Trying to be a better blogger!

Firstly I hope everyone is well and I just want to apologise for being absent on my blog for a little while now, I don't know about you but I have found anytime I have missed posting for a couple of times life just seems to get in the way and it takes me a while to get back into the swing of things!

Recently I have been sorting out my beauty products and realised how many great things I had and never used, to the point I have gave them to better homes as they needed to be used before the end of their shelf life, this has really made me think about current purchases and rather than buy something to try or photograph I have to ask myself 'Do I really need this?' Which has meant I have had no new finds to blog about!

alongside that I have fallen a little out of love with my logo and blog design and feel that a new design might be on the cards to refresh my blog, what do you think?

Onthe plus side I am feeling tons better and a lot more positive these days and finding the medication is working fine but still need time for it to kick in fully.

Since the Race for Life I have found a love for walking, who knew! So I have taken it upon myself to get out when I can and use my run keeper app to keep track of the distance I have walked. Not only am I out getting fresh air but knowing how happy it makes my little dog is a anti depressant in itself!!

I have also been looking into healthier recipes for sweet treats and I was introduced to healthy brownies made using sweet potatoe,yes you heard right, and they are delicious even my mam liked them!

At the moment I am currently obsessed with Instagram (Little_miss_plus_size) and find myself in situations thinking, wait I need to take a photo before I try this or hmm this looks cute let's take a photo!

So this was just a little bit of a chatty post but I would love to know what's going on in your life and if your having a good summer!

Remember if you would like to leave me any feedback on my blog design or logo I'd really appreciate it or if you have any ideas on future posts you would like to see.

Thanks for Reading

Tracy xx

 

 

 

 

A little update!

Firstly I just want to say sorry for being MIA for a while, over the past couple of weeks I have really struggled with my depression, so much so I felt like I didn't want to do anything or go anywhere.

When I would be around people I felt really weepy and would cry uncontrollably and it would be the slightest thing that would set me of!

I felt like I hit rock bottom and decided to make an appointment with my GP. Now if you know me, then you will know that I try my hardest to avoid taking tablets, even paracetamol!

So when a Dr suggested that I would benefit from taking antidepressants I was very sceptical but thought that things had got to bad and I had to give anything that would help a try.

I was prescribed antidepressants (I won't go into which ones as I am not medically trained etc) and after researching and reading people's reviews I scared myself into not taking them and another week went by.

Everyone who I was speaking to was asking how the tablets were going and if I had started taking them. I shared my thoughts with them and after outwaying the good from the bad I decided I just had to give them a go.

The tablets I was taking were two tablets one in a morning and one in a evening. After three days of taking them I knew that this was not going to work, I had really painful headaches (like the pressure you  feel when taking off on a plane) and also trouble swollowing not to mention constantly feeling sick.

I looked at the leaflet and they strongly suggested not stopping until you see your GP, my next appointment wasn't until a further 3 weeks so I decided to call the pharmacy who explained that after taking them for only three days it would be fine to stop.

I decided to come off the tablets but still kept my appointment that I booked with my GP. Now the GP I saw this time was a familiar one, a one who has helped and listen to my Mam in the past, and a one I trust.

She didn't just look at her computer screen, she looked at me, asked about what went on with previous tablets and said that if she thought I was worried about taking any antidepressants then she wouldn't feel comfortable in prescribing them to me.

She then went to ask about why I was unsure of them and what my concerns were. I felt able to talk to her and ask even the silliest of questions without feeling, well silly!

After speeking to her I felt a lot calmer and agreed to give some new tablets a try and I am so glad I did!

So far the only side effect I have had is feeling sleepy so so far so good! What I do want to say is that if your nervous about  taking any medication, speak to your GP! Write a list with your questions and concerns so you are prepared and although the Internet can offer some amazing advice it can also have the opposite effect and your GP will be the best point of call.

