Summer Commences...

Hello, toasters!
I know, I know, it's been a while.
But I'm sure, with time and counselling, you'll be able to forgive me for my lack of recent posts.
The last term of uni has been really intense, with two hand-ins only a week apart. I basically feel like I’ve been pulled apart, limb by limb, by screaming children who all want to run off in different directions. But, like Supernanny, I managed to put them all on the naughty step and pull together two submissions that I’m actually really proud of.

 (Sammie 1- Metaphorical screaming children 0)

I've just come back from holiday in Lemnos, Greece. Before I left, I couldn't remember the exact name of the island, so when anyone asked me where I was headed I mumbled something made up and Greek-sounding like 'Kevlaka' or 'Steffikos'. A surprising number of people responded with 'ooh, I think I've been there!' so it quickly became my new favourite hobby.

Myrina, Lemnos

Lemnos was beautiful,  and I had a great time sailing (or at least attempting to) and meeting some really interesting people. I know it sounds soppy, but my favourite moment was watching the thunderstorm whilst curled up in my hammock with my sketchbook. I don't think I could get any more 'arty' if i tried.

Nicki Minaj hair time

The only downside with going on holiday is that my hair has gone from bright red to a faded pink/ coral colour. I can fix it back up no problem, but what's annoying is the fact that my family really likes it this way and are trying to get me to keep it this colour. I even got offered a bribe by my stepmum yesterday!!

Whilst this could be a nifty way to extort money and/or cake from my family, I miss the red so much and can't wait to go back to my usual, vibrant self.

So, to truly signal the start of summer, I thought I had better throw a party. And what better occasion than my 20th birthday? 

They'll be plenty of mojitos and cake pops, and plenty of cups of tea as it's a 'best of British' tea party. Currently, my biggest issue is how to dress up as the Queen without, well... looking like the Queen I guess. Although her unimpressed-who-the-hell-is-Will.i.am face completely stole the show at the Jubilee.

I don't have too many plans for summer yet, but I'm sure it will involve lots of trips to the pub, taking in lots of exhibitions in London and weeping over a paintbrush, trying to be as good as the artists in the aforementioned exhibitions.
I'm currently in limbo, waiting for the uni to let us know whose set design has been chosen for the Autumn AUB production 'The Rights of Man'. If my design gets chosen, it will actually be built and put on in November! So fingers crossed! (and toes! And eyes! And anything else that can be crossed!)
We went for a very abstract approach with everything taking on a hand-drawn quality. Here are a few pictures of my 1:25 scale set model so you can see what I’ve been working on…

 What are your plans for summer? Let me know in the comments :) 

Watch this space

Sammie

xoxo

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Red hair & Rigoletto designs

Hello, toasters!

It’s been a while, but I’m afraid I had to put my blogging on hold whilst I was trying not to drown in my latest design project.
You’ll be glad to know that I’ve handed in, and it only took a few all-nighters, 3 models of a castle and enough caffeine to give a blue whale a heart condition.

I did cut my leg quite a lot with a scalpel (one of the many perils of modelmaking) and one of the cuts is pretty deep and looking infected….. I should probably do something about that rather than just sit here and type…..

*runs to the bathroom and douses lethal wound in TCP*

So as I haven’t blogged in a month (I missed you all!), I thought I’d do a catch-up post, just to let you know where I am in this overpriced and under-chocolate-filled maze we call ‘life’.

Let’s start with the biggest change- I’VE DYED MY HAIR BRIGHT RED!!!!

It’s halfway between Ariel the little mermaid and Jessica Rabbit, and it definitely looks like I’ve murdered someone a la Psycho every time I have a shower (which I find very amusing).

I’m looking forward to Halowe’en, as this hair colour really does open up a whole host of fancy dress opportunities.  If I was less of a hermit, I would just get my ass to a comicon-type gathering but

a. I’m broke and

b. I like being snuggled up under a duvet and watching Netflix too much.

I’ve wanted to go this colour for ages, and I’m so glad that I finally had the balls to say goodbye to low-maintenance and employable-looking hair.

I mean, Uni is the time to experiment, right? So far, I’ve only experimented with different shapes of pasta and various scented handwashes, so I thought it was about time I started acting my age rather than 60.

Honestly, my mindset has been so ‘old lady’ lately, I even considered making my own jam. Then I remembered that it’s only 50p in Sainsburys and I really don’t have time for that.

One more thing that’s new- I’m now employed!

I work at the university library, putting all the books back when the students cba so just leave huge piles of them everywhere. I’m called a ‘Library Shelver’, but that’s far too serious for me so I’ve coined the term ‘Shelf Elf’, which I think is far more fun and invokes an image of me sat on a shelf singing away merrily.

