17 Jun 2013

The day before the day before I leave.

So in two days time I will be on my way across the atlantic ocean saying goodbye and farewell to great old England, and boy can I not wait !

So today has been one of those days where I rush around picking up any bits and bobs I somehow forgotten to get and tying up any old loose ends. So my first stop on the list was Tesco, I went in to buy some allergy tablets as for the past few days I have been sneezing galore and my nose and eyes have been sooo itchy I've wanted to tear them of! Anyway I found a deal 'buy one get on free' which I tuck full advantage of, and ended up getting two packets of 7 tablets for £3 odd, I then needed some ear drops as, as horrible as it sounds my ears have been feeling how should I put it 'full of wax' and I've tried q tips, and olive oil but nothing worked so I bought a little bottle of ear drops and fingers crossed it will do the trick. 

I went for a eye test at Tesco to, as they offer free eye tests and believe me my eyes are getting worse by the day, so I booked an appointment and they had a slot there and then, so I went in and they did what they needed to do, turns out one of my eyes is weaker than the other, so they gave me a prescription and told me to pick some glasses from the selection, i found a lovely pair for £95 and they were on the buy on get one free line so i got two pairs for £95, but as she was processing it she said it would take a few weeks and seeing as im leaving on wednesday i didn't have a few weeks to wait so she told me to come back when I return and she will process it then, which is a bit of a let down as I really could have done with them whilst I am away, but never mind.

I then poped into B&M and picked up some paracetamol, and more allergy tablets which were only 69p each ! I couldn't believe I paid £3 for them in Tesco when they are in B&M for 69p. Ahh well, I picked up a few more boxes to be on the safe side. 

On my way out I had a look round the market and found this book called 'Dear Me' its a book full of letters people have written to their 16 year old self and looks really interesting so I am saving that one for the flight. 

Anyway, nothing else really happened today, well I did buy a scratch card, but won nothing so thats not very exiting is it. One day I will win the jackpot, but for now I guess I will just keep wishing. 


16 Jun 2013

Motivation #8


DIY: Sock Bun

Hey Everybody !

The sock bun is a popular trend this spring/summer and Im going to show you how you can simply do it using a sock (old or new) and a couple of hair ties.

(Above, picture step by step demonstration)

Step 1: Gather all your hair into a high ponytail and secure with a hair tie.

Step 2: Cut the toe out of a sock and scrunch it up, place this over your hair tie.

Step 3: Spread your hair over the sock making sure the entire sock is covered and your hair is equally spread out.

Step 4: Secure this in place with another hair tie.

Step 5: With the excess hanging hair, part it into two sections, then braid each section.

Step 6: Wrap the braided hair around the sock bun and finally secure in place with a final hair tie. 

Step 7: Enjoy your hair! 

I hope you enjoyed this little post,

Thanks for reading,
Rachel Ward


15 Jun 2013

How to: Fishtail Braid

Fishtail braiding is so simple once you know how. I have made a step by step video showing your as simply as I could the basic and most easiest way to create a fishtail braid, which is a casual, cool, summery style that is great for those of you who cant be bothered with your hair and just want a laid back casual style. Give the fishtail braid a go.



Thanks for reading,
Rachel Ward

14 Jun 2013

The Countdown Begins...

5 DAYS !!!
Thats right in 5 days time I will be flying over the Atlantic Ocean to settle my feet into the United States Of America.
5 DAYS !!!
Thats crazy, seems like only yesterday I was telling people I was leaving in 6 months time, now those six months have turned into...
5 DAYS !!!
I start my trip in New York and travel by road with TrekAmerica along the south coast till I reach Los Angeles, then from there (as cheesy as it sounds) the world is my oyster.

The entire trip takes 5 weeks (35 days) during this time there are a bunch of activities to fit in, such as:

  • > Evening illumination visit to Washington DC monuments
  • > New Orleans' Bourbon Street
  • > San Antonio's Riverwalk
  • > Alien spotting in Roswell
  • > Scenic walks and hikes
  • > Sightseeing in Charleston, St. Augustine, Miami, Florida Keys, Santa Fe and San Diego
  • > National parks and monuments - Carlsbad Caverns, Mesa Verde, Arches, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion
  • > City tours of Las Vegas & Hollywood
  • > Louisiana Swamp tour
Instead of me listing every single state I will be visiting on my trip I cheekily pulled the trek map from the Trek America site, (which I hope they dont mind):


5 DAYS !!!

You have probably heard me go an about this trip many times before and quite frankly your probably sick of me talking about it, but I am just too exited to keep it to myself.

Are you going anywhere fun this summer?
Let me know in the comments.

Thanks For Reading,
Rachel Ward.

13 Jun 2013

Charity Shops

There is always a great deal to be had at your local charity shop or flea market, and to prove it here are a few things I picked up recently  for such a great deal that I simply couldn't leave them behind...


Have you found any great deals at your local charity shops?

Thanks for reading,
Rachel Ward



Motivation #7


Packing For a Trek !!!

