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

Top 10 things to do in New York

Hello, toasters!
I've just come back from a week-long break in New York with my Grandma, which was a huge life experience which I will never, ever forget.



Me and Mary at the top of the Empire State building

One thing that no one ever tells you is quite how big the big apple really is.
Everywhere you go, on every street corner, is something new and exciting that takes your breath away.
Except in Harlem.
In Harlem, every street corner holds a gang ready to take your money away.
(cue the torrent of abuse that will undoubtedly rain down on me for that statement)

Moving on...
Today I want to write about the Top 10 things to do in NYC
I mainly wanted to write this post because most of the articles I found online were either by companies trying to ultimately sell you their attraction, or just simple bullet point lists that didn't offer too much information.

So here is, in my opinion, the Top 10 things to do in New York City:

1. Walk around Central Park
Resting bang in the middle of Manhattan is Central Park. The really strange thing is how one minute you are standing beside skyscrapers in a bustling street, and the next you are in a tranquil, picture-perfect postcard. Personally, I usually avoid gardens and public parks, but I'd definitely recommend visiting this one- it's just so bizarrely peaceful. The most popular places there are in the southern half of the park (below the great reservoir) and I'd definitely advise you visit Belvedere Castle, the turtle pond, and the Mall- a walkway which you'll recognise from countless films. Unless you're a huge Beatles fan, I wouldn't go to the Strawberry Fields John Lennon memorial, because it really is just a simple mosaic on the floor, and the rest of the park has much more impressive sights.

2. Visit The MoMA
While I was in New York, I visited several galleries, including the Met and the Guggenheim. Whilst the Met was awesomely expansive (holding 2 million pieces) and the Guggenheim had some of the most astounding architecture (the building itself is a work of art and puts every piece it houses to shame), I found I enjoyed the MoMA best of all.
It was clearly being constantly updated to keep things fresh and interesting, and had 6 floors of galleries which covered everything from abstract installation work to Pop art.
One of the things I liked most was that I got to see some of the world's most famous paintings, including Monet's waterlilies, Salvador Dali's melting clock piece, Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup prints and Van Gogh's Starry Night. I always find seeing famous artwork in the flesh completely changes your preconception of it, so it really is worth a visit, especially for those with an existing interest in modern art.

3. John's Pizzeria
Found on 260 West 44th Street is America's largest (and possibly tastiest!) pizzeria. It's in what used to be a church, but has now been altered to fit 500 guests for dinner. You may have to wait about 20 minutes at the bar for a table, but its well worth it. While you wait, you can see the two old-fashioned brick ovens that cook the pizzas, and the chefs spinning the dough and adding the fresh ingredients to your liking. The pizzas taste indescribably good, and its pretty easy on the wallet too. Including tip, a large pizza and 3 or 4 drinks cost about $25-30.

4. Broadway Theatre
Whilst in NYC, you must do at least one Broadway show. It's popular for a reason, right? Right!
For many of the big shows you can pay up to $150 for a good seat, but there are half-price ticket booths and off-Broadway shows that cost less.
While we were there, we saw Pippin and Kinky Boots. Kinky Boots was really good, with witty music written by Cyndi Lauper, but Pippin was by far my favourite, and is now one of my favourite shows I have ever seen. As a costume design student, I've seen quite a lot of shows, so that's saying quite a bit!
Imagine the best acrobatics you've seen, and some of the best acting performances, and throw in some really catchy original songs and funny moments that has the audience in stitches for a good few minutes,  and you've got Pippin.
I was unsure before I saw it, as I hadn't heard too much about it, but now I just cant wait to see if they bring it to the UK.
My main piece of advice for deciding what show to see, is to not see something that's available in your own country. Why see America's version of Mamma Mia! when its available in London?

