Aloha Kirstie

Tuesday, 31 May 2016

Life Update

Why hello my favourite internet people!

It's time for me to finally sit down and type away my feelings.... it's been a while and I've missed blogging regularly SO much and I thought i was about time I did a mini life update for you all..... in case you've been wondering where I am!

What's new with me? What's gong down?

Well.....

I've been working... alot! I LOVE my new job so much but working online all day I struggle to then sit down and open my laptop once I'm home enjoying my free time - which makes me sad as I LOVE blogging so much but I do need time to switch off from it all. But I'm determined over the next couple of months to get A Yellow Brick Blog up and running like it used to be!

I've booked a holiday......... to DISNEYWORLD! Yes I'm so, so, so, sooooo happy - I finally cracked my boyfriend and he agreed to go back next year :)

So, lots of saving and counting down for me until March - I still can't believe I'm going to get to go back, a dream come true once more!

Summer is coming and I have lots of exciting plans! From the Isle Of Wight Festival next week to one of my best friends hen do's (in a totally secret location.... I'd better not say because she could read this, we've kept this a secret for 6 months and I'm just spoiling it now!) later this month to V Festival in August ... I'm looking forward to some amazing weekends with good friends :)

INSTAGRAM - I have a brand new Instagram - @AlohaKirstie - and I would seriously appreciate it if you'd hit follow, I can't believe it's already hit over 400 followers in less than 4 days!

Alot of people have been asking why I have made a new account.... well, my old one, for me, was just messy - which sounds SO stupid but I'd had it since 2009 or 2010 I had over 4000 uploads. I just needed a fresh fun start!

Will my blog change names? Who knows?! Not anytime soon :) 'A Yellow Brick Blog' seems to have a lot of love from what I've seen and been told so maybe it should stay :)

I'm still on that health kick - I'm obsessed with the gym classes I'm going to and I am trying seriously hard with my diet (although I have slipped a few times recently)! I did just complete #ChocolateFreeMay though - wahoooo! I'm excited to keep on challenging myself, setting new goals monthly and seeing improvements!

What have you all been upto? What's new? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy 3rd Birthday A Yellow Brick Blog!!!

WOW!

I did not ever expect to be writing this....3!
My blog is officially 3 years old. (It was on Saturday but I've been sooo busy I've only just managed to sit down and celebrate! aka.... sit and watching Kardashians whilst drinking tea & typing!)
I mean for one.... 3 is my lucky number so that makes me super happy and two... 3 years of blogging! How cool is that!
I'm so super proud too still be at this little hobby which has quite literally changed my life.

Balloons - Urban Outfitters

3 years ago I was unemployed (which alot of you probably didn't actually know).
I had been a temp at Liz Earle for 6 months doing the Christmas shizzle but temp unfortunately meant that just because Christmas it was time to say goodbye.
Now... I'm not unemployable - I'm smart (ish) and friendly and I have great experience but being stuck on the IOW the market for jobs available was... slim!
So for 6 painful months I was unemployed, living off savings and selling things on eBay - yup real life!

Fast forward to today. 2016.
I've just worked a 10 hour day from the comfort of my own home doing something I love! Since January I have been working in PR and Social Media and I know for a fact without my blog I would have never ever had the knowledge or confidence to get or even do this job!
And although it's taking up alot of my time and my blog has been a little slower than usual, I love it and I'm SO grateful for the journey I've been on over the last 3 years!

Anyway.... I thought it would be fun to take a step back and look over all the posts I've uploaded over the last 3 years and pick out some of my favourites!

Where it all began...

Awwww the first post I uploaded! I had actually started A Yellow Brick Blog back in 2010/2011 but ... that content is GONE so I like to think this is my official starting point!

The Weightloss Story

Still to this day one of my most read posts! I like this one mainly because I really got to write from the heart and be totally honest, I think I'll always struggle with my weight and image but looking back at this I can see how many great changes I've made!

The Travel Dairies

SO many memories going through these posts..... although I never actually finished the series... opps! If you wanna see my America travels these are the ones the read!

Dress Like Disney

These posts are some of the ones I am most proud of! They used to take me forever but I LOVED being so creative and making something so individual!

How I Make My Collages

I get asked this question so much so I thought I'd make a step-by-step guide to help everyone, I've had such fab response from it, so I'm really glad it helped :)

Easy Ways To Put A Smile On Your Face

Sharing positivity and happiness is something I want to do so much more on here.

The Christmas Fund

I'm still SO proud of the blogging community for this one. £500 raised for Crisis UK last year.

A Few DisneyWorld Top Tips

I just love talking about Disney don't I........ roll on March 1st!

Easy Oatlicious Sugar & Dairy Free Banana, Fruit & Nut Bars

I have made these every single week since creating this posts.... and saved SO much money on snacks! (Plus they're healthy!)

The Stresses Of Being A Blogger

Real-life talk.

4 Books To Help You Create A Positive & Healthy Lifestyle

The response on Bloglovin' for this was insane - was a proud moment!

Are there any posts I've done that really stick out in your memory? Let me know!

And once again.... thank you so much for all your support, love, likes, comments and follows over the last 3 years - BIG HUGS TO YOU ALL!

