The Year of the Travelling Filofax

During my teenage years The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants was one of my favourite book and film series; it was my go to film when I was feeling a little down. I loved the idea of this old pair of jeans, somehow fitting everyone of the girls and helping them through both of their highs and their lows.

I was lying awake in bed the other night and an idea occurred to me, at first I decided that I was mad and rolled over and went to sleep but I couldn't get it out of my mind over the next few days and so I have decide to try it!

So ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The year of the travelling Filofax!

Now apologies for the quality of these photos, I took them in the evening as I was so eager to get this post up, what with the end of the year fast approaching (seriously, where did 2014 go?!). The Filofax that will be host to this is the Personal Holborn in brown- what will be inside it?

This is the fun part, I am starting the Filofax out with very few inserts, my intention is for this to be a starting point. I am excited to see what the participants will add (or remove) to the Filofax as it makes it journey around.

The starting point will be a zippered pouch, clear fly leaf, 2015 week on two pages diary inserts and some lined notepaper.

So what are the rules for taking part? There really aren't very many but just to be on the safe side, these are the following conditions:

1. To be able to participate in this then you must email theuniversityffproject@gmail.com by midnight on 31st December 2014 and indicate any planned holidays/vacations or other events which mean that you will be unavailable to receive the Filofax or post it on. Please also include your postal address.

2. You must not remove or tamper with the contributions anyone else has added to the Filofax prior to you receiving it. 

3. It would be appreciated if you sent an email to theuniversityffproject@gmail.com stating that you have received the Filofax and when you have posted it so that its movement can be tracked. 

4. The University Project cannot be held responsible for the loss or damage to the Filofax should it be lost in the mail at some point during its journey. Reasonable efforts will be taken to retrieve the Filofax should such an instance arise. 

5. Places will be filled on a first come first serve basis and the posting schedule (TBC) must be adhered to where possible. 

6. Participants must be willing to pay the postage costs and be aware that at times it may be necessary to post the Filofax internationally. (If you would like to take part but cannot afford international postage then please indicate this in your email and efforts will be taken to try and provide you with an in country pass on, but this cannot be guaranteed). 

7. The Year of the Travelling Filofax is open to participants worldwide. 

8. Any blog posts or YouTube videos which feature the Filofax must be sent to theuniversityffproject@gmail.com so that they can also be shared on this blog. 

So that is the boring part over with! I will keep the Filofax with me for the first week of January 2015 and then post onto the next participant in the list (TBA). I can't wait to see who wants to take part and where this Filofax will travel, what will be added to it, what adventures it will go through- I am really excited about seeing this unfold and I hope that you are too!

Please get in touch ASAP if you would like to take part, places will be filled on a first come, first served basis! 

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Things That Made Me Happy #9

(found on Pinterest)

This week has quite possibly been the toughest of my life, its been hard work but it really has been worth it. I have a habit of being overly cautious, weighing up my risk of failure before I try anything new and often my anxious tendencies get the better of me, Throughout the past week I have had two interviews, resulting in many a sleepless night but I survived and in amongst the tough times have been some happy times too. 

1. Getting a place for my PGCE although one of my interviews went incredibly pear shaped, the other did not and I am thrilled to say that I am one step closer to fulfilling my dream of becoming a Primary School teacher- bring on the Stationery! 

2. Re-kindling my love for blogging although the blog has been a little quieter than I would have hoped this week, I am excited about the posts that I have planned for this week, keep your eyes on the blog tomorrow morning if you're a Filofax lover!

3. Dream planner on the way I managed to pull a few strings this week and I have a planner I have been lusting after on the way to me and it should be here early in the new year- excited much!

4. Signs of things to come the location of one of my interviews meant that it was easier if I spent the night at my boyfriends flat the night before; it was a very surreal moment that morning both sitting on the couch in our work clothes, hopefully there will be many more of those moments.

How have your weeks been? 

