Two festivals | Kendal Calling and Leeds | Review

Summer is definitely at an end, and while I enjoy waking up to frosty mornings and crisp, clear air (when it's not raining), I can't help but reminisce about my summer. 

Festivals have fast become the must-do of the summer season, so I jumped on the bandwagon and headed to a couple myself: Kendal Calling and Leeds Festival. If you've never been to either but are considering it, I hope this post inspires you! 

Kendal Calling

Kendal Calling is a great medium sized music festival and makes for the perfect introduction to the festival scene. It is fun, intimate and family friendly. 

KC is made up of 7 stages: 

Main stage - Where more main-stream and commercial acts play. Right in the center of everything, surrounded by bars, food and mud (when the rain predictably fell).

Glow tent - Full of DJs, strobe lights and lasers. A very fun place to be, especially when you're drunk AF.

Calling out stage - A platform for new and somewhat unheard of acts to be thrown into the festival scene and discovered. 

Chai Wallah Stage - A mix of every genre of music pretty much. Quite a hippy chilled out vibe. 

Woodlands Stage - Stage surrounded by trees which included a silent disco every night. Really fun, cool atmosphere with a mixture of bands playing. 

House Party - Everything you would expect from a house party really, minus the expensive furniture. 

Riot Jazz - Best described as a neon Narnia with Blues, Jazz and Disco. 

A number of other stages were home to comedy acts, dance classes and more intimate settings such as Tim Peaks Diner, Kids Calling (specifically for children) and the Big Birthday Blow out down by the river. There was also the renowned Real Ale festival, Bulmers Colourena, a cinema, Jagerhaus and Lost Eden, an arts area in the woods.

The size and layout of KC meant that it was really easy to navigate; there was something for everyone to enjoy, including children and an amazing and electric atmosphere all weekend! 

The best thing about Kendal Calling is that it is so different to other music festivals, it thrives off of offering local talent a stepping stone to success and it really cares about everyone involved, from performer to, employee to customer.

Leeds Festival

If you haven't heard of Leeds and Reading Festival then I'm not sure where you've been.. This is a festival I have wanted to go to since I was 16 (and yes, you can expect to feel old if you're 25+). It is home to 9 different stages: Main Stage, NME/BBC Radio 1 stage, BBC Radio 1 Dance stage, Festival Republic stage, BBC Radio 1xtra stage/cinema, Lock up/The Pit, Alternative stage and the Disco shed. 

Leeds festival honestly get the best and biggest variety of acts, you're constantly buzzing even if you are run down and there's so much more to do than listen to music. The slush puppy stand was a lifesaver, curing every hangover! There was a supermarket, a cocktail bar which hosted it's own party every night, a funfair, 5-a-side football and loads of merchandise and clothes stalls/shops. 

Leeds is everything you would expect it, or have heard it to be. Fun, Non-stop and a little bit dangerous. One thing, Don't expect to sleep while you are there, unless your body just shuts down... which is a possibility.  

What's your favourite festival? 

Check out my Pinterest for event inspo!
Beth x

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3 ways to enjoy a pumpkin

Halloween has always been a favourite holiday for me, and one that has long been celebrated in our household; I would love dressing up in a black bin bag as a 'witch' and trick-or-treating with my brother and sister. 

As the pumpkin has become the face of Halloween I thought I would show you three ways you can enjoy one! 

1. Decoration

The first use of a pumpkin is obviously for decoration. Pumpkin carving was a big thing in my house, with me and my siblings competing to see who could create the scariest pumpkin, and still today I enjoy carving a pumpkin and releasing my inner-child! 

2. Pumpkin Seeds

These are the perfect healthy snack. Obviously if you're carving a pumpkin you'll scoop out the innards. Take the seeds from the pumpkin with as little of the orange mush as possible, place on a baking tray and add whatever topping you like. I usually add a bit of salt and toast them in the oven for 10-20 minutes, just until they are brown. Maybe try a bit of cinnamon in place of salt? 

3. Pumpkin Pie.

The tastiest pie ever! 

You will need: 

Pumpkin, shortcrust pastry, caster sugar (140g), salt (1/2 tsp), fresh nutmeg, grated (1/2 tsp), cinnamon (1 tsp), 2 eggs (beaten), melted butter (25g) and 175ml of milk!

- Scoop out the stringy, orange innards of the pumpkin and put them in the compost bin because you won't be using them. 

- Grab a spoon and scoop the yellowy-white sides of the pumpkin and place in a large pan, fill the pan with water and bring the pumpkin to the boil, then leave to simmer until soft. 

- Drain the pumpkin and pile into blender.

- Whilst the pumpkin is boiling, bake the raw pastry until it is golden brown and take out of oven.

- Blend until the pumpkin is of a pureé texture.

- In a different bowl, mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together, then add he beaten eggs, melted butter and milk and mix them all together. Blend with pumpkin purée until it's all combined together. 