I feel extremely lucky that I have managed to find someone who has been through a similar situation and has found a positive result from taking antidepressants. It's so helpful to have someone to ask questions and talk to about it!

Aswell as the above I have been worrying about the Race for Life which is this weekend, when I originally signed up I had planned to be more prepared at this stage and the thought of not being able to complete it terrifies me!

After a lot of persusuading by some great friends I am going to just turn up and give it my best shot!

I do hope to get back into the swing of things again with my blog but it may take a week or so.

I am now the owner of a iPhone 6 and I am loving having a iPhone again! So with that being said my Instagram is getting more attention than it previously did, you can find me at little_miss_plus_size so come and say hi!

Lastly I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has liked my Facebook page and entered my dress competition and the winner has been announced and I am pleased to say that she has also received her dress and looks amazing!

Thank you for sticking by me and thanks for reading!

Tracy xx

 

 

 

The difference between living with & suffering with Depression!

So last year I was diagnosed with depression, an illness I had never really believed in! Growing up I was always told that people who used to say that they were depressed or had depression were just feeling a little sad and that they should just pull themselves together!

So imagine when somebody tells you that they think that you are depressed and that you should see a Dr! It took me ages before booking an appointment with my doctor because in my eyes I was just having a tough time.

Now in a short space of time a lot of things went wrong, I just couldn't cope anymore. I couldn't ever imagine being happy again and I just wanted to cut myself off from the world. I couldn't see a way forward anymore and became low, almost as if I was in a daze.

Now at that point I knew I needed to do something but even then I questioned whether or not I had depression. The Dr told be I was severely depressed and explained the difference between feeling sad and actual depression.

Over the past year I have improved dramatically, I started to be more sociable, feel happier in myself and even made a good job of trying to lose weight and live a happier, healthier life. Last friday was one of the worst days I have had in a long time, I couldn't stop crying event to the point I was hyperventilating and did not want to be here anymore. I was so worried that everything I had achieved in the past year had all gone to waste and that I was back to the beginning.

I had received a bit of bad news about my mam, we are so close and the thought of losing her was unbearable and along with other things just tipped me over the edge.

Now I spent a good hour with a friend being told that I was not back where I was and that there is no smooth transition to recovery and that I should be less tough on myself. I made an appointment with the Dr's and he agrees that I am not where I was last year but I could still do with help and support at the moment just until things started to improve.

I would say that from February onwards I really thought that my depression was going away and would never come back but I have realised that there are two stages with depression, Living with and suffering from.

At the beginning I was suffering with my depression and then I learnt to live with it, at this moment in time I am battling with controlling my depression.

If you are reading this and think things will never get better, they will! Nobody can go through it on their own you need to see your Doctor and discuss it with them/ I have found that even just talking to someone really helps me.

Am I sad everyday? No, absolutely not. I have found a way to manage my day to day life and actually up until I shared my blog with friends and family people were unaware that I have depression.

If you are reading this and feel like you are struggling at the moment and may be suffering with depression please seek help, your life is so precious and you owe it to yourself to be happy.

If you are reading this and are sceptical about depression, please think before you assume that someone is just 'having a bad day' or 'cant be bothered' yes people do have days like that and unfortunately there are those who use the term depression too lightly, but from my experience the thought that people would think those thoughts about me actually delayed me getting help.

Depression may never fully go away but there is a difference between living with it and suffering from it.

Thanks for Reading

Tracy xx

 

What do you know about beauty? Your fat!

Growing up, I can always remember wanting the latest make up products from the latest brand. I loved make up and experimenting with different hairstyles. As I got older I learnt more about what to spend more money on and what I could get cheaper that did just the same job.

When your growing up you learn tips and tricks, products that work and ones that don't, I remember spending nights watching QVC make up shows and learning the basics as my mam never really bothers with make up, she doesn't need to.

So as the years went on I started to really enjoy learning and from make up I was then introduced to the importance of skincare and choosing the right skincare for your skin type.

