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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Some important life lessons I've learned along the way

Hello, toasters!
For those of you who have previously read this blog, you may find it pretty rich that I, of all people, am handing out advice on this untested, eventually-fatal rollercoaster we call 'life'.
But, I'd like to believe that I've learnt a few things whilst making my many, many mistakes, and I wish to share my wisdom with all you lovely people.
Disclaimer: I use the term 'wisdom' very loosely.

First off, you know what they say about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer? Screw that!
Surrounding yourself with people you don't like and/or trust is never going to work well.
What if you become their bridesmaid and they ask you to help them pee in their huge wedding dress?
You get the initial 'eww' with the added bonus of resenting the person because you don't even like them, you just kept them close because some cliche drama told you to.
Good job.

Secondly, don't hoard money like there's no tomorrow. 
If you're saving up for something, then that's great, but I'm talking about the people who constantly save for a 'rainy day' then never use it.
What if today is your metaphorical 'rainy day' and spending £20 on a night out with the girls will cheer you up immensely?
I admit I am really quite broke right now, but I put that down to paying for a school trip in January that I didn't expect to be as expensive as it was. So yes, I am being a teensy bit hypocritical on this one....
But if you want to do something, and your funds allow it, then go for it!
Life is to be lived, not to be indefinitely shut away watching Netflix (although that is a substantial part of it).
Whilst saying yes to everything will probably get you an STI, saying no to absolutely everything will just make you miserable. Whilst you shouldn't go to either extreme, try to find a balance that doesn't result in misery or herpes.

Next up, try to enjoy each type of weather the different seasons bring.
I don't mean every single day, because sometimes the weather can be a complete pain, but every so often just stop to appreciate the power of the wind, or the beautiful stormy clouds before they go.
One of my best experiences in New York was walking around Times Square in the rain. I'd given my coat to my Grandma who had lost hers (of course) and I realised I'd forgotten how fun it was to embrace the rain and let it fall on your skin rather than cover up and run from it.
What I'm trying to say is that learning to appreciate the little things that happen every single day will make things in general seem a lot brighter, and you'll start to notice loads more things that you didn't even know you appreciated.
Personally. I've realised that I really appreciate drivers who actually indicate. Go figure.

Finally, find something or someone that makes you overwhelmingly happy.
It could be an old jumper that smells like home, or Tom Hiddleston's ass. Whatever floats your boat.
Just find something and indulge in it, at least once a week to make you feel great again.
For me, it's my talking Pokemon plushie Snivy. I don't know why, but putting a voicebox into a toy kind of makes it an adorable pet.
It was a toss up between Snivy and my boyfriend, but Dan, you aren't a Pokemon with ridiculously tiny legs so I'm afraid you lost out.
I'll leave you with a photo of Snivy just so you can see how cute she is :3
What life lessons have you got to share? Let me know in the comments & don't forget to subscribe :)

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

22 Kick-Ass Comebacks

Hello, toasters!
Along with the happy people excited for Valentine's Day, there are the people that hate and repel everything to do with the holiday, much like most people's reaction to a Jehovah's Witnesses house call.
I'd be fine with this 'I hate everything romantic' view if they kept it up the whole time, but it mostly just seems to depend on their current relationship status.
(Also, I know that Valentine's is an occasion made to sell cards and chocolates at extortionate prices, but I guess I'm a sheep in that respect... baaaa)
So, as Valentine's Day seems to always spark some deep-rooted arguments concerning the rather shaky roots of modern society, I have come up with 22 Kick-Ass Comebacks, with the hope that if you find yourself in an argument, you can whip one of these out and sound completely bad ass.

1. Go play in traffic.
2. If you were a Pokemon, I wouldn't choose you. Ever.
3. If you were a search engine, you'd be Bing.com.
4. I would reply with a relevant comeback, but I'm afraid I zoned out from you talking a long time ago.
5. You're as dead to me as Fred Weasley (too soon?)
6. Keep rolling your eyes, you may find a brain back there. But I won't hold my breath.
7. Have a nice day... somewhere else.
8. Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? It must have done, look at what it did to your face!
9. I'm already visualising ductape over your mouth.
10. If this were Sherlock, you'd be Anderson- when you talk out loud you lower the IQ of the whole street.
11. If I were a meme, I'd be Bad Luck Brian because you're in my life.
12. If you were Primrose Everdeen, not even Katniss would volunteer as tribute.
    
13. If we were a box of Celebrations, you'd be the Snickers.
14. Do you annoy people professionally, or is it just a hobby?
15. Whilst I'm offended by what you say, I'm just glad you're using words to make full sentences now.
16. I'm sorry, I can't meet up with you, I'm busy gouging my eyes out with a blunt spoon.
17. Even Lucien Freud doesn't want to paint you (art specific one there!)
18. You're a walking advert for abortions.
19. You should probably hide, the rubbish collectors will be here any minute.
20. Roses are red, violets are blue, you look like a skunk and smell like one too.
21. I would call you a retard, but that's an insult to retards.
22. I wish we lived in Westeros, so I could send you to The Wall forever.

So there you go, hopefully now you'll be able to say one of these rather than think of something 20 minutes after the argument.

What are your favourite comebacks? Let me know in the comments :)

Don't forget to subscribe for new content

Have a great Valentine's Day!

Sammie

xoxo

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