5. Going up Skyscrapers
I was lucky enough to go up to the top observation decks of two different buildings, as we had the New York Pass. I'd definitely recommend it, because it grants you free admission to many landmarks, galleries and boat tours. In fact, a lot of what we did in New York was due to the New York Pass.
We decided to go the Empire State building on our 2nd day, and we went quite early to avoid large amounts of people. There's a saying at the Empire State building- 'go early, go late, or be prepared to wait'- and it's definitely worth getting up a little earlier, because as well as missing queues, it means that less people are up on the observation deck, crowding your view.
We also went to the Top of the Rock (the Rockerfeller Centre) at night, to see the city in a completely different light, literally.
The last elevator up was at 11pm, and even the lift up was amazing as the elevator had a glass roof, so you could see the floors you were hurtling past.
I'd say it was really good going at two completely different times of day, as NYC seems to change completely between night and day.

6. Discovery Times Square

This is something a little different from the others- its an exhibition space which features many different types of shows. We had a choice between Body Worlds- an exhibition showcasing donated bodies that had been preserved via plastination, or The Art of the Brick. We chose the latter, as we had just eaten and didn't particularly feel like staring at fleshless bodies.
The Art of the Brick was an interesting and innovative exhibition featuring the works of Nathan Sawaya. Absolutely everything was made from Lego bricks, and it was fascinating to see how a simple child's toy could become such a complex work of art.

7. Sightseeing Cruise
We chose the NY Water Taxi as we could hop-on and hop-off all day, but there are loads to choose from. Most of the tours are about 90 minutes long and have a tour guide to tell you all about the city and it's surrounding Boroughs. It's fantastic to see Manhattan from the water, as you get to view many uninterrupted angles of the epic skyline. Most cruises also sail past the Statue of Liberty, and gives you the perfect photo opportunity. Did you know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, and arrived in thousands of pieces? This was incredibly problematic, as the U.S. didn't have enough money to put it together, and almost had to send it back. However, fundraising took off due to a local newspaper printing the names of every donor on their front page, and it raised $102,000 so the project could go forward.

8. The 9/11 Reflecting Pools Memorial
It really goes without saying that this memorial is something you cannot miss. What struck me was the sheer vastness of the waterfalls, and it really showed you how big the towers must have been. Even just walking around each of the pools took a good 5 minutes.
Another thing you notice straight away is the care and dedication that has been put into making the memorial utterly beautiful and thoughtful,  saving it from being just another tacky tourist destination.

9. Dylan's Candy Bar
A complete haven for everyone with a sweet tooth, Dylan's candy bar offers three floors of mouth-watering goodies. From freshly made fudge, to bacon flavoured chocolate, to giant gummy bears, this shop really is the motherlode of candy stores. Upstairs is an ice cream bar, but most interestingly, an actual bar, serving alcoholic drinks with a sugary twist. I was gutted that I couldn't try any of them (the drinking age in America is 21) but I have been told that they are amazing.
Another great thing about Dylan's, is that their prices are really quite reasonable. And in New York, everything seems to be really expensive (thanks very much, Mr. exchange rate). So it makes this shop a great place to pick up some quirky and delicious gifts to take home that wont break the bank!

10. Stand in Times Square for 15 minutes
They say that if you stand in Times Square for 15 minutes, you'll see someone you know. Or at least, a doppelganger of someone you know. But the reason that this is on my list is because, despite all of the art galleries and amazing restaurants, what makes New York so special is the street life. Everyone is so friendly, and interesting, and bizarre, and the more you stop and just look around, the more you understand why so many songs have been written about the city. In Times Square, the hundreds of screens are completely mesmerising, set against the dizzying heights of the buildings behind them.
So my final thing I advise you to do in New York, is to open your eyes.
Take a look around, explore!
It's a beautifully busy melting pot of cultures and colours, and it needs time to be appreciated.


So there it is, my list of the Top 10 things to do in New York!
I hope you've found it useful and interesting, and if you have anything to add, please let me know!
See you soon,
Sammie
xoxo

How to give someone a proper taste of London

Hello, toasters!
It's been a busy few weeks for me, as I have been working at a summer camp.


