Guest Post: Polly @ Polly Frances Elizabeth

How To Have a Spectacular Staycation

Everyone loves holidays. They give us time to relax, explore, try something new, and get away from the stresses of daily life. But sadly, we can't all afford to get away. However, it is possible to get that holiday feeling, without even leaving your hometown! Here's how:

Go to a completely new place.  

When we travel abroad, or even to a different city, everything is new and fresh. That's part of the appeal. However long you have lived in your area, there will always be somewhere you haven't been yet. So seek out a new place, even if it's just a cafe you haven't tried yet, a park you've never walked through, or a road you've never been down.Visit your local museums and art galleries. Soaking up the culture is a big part of travelling, and many people like to visit museums and art galleries while on holiday. But it can be easy to overlook how much culture is on our doorstep when we're at home! A lot of cities offer free entry to museums for local residents, so go take a look-you could discover something fascinating.

Spend time with nature. 

Connecting with nature is a great way of recharging and relaxing, and it's something most people indulge in while on holiday. A walk through beautiful countryside, or even some time in the garden, can have the same effect. Take time to appreciate natural beauty such as wild flowers or butterflies. You will feel much more positive!

Eat out. 

Part of the relief you feel being on holiday is from not having to worry about cooking. Even eating out for one night will take the pressure off and make it easier to relax for a few hours, while also providing a bit of variety.

Wear your favourite clothes, or something you wouldn't normally wear. 

Often we save our favourite clothes for holidays, some people even buy a completely new wardrobe to take on holiday! We also tend to feel more confident while on holiday and so wear things which we wouldn't dare to at home. Throw caution to the wind and wear what you want to! Ban yourself from wearing your normal day to day clothes for a week, and only wear things which make you feel special and happy. 

Read. 

For many people, a holiday is the only time they feel they can really indulge in reading. Take time out to read whatever you want, whether it's something trashy which you'd be ashamed to read normally, something you've always wanted to read but haven't got round to, or a stack of fashion magazines.

Go "nice" shopping. 

One of the joys of being on holiday is shopping for purely frivolous items, without having to worry about the weekly shop. It's also a time when you visit unusual shops which are unique to your location, and get quirky things which then bring back memories of your trip. So go "nice" shopping-avoid the normal high street shops, go to independent and unusual boutiques, and only buy things which you would consider a treat. I'm not suggesting you go crazy and bankrupt yourself, but a leisurely day of window shopping and buying a few choice items can work wonders.

Eat new foods. 

Holidays are a good time to try new types of food, by sampling the local cuisine. So re-create this at home by trying new food. Maybe you've never tried Thai, or Mexican, maybe there is a specific dish you've always wondered about but never plucked up the courage to eat. Give it a go!

Allow yourself treat foods. 

A holiday isn't a holiday without ice cream, and most people eat more "treat" foods while on holiday. So indulge in a delicious ice cream, a couple of cupcakes, a milkshake or a soda float.

Stop worrying. 

For one week, force yourself to stop worrying about bills, what other people think, the future.... Live your life as you would if none of these things were an issue. You'll be amazed at the difference, and it may even help you to make some permanent changes.

Above all, have fun!

Polly

Guest Post: Carrie @ The One Life Project

When asked to think of Norway you might be inclined to think of Fjords, Trolls and Knitted Jumpers with rather intriguing patterns. And while all of these things exist, (especially the trolls, they do tend to get everywhere!), there is a lot more to find in Norway.

Although Norway may not be everyone’s first choice of travel destination, I have been keen to find out what the country of brooding, tall, blonde people is really like, and wanted to get to know a bit about our Scandinavian neighbours. You hear tell of their reserved nature and quiet way of being, and it is very appealing; totally different from the outgoing Aussie or American disposition and perhaps more British than even us Brits.

And so it was that my husband and I spent two weeks travelling around Norway. We chose to travel by train and boat in order to get the most out of the scenery. From our passenger windows we saw sheer cliff faces, glaciers, pine forests and beautiful countryside in all shades of green and blue (and a bit of grey too; but hey, they’re even further North than us!) While travelling I was really struck by the picture perfect wooden houses which were scattered throughout Norway, with pitched roofs, all painted in a range of colours from pillar box red to sky blue. Lots of houses and outbuildings had living roofs too, with snug greenery and even little trees sprouting from them, giving them a seamless, blended look with their surroundings.