The great thing is, all of us shelf elves are students, so the fact that my hair is brighter than Simon Cowell’s teeth is absolutely fine!

Another welcome change is the state of my usually barren fridge, which for some reason always seems to contain random cloves of garlic. As my mum dropped me back home after the Spring break, it's full and one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

*wipes a tear away as I look on at my beautiful full fridge*

As you can probably imagine, the chocolate yogurts disappeared rather quickly...

The only other big thing that's happened to me is my hand in, but considering I've been working on this project for 3 months, it feels like a massive achievement.

I've been designing the costumes and set for the opera Rigoletto, within the beautiful ruins of Corfe Castle. I got really into the costume designs, with each character drawing inspiration from a different insect.

Here's a quick look at my costume designs & set boxes, just so you guys know what I've been working on

What do you think? And what's new with you guys? Let me know in the comments! :)

Watch this space!

Sammie

xoxo

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I suck at life. Generally speaking.

Hello, toasters!
Now before we go any further, I must depart one dreadful, all-consuming piece of information... I, Sammie, am a terrible human being.
I don't mean that in a Hitler way, because I'm really not into the whole supreme race thing.
I guess what I'm trying to say in my awkward, slightly-uncomfortable, long-winded way is that I'm terrible at being a human being.
Whatever you believe we have been put on this Earth for, I'm clearly doing it wrong.
When it comes to seizing the day & Carpe Diem, my forever-lazy day starts at about 2pm so there's really not much left to seize.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I really feel like I'm not quite cutting it in the game of life.
Like if I were a crisp, I'd be one of the ones you have to rustle out at the end.
That's a weird comparison, but it works in my head so i'll leave it in there.
Life at the minute feels like a series of oscillations- moving to and from project ideas, music, classes, moods, isolation, and artistic ability.
That last one is particularly annoying... it seems that my artistic ability on any given day is random and can change rapidly for no apparent reason. So when I find that I'm having a good drawing day, I try to cram as much in as possible because I don't know when the next one will spring up.
One thing that remains unchanging is my confusion. I'm now half way through University and I'm still none the wiser for how I'm going to make my sometimes-shaky life choices work.
I'm really trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible, but it gets difficult when lecturers make you throw plastic bags in the air to 'let the inanimate objects live their life as they want to, without imposing our egos onto them'.
I'm paraphrasing, but this woman was basically asking us whether the plastic bags really want to carry our shopping or not.
£8,600 per year well spent I think.

Sorry this post has been a little different from what I usually post, I guess I'm a little out of touch and just putting things out there :)
See you soon,
Sammie
xoxo

London Trip (Insert Witty Title Here)

Hello, toasters!
So, as some of you who read the last post know, I've just got back from a London uni trip.
I'm so tempted to call it a school trip, but that definitely brings pigtails and pleated skirts to mind, so i'll avoid it.
This is going to be a pretty picture-heavy post, because I have so many awesome photos... mainly from Harry Potter World!
We did so many things- saw Swan Lake, The Commitments, different theatre spaces, tours of opera houses and I even saw Matilda (so cute!) but Harry Potter World beat everything else hands down.
It was basically an explosion of nostalgic childhood memories infused with butterbeer and hyperactivity due to having eaten nothing but a discounted chocolate Santa that morning.
I know, I am an advert for a healthy lifestyle.
So here are a few of my favourite photos, enjoy!

I love the old lady's face in the last one... like she's never seen a bunch of art students (prats) take a self-timer photo before.

We did the classic thing where we all crouched in, although we would have fit fine anyway.

Oh well!

See you next time,

Sammie

xoxo

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London Calling

Hello toasters!
This morning I'm heading into to London for a uni trip- where else would we be able to listen to Opera and spend hundreds of pounds on fabric in the same day?!

It's too late to be drawing a new illustration for this post, so I thought
I'd use this 'illustration selfie' I did a few weeks ago :)

Having to get up at 7am tomorrow will be difficult, made even harder by the fact that I have to leave my bonsai trees behind for a whole week.
Seriously, I never thought I could ever be so connected to a plant... maybe it's just a coping mechanism when I get depressed about:

a. My student loan          

b. My 'future'                 

c. Miley Cyrus' existence   

or 

d. All of the above.         