At work on Mexican Day, in our moustaches
 and flattering yellow tee shirts

No one can ever fully prepare you for working with 150 children by simply giving you a few sessions of 'training'.
I use the term training loosely as I don't really think that a few lectures discussing the importance of play can really prep you for building forts, playing dodgeball and diffusing a heated argument over silly string.

On one of my days off, I went to London with my boyfriend Dan, and the countless lost-looking tourists wandering around gave me the idea to write this.
Let me begin by saying that I am no Messiah of London, I do not know everything awesome there is to do, so this will just be my suggestions from my own experiences.
That said, I am the Messiah of the London Underground. We understand each other, no questions asked.

Let's begin with travel. Definitely get the train, it's so much better than traffic, paying the conjestion charge, more traffic and then an intense fight for what seems like the only parking spot in the whole city.
If you don't like the person you're showing around, get the train at rush hour. You'll be crowded in like a tin of sardines, so the person whom you dislike will definitely not want you to be their tour guide ever again. Perfect.

If you have a Merlin pass, I'd recommend going straight to the London Eye. The longest I've ever had to queue is about half an hour, and even on a rainy day the views are still pretty sweet.
However, I'd definitely avoid the field in front of the London Eye, unless snap-happy pouting Chinese schoolgirl tourists are your thing.
And if they are your thing, I'm not sure whether you should be out in public unsupervised.

Then take the Northern line up to Camden Lock. Even if you're not a cyberpunk/ emo/ goth/ scene kid coated in metal and eyeliner, it has something for everyone.

An old photo of me riding Aslan, the Camden Lock Lion

The coolest thing about eating lunch in Camden is that you get to feel like a total badass sitting on the motorbike seats.
But be warned, if you start acting like an asshole Son of Anarchy, or start humming Born in the USA, you will get punched in the spleen.

Because we are British, a large part of our national identity revolves around the art of tea drinking.
So it goes without saying that you need to go to at least one café during your day to unwind and have a moan about how tourists are everywhere.
I'd recommend the Haagen Dazs café in Leister square. It's a little on the expensive side, but the hot chocolate is incredible.
Once I went over the top and ordered a large chocolate brownie, covered in chocolate sauce and chocolate balls, accompanied by two scoops of chocolate cookie ice cream and rich hot chocolate.
Now I love  chocolate. But this dish was so indulgent, I never wanted to even lay eyes upon chocolate ever again.
But although I ended up feeling like an over-inflated chocolate smeared balloon, it was awesome.



Next stop: M&M world!
I never knew there could be so much merchandise inspired from a packet of chocolate, but it was a definite eye opener.
Not only are you bought face to face with the epitome of consumerist culture, you don't even care because they pump the air full of chocolate!
I don't even like M&Ms, but I genuinely left with a packet of them after spending just 20 minutes in the store.

Now maybe it's because I'm a theatre freak, but I find that a day to London is incomplete without a trip to the West End.
While there a lots of shows out there, my favourite has got to be Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.
I mean.... drag queens, a tour bus and a dress made exclusively from flip flops... what could be better?

Finish off by going to the late showing at The Comedy Store. It's where loads of great comedians started out, and frequently has awesome comedians like Paul Merton and Josie Lawrence performing.

So, there we have it- my ingredients for an awesome day out in the Capital.
What floats your boat when you're in London?
Let me know!

See you soon,
Sammie
xoxo

Five top places to procrastinate on the Internet

Hello, toasters!
As some of you may know, I am the Queen of Procrastination.
(I have even been known to buy new underwear just to put off doing the laundry for an extra day or two- something I am definitely not proud of)
So today I have compiled a list of my favourite places to go on the Internet when I feel like putting off that assignment that really should be getting some attention.
As it happens, I do have a summer project that I need to start, but this list has provided me with a necessary distraction/ excuse/ I'm just lazy.
So without further ado, here are my top five places to procrastinate on the Internet.

1.Tickld.com

Forget memebase. Seriously, this site is the best.
The reason it works so well as a meme site is because there's a proper sense of community, making all the other sites seem dull and emotionless.
Another great thing is the fact that you don't even have to sign up to get to feel like a member of this bizarre, yet tightly knit online world.