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Things That Made Me Happy #8

(Found on Pinterest)

This past week has most definitely been on the up! There have been several instances of good news and plenty of times where I have felt that warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach (and not just because of indulging in some take out... ahem!). I had quite a serious talk with my boyfriend this week and it has left me feeling much more settled and in control of things and I think I need to start trying to live by Taylor Swift's motto more often and just 'shake it off'.  Now onto what has been making me happy this week.

1. Acceptance- in the past week I have been invited for two interviews for my PGCE (both of which are this week- eep!). It sounds strange but in the competitive world of teaching, it is rather comforting to know that there are people out there who read your application form and decided they would like to invite you to an interview- please keep everything crossed for me guys!

2. Meeting Goals- last week I hit my Christmas weight goal, several weeks early! I have never found it easy to shift unwanted pounds and so the fact that my hard work is starting to pay off is certainly appreciated.

3. Ordering a New Diary recently, my diary and planning situation has been a bit all over the place  (keep your eyes peeled for a post on this!) but this weekend after watching multiple YouTube videos I decided that I would take the plunge and order a PlumPaper planner which is designed for me to use from January-June (I went for their Student Planner, 6 Months option). Its only been a day since I ordered it and I am so impatient for it to get here already!

4. Discovering Yoga one of the benefits of a gym membership is the ability to try a lot of new exercise classes that you otherwise would not. This morning I tried my first Yoga class and it is safe to say that I am hooked!

5. Starting to re-read the Harry Potter Books my dad re-reads the Lord of The Rings books every winter and since I made the pledge to take more time for myself I have decided that I am going to try and get through as many of the books as I can this winter. I am always amazed by the things that I notice that I never have before, despite the many times I have read these books.

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Posts that I have loved reading this week include Happiness Volume 90 by The Cup and Saucer, as selfish as it is, it is comforting to know that you're not the only one feeling on top of your game right now. I also lusted over Rosie's London Sunset and Christmas Markets and Laura's post on the topic of the hour.

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Taking time for yourself

(image credit)

I was browsing the internet the other day and came across this list on hello giggles dictating the '25 books every girl should read before she turns 25'. Now I like a good challenge and after struggling with the pressure of third year I have taken some advice from Carly and I am making time to read every day.

Currently, I am finishing off the Rosie Effect and after that I have earmarked the Husband's Secret to read for the Blogger's books club so although it might be some time before I get around to this but considering I have just under 3 years to complete it, I ordered the first book off of the list which is Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende and I can't wait to hunt down some of the other books!

What is your favourite thing to do to have some time to yourself?

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Radio Silence, Third year sucks

Wow, its like I shut my eyes and the last month or so flew by and now all of a sudden its December! Remember this post way back in the start of September about my thoughts on third year? Well third year is hard and well it hit me hard.

A combination of being a guinea pig on a new module and the UCU strike (thank heavens that has been suspended until January) have led to me being back on anxiety medication, something that hasn't happened for almost 4 years. They're really helping though and its true, you really shouldn't be afraid of asking for help when you need it. Please don't suffer in silence if you are going through what I did at  the start of the Semester.

So other than 12 hour library days, what else have I been up to?

1. Eating chocolate cake and still losing a little weight! 
I've been trying to adopt a healthier life style lately, and whilst I have still been eating cake like this, I have been doing so in moderation and I have also joined the gym. Although it is nothing drastic, I feel a lot more confident and I am actually starting to enjoy exercise, something quite ground-breaking for the girl who used to skip PE!

2. Social media dissertation project
Everyone who knows me personally, will agree that I am permanently on my phone looking at some form of social media so I am really enjoying experimenting what kind of impact using different kinds of social media has on the interaction and engagement of students.

3. Taylor Swift 1989 (+Buying Concert Tickets!)
As a rare Taylor Swift Fan who has been so since the VERY start, I was beyond excited about the release of 1989, despite the move to pop and it is safe to say I LOVE IT. Like a lot. I also managed to score myself the BEST seat I have EVER had for one of her concerts in June. As you can probably tell, I get very excited about all things Taylor Swift related.