We're visiting Harry Potter world tomorrow, which I am definitely far too excited about.
I had intended to sew myself a Ravenclaw robe to wear- you know, to actually get my £9,000 tuition fee's worth- but it ended up in the bottom of my wardrobe, where all my other half-finished projects go to die.
I need to try and find the self-restraint to not buy a wand, or else you may find me sobbing in a gutter, waving it and whispering 'accio, money'.
(Muggles, beware of HP terminology)

Looking at my overflowing suitcase, I fear I may have done my usual trick- packing everything but the things I actually need.
One year I went to Spain, forgot my swimwear and had to spend my time in ill-fitting, hastily-purchased bikinis that made a synthetic fart sound every time I moved.
(Sorry, that's probably an overshare, but it's the best example I've got)
The worst thing is, I usually remember what I've forgotten just as I reach my destination, so I'll keep you posted as to what vital thing I've left behind this time.
Spoiler alert: It's usually socks.

I hope you all have a fantastic Monday morning, and get to have the lie in that I wont be able to have.
I'm still debating whether or not to bring my laptop along, so if you don't hear from me for a week, you'll know why.
Watch this space
Sammie
xoxo


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Westie Dog Speed Painting

Hello, toasters!
I hope you're all having a wonderfully festive Christmas Eve :)
For my Secret Santa present, I decided to paint my Auntie's dog, Jack, for her. She seemed to really love it, so that made me feel all lovely and Christmassy!
I thought I'd make a speed-painting video of it, and share it with you all to help you get through the drunk Uncles, indigestion and brussel sprout farts that you will have to face in the days to come.
Enjoy!

Let me know what you think, and maybe i'll make some more :)
Don't forget to like, comment & subscribe for more.
1 sleep to go until Christmas!
Sammie
xoxo

How Every Student Does Their Assignment

Hello, toasters!
So today I handed in my project I've been working on since September, and I'm genuinely buzzing with excitement.
Its either that or the two tubes of Pringles and six-pack of Diet Coke I've ingested over the past 12 hours or so. Either or.
So this past week I've been super busy- sorry for the lack of posts, but you know... I'm paying £8,600 a year for tuition, I may as well roll out of bed in the morning and try.
And by roll, I literally mean roll.
Boy, are all those Pringles coming back to haunt me now.
Like every student, I sort of procrastinated for the best part of 2 months, doing the occasional bit of work when absolutely necessary but nothing too tedious.
Instead, I decided to focus on the more important things in life, like buying new throw pillows and mastering the ancient art of cheese on toast.
I know right, pretty deep stuff.
But this got me thinking about how students do their projects, and looking around the room at hand-in, I noticed a pattern of vacant stares and yesterday's unchanged clothes.
So, I decided that whilst it's fresh in my mind, I'd go through the thought process of every student the night before a big hand in.
Here goes...

8.00pm- So I've got a long night ahead of me, with a slimmer chance of getting a 1st than the chance that Kim Kardashian will sort her life out. Better get some snacks, you know, for motivation.... yeah, motivation, that's it.
8.30pm- I'm a Celebrity is on, I've got plenty of time left, and I can DEFINITELY do work in the advert breaks.
10.00pm- Okay, so admittedly I didn't actually do any work during I'm a Celeb, but I had my sketchbook open on my lap, so I guess that's a step in the right direction
10.30pm- Right, need to find the perfect sound track to help me power through, lets take a quick look through my iPod
 11.00pm- Well, it looks like I don't have anything in my music library that will do. Time to look on YouTube for some music.
11.30pm- Oh look, a funny cat video!
12.00am- Oh God, I only have 8 hours left. Time to really knuckle down
12.05am- Phew, I've written 5 whole sentences, that definitely deserves a 10 minute break.
12.15am- Well before I can do anything, I need the right equipment. And who can do any sort of work without a nice sharp pencil?
1.00am- Alright, so that's all the pencils in a 5-mile radius sharpened to an OCD-level point, and organised in nice straight rows.
1.30am- Man, I could use a snack right now....
*remembers supply of processed crap enough to put an entire army into a coma*
Okay, so I'll just have one teensy tiny snack
2.00am- How the hell am I supposed to work with this huge food baby?! I think a quick power nap is necessary, just to get rid of it and re-energise me for work. Half an hour should do it, no more though!
4.00am- Why did I think getting into a warm bed was a good idea!?!? Now I have to sit in my room which has is colder than Piers Morgan's heart, and no amount of onesies will stop me shivering.
4.30am- 2,000 words, here we come. Okay Wikipedia, don't fail me now!
5.00am- Damn I'm going to need some references... I'm sure that book on Lucian Freud is around here somewhere, and he's always relevant. Essay on why pop culture is becoming an overpowering influence in society? Why, because women secretly want penises of course!
6.00am- I wonder if McDonalds start serving breakfast yet?
6.15am- Come on now, focus! How can I make the 1,200 words I have seem like a lot more? Time for some double-spacing and large font methinks.
6.30am- OH CRAP I COMPLETELY FORGOT MY EVALUATION JKBFJKBUIOP
6.45am- Okay, so here's last term's evaluation.... I'm sure if I just change a few choice words here and there it'll be fine. No one even reads these things anyway, right?
7.00am- Time to attempt to make this jittering wreck of a person presentable... enough to walk to uni, grunt hellos and dump my suspiciously large-fonted work into a box.