I have read blogs, followed youtubers for years now who share their love for beauty, skincare and fashion. Sitting watching videos and reading posts I would always think to myself that I would love to do that one day and then I would think why would people listen to what I have to say, after all I am not your typical looking beauty blogger.

Last September I started blogging and I discovered the amazing plus size community, woman of all shapes and sizes sharing their passion for all the things I have put off doing for so long. If you did not know I originally created this blog to help me deal with my depression and also have something to focus on and put all of my energy into.

The plus size community is huge (no pun intended!) and I have been so inspired and given the confidence to share my knowledge, my love and my passion for all things beauty and fashion. Every time I am asked about what I blog about I always think that when I say beauty, the person would automatically think 'What do you know about beauty? Your fat!

I don't know about you, but when I meet someone I don't think 'she's too fat to know about beauty' so why would I think people would think that about me? My conclusion is that most beauty bloggers tend to traditionally be slim and well, beautiful!

The world has a view that being overweight is ugly, now all the lovely and amazing plus size bloggers and models have changed the way people think about plus size woman when it comes to fashion but the stigma is still there when it comes to beauty. However there are well known plus size bloggers sharing their love for beauty and skincare and hopefully the beauty industry will follow the way the fashion industry has.

Who has the right to say someone knows nothing about beauty or that there size dictates what they do and don't have the right to talk about?

Let me know your thoughts! If you had the choice to take the views of a plus size beauty blogger or a traditional beauty blogger who would you choose and why?

Thanks for Reading

Tracy xx

 

 

Hydraluron Moisture Jelly Review!

So a while ago now I purchased Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron Moisture Jelly, I had heard a lot about their serums and when I was shopping in Boots I was intrigued with the products the brand had to offer.

I tend to have a love/hate relationship with moisturisers as my skin tends to change a lot throughout the year, some can be too thick or too thin, so when I saw the word 'Jelly' I thought that this could be interesting.



 

You use this morning and night to get the best results and you only need a pea sized amount which you apply to your face and neck after cleansing.

Firstly I love the packaging, you simply press the top down and the product is released, the amount is already measured for you so there is also no waste!



I hate it when I buy a higher end product and I cannot get all of the product out of the packaging without cutting it so I love that when you use the product there is a mechanism that pushes the product further up the container so that there is no waste! Genius!



The jelly itself is very lightweight and like nothing I have ever tried before. It sinks into my skin perfectly and immediately my face feels hydrated. One thing I will say is that being a moisturiser user for so long, I found that getting used to the texture took a little while as it is a little more 'tacky' on the skin. Once the jelly is fully absorbed then it is absolutely fine.



One of the most important ingredients in this moisture jelly is Hyaluronic Acid, an ingredient everybody is currently obsessed with and now I know why!

Hyaluronic acid helps to retain over a 1000 times its weight in water within the cells of skin, making it an excellent moisturizer.  In fact, no other biological substance can retain as much water as HA resulting in increased smoothness, softening and decreased wrinkles.



Now this is not the cheapest product, at £24.99 for 30mls it can be expensive but if you are looking to give it a go I would defiantly suggest going into Boots and if they have have a tester, try it just to see if the texture is something that you would be interested in.

Have you tried any products from this brand before? If so what? Or maybes you have a moisturiser that you couldn't live without?

Thanks for Reading

Tracy xx

Cupcake Decorating & Afternoon Tea: Blogger Event!

If you follow me on Facebook then you will know that a few weeks back I received an invite to a very exciting blogger event hosted by Joe Blogs and #toastofthetown. I have been invited to previous events but always refused as I was very nervous and quite frankly terrified!

When the exciting email made its way to my inbox I simply couldn't resist! The event invite was for an afternoon cupcake decorating followed by afternoon tea! This sounded like my ideal opportunity to attend my very first blogger event!