- Pour purée into pastry tart and cook in oven until the pastry is brown and the purée has hardened somewhat. (Like Jelly)

- (Google temperatures and times if necessary) 

Hope you have discovered new ways to enjoy the pumpkin! 

Happy Halloween guys! 

Beth x

Up-Cycling a box into shelves

Up-cycling can be a great way to create something new without spending a penny, which is ideal for me as I currently have NO money! (Cry) 

To find out how I made these handy shelves out of an old box, read on..

For this quick and easy project I used  an old Abercrombie & Fitch box which was previously home to a Christmas present and cut the top of both parts of the box off. I then used some spare tester pots of paint to paint the sides of the box to match a similar colour to my walls (cream). 

Once dried I used strong double sided sticky tape which I placed on the back of the new shelves (originally the roof and base of my box) and stuck it to my wall. 

That's it! 

It took about 10 minutes to complete and is a perfect and easy way to create more storage. I find I often have spare boxes just lying around my house and I love finding new ways to utilise them, rather than just throwing them out! 

Have you ever up-cycled in your home? Let me know! 

Beth

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Travel | Barcelona

Possibly the most spontaneous thing I have done all year was to book a girls holiday to Barcelona a week in advance, whilst holidaying in Florida.

My friend and myself booked to stay in the hostel: Backpackers BCN GO! I had never stayed in a hostel before but have fallen in love with them. I met people from all over the world and the best part is that they are so cheap and I think that there's a misconceived correlation between cheap and dirty, this hostel was very clean, so don't worry. We used hostel world (link here) to find the perfect hostel for us!

Must do:

Party on the Beach/strip

The night we arrived, Barcelona was in the middle of it’s Sao Joao festival. Possibly the most dangerous festival I've ever been too, fireworks were being thrown about everywhere, but it was still nice to be on the beach and watch the ones that weren't heading straight for your face. 

The strip has some of the best clubs I have ever been to, although the entrance fee can be expensive, if you get there before a certain time, you can get in for free. Love a good bargain. 

Visit Le Segrada Familia

I would recommend pre-booking online, it's quick and easy to do and saves you from what could potentially be a very long queue. It is such a stunning building, I've never seen anything like it! 

Visit Gaudi Parc

We walked from Sagrada Familia to Gaudi Parc and while it was a good way to explore the city, it took forever! I would recommend just getting the underground, it's really easy to use. 

Also, if you want full access then you should book prior to your visit, I think you can do this online, but you can also visit the park and book a time for later on. 

 

Visit Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Art Nouveau Site

Otherwise known as the 'City Within the City', this was something that I arrived in Barcelona without knowing anything about. The old hospital was built between 1902 and 1930 and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1997 and is architecturally very beautiful! You have to pay to get in, but there is a lot to see and do, so I would definitely recommend going. It's just up the road from Sagrada Familia so if you're in the area you may as well visit!

 

 
 Visit Montjuic Castle

We visited here on our last day and like the majority of the buildings in Barcelona, the castle was beautiful, however you had to pay to get in and my friend and myself couldn't afford to. Cry. 

Close by is the 'Estadi Olimpic de Montjuic' the Olympic Stadium, 'Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya'an art museum and 'Font Magica' The Magic Fountain. We didn't visit the above three, but I really wish we had!

 Check out Casa Milá and Casa Batlló

These are the iconic buildings of Barcelona, you will have seen them on every touristy bit of information, and they really are beautiful, so definitely worth a visit. You can also go inside them, I didn't, but they looked like they would be really interesting inside.

 

Foodie input

I absolutely love trying new foods so for anyone interested, the food in Barcelona is really hit and miss, I've had some of the best and one of the worst meals of my life (so far) there. It really is worth going to a restaurant that looks like it's well established. I ate outside of a small restaurant on the main road close to where I was staying and it literally tasted like sewage. I am not a fussy eater, but I left the whole thing. However I also had two of some of the nicest meals ever! One was literally two seconds out of my Hostel's front door called Lurantia. I ordered a Duck and Pear ravioli with Martini Sauce, it sounded really interesting and tasted amazing! I also ate at an Italian about 30 minutes outside of the centre called Pulcinella and it was just the best food!

Have you ever visited Barcelona? Let me know what you got up to!

Beth x

8 Photos of Happiness

There are a number of adaptations to the happiness theme going around this year, and I love it. It’s so nice and refreshing to see something positive going viral on the internet, so I was even happier when DipityMe nominated me to take part in this lovely trend that Ariel's Little Corner of the Internet started! 
1. My Dog: Tag

The first thought that came to me was my dog: Tag. Sadly he passed away last year in August after having him for almost 15 years, since I was 5 years old, so this choice is bittersweet. He was such a beautiful looking dog, and he had the personality to match. Everyone loved him, and he changed so many people's negative views of dogs! Plus he was super fluffy and great to cuddle. It was lovely to see how much he loved people, in particular my dad; he was his best friend!   