I don't know about you, but that last bit never works for me. I always look like a car crash, and its always a 50/50 chance as to whether or not I'm still wearing a pajama top.
I even have a pair on 'mum' jeans that I wear to each hand in without fail, they're just so.... understanding.
So for those of you who still have your hand-ins to go, I wish you the best of luck.
As for me, I'll be hibernating and playing on the Sims 2 for a month.
Don't forget to subscribe to my content using http://sammieontoast.blogspot.co.uk/ using the options on the right hand side :)
Sammie
xoxo

Compromises... from theatre lover to metalhead?!

Hello, toasters!
I have returned after a few weeks' hiatus- to those of you who read my last post about how I was planning on not spending any money for a whole week, do not worry! I did not starve!
I actually got on pretty well, and will post up my findings tomorrow evening.
For some reason, I had the blog post completely written up and edited, but I really just felt like some time off.
I spent the time settling in again to university, cooking some awesome food (and then cancelling it out by eating cheap drunk food) and most recently, going to the theatre with my boyfriend.
The play in question was called 'Female Transport', and was put on by the graduate acting students at my university.
I was excited to go because 1. the set and costume designs were done by members of my course, and is exactly what I want to do, and 2. it gave me an opportunity to show give my boyfriend Dan a little insight into my world & what I'm into.
Alas, I hear you cry! Why, oh why, after 10 months of dating, does he still know nothing about the world of theatre if he is dating a costume student?
My short answer to this is that he is a metalhead.
My slightly longer answer is that he is a metalhead who studies forensic science and plays ultimate frisbee in his spare time, and if that's not the furthest group of interests away from theatre, I don't know what is.

Me & Dan on a night out in Woking. This photo is my desktop wallpaper and the guy on the right
in perfect focus really annoys me because I have no idea who he is, and I literally see him every day.

I honestly don't know how we found each other, and I really cant comprehend how it works, but somehow it does.
Like mango chutney and stilton cheese, it just works.
But lately we've decided to try to get to know each other's interests a little more.
You know, to delve a little deeper than him putting up with my distinctly Sandra Bullock/ Rene Zellweger/ Ryan Reynolds-flavoured film-taste and more than me listing to Guns N Roses occasionally.
So, he came with me to see Female Transport, and we've booked a Trivium gig in London for February.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Trivium and metal music as a whole, its contains shouting which sometimes transcends into guttural roars, drums being beaten to within an inch of their life (think Rihanna) and lots of black leather and tattoos. One good thing about the genre though, is that the guitar parts are really quite good a lot of the time.
However, I am seriously scared that I will be punched in a mosh pit, and die. Or just be brutally injured, and have to spend the rest of my days on a life support machine. I don't know why I thought agreeing to this was a good idea... it may have been the Dominos pizza Dan bought me as he suggested it...damn Dominos pizza and its' persuasive aroma!
Anyway, back to Female Transport.
The set itself was incredible, with different levels and small spaces for the actors to hide in, which really emphasised the cramped life the female prisoners must have had as they made the journey to Australia- definitely very inspiring and made me want to design something like this even more before I graduate!
The whole thing was made infinitely better by sitting next to some of my lovely course chums (shout out to Brooke!) who definitely helped to take the mick out of Dan and his typical bloke-ish ways. Mwahaha!

Sidenote- why on earth do some guys think that its okay to use shower gel in place of shampoo?! Okay, if you have a buzzcut, it doesn't really make a difference... but where did boys get this false information from?!?

I was concerned that Dan wouldn't enjoy something like this play- it was hard-hitting and got really into each character's individual stories... a far cry from the local Pantomime most of us have as a light-hearted introduction to theatre as kids.
But he seemed to really love it, and I could honestly not be more thrilled.
So, my moral for this post is to just leap into something, like Dan did for me. You never know what you might find, and you should always try something once, right?!
...Except things like cocaine, and getting into the mafia. Stuff like that should definitely be avoided.
(I'm looking at you, people who say YOLO as an excuse for making bad life choices!)
Now I just have to take my own advice, don some heavy eye make-up and charge headfirst into that Trivium gig just like Miley Cyrus slammed into that wall of negative press.
Actually, bad example. I do not wish to be associated with foam fingers in that way.
See you tomorrow!
Sammie
xoxo

My Money-Saving Challenge!

