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!

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The Girl Behind The Blog

During a twitter chat last week I asked people what posts they like reading the most, there were lots of different answers - hauls, reviews, favourites, but one that popped up ALOT was "personal" posts and "life" posts.

 So I thought why not give you guys a little bit more of a personal post today and let you get to know me a little bit more.... so here it goes........ (you may or may not know these little snippets about me...)

- I was going to be called Charlotte or Emma - but Mum saw Kirstie Alley's name come up on TV and changed her mind!

- I have lived on the Isle Of Wight all of my life and I love it here, I feel so lucky to have grown up here.

- Popcorn with chocolate m&m's is probably my favourite snack ever.

- I have a musical obsession and have done ever since I was little. I listen to Defying Gravity at least once a day.

- The first YouTubers I started watching were Shaycarl/The Shaytards, Blair Fowler & Elle Fowler.... and I still watch them now.

- I have a seriously sensitive nose.

- I am 25. I get IDed....alot, people think I'm still a teenager.

- I have dental implants - it's the only operation I've ever had.

- I didn't like pizza until I was in high school.

- Me & my friends have a mayo addiction. It's actually laughable how much we can get through.

- Me & my boyfriend technically met through Bebo..... we've been together 8 years.

- I am a major bargain hunter, I'm straight to the sale section when shopping online.... don't judge me!

- Going to the cinema is one of my favourite things to do.

- I once met John Clease, he was very nice.

- I always have the urge to change my hair, I've dyed it so many times over the past 12 years..... and now I'm considered chopping it off... again!

- The number one thing on my bucket list is too own a French Bulldog.

- I think I have more girl crushes than guy crushes!

- I've never had a driving lesson.

- My one regret in life is going to LA Ink but not getting a tattoo.

-  I have a baby name list.... My top 3 for a girl are : Violet, Mollie & Aria.

- I have a teddy I've had since I was born, he's called Yellow Dog..... he is a yellow dog. (He's yellow because my parents didn't know if I was a boy or a girl!)

- I started drinking green tea to try and be a bit healthier about 4 years ago and haven't stopped since -  I LOVE the stuff!

- Whatsapp group messages make me life complete, so.much.hilarious.banter.

- Me & my best friends have been best friends since we were 13. They are the greatest people in the world and make me laugh every since day. 

- Rock Challenge was the best thing about High School. (We were awesome)

- I have a sugar addiction.

- I am the worst yo-yo dieter - I don't think I've ever been happy with my body.

- I got a diamond ring for my 21st birthday and the only times I've taken it off were when I was at Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach.

- I watched Felicity Huffman & Willam H Macy get their stars on the walk of fame.

- I used to have a magazine addiction. I literally bought about 6 a week and HAD too. I had piles and piles of More! magazine under my bed.

- I am the messiest person around - it's embarrassing. 

- My dream holiday destination is Hawaii.

- Sometimes I regret my blog name and other days I'm not bothered.

- I randomly bought Taylor Swift's album back in 2009 and became utterly obsessed and have been the biggest fan ever since.

- I still think 'Bridesmaids' is one of the funniest movie's ever made.

- I wish everyday that I was at Disneyworld.

- Harry Potter makes me SO happy.

- I am still terrified of The Witches..... it has also given me a fear of baddies who wear wigs - very strange I know.

- I'm serious when I say I will pluck up the courage to get a tattoo this year.

- My parents are the best.

- When I was younger my favourite thing to do was make collages and I still LOVE it now. 

- 90% of what I drink is water and I only ever drink fizzy when I'm drinking alcohol. (which isn't very often!)

-  Starting this blog was the best decision I ever made.

I really hope this hasn't bored the hell out of you guys! 

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2015 : Goals & Resolutions

Another year, another list of things that I will be striving to do and achieve in 2015! (Can you believe we are half way between the millineum and 2030 already?!)
Well.... it wouldn't be January without them would it? Lets just hope I put them into practice for the 365 days or more and not just a fortnight!

Some are blog related and some are just life related and I'm sure some are probably repeats of last year too, opps haha!

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."

- Get fit and stay healthy

I'm sure most of us are going to have this on our lists. I'm forever up and down with my weight and dieting on and off has become the norm for the last 3 years or so.
 This year I am super determined to get that body I've always dreamed of and finally be fully confident with myself, as well as ditching lots of the crappy foods that seem to run my life! Just look at Charlotte Crosby - I can do that too!

- Stay tidy

I'm nearly 25 which means I should know how to be a tidy human being by now. Goodbye clutter, hello organised home!

- Say YES more

It's about time I got out there and said yes more. Whether it's a blog event or dinner with friends - Kirstie saying yes is going to happen more!

- Be a positive Polly

I moan far too much and really what do I have to moan about? My weight? My job? I can change all that myself so I'm going to try and see things in a positive light and really appreciate how lucky I really am in this world.
 "Happiness is a choice." - Shay Carl

- Finish the Vampire Academy series

Well I was going to say "read more" but that was definitely on my list for 2014! I started this series months and months ago and even though I bought all 6 books on my kindle I'm STILL only on book 2 - so this year I WILL finish them!

- Get a tattoo

Every year since turning 18 I've said I'd get a tattoo. I have a few ideas in mind so I just need to decide on one and go for it! Yolo!

BLOG

- Focus on quality not quantity 

This year I have done a whopping 322 blog posts - to me that is alot. I ended up doing a blog post every single day for most of the year and I have to say it was a serious challenge at some points. Don't get me wrong I loved it but some days I feel like I put way too much pressure on myself to get things done! 
In 2015 I want to focus more on the quality of the post rather than how many I do!

- Invest in better equipment 

 I love blogging and it has become a real passion of mine but I have been really scrapping through with the stuff I have been using to keep it going.
 I cannot wait to invest in a new camera, some lighting and hopefully eventually a mac. I have recently bought a new laptop to replace the awful netbook I have been working with for the past year - the first step to help me improve A Yellow Brick Blog!

- Youtube

Yes I started uploading videos to Youtube this year after years and years of self-doubt but in 2015 I really want to put more effort into it! The amount I watch others on youtube makes me so motivated and determined to do it myself and improve my videos... because at the moment they are pretty pants!

- Push Myself

Improve my content, expand my audience and take up all the amazing opportunities I can! Time to stop being such a nervous wuss and get out there :)

What goals do you have?

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