So my trek begins next week and I have mostly everything ready. 

Here are a few of my must have items...




I hope you found this somewhat useful.
Thanks for reading,
Rachel Ward

12 Jun 2013

Hair Chalking

I have seen many people with chalked hair on blogs, Pinterest, youtube and even out in the streets. So I thought it was time I gave it a go.


I went on Amazon to pick myself up some soft pastel chalk which I got for a bargain of a deal at only £10 for 24 pieces!!!

Heres the link if anybody is interested:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inscribe-Soft-Pastel-Set-Colours/dp/B002AF69D0/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1371055237&sr=8-11&keywords=soft+pastels

*Only SOFT PASTEL CHALK will work, not sidewalk chalk or oil based chalks*

And then began to go wild with my hair...
Video Below:

What do you think?

Thanks for reading,
Rachel Ward




11 Jun 2013

Motivation #6


Tattoos...

So lately I've been thinking of getting myself a tattoo. It will be my first and and I may just be a teeny weeny little bit nervous about the whole thing. Like what shall I get, where shall I get it, what if it goes wrong, what if I dont like it. I worry to much for my own good most of the time and I know It will probably turn out fine in the end once the initially pain is over. But still I guess I just wouldn't be me if I didn't worry and over think every little detail in my life.

I dont want nothing big or extravagant inked into my body just something small and simple that means alot to me or I can attach some significant meaning to. Any way I was browsing through Pinterest live every evening of my life and came across a few that caught my eye, what do you think of them?







I really like the simplicity of these tattoos and cant make up my mind about which one I like best.
Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading,
Rachel Ward

1 Jun 2013

Travel Tips (Flight)

So if you've been following me for a while or so you'll know I've been planning this trip for donkeys years and finally the time is nearly here, no more counting down the months I am now into the weeks, WEEKS! 2 to be exact and a couple of days but we wont count them :)

With so little time left I need to start packing and preparing things to bring, clothes need to be washed, passport needs to come out, tickets need to be printed, toiletries need to be bought and bottled into airport safe bottles, the list is endless.

Today though I though I would give you some travel tips! as thats a topic which is dear to my heart, some people hate travelling and packing but for me its my favorite part of jetting of, all the preparation and packing ohh I do love it.

Anyway here are my top tips...

1) Always bring a sweater/jumper:
Even if you are heading to a tropical climate airplanes get cold and believe me you will suffer, some airlines do provide small blankets, but stay on the safe side and bring a sweatshirt with you.

2) Dont forget some slippers/fuzzy socks:
When I fly i usually wear sandals/flip-flops and my feet get cold, slippers are a great way to stay comfortable and warm at the same time. Most people take there shoes of on the flight and who wants to sit there with bare feet, put some socks on.

3) Bring a travel pillow to prevent a bad neck:
Unless your in first class and have a awesomely comfortable chair that reclines and massages you, then in sorry to say that you will be cramped in like sardines and be given no head support, bring along a travel pillow or one of those squishy pillow necks. Try and avoid the blow up neck pillows they are useless.

4) Soundproof headphones:
Trust me you wont regret it, screaming crying children the entire flight will not make you a happy person when you land. The airline headphones are rubbish so bring your own weather you have iphone earbuds or super expensive sound proof ones, it doesn't matter anything is better than inflight headphones.

5) Lip balm:
With the high altitude your lips will get extremely dry and sore so its essential to carry some lip balm along with you.

6) Hand sanitizer:
On board toilets are 60% disgusting and who knows how many germs are on the sinks and door handles, bring your own hand sanitizer to wash your hands so you avoid touching anything you dont need to.

7) Bring along some good reading material:
Weather your a book worm or a fashion lover, bring a selection of books and magazines to entertain yourself on your journey

8) Music:
Ipods/MP3 players are great for flights, the night before you fly load it with some new albums to keep you entertained, try not to sing to loud though, you dont want to annoy your neighbour.

9) Movies:
If your on a long haul flight there will no doubt be movies on the airplane screens but sometimes they dont have what you want to watch so load your ipad/laptop with some movies that you havent seen before,  this will also help the flight time fly by.

10) Snacks:
Theres just something about sitting on an airplane that gets you hungry all the time so buy some snacks before you go as airplane snacks are really expensive, just remember to check with your airline as some dont allow meat.

11) Water:
You will need to buy this once your get past airport security. Water is very important to stay hydrated especially on airplanes.

12) Eye-mask & earplugs:
Want to sleep but it light? want to sleep but its to noisy? Problem solved if you shove these in your bag before you jet off.

13) Dont forget your passport:
Numer one priority, without your passort you are going nowhere!

14) Stretch your legs:
Sitting down for long periods of time is never a good thing, so every 30 minutes or so do some feet and leg exercises and get up and walk up and down the carriage for a couple of minutes it will really help the circulation in your legs.

Thats everything I can think of so far, if you have any more tips for traveling please leave it in a comment below so everyone else can benefit from it to.

Thanks for reading,
Rachel Ward