Scrapbooks

I have a few scrapbooks and I love all of them. Scrapbooking is something that I've done for a few years now and it's a great way to keep memories together in one place (or three). In a way they compliment my blog; the scrapbooks are the images and photos to my life and my blog posts are the words.

As you can see from the photo I have three main ones, each with slightly different content. None of them are finished yet though so they are on going projects. The silver coloured one at the back was my first one and is probably the most random. I brought it in WHSmiths a while back but I think they still do them if you're interested. It has tickets, scraps from magazines, quotes and whatever else I find that I think is interesting in it. I definitely think this one takes the longest to put together because I'm a perfectionist when it comes to doing collages - the one thing I actually liked doing in my Art GCSE course. A double page collage can take me an hour or two to do in there. Although sometimes I just wait to collect something that will fit in the gap that's left - which can take quite a while haha.

But I also have some of my favourite quotes written in this one, but it won't surprise you to know I have a separate book for writing quotes in as well... yep. The tickets vary from train travelcards to concert tickets to theatre and art galleries entry tickets. The next scrapbook in the photo (the one with butterflies on) is from Paperchase and was a Christmas present from my Nana and Grandad - this one doesn't have anything in it yet. I'm planning to get some photos printed off properly and they will go in this one - mainly because the pages in it are pretty thick & good quality. I'd feel bad just sticking magazine scraps in it! I also don't have any photo albums apart from ones when I was little so it seemed like a good idea.

Last of all is the thickest one entitled "Laura's Life & Times". This was made for my by my friends (Alex and Leanne) for my 16th Birthday and it's probably my favourite one out of the three. It's filled with pictures of all my friends along with messages from most of them too. I dread to think how many hours it took them to make it. They left pages at the back for me to complete but with exams, school work and busy times I never got round to completing it. But as I've had some spare time now that it's the summer holidays I got quite a few more pages done. I could have photographed all the pages - but I wouldn't want to bore you, so I've just included a couple... (One of mine & one of theirs).

Although scrapbooks are sometimes time consuming and easy to get behind on they are definitely worth while. They're one of the first things I'd grab if I could only take a small number of items with me. As I've said in the past, some things don't last forever but at least this way I have a record of things I've done and most importantly - the people I've met.

Hope you liked this slightly different post to normal!

Laura.

Song: Patience by Take That

Summer Times

Pretty glad that it's the summer holidays, it seemed like a long wait between AS exams finishing and the end of term - it's crazy to think that one week has already flown past!
I've got quite a few things already planned for this summer including driving lessons, work and school work I have to do but I'll be seeing friends too though, so it's all good. It's so hard arranging stuff when people are all away and busy doing things at different times, that's summer for you I guess haha. Obviously there's also exam results coming up too, which I'm trying not to think about too much because what's done is done and nobody can change it now.

I don't know how many posts I'll be putting up on here in the next few weeks but hopefully it will be at least one per week. I hope you all have lovely summers even if the weather isn't all that great and make sure you keep in touch with all your friends over the 5 weeks even if it is just a text or facebook message. 

Twitter: lauraskelton_ 

Laura.

Song: Hometown Glory by Adele

Make You Love Me

"I can't make you love me if you don't..."

(Based on the song 'I Can't Make You Love Me' by Bonnie Raitt cover by Adele)

One of the worst feelings is when you like someone that doesn't like you back. I think nearly everybody has been there at some point and it isn't an enviable position to be in. You can easily fall into the trap of trying to make them like you because, at the time, that seems like the logical thing to do. In reality however, all it really does is push you further away from them. You may think that helping them with their relationship problems and being such a good 'friend' will mean that they'll suddenly realise what a 'nice' and reliable person you are and that they will end up liking you back. This rarely happens. After all they don't want to be in a relationship with an obsessive & clingy person. The reality is that people who are friends are the ones who end up getting together because they have mutual respect for each other. Whereas the 'try and make you like me' approach doesn't earn you any respect. They can take advantage of you because they know you'd do almost anything for them to like you - that isn't a good base for any relationship or friendship. Nobody deserves to be taken of advantage of or to be drowned in a weird 'obsessive' kind of love.

There is a way out  and that is to walk away from the so called 'relationship' you have with that person and leave them alone for a while. It's easier said than done but it's some of the best advice. They might, after some time, realise that they miss having you around and get back to you. On the other hand they might not, but you never known unless you give it a go. Friendships and relationships can't be one sided because it defeats the concept of them. Unfortunately you can't make some body's heart feel something that it won't but time can be such a wonderful thing...

"Morning will come and I'll do what's right, just give me till then to give up this fight - and I will give up this fight."

Laura.

Song: The Scientist by Coldplay

The Maze

Life is like a maze. You'll come across times where there are several choices and you have to decide which way to go - sometimes it will lead you to another choice or opportunity, other times you'll end up at what seems like a dead end. But the thing is, although you can't change your initial decision you can turn around and go a different way afterwards. There's never a right and a wrong way because you'll get to the end eventually even if it wasn't quite the easiest route or the way you planned it to be in the first place. There are things that block the way in the maze and restrictions on what you can actually do but you still have choices. Two things are guaranteed - there is a beginning and there will be an end; the rest is down to you...

Laura.

Song: Mr Brightside by The Killers

Wide Awake

"Yeah I was in the dark, I was falling hard with an open heart, I'm wide awake. How did I read the stars so wrong? I'm wide awake and now it's clear to me that everything you see ain't always what it seems. I'm wide awake, yeah I was dreaming for so long. I wish I knew then what I know now, wouldn't dive in, wouldn't bow down..."

Laura.

Song: Wide Awake by Katy Perry (Alex Goot Cover)

Realisation?

That feeling when you know something's indefinitely going to happen, but you refuse to believe it because you don't want it to be true. Then it actually happens and you wonder why you didn't prepare yourself for it in the first place. 

"We live a lie to make us see the truth."

Laura.

Song: The Fear by Ben Howard