Over the past week or so my depression has really kicked in again prompted by a couple of things and as I got closer to today (day of the event) I was almost ready to cancel. Personally I find it so annoying when someone cancels at last minute so I decided to just get ready and go!

I couldn't be happier that I attended such a lovely, well planned event! The event was held at the Copthorne Hotel, which is part of the Millennium Hotel chain. The hotel itself is in the most idelic place in Newcastle, it is located on the Quayside, within walking distance from all that Newcastle has to offer!

The reception staff were so helpful and friendly as I nervously arrived and then I was introduced to the staff that were working the event, all lovely, happy people and I started to calm down, took a seat in the amazing reception area overlooking the peaceful and calm flow of the River Tyne.

Once everyone had arrived we made our way to some nibbles and beverages, all beautifully set out (I nervously fumbled with my camera as I decided whether or not it was socially acceptable to take photos of the food).



 

I spoke to some lovely bloggers, very friendly and we just chatted about our experiences as bloggers and I nervously smiled away. We were then taken to the room where we were going to doing some cake decorating with Julies Cake House, a company that specialises in beautiful cakes that are made to order as well as offering cake decorating classes too!



Everyone had all the equipment needed to make four gorgeous cupcakes all using different techniques and helping us learn different skills.

We all made a flower, a cute teddy bear, a makeup inspired and a flower with a ladybird cupcakes.



 

 

I have never had so much fun just being creative because we can! As I have got older I have found that I generally do creative tasks because I have to as there is a need for it, however this event allowed me to thoroughly enjoy just taking my time trying to create something pretty that also tasted amazing too!



Everyone from Julies Cake House were so friendly and helpful and made sure that all of us bloggers could see how to achieve our cupcake creations.



So after a great time cupcake decorating we were then taken o a tour of the hotel, The Copthorne is an immaculate hotel and the rooms are so accommodating, not to mention the beautiful views! This hotel has been designed and decorated with the visitors needs as their number one priority. I managed to pick up a booklet with information on their Christmas & New Year celebrations as this would be an amazing place to sit back and watch the New Years Eve fireworks being set off over the Tyne Bridge.

Now if a cupcake decorating class was not enough, we then ended the afternoon with afternoon tea. I have to say that the attention to detail throughout the whole event could not be faulted and the afternoon tea was certainly beyond my expectations!

We ended the afternoon with sandwiches, cakes and scones, feeling a little bit calmer at this point. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to everyone and feel really lucky that I was given this opportunity!

Sometimes we think that we can't do certain things in life, if we simply take all the opportunities we are given we start to develop new skills, meet new people and most of all learn that sometimes the things that take us out of our comfort zone are actually the times in our lives that we shine the brightest!

Thank you to everyone at Joe Blogs for making my first ever blog event such a lovely experience! I have had a lovely afternoon and decided to share my cupcakes I made with my Mam!

If you are thinking of planning a trip to Newcastle and looking for somewhere to stay to make your trip more memorable I would highly recommend staying at the Copthorne hotel, and if you are looking for something creative to do, why not head to Julies Cake House at the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate for a class in cake decorating!

If you want to find out more about Julies Cake House or the Copthorne Hotel then please click the links below.

Copthorne Hotel-http://www.millenniumhotels.co.uk/copthornenewcastle/

Find out more about afternoon tea http://whatson.millenniumhotels.co.uk/newcastle/britain's-best-afternoon-tea-experiences/

Julies Cake House-http://www.juliescakehouse.co.uk

I hope you have enjoyed this post as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

Thanks for Reading

Tracy xx

Who am I going to be Today?

Butcher, baker or even candlestick maker? Ok so maybes not but over the past couple of weeks I have been sharing on social media my business ideas etc. My friends that follow my personal Facebook account might think I have just about lost the plot! Each day I wake up and discuss with my Mam my ideas and she simply puts her hands in her head and just bites her tongue.