Hello. toasters!
It's safe to say that my wallet is more than a little empty, what with student finance messing me around (I STILL don't have anything!) and me having to shell out for a new railcard and train tickets.
So, I have set my self the challenge of spending absolutely nothing for an entire week.
That's right... I will try my utmost to spend nothing at all, not on food, bus fares, or any cute vintage items that catch my eye on Ebay
(Yes, even if they are such a bargain)
I share my house with 5 other students and we split everything evenly, so of course bills and money for toilet roll etc. don't count for this challenge, so I definitely wont be the annoying 'can I owe it to you?' friend.
But aside from that, I will basically see what its like to run on empty for a week.
Hopefully I have enough pasta in the cupboard to last me...
I'll let you know how it goes!
Sammie
xoxo

Adjusting to life as a student

Hello, toasters!

I'm about a month deep into my second year of uni.
Especially since moving back into my family home for 4 months over summer, I have realised some of the things that make student life... well, studenty.

One thing you never have to think about when merrily living at home is doing the shopping.
I never realised how expensive cheese was!
And yes, you can get the £1 'cheese' from Iceland, but its so rubbery that if you drop it, it will bounce back up and punch you in the face.

Never before have I been quite so precious about nectar points.
So what if I only spent £1.27?
I need those points!
It's seriously becoming a problem- like as if I'm addicted to drugs.
The other day I spent £2.50 in Sainsbury's, walked halfway home before I realised I hadn't collected my points, and went back to get them!
What is my life turning into?!?!
And then, when you get home, you have to try and fit everything into your one little freezer drawer.
I can definitely say, that I have become a master of this.
It's like an expert game of Tetris in my freezer drawer.
Life Skill = Gained. Thanks, University.

Whilst I love my house, you do have to get used to some really odd combinations of mis-matched furniture.
In my living room for example, we have two sofas- one a forest green and one a brilliant red that makes your eyes hurt if you look at it in daylight.
I know that's not really a huge sticking point, but it does make you appreciate the purposefully styled rooms at your family home when you go back.

One thing I have learnt about myself is that I'm actually a pretty good cook!
(See a recent post here that has one of my recipes)
This came as a huge shock to everyone, as before my Dad used to joke that I could burn water.
But no, I actually buy fresh ingredients, combine them in interesting ways and I have never, ever eaten a pot noodle.
The worst thing that happened to me kitchen-wise was my very first attempt to cook when I first moved in as a fresher.
I was cooking a pizza (very simple, I know) and so I just put it in the oven and waited.
There were only two problems to this plan...
1. Our oven has no temperature markings. You turn the dial, but the markings have long since rubbed off. So, to start with, it was like a fun game. I think I must have turned it around to what I believe is about 300 degrees that night.
2. After I put the pizza into what must have been a furnace, I became distracted. I can't remember what I was distracted by, but as I am an art student, it was probably something like a butterfly or my own boobs.
So when I eventually remembered I was cooking something (probably about 40 minutes later) it came out looking pretty burnt.
And by pretty burnt, I mean 100x more burnt than the stereotypical English guy who falls asleep on holiday in Spain in the sun all day and has to go around looking like a tomato for 3 months after.
So if having a pizza that was blacker than a politicians heart wasn't bad enough, I only went and dropped it on the floor!
I think I may have cried at this point. Or again, became distracted by my own boobs.
I just know that I definitely missed the 3-second-rule time limit.
But still, I was just so hungry, I picked it up and ate the bits that were still recognisable as a pizza.
This, dear toasters, is a fact I am not proud of, so please don't judge me!

Doing the washing is also something that gets me.
Because my laundry basket is only being filled by me, it takes a long time to get full.
And even when it is full, you do the same thing you do with the bins and squash it all down so it will last a little longer.
So I'd say that wash day only comes up every 2 weeks.
But when it does come up, I do 5 washes (1 white, 2 colours, 2 black washes) in a row and EVERYTHING is hung out to dry in my room.
So for about 2 or 3 days, I cant move in my own room, it becomes a rainforest of clothing.
Sometimes, its kinda cool.
I can make a slightly-damp blanket fort out of the set of sheets I've washed and hide away from the outside world and the concept of 'doing work'.

I will leave you on this note- Internet shopping is your best friend and your worst enemy rolled into one!
Yes, you can get some amazing deals that make your life (and bank balance) so much better.
But, be warned.
The other day, I went through my Ebay purchase history and realised quite how much stuff I had bought.
And by stuff, I mean things that I love, but if I'm being very honest with myself, it could be classed as 'crap I don't need'.
For example, today my Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends DVD came in the post!
Now don't get me wrong- I loved this show!
But if I'm honest, the £3 I paid for this could have been spent on something a little more nessecary. Like stationary. Or a subway.

Oooooh, I want a subway now!

