written on it which is probably my favourite word ever. I think it is such an inspirational word because I am all about dreaming and working hard to make your dreams come true. In my bag, I also have the Zoella 'travel pass and compact mirror'. I use this to hold my train tickets, bus tickets or ID because it is so much easier to find rather than having to rake through your purse for your train ticket when you have like a billion other cards in there. It just stops me from stressing which sounds ridiculous. But seriously, if I can't find my train ticket or bus ticket then I get in a panic! So having it in one place and knowing where it is, is so much easier and stress-free. Also it includes a mirror which is always handy if you need to fix up your make-up or check to see if there is anything in your teeth! (There's nothing worse than talking to someone and then looking in the mirror afterwards and realising that some of your lunch is stuck in your teeth!)

Some other bits and pieces that I keep in my backpack are my earphones so that I can listen to some tunes, like 1D! I also always keep tic-tacs in my bag or chewing gum because you've got to have a fresh breath! And lastly, I have some spare batteries for my vlogging camera because they are a must have for any vlogger! Mondpalast are a cheap alternative to canon batteries but they work the same, if not even better! I just bought mine on Amazon!

Okay, so it wasn't really a short blogpost! I just can't help it. Once I start typing, I just can't stop. Let me know in the comments what you keep in your bag and whether or not the items you keep in your bag are similar to the ones that I have mentioned. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog post and stay tuned for more. Thanks for reading.

Lucille Xox98