DIY – A Scrapbook Full of Memories

 

As a student, many of my nights have been spent in loud sweaty clubs, fuelled by vodka, grooving to Cardi B with my pals and making amazing memories.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s all well and good, however now I’m in my second year I’m also cherishing those undervalued nights in. Sometimes all you need to recharge your batteries is a chilled evening in with some scented candles, a cup of tea and a scrapbook for company.

I’m quite a sentimental person, I’m that annoying friend that insists on taking photos of even the most uneventful day to day outings. And since the beginning of my first year I’ve kept every ticket, wristband and token. So, I started this scrapbook for all my photos and memories from nights out, gigs, birthdays, holidays…you name it. And with the help of Pinterest my scrapbook has slowly turned into a cute little time capsule for me to look back on in years to come.

Starting your own scrapbook:

Obviously the first thing a photo journal is going to need are some photos. One of my favourite apps to use is freeprints, it’s super handy as printing, especially in colour and on nice shiny paper, can get really expensive. Once you’ve signed up, you can print up 45 free photos each month, and all you have to pay for is postage. There is an extra charge if you want the photos any bigger or smaller, so what I usually do is get them printed custom size for free, and then trim them down myself.

As well as photos, your scrapbook can include any other souvenirs you can get your hands on! Cinema or concert stubs, festival wristbands, plane tickets or even a ticket from the cloakroom like the one I’ve used on the page above.

Colourful washi tape is great for adding a bit of colour and decoration to your scrapbook. I like to write my titles and headers in different fonts and add doodles, handwritten notes and dates to each page.

If I ever need some inspiration I just hit up Pinterest, there are literally thousands of ideas floating around that you can take and make your own. Making a scrapbook is a lot of fun, and is perfect if you’re a bit nostalgic like I am and love reminiscing on great times. 

Enjoy sticking and doodling away!

 

24 hours in Edinburgh

Last week my friend and I headed on a slightly spontaneous adventure to Edinburgh. On Wednesday morning we headed to the airport and flew out from London. Our flight back was the next day, giving us just under 24 hours to soak up everything the glorious Scottish city had to offer.

We had a few places in mind that we wanted to check out but, as neither of us had been before, we were really looking forward to just following our noses and seeing where we ended up.

The hotel we were staying in was right in the centre of the city on Princes Street opposite the Scott Monument. Being so central meant we could go everywhere on foot and didn’t need to worry about public transport, which was so convenient as our time was limited and we could come and go from the hotel at our leisure.

After checking in and dropping our bags in our room we packed a picnic and headed up to Calton Hill, which was a short but relatively steep walk. The panoramic views at the top made the walk well worth it though, as we reached the top just as the sun was setting behind the Scott monument and Edinburgh castle. A beautiful view for our picnic.

We went for a wander across North Bridge and down the High Street, in search of The Devil’s Advocate, a quirky bar that had been recommended to us. We finally found it tucked down a quiet cobbled alleyway, that you’d miss if you weren’t looking for it, a huge contrast to inside the bar where there was a loud and vibrant atmosphere. Despite how busy it was, we were welcomed warmly by the members of staff, the service was excellent, as were the Scottish themed cocktails! 

As the evening grew darker and colder we went in search of a more cosy pub. After strolling down Victoria Street, admiring the charming architecture that inspired JK Rowling when writing Harry Potter, we found ourselves at Grassmarket Square. An array of bars and pubs lined the streets but we found The Fiddler’s Arms to be particularly inviting, and we spent the rest of the evening chatting and drinking whiskey. The next morning we were up early to squeeze in as much as we could before we had to leave. We decided to head to Edinburgh Castle but decided to take the scenic route through West Princes Street Gardens, stopping to admire Ross Fountain on our way. The Castle was a tourist magnet, as we expected, so was very busy, but it was as beautiful as we had imagined and we were glad we had visited.

We spent the rest of the morning exploring the streets a bit further out from the centre. We headed down Candlemaker Row and Lauriston Place, passing some of the historic university buildings and stopping at some of the cute boutiques and shops.

After lunch at a small cafe back at the Grassmarket, we hopped back on the tram and headed back to the airport, drawing our 24 hour adventure to a close.

I absolutely loved visiting Scotland’s beautiful capital, it’s small and compact yet there’s so much going on. We were able to just about squeeze it all in to 24 hours, although that being said I’m already planning another trip there!