So my question to you all is this: What have you found to be the hardest thing about adjusting to student life? Let me know in the comments!
And don't forget to subscribe if you like my content, so you'll be notified when I post more :)
Sammie
xoxo

Boscombe Vintage Fair

Hello, toasters!
So yesterday, my housemates and I went to Boscombe Vintage Market!


My housemate looking around the Market...
Not sure that E.T. plushie is technically 'vintage'
but oh well...

It was actually recommended to us by our tutors, as for our homework task we needed to find vintage items from different decades- best homework ever, right?!

Despite the annoying bus schedule- there was only one every hour- we made it there in reasonable time and had a good look around.
It wasn't a massive market- probably about 20 stalls in all- but in true Vintage style, every surface was crammed with beautiful wares.
Now when going to a vintage fair, I feel the best way to approach it is similar to how the majority of us approach Primark- the trick is to sort through the crap.
Yes, that blotchy shirt may be from the 1970s, but there's a reason the guy is so desperately trying to sell it to you.
Just because it's old doesn't mean it's fantastic.
However, once you sort through the stuff that was definitely never in fashion, you get some pretty amazing finds.
For example, my housemate found an amazing dress that was an 80s reproduction of a 1950s evening dress- she has no idea where she'll actually be able to wear it, but it still doesn't detract from the fact that it's beautiful and only cost her £35!


My new baby! From now on, EVERYTHING will be
typed, even my shopping list for Lidl.

And I found a beautiful 1950s Princess 300 typewriter in fabulous condition! It came in its original case, which I can lock with a small key (to stop those oh-so-common typewriter thieves we hear about all the time) and it came with a typing course instruction manual which was published in 1963.
I had a quick look through the booklet when I got home, and as well as words that have fallen out of use- such as 'ist'- I found random derogatory racist terms scattered casually through the typing exercises... I just found it funny to imagine a man from 1963 tapping out the N word 10 times over to practice his typing and him not thinking anything of it! Definitely a sign of how the times have changed...
I need to buy some new ribbon, and oil the moving parts, but I am so happy with my find.
When I was little, I used to have a plastic toy typewriter, and I've wanted a proper one for years. I think the lady knew that it would be going to a good home, which also helped me get the price down from £45 to £35!
(The use of the 'I'm a poor student' plea worked wonders too)

The problem is, coming home from the vintage market, I now want to re-style my whole room to have a vintage feel.
The problem is, most of my room uses bright blues and reds, so it would take a little more than my student budget to cover it. (To the left is a scale model version of my student room to give you an idea of how it currently looks)
Also, I don't really dress in a vintage style, so I'd probably feel a little out of place.
So now my problem is this- how can I combine my existing room with new, inexpensive finds to give it an old-fashioned feel?!
I'll have to get back to you on that one...
Sammie
xoxo

Back to School... (and my new favourite easy-peasy recipe)

Hello, toasters!
This past week has been pretty intense, as I've moved back down to Bournemouth and had my first week of second year classes!
But although I'm a second year, I feel more lost than I ever did as a fresher because our classes have now moved to random rooms around the campus.
(I'm sure it's some kind of disorientation power play trick the teachers are using against us to stop us from getting too cocky)


These are the clothes I have bought with me
 for JUST the Winter Term...

One problem with moving back into a student house is the unpacking.
Now we all know how much I love to procrastinate, but I still have loads of  random stuff on the floor that needs to be tidied, and next to the ever-growing stack of pizza boxes, my room is starting to turn into a weird, studenty undergrowth.
Another problem with moving, is the fact I have to share a car with my mum for an extended amount of time.
Don't get me wrong- I love my mum to bits.
It's just always strange to be in what is essentially a travelling metal box for several hours together, especially when you need to choose music.
At home we're okay, because we both like the same local station, but when we get out of range, we're in trouble.
I prefer to put my iPod on, because then there's no adverts, but once we get through all of my Phil Collins stuff, that is when the true test begins.
The problem is not that my mum only likes pre-millennium music and thinks that new music isn't what it used to be.
Oh no, it's the opposite.
She seems to love Pink, Jessie J and other people like that.
The real issue is that I haven't been able to update my iPod in over 4 years.
So every time we go on an extended journey together, I spend the entire time trying to play songs that feel more up-to-date than they really are.
And I think she's starting to realise that songs like 'Meet Me Halfway' have long gone.