The cities too were interesting places to be. In Oslo we sat out and ate our evening meal by the harbourside, with the restaurant’s warm rugs and blankets draped over our knees. And Bergen’s old fishing village and world heritage site was a real rabbits warren of side streets interweaving with each other (and the obliglitory trolls!)

What really impressed me about Norway was the culture of engagement with what they call ‘the nature’. While in Bergen we climbed up into the forest and came across a real fairy tale land, which looked like the Three Bears House with Goldilocks lurking nearby! It turned out to be the local nursery school, or barnehager.

Tucked in amongst the trees were little buildings with sets of child-sized chairs and pots and plants scattered around outside and a very neat and tidy vegetable patch. While we were there we bumped into one of the pupils, out for a walk with her mum. The mother told us all about the school and introduced us to her daughter. The little girl, beamed when she realised we were from Scotland and said to us in English, ‘Hello, my name is Anna, what is your name?’ I was so impressed, she was only 3 years old! It really was an amazing place where the pupils played and learnt outside amongst the trees, I had heard about this type of outdoors education before I went, but to see it first-hand really did leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling; that Anna was one lucky girl. Apparently this early introduction stays with Norwegians and it is really common place for whole families to decamp out into the countryside each weekend and to visit the family cabin in the woods over the summer holidays; no-wonder they all look so lean and healthy!

I’m sure you have been waiting for me to mention the price. And yes it is definitely expensive. Beer, wine and eating out will cost you. But if you wanted a more pocket friendly option, you could have yourself a great holiday by hiring a cabin, which would allow you to cook your own evening meals and make up some tasty packed lunches.

Vegetarian food was sometimes a little tricky, but I learnt the phrase “serverer dere vegetarmat?” and they always managed to rustle me something up. Although we did boycot anywhere with Whale on the menu (although in fairness, we only came across this once).

And what about those Norwegians, were they cold and withdrawn? Not a bit of it, everyone we spoke to was friendly and helpful and although we only managed to pick up the basics of Norwegian, communication was always polite and welcoming and everyone spoke excellent English (oh it puts us to shame!)

During our trip we didn’t get any further north than Alesund, so we still have plenty to explore next time. The Northern Lights, wolves, reindeer and polar bears are all on the list of things to see next time around. It sounds like a description for a Phillip Pulman novel doesn’t it! I might even be tempted by one of these snazzy wooly jumpers next time I’m there! www.visitnorway.com/uk

Carrie has just begun another very exciting adventure. A journey to a new life! Follow her progress at http://theonelifeproject.com/

Guest Post: Aladdin's Cove of Dress Up

Any student will know that a large part of student life is fancy dress. Themed nights happen weekly and it gives the opportunity to have fun with friends and go all out. People also have the common misconception that it has to be expensive, but that is not the case, if you simply swap clothes with one another and search charity shops you can look brilliant on a budget of next to nothing.

Flora and Fauna - A Lion
For a friends 19th birthday she wanted a big bash, a proper celebration, and her theme for the night was your favourite flora and fauna. I chose to go as a lion. My first choice was a penguin but unless i wanted to spend a fortune it would not have happened.

• Hair - Backcombed to within an inch of its life - not fun to comb out the next day
• Face - Yellow face paint that lasts forever and is only £3 and a good friend (JS) who is very creative and will willingly do all my makeup :)
• T-shirt - Bought from a charity shop for £1.75. Is a size 16/18 but when tucked into a skirt it doesn't really matter
• Skirt - Bought as a present from my friend RK for my birthday
• Tights - Borrowed off FH. I later destroyed said tights and they are now in the bin

End of Exams - Pirate Night
As a celebration of the end of our exam period we all decided to go out in Pirate fancy dress. This is one of the simplest fancy dress ideas to do. It doesn't require too much effort and can be done on a very small budget.

The picture, regrettably, is a bit blurry, but what can be seen is that:

• Hair - Ruffled and moose used with plaits tied randomly throughout and left over pieces of material tied into it.
• Jewellery - Necklace that was bought from Primark about 2 years ago
• Shirt - Bought from a charity shop. It is a mens XL shirt that was only about £4. I had all intention to rip it up and thanks to JS it was done beautifully. 