Summer Beauty Prep

Wow - how fabulous has the weather been recently? Yes it's been a little on and off but when the sun is out it has been gorgeous and it definitely made me glad that I have already starting my summer prepping for this year!

Yup - I have started to add in a few extra products into my daily routine to help prepare myself for the heat and dreaded skin showing of the year! (Yes I dread it..... but I'm working on my body confidence!)

So I thought I'd share with you guys some of the products I've been using to try and get myself in tip toe (ish) condition for summer!

1. Nivea Good-bye Cellulite Gel-Cream
No-one likes cellulite, no-one at all! So if there's a product out there telling me it can improve those wobbley bits of mine.... I'm going to try it! I've only been using this for a week so far so I mean I don't look like Jessica Alba yet but it feels lovely and I'm definitely going to keep track to see if there's a difference by the time I'm getting into my shorts!

2. Ameliorate Body Lotion*
This has been a life saver - a cure for 'chicken skin'! Yes those bumpy red lumps on the backs of my arms which ruin my life.... this body lotion has actually started to reduce them, *cries with happiness*! I just need to keep remembering to slap it on twice a day! I will have toned, even arms by summer and won't be conscious of being in a tank top at the gym anymore!

3. Vita Coco Coconut Oil*
HOLY GRAIL PRODUCT - the stuff of dreams. You can literally use it for anything.... my favourite use being for my hair. (which I've actually done for years... before it was cool!)
I'm currently waiting to get my hair re-done... 3rd June cannot come quick enough.... and this is the perfect weekly treatment to ensure my hair is still feeling soft and smooth.
I normally cover my hair root to tip in this stuff either in the morning when I know I'm going to be at home all day or before I head to bed - then 8ish hours later wash it off. Try it ... you won't regret it! I have to say aswell Vita Coco has got to be the best coconut oil I've used so far.
I've also just started using this for baking which is so much fun!

4. Bio Oil*
Well.... if it's good enough for Kim K? It's good enough for little old me!
I've been trying to use this on my skin as much as possible over the last couple of months, I have numerous stretch marks which I won't lie... I HATE - the downfalls of being fat and then loosing weight.
For years they made me SO conscious and I wouldn't get my legs out, ever! Even in 30 degree heat I'd be there in my tights or leggings melting from the inside out - but over the last year or two I've slowly realised, it's actually only me that cares!
No-one else notices but me, I shouldn't let me rule my wardrobe and what I feel comfortable wearing.

What have you been doing to get summer prepped? I know for a fact I need to start fake tanning soon.... this milk bottle legs aren't going to want to be seen by anyone!

5 Things To Remember When You're Having A Bad Blogging Week

As you may have noticed.... A Yellow Brick Blog has been very quiet recently.

Something that I hate but right now with work and general life plans I'm running out of spare time and brain power to create and write.
This makes me so super sad and I hate looking at my bloglovin' seeing that my last post was 7 days ago - shame on me, I'm just not used to being this slack with it all!

I know I'm not the only one who struggles with not only time but ideas and thoughts for posts! I'll have days where I'm bursting at the seams with fun post ideas but at the same time I have weeks where I just cannot muster up the words or energy to throw myself onto my keyboard and type away.

My '5 Things' posts always seem to have a great reaction and I love writing tips/advice/chatty posts - in fact I prefer doing them to your bog standard beauty review (which have been very thin on the ground here for a while now... I'm sorry!)

So, let's talk blogger's block and what to remember when it hits!

1. We All Have Them
Yes, it's true! From the blogging beginners to the full-time blogging babes - we ALL have those phases now and again where we just.... can't!
Can't think of anything to write, can't get our photos just right, can't seem to persevere with that ever-growing to-do list.
I'm been suffering alot recently - I think working online full-time may have something to do with it - and I've had an overwhelming sense of panic that I have no content scheduled, written or even planned! The less I do the less I feel I can do ... time to shake it off!

2. It Doesn't Mean You're A Rubbish Blogger
It took me a long time to realise this.
There's been many a time I've thought to myself - how can I call myself a blogger when I'm sat here with an empty brain and 5 posts going up a month, I'm pants!
But the reality is.... I'm not a rubbish blogger it's just a short mini break while I adjust my thoughts and get back on the blogging wagon - I mean look how many posts I've uploaded in the past - I'm not pants, I'm pretty darn cool.

3. Look Back At How Far You've Already Come
Exactly! Just because you're having a bad week doesn't mean you're heading back to square one.... in fact, I bet at least 75% of your readers and followers won't even notice you haven't uploaded, unless you tell them!

4. There Is Always Someone To Talk To!
Well.... there's never a shortage of blogging buddies - especially on Twitter. The amount of times I've expressed my stresses and blogging woes and feelings on there and had support thrown my ways within minutes - everyone's felt it and will assure you it will pass and you'll be back to you're usual awesome self in no time!

5. It Will Pass
It will. You'll be back typing away until your fingers ache before you know it and you'll wonder just where that motivation and those ideas were hiding!
Don't stress, even if it's a month or even two, just give yourself time and don't force yourself into writing content - it will never be as good as the stuff that comes naturally!

Keep with it and don't you worry!