Another problem is deciding how to decorate the room!
Although I love my little house, the tidal wave of cream walls is really starting to get to me.
So this year, I thought I'd add a splash of colour with fabric hangings I've got from different countries... what do you guys think?
I'm planning on doing a whole Uni room decoration post soon, so keep a look out for it :)

The most stereotypical issue with student living (aside from arguments over the washing up) is cooking.
It really does get difficult to cook anything too complicated, as 1. you probably won't be able to afford too many ingredients and 2. you could be sharing the kitchen with up to 6 people at the same time!
But this week I got really lucky and had the kitchen to myself for a while, so I made homemade burgers with sweet potato wedges!
It tasted INSANELY GOOD!
And it was really easy to make...

1. Buy some fresh beef mince. (NOT the frozen pellets which look suspiciously like rabbit food)
2. Finely chop an onion and a clove of garlic, and mix with the mince. Don't worry if there's loads of onions left over, you can fry them alongside the burger itself and have with the burger.
3. Peel a sweet potato and chop it into 1cm thick circular pieces.
4. Place them onto a baking tray, put a little oil on them and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Put into the oven at 200 C for 25 minutes or so.
6. When the potatoes have about 8 or 10 minutes left, start frying the burger in a frying pan over high heat with a tiny bit of oil.
7. Serve when everything looks about right (I'm not exactly a Michelin star cook, so I don't know a fancier way to put it)

Om nom nom.
And the best bit? Minimal washing up!

Talking about food, I'd better go and see what I can whip up tonight.
Although, if I'm honest, it looks like a night of re-heated pizza....

Sammie
xoxo

What being Homealone means...

Hello, toasters!
So, the other day, I found myself being homealone.
And somewhere between having a staring competition with the dog and sleeping in a random place (on top of the kitchen table), I decided to make a video exploring the odd things we do in a homealone situation.
Now whether its having more naps than an old person, or allowing yourself to fart loud and proud, we all act differently when alone. Admit it!
....actually, on a side note, I take the former back. I'm a student, who am I kidding? I have more naps in a day than Madonna has adopted children.
So without further ado, here is my 'What Being Homealone Means' video.
Enjoy!

Music by Dan-O at http://danosongs.com

What do you guys do when you're homealone then? Let me know :)
And if you really love me, subscribe using any of the options in the right-hand sidebar
Sammie
xoxo

Why I hate Student Finance England & what I would do to them if I had the chance...

So I am an art student, entering into my second year at University.
Or, at least, I hope I will be.
Because, although I have achieved very respectable grades, I might not be let back in.
Why, you might ask?
Well lets turn to Student Finance England for that one.
It turns out these assholes haven't processed my application yet. Not any one of the three applications that I have sent them, over the course of several months. And I need to sort my tuition fee payments before I can re-enrol.

So as I was having a delightful discussion with one of their employees on the phone today (by 'delightful', I mean not at all useful and almost impossible to understand due to his thick Irish accent), you can imagine my delight at being told vague answers to quite straight forward applications.
Me: 'When will I know about the status of my application?'
SFE: 'Every application is different. It could be fourty milliseconds, it could be three lightyears from now'
Me: 'Have you even received my application? I sent the last one more than three weeks ago by recorded delivery'
SFE :'Everything we receive by post takes up to 10 days to be scanned into the system. I have no record of it being in the system'
Me: 'But I sent it more than twenty one days ago'
SFE: 'Oh look, a butterfly'
*Student Finance England then hangs up on me*
Absolutely. Freaking. Delightful.

What I don't understand is how clearly understaffed they are.
What, they can't hire a few more people to scan in postal orders, or look through forms to see that everything is in check?
Yes, I know that students are a large demographic, but seriously? It's not like you can pretend to be surprised by these numbers
You do the same thing year in year out.
Hasn't one person in the company got the common sense to think hmmm, it's only Frank and Bob down there, scanning in the entire student populations' application forms, maybe we should hire a couple more people to help.
10 days to literally just scan a few pages?! Is that a joke?

Take a minute to think about it... have you ever actually known anyone, anyone at all, that has had a good experience with this company?
.....
well?
I bet the answer is no.
Student Finance England: Forever screwing people over from possibly the most financially vulnerable demographic there is.

And another thing that makes this whole situation even more unbearable?
When I go on to their website, they proudly announce the launch of their new student finance magazine!
So instead of actually getting work done, you've been pissing around releasing a magazine that no-one will ever read unless they are stuck on a desert island, and it's the only piece of literature available. And maybe not even then.
Cheers for that, SFE.

