Snapshots in Edinburgh

New book to read

Grocery shop

A trip up Blackford Hill

Gold & Wood Bead Bracelet Tutorial

I'm on a roll, my friends! Another tutorial up and ready to be tried. It's super simple and doesn't require too many things to make so give it a go if you have some time:

Check the video description for links to all the materials I used.

Hope you enjoy! Gimme some feedback if you're feeling generous :)

~Jewellery Tutorial~ Marble, Wire and Chain Necklace

I did it guys! I made a tutorial for the necklace I made yesterday. So proud of my creation I just wanted to share. It's super simple provided you've got the tools and I hope to continue making more tutorials as I come up with new ideas. 

To be honest I prefer the original one but I made it exactly as shown in the video so follow along and craft your own until you're satisfied with it!

Should be making the wooden and gold bracelet in a tutorial tomorrow if all goes to plan so just hang tight for that one!

Back in Business ~Jewellery Making Begins~

Well hello creative world; I AM BACK.

Today I headed out in the search for Edinburgh's Hobbycraft store. Let's all just pretend it was my first time trying to get there. The main thing is, I got there and it was glorious. I found so many treasures and went to town on their pick and mix option.

Here's a quick video of my new collection of goodies.

And here, is my first creation in over 2 years since my friend and I decided to close up our jewellery shop. But I have missed it like crazy. I have so many ideas and I want to make them all! Hopefully I'll be able to vlog them all too.

If enough people like this one I'm probably going to whip together a tutorial on my YouTube channel in the next few days. It took me about 30-45mins to make (a bit of Gilmore Girls for entertainment) but a lot of that was figuring out how to attach and connect everything. 

Anyway, I am hoping that this investment will help with some of my current money issues while I'm still job hunting... and give me a chance to enjoy myself again with the free time I've now been blessed with.

Look forward to more and let me know if you have any suggestions!

EDIT: Only a few minutes later I decided to make another one...

There's no stopping me.

A Fashion Post ~Shopping in Edinburgh~

Been a while since I posted one of these but I thought I'd take the time to showcase some of the things I've purchased since my arrival in the UK. All £15 and below as I'm a cheapskate at the moment.

Due to the lack of income.

Because no one will hire me.

Why am I shopping then?

'Tis a mystery of the female consciousness.

Please understand.

Hat: Primark £8

Leather Jacket: Primark £14

Scarf: H&M £10

Nail Polish: Tanya Burr Cosmetics, £4.99 ea., Penguin Chick (light) & New York Night (dark)

Jumpsuit: TopShop £15

Hat hair... urgh. Also you can't see but that jumpsuit is culottes. I will take better photos at a later date!

24th and 25th of August 2015, Monday and Tuesday

I'm not giving in yet

An Idiot Abroad

I'm not gonna lie...

Things are tough.

It's so glamorous to think of myself jet setting off to the other side of the world on the search for adventure and a new path.

A lot of people told me before I left and now that I was such an incredible person for taking off and heading to Edinburgh on a whim and a feeling. They said they wish they could be as brave and do the same thing. My answer is always;

"It's not 'bravery', it's 'stupidity'".

And I really stand by that. If this doesn't work out it could be a very dumb decision. I'd be sitting here desperately searching for a way to keep myself afloat while the money runs out and my time is eaten up by stress and anxiety.

Money.

Time.

Time and Money.

That's the constant repeat in my head at the moment.

It's not that I'm unhappy or that I don't think this is the journey I need to be going on right now. You could mistake me for complaining or being negative. I just think it's really important sometimes to reflect on the reality of your situation.

My reality being I am jobless and in just 3 and a bit more weeks I will be homeless and penniless.

And I legitimately have no way out if it comes to that. Nor do I have any idea what I'll do at that point.

I'm just being stupidly hopeful that some magical force out there in the universe will help me make it all come together just in time.

But the atheist in me says it'll just be dumb luck.

There is still a scientific, statistically sound chance out there that in the next few hours I'll have a phone call from one of the many jobs I have applied to say "yeah, no worries mate, we will fund your idiocy".

I choose to hold on hope that that will happen.

But I am also keeping my suitcase packed and ready for immediate abandonment of post.

August 20th-23rd 2015, Thursday to Sunday

Getting back into that keto goodness:

Now that I've finished writing and uploading these it's time to start reading my current book:

18th and 19th of August 2015 ~Happy Birthday to Me~

Today's blog... I think tomorrow's will be a little cheerier...

Dear Future Clare Vlog ~Holyrood Park, St Anthony's Chapel~

Went on a beautiful walk up to the St Anthony's Chapel ruins in Holyrood Park (Edinburgh) today. It was absolutely stunning and luckily I took my camera up there with me so I could capture the gorgeous scenery.

Also, me falling.

But mostly the wonderful views.

Enjoy :)

August 9th 2015, Sunday ~Ed Byrne Lied to Us All~

Excellent seat; 4th row from the front

Here's the interview if you're interested:

In the show he talked about how Paul Henry and him had a very awkward interview and Paul kept pushing him to talk about his 'one night stand marriage' and using the very sexist term 'putting out'. For comedic effect this was all very exaggerated, of course. 

However, when I checked out the interview it was Ed who first used the term to discuss his wife 'putting out' on the first date and Paul was the one who tried to steer them on to another topic. In fact, Ed even says 'ladies need to put out on the first night' despite constantly being a defender of women's rights throughout his standup.

I was very surprised by this example of Paul not quite being an asshole. But he's still an asshole.

Well, we can't expect much from the entertainment industry now can we?

Dear Future Clare ~3~ First Full Day in Edinburgh

Day three and a bit more action! Enjoy!

August 6th to 8th 2015; Moving to the UK

Edinburgh:

Dear Future Clare ~1~ Leaving Japan

First vlog of my next step in life - moving to the UK.

This first vlog is just a whole bunch of talking but don't say I didn't warn ya!

Here I am questioning myself and what led me to this moment as well as what the hell I'm going to do in the future.

Packing Mastermind ~Tetris~

So, I have done a lot of packing in my time on this earth. My proudest moment is my minimalist packing for 9 weeks traveling Europe. 

With my big move to the UK I will be starting down a brand new road and building everything up from zero again. To go along side that I wanted to make sure I wasn't carrying any more of a burden than absolutely necessary.

It's taken me 3 months and I have been throwing out and giving away copious amounts of crap but I think I have done well. 

This is the state of my packing and how I fit everything in my 90L suitcase. At this point it was 25kgs worth of stuff but I have thrown away even more since and even changed around the packing for better efficiency. 

The best way to pack has to be the use of packing cells though. Use the good ol' roll and stuff technique and you'll save massive amounts of space. My packing cells are from Kathmandu and Loft but you can find them anywhere these days and often for a reasonable price.

Anyway, take a gander below at my packing technique. 

I must say these videos have been super helpful every time I need to figure out where I put a particular item of clothing.

July 31st to August 5th 2015; Leaving Japan

Packed up my life:

Starbucks from my Kouhai:

Kouhai already exhausted before the newbies even arrive:

Israeli food for dinner! I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it was:

With these peeps:

(Plus 2 not pictured)