Halloween - Cat

When looking back at the make up of this outfit, very little of it actually belongs to me. I guess this is the upside of living in a house of girls. I never used to go all out for Halloween, but this year i thought, why not? We were all going on a Halloween night out and i enjoyed the dressing up part of it.

• Ears - Borrowed off RK, i did have a mask given to me but wearing glasses gets in the way of masks
• Hair - Backcombed
• Make-up - The white face paint was borrowed and applied by friends, me not being very good at make up an' all. As was the black for the eyes and whiskers etc.
• Necklace - Bought as a present from my friend RL when she visited London one year
• T-shirt - Already mine. Bought from Topshop.
• Skirt - This was before i bought a body con skirt for myself so i borrowed this one off RK (as everything seems to be)
• Arm Warmers - In an attempt to look like a had paws i borrowed some arm warmers off RK because she own lots of them and leg warmers. Them being white did cause a problem when fake blood was flying round left, right and centre.

Fresher Week - School Girl
Every freshers week has to have a school uniform night. This is THE simplest and cheapest costume around as everyone already owns the majority of it from their days at school. I knew about the school night before arriving at university, so was able to do a bit of preparation shopping!

• Shirt - Used from when i was at school
• Tie - Old prefect tie from Secondary school
• Skirt - Bought for £1 from Primark before arriving at Uni.
• Socks - 2 pairs for £1 in Tesco, i went halves with CH.

Here are just some of the fancy dress costumes i have done and I'm sure more will be on the cards in the next 3 years i am here. Other ideas include doctors and nurses that is planned for my friend SB's birthday, Mexican night where we eat nachos and drink Tequila, Chav night where we are orange and Cowboy v Indian night (which i have already done, just have no pictures of it...). I shall also be dressing up when i return to Derby with my sister (who's lovely blog you are reading).

I hope this shows that dressing up for nights out and having theme nights are fun and that they don't need to be expensive, as long as you know where to look for your costumes.

Vicky :) Girl About Scarborough

Second Hand Lifestyle: A Guest Post

Hi everyone! I'm Laura from Radiator Tunes and, similar to Zoe, I'm passionate about recycling and buying used. When Zoe first asked me to guest post about my favorite upcycled and secondhand possessions, I wasn’t really sure where to start. My husband, Mike, and I live in a little row home just outside of Baltimore City, a house where my mother grew up and where my grandmother lived until she passed away just a few years ago. I love living in a place that is still so full of family memories and that has always truly felt like home. And though Mike and I have redecorated enough to put our own stamp on the place, nearly all of the furniture that inhabits my house are hand-me-downs from my grandmother, generous friends, and family members as well as prize finds from antique stores and Goodwill. There are so few new things in our place that it was a huge task to choose my favorites.

One of the upcycle projects of which I am most proud is this set of chests. Originally belonging to my grandmother, these gems were painted an ugly and flat green with horrendous drawer pulls when my grandmother first gave them to us. We stripped off the green paint, applied a dark stain, and added some sleek steel handles to completely transform these chests into a more modern bedroom set. 

This armchair originally belonged to my mom. It was always my favorite place to read in my family’s home and, when my mom had it reupholstered in this beautiful salmon-colored fabric, I grew to love it even more. She had grown tired of the chair a few years later, so I gladly volunteered to offer it a new home in my house. 

I wish I could remember where it was that I found this adorable bird key holder. Long before moving out of my parents’ house, I had amassed a considerable collection of items with which I hoped to decorate my own place one day. This key holder was one of those items and I thought it both quirky and whimsical. I had little need for a key rack when Mike and I moved into our new place, but my necklaces were in desperate need of some organization, so the key holder was transformed into an adorable way to display some of my jewelry.

I had a great time upcycling these old wine bottles into candle holders. The bottles themselves are quite elegant but the candle wax dripping down the sides and the mixture of colors and labels make these upcycled candleholders a bit more eclectic and fun.

Much as I try to not grow too attach to material items, this ring is one of my very most prized possessions. I bought it super-discounted from an antique dealer who was closing down her store. I’ve worn it nearly every day ever since and I feel completely naked when it’s not on my finger. This is quite easily my very best secondhand find.

Thanks for allowing me to share just a few things over here on Life of a Vegetarian Girl. Hope you found some inspiration to recycle, upcycle, or scour your nearby secondhand store!