So here is a list of what I would do to the Student Finance England company, had I the chance:

1. I would lock them in a room with Keith Lemon and Janet Street-Porter.
2. I would spend my entire maintenance loan- if it ever arrives- on cooking oil. I would boil said oil, and then dip each member of staff in. (I realise this one is a bit dark, but then again, I'm pretty angry and upset right now)
3. I would superglue headphones to their ears and put 'Friday' on repeat.
4. I would enter them into the Hunger Games
5. I would visit their offices, and glue everything to the ceiling- chairs, desks, papers and all (Just like the monkeys did in Roald Dahl's The Twits)
6. I would leave them on the edge of outer space.
7. I would make them sit through Gordon Brown reading the whole of the Old Testament, and every time they fell asleep, they'd lose a finger. 
8. I would drop them in North Korea with an important-looking briefcase containing documents written in code.
9. I would attach them to Jedward, one on each hip.
10. I would make them go back to University, and apply for a loan through their own system.

Okay, rant over.
And I've got to say, I feel a little better already.
Next time, I promise I'll be more upbeat!
I just seriously needed to get that off my chest
See you next time,
Sammie
xoxo

P.S. If you hate them as much as I do, take a look at the Board members page on their website. I think this is good for a couple of reasons...
1. It helps direct your anger.
2. I found slight relief in laughing at their awful photographs, mainly because two thirds of them look like the socially-awkward guests at a barbeque. The ones where the other guests spend well over an hour debating if they'll ever get laid, and if there's any truth in the claim they have an Oedipus complex.

My thoughts on tattoos...

Hello, toasters!
As an art student (or, in fact, any student), the decision to modify yourself is ever at the fore-front of your mind.
Now please don't think of me as vain- we art students also need to spend time filling our heads with whimsical things revolving around the topics of nature, whether or not hippy trousers are really a good idea due to their lack of pockets and the meaning of life in general.
Oh, and spaghetti hoops. They cross my mind surprisingly often.
But one thing everyone seems to talk about at art school (besides how we can't afford anything) is body art.
Now I'm classing body art as anything from piercings to dyed hair to tattoos.
I am definitely not classing Lady Gaga-style face and shoulder implants under body 'art'.
That just seems like the combination of a lot of vodka and her insatiable need to be in the public eye.

Now while there is a reasonably high chance I'll ask why on earth did you get that engraved upon your body?, on the whole, I like tattoos.
Let me re-phrase that....
I like tattoos. On other people.
I guess I like tribal-style patterns best.
What I don't like so much is the bullshit reasoning surrounding the tattoo. The way that to a heck of a lot of people, it has to be meaningful.
Meaningful? How, exactly, can a glorified doodle etched into your skin be meaningful?
Yes, you can write the names of your children over your heart, but does nobody ever think of this from the child's point of view? I know I'd find it weird if I were permanently written on my parents flesh.
And what if, 20 years after 'Amelia-Grace' has been proudly tattooed onto her Dad's forearm, Amelia-Grace has a sex change and insists on being called Andrew?
What happens then?!?
I think that most people like a design, then feel pressured to come up with some deep and all-powerful meaning to justify it.
Why?
It's your body! Own it!
If you have a floral motif on your ankle, don't come up with something vague to do with how it 'represents' nature or something equally as 'meaningful'.
Don't be that guy.
You know what would be refreshing?
If someone just went 'Yeah, I like flowers and I got it because I just really wanted this particular design on my ankle/ insert body part here'. No random arty-farty mumbo jumbo.
I would respect that guy.

That said, I don't think that a tattoo should be a snap decision.
Although laser removal means that tattoos don't have to be as permanent nowadays, you want it to be something that you wont cringe at every time you look in the mirror.
You know, something that will look good when the wrinkles set in.
We all have that friend who desperately wants a tattoo, yet is like a kid in a sweet shop when it comes to picking a design.
They usually have a folder on their PC with about 50+ different ideas that they cant decide between, and there seems to be a new favourite every week.
These are the people, in my humble opinion, who should not get a tattoo.
Well, at least not yet.
While I don't think that a tattoo needs to be some life-changing, epiphany-inducing work of art, I think that the basic rule of thumb is that you need to have your heart set on one design, and know exactly what you want, for at least 6 months before taking the plunge.
No-one is going to love you if you have YOLO emblazoned across your forehead in six months from now.
In fact, not even right now.
Like Crocs, YOLO has had its time.
Move on, bro.

Something that I think should be avoided at all costs is getting a tattoo of someone's face.
Why would you want that?
For starters, they almost all look wonky/ have a lazy eye/ the person looks like they haven't quite sobered up from the night before.
Secondly, (and most importantly) YOU HAVE ANOTHER FACE ON YOUR BODY.
Whether it be on your arm, your back, whatever- you still have another person staring out from your flesh.
You've basically turned yourself into a two headed monster.
Does nobody else find this creepy?!

I realise that this rather long post seems very anti-ink. The truth is that I really like tattoos, and although I wouldn't really get one myself (I'm a wimp when it comes to needles) I can appreciate some awesome design work when I see it.
I am an art student after all.

Sammie
xoxo