4.Applying for my PGCE
I have sent off my application and so far things seem to be going well. I really hope this pays off so please keep all of your fingers crossed for me!


I feel a LOT better now that I have admitted that I am not coping as well as I could be with third year and at times I succumb to the pressure to share the cherry picked aspects of my life on my blog, but for now- its going to be a mix of ups and downs,  As Robbie Williams said, life is a roller-coaster, just gotta ride it.

Whats in My Bag: The University Edition

As I am about to start my third year of University and lectures I would like to think that I have gotten what I carry in my bag down to a fine art; however, sometimes I end up carrying far too many things around and giving myself backache and then other times I find myself wishing that I had brought other things with me! This here is my happy medium. 

For my lectures this year I am planning on using my Longchamp Le Pliage bag in Large Size as I find this bag to be roomy enough, without allowing me to overstuff it. As well as the things pictured above, I also carry some additional things around with me for University but I will go into that later on in the post! 

On the top left of the picture is an Elba document file* which I use to store any print outs that I need for that day as well as any assignments that I need to hand in. Next is an Oxford Campus A4 Refill Pad* in a lovely pink colour (which unintentionally seems to be my colour scheme for this year at the moment!) and I also carry my keys, for obvious reasons! The refill pad gets used for taking notes in lectures, brain storming out ideas for projects and general university note taking. 

At the bottom left of the picture there is an A5 Oxford Campus notebook*  which houses all of my to do lists, lists of things that I need to try and read that week, books I need to get out of the library and so forth. As I like to try and keep my planner as neat as possible I find it much easier to house all of my University related lists that are temporary (usually only relevant for a week or less) into a notebook. I then have my purse which is actually designed as a travel wallet but as I am using the envelope budgeting system at the moment, it is the perfect size for me! Next up we have the Kate Spade Wellesley zip around planner which I absolutely ADORE, especially the inserts and it may even be that I have found planner peace with this one *crosses fingers*. And finally there is my pencil case in a lovely zebra print which came from Paperchase and I thought it was apt considering I study Zoology. 

Things that I also carry and are not pictured are a water bottle, my lunch if I have a full day of lectures, I also carry a Dictaphone which I keep in my pencil case as well as a pen drive. By the end of term I am sure that I will end up with a mass of receipts and junk at the bottom of my bag but for now I am loving its simplicty!

What do you carry around in your bag for University

PS if you love Oxford and Elba products as much as me be sure to enter their 100 days of converse competition! 

*Items were sent for me for review or purchased with money off coupons but all opinions are my own and I discussed products as though I had bought them with my own money. 

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Things That Made Me Happy #8

This week saw my 22nd Birthday on Sunday! I got well and truly spoilt by all of my friends and family, and yes, I'M FEELING TWENTY TWO! *starts humming Taylor Swift* It was my last week at home before I head back to Bangor tomorrow to start my third year which is also my final year. I'm definitely feeling like I should feel like more of an adult than I currently do. On to the things that have made me happy this week:

1. Discovering eco friendly cafes: On Friday I headed over to Liverpool with my best friend for a mix of birthday celebrations and goodbyes before we both set back off, We stumbled on a really cool cafe which I will be doing a full review of later on in the week :)

2. Getting a Coke bottle with my name on: When you have a name like Loretta, it is not very often that you can find your name on things so when my dogs (yes they are quite the savvy online shoppers) got me one for my birthday, I may have gotten a tad excited!

3. Shopping for new gym clothes: I have decided that I am going to join the gym when I get back to University, mainly for the classes and swimming pool but I am hoping that it will give me a good way to release all of the stresses of third year!

4. Downton Abbey! I am not entirely sure this one needs explaining?! Don't expect to hear from me for the next 8 Sunday evenings :P

5. Getting University Work: Whilst waking up to a 126 item reading list was not the highlight of my week, getting back into the habit of studying and preparing for third year has been more enjoyable than I anticipated!


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