Click here to go to tickld.com

2.Points in Case- the fine print of college life

 

This site has a whole range of guest bloggers who write columns. Originally they were all at college, having very real college experiences. Nowadays, there's more of a diversity of writers, mainly because some of the most loved writers have finished schooling, but have been begged to stay by the readers.

One thing is the same as ever though- how hilarious the content is. Mostly sarcastic, this site is best for those of you who enjoy observational comedy and blogging.

 

Click here for my favourite article on P.i.C. 'The Five Types of Morning Coffee Crazies'

 

 

3. Danisnotonfire's YouTube Channel

 

 

 

If, like me, you used to avidly watch Charlieissocoollike, and are now a teeny bit disappointed because he's become so serious, I suggest Danisnotonfire.

I'm not sure if its because of his epic tee-shirts, or the fact he seems to be a complete hermit, but he is a YouTube sensation for a reason.

I'd personally recommend the 'Men vs. Women', 'Ironic Appreciation', and 'List of reasons why I'm an awful human being' videos.

 

To go to Danisnotonfire's YouTube Channel, click here

 

 

4. Engrish.com

 

 

 

I'm not sure if this website counts as racism, but it's damned funny.

Essentially, people submit pictures of signs/ menus/ products or anything they find with a funny spelling mistake or altered meaning as they go about their travels in the world.

Not quite as addictive as sites like Tickld, but definitely good for spending 5 or 10 minutes on.

 

Click here to visit www.engrish.com

 

 

5. Play the Slender Man Game

 

 

So while this game may lack the incredible graphics of modern PS3 and Xbox games, it's still genuinely creepy.
Perhaps not when you're playing it, but especially at night when you're walking around a cold, darkened house.
The object of the game? Find all of the pages scattered around the woods. Simple.
The catch? This creepy motherfucker.
Look at him too long and he'll get you.
Don't run when he's close and he'll get you while your screen turns to static.
I recently played this at a house party one night, and maybe it was the alcohol, but I think I am mentally scarred for life.
(I am a chicken. But it's still creepy)

To download this game, google search 'download slender' and choose one that suits your operating system. But to all the cowards out there, don't say I didn't warn you!

So there we have it- some of my favourite ways to waste time on the internet instead of doing actual things.
If you can think of other interesting places in this digital world we call home, let me know in the comments!

My next post should be up in 2 or 3 days, but to get a direct notification, subscribe to Sammie on Toast using one of the options in the right-hand sidebar!

Happy Camping,
Sammie
xoxo

Challenge no. 79- Make a list of things you're not very good at

Hey there, Internet!
Today has been the typical day of a student on their summer holiday- primarily fuelled by laziness and trips to the sweets cupboard.
And aside from the majestic llama pinata looking out for me (look out for its' special guest appearance in the video) I've basically been left alone today.
*sad times*
However, I have learnt a few interesting things today

• 1 in 50 Americans executed for murder have the middle name 'Wayne'... (sounds like that's another name for Kate Hopkins to add to her list. If you don't know who I'm talking about, take a minute to watch this video)
• Margaret Thatcher is partially responsible for the invention of Mr Whippy ice cream
• Cow's have different accents when they moo depending on where they come from
• My mum won't buy Ben & Jerry's ice cream when its £3 a tub, but if you say that it's on a 2-for-£6 offer she won't hesitate.... what?!

I have also completed another challenge from my list of 101 Ways to Procrastinate!
So without further ado, here is my vlog post where I talk about Things I Suck At... sorry it turns into a mini book review half way through, but I guess staying on topic is something I'm also bad at!

 

I hope you guys like it :)
Please feel free to leave a comment, I love hearing from you guys!
Sammie
xoxo

P.S.
I've been working on my Youtube channel- Banner design, Thumbnail design etc. Please subscribe, and if you have any feedback, that's awesome!
Byeee