When I was growing up my favourite place was a craft store or a stationary shop, still to this day I have a pile of notebooks that I refuse to write in incase I mess them up!  The other day I looked through my notebooks and found a brand new filofax with 2013 diary inserts untouched!

Anyhow I am going off track (not like me at all!), as I was saying, my Mam always kept introducing me to different crafts and hobbies and I always thought that when I 'grew up' I would have a job doing something creative.

When I left school I had no idea about what I wanted to do or how I would get there. I studied Art & Design in six form, went on holiday in the summer and came back wanting to be a holiday rep or travel agent!!

After studying travel and tourism for 3 years I realised that (eventually) I wanted to do something more creative as a career. This is when I was introduced to graphic design.

I had an amazing tutor during my first two years, then once I started my degree things started to change for me. I wasn't enjoying the course and hearing about how most Graphic Designers work freelance  made me re-think my future. I had bills to pay and knew that I needed a steady, secure income for my future.

I was already working part time at this point in a local social club and in a office job and decided to take the offer of a permeant office job instead of continuing my studies any further.

I have created many blogs in the past and I simply was not committed and they sort of fizzled away until last September (it has been 8 months already!) I created Little Miss Plus Size.

This allowed me to do so many things, I was able to share with you my experience going through the worst part of my life, share my weight loss struggles, my beauty finds and about living a plus sized life. This gave me a place to be creative again, creating a logo, my website and not to mention developing my photography skills. 

This was one of my very first pictures I took for my blog and looking back my photography skills have improved, hopefully you agree!





 

As you can see my logo has changed over my time blogging and  in my opinion my skills have developed and changed over 8 months, and who knows it might even be completely different 8 months from now.

So blogging has helped channel my creativity and I have always accepted the fact that I would work a 9-5 (if you know me sometimes its more like 8-3!) and thats all I am good enough for, until now!

I have tried a little bit of social media management and really enjoyed it, until it made me want my own business! Now going from wanting to be a ballerina when I was young (yes you heard right, a ballerina!) to dabbling in art and design, travel and tourism & graphic design I in all honesty had no idea what I wanted to do, I think I texted my friend Jen a new business idea and plan every other day.

I have went from web design, bath bombs, jewellery design, fashion, you name it and I have thought about it.

If your a blogger, then you will understand how great it is trying to get the right photography to go with your blog posts, sometimes its even the accidental shots that are the best. I used to use a simple point and shoot for my blog photos but I am so excited to let you know that I am now a proud owner of a DSLR!

I have never had an expensive camera, and to be honest you do not need one to blog. I really wanted to get into photography a bit more and learn some new techniques. I have touched on photography in the past during my time studying but there are so many things I want to learn.

So your now wondering what has my DSLR got to do with my business idea! You know how passionate I am about my dog, Lulu and she is a huge part of my family (even though she is tiny!) so I had a brainwave, yes you guessed it, I am currently in the process of setting up a pet photography business!!

I am so excited and even have a few pictures up already on my Facebook page. Now I am not saying that if you buy a camera and have a pet that you can be a pet photographer (well technically you can!), it takes hard work, taking unique shots and capturing a animals personality. This is going to be a very long process as I plan on making it a hobby until I feel that I am able to take pictures that I would be proud to sell. At the moment I am in the process of setting up a website and arranging free photography sessions with clients.

I am also in the process of setting up a blog/website dedicated to my love of stationary and planners, I wanted to keep this separate from Little Miss Plus Size as I understand that if you are a regular reader interested in beauty and plus size fashion then this might not be for you.

So I am so looking forward to my two new projects and between them, Little Miss Plus Size and my job I should be quite busy!

People might laugh, might say that you can't and even pull you down, but let that be what drives you! We live in a world where we can be whatever we want to be! Nobody said its going to be easy but if you really want to do something then you can do it with hard work and dedication.

I know that this has been a long winded ramble but I just wanted to let you know what is currently happening and re-assure those of you that know me that I am not going mad!

Thanks for Reading

Tracy xx