2. Family

My second photo of happiness has to be my family, obviously. The picture above represents just a few of my family! I have a lot of Scottish relatives and we have a family reunion once a year! That year we were in Edinburgh and there was at least 30 of us.
I get on with my family so well, they have given me everything I have ever wanted and I couldn't be more grateful to them. 

3. Friends

My Friends are the third picture, for obvious reasons; they’re like a second family. I have a very close group of friends who come from my hometown, and have also made quite a few close friends through high school, college and university. Friends are family that you can tell more to, we get on so well and we can pick things up even if we haven't spoken for ages!
4. Florida. Disney World.

Why? Duh, it's The Happiest Place on Earth!
I go here almost every year with my family and I love it. 

5. Food

Yes, food makes me very happy, and although the relationship we share is short-lived (I gobble food down so quickly), I love it and it’s my best friend. P.s. I especially love goat's cheese and prawns!

6. Travelling

I love to experience new things, which is why travelling makes me so happy. I feel so lucky being able to see new places and experience different cultures.

7. Events

Events is the industry I want to work in. I’m studying it at university, currently on placement as an event organiser and the best part about it is knowing that you have a positive impact on someone else’s life; it really makes me happy knowing that I’ve helped to make other people happy.

8. Netball

 I’ve been playing netball since I was 7 years old and I love it; being part of a team is one of the best feelings and has meant I have met some of my closest friends.

I don't know many bloggers as of yet, but here are a couple I'd like to nominate:

• Ffion over at  http://www.asouthwalesblog.com/
• Amanda over at http://amandabootes.co.uk/

Have fun and enjoy!
Beth x

Rules and explanation of this tag:

• Thank your nominator/s and link them in your post.
• Link the creator (Ariel’s little corner of the internet)
• Post your 8 photos of happiness;
• The photos can be anything that represents a moment, object, place or feeling that makes you happy.
• Pop in a brief description of the photo, why you chose it or let the photos do the talking!
• Spread the happiness and tag up to ten other bloggers!

Five Fail-proof Birthday gifts

As it was my birthday recently, I’ve been inspired to write a birthday related post! 
I always really struggle to find a gift that I think someone will love, especially gifts within my price range, and I can and have spent hours/days/weeks thinking about what to get someone I care about for their birthday, so here’s a list of ideas that won't break the bank; partly influenced by the presents I received on my birthday and also by what I think can sometimes be over-looked as a great present.

No.1 The watch

 I received a watch for my birthday that I had been looking at for ages, it’s a beautiful rose gold Olivia Burton watch, with a deep blue leather strap and a bee embossed on the face. No, I’m not an insect lover, but my nickname is ‘Bee/B’ (however you want to spell it) and I thought it was such a thoughtful gift for my boyfriend to buy me; it feels really personal and I couldn’t be happier with it. Watches are timeless and really useful, so this really is the gift that keeps on giving.

No.2 A modern twist to an old classic. 

ALCOHOL. 

So I received a LOT of wine for my birthday (I must love it or something..) and although I know alcohol is pretty much a go-to kind of present, last year my brother left a message on a bottle of champagne which read the classic ‘I hope you have a great birthday, love you..’ and I loved it. No one had ever given me personalised alcohol. Similarly a couple of my friends went to a shop in Manchester/Trafford Centre called Vom Fass, and hand picked different spirits they thought I would love. Again, I thought that was really special, and it wasn’t too expensive. A great new t(affordable) take on alcoholic gifts.

No.3 The 'you know it makes them happy' gift

(don’t get weird here...) 

Think ‘Team building’ but less formal. Gifts that you know your friend/family/other half are already really interested in are the BEST. It shows you have really considered their interests and you know it’d be something they would enjoy, however these could end up being quite pricey, so be tactical! For example my family and family friend bought my dad a fishing trip away for him and his friend. Their birthdays are after each other and they both love to fish, so it was a great idea for them, a chance for them to get away and they both really enjoyed themselves. 
Photo below taken from Google.co.uk

 No.4. The adventurous gift

(again, don’t get weird..) 

So my best friend Ange randomly texted me asking when I was free; she basically found a deal on Groupon (great place to looks for these kind of gifts) for a hot air balloon ride, with champagne in Scotland. Now, I have a lot of family in Scotland which is why she thought this would be perfect: we could go visit my family and also enjoy an experience neither of us had had before, together.
Photo below taken from Google,co,uk    

No.5 The original. 

Money makes the world go round, right?
I usually get money for my birthday, and I know a lot of people who think money as a gift is really impersonal, but every year my auntie and uncle have sent me a card with money in and always written something along the lines of ‘Don’t save this money in the bank. Spend it on rubbish and enjoy!’ I love that. It’s a great idea to personalise a card with money in, for example if it’s for your girlfriend/boyfriends birthday, suggest they buy a new outfit ready for the night! 

Do you have a go-to gift? let me know!

Beth x