My SECOND Bloggerversary + BLOG PARTY!

Hi everyone!

To be completely honest, I can’t quite believe what I’m typing out because it feels so unreal but..

IT’S MY SECOND BLOGGERVERSARY!

(Sorry for the all caps there, I’m just really excited haha..)

It feels absolutely incredible to have (somewhat?) successfully completed TWO years of blogging!? (I’m still a bit stunned).

I know that this year I wasn’t able to blog even half as much as I wanted to, mainly because I didn’t prioritize my blog as much as I wanted to and during the past couple of weeks I haven’t been able to have any access to the blogosphere as my device started malfunctioning. (oops)

Anyway, all of that aside, I still feel like I have learnt so much this year as well, although it seems to have flown by. I think I’ll chat about that in a different post, otherwise this one would be really long haha..

Whenever I blog-finish planning a post, making the graphics, writing, editing and then finally hitting publish-it always gives me an overwhelming sense of excitement, satisfaction and just pure happiness. That feeling is one that is just irreplaceable! It’s  a definite part of what makes blogging so special.

The thought of having other people reading-even enjoying-something that you have written is just amazing!

Starting my blog on August 1st two years ago, was most definitely one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made! Through my blog I’ve not only been able to express my ideas and thoughts on a completely different platform, but I have also been lucky enough to have gotten to know the most AMAZING people!

Last year, I hosted a blog party to celebrate my bloggerversary, so I thought; Why not have one this year as well?

Blog parties are a fab way to get to know more amazing bloggers in the community and to just celebrate and have fun!

Here’s How it Works:

• You leave a comment introducing yourself and your blog (don’t forget to leave a link!)
• Interact with the other people who have left a comment. Start up a conversation!
• Get to know more bloggers and have fun!

I wanted to add in a couple of extra details (just to make the party more unique!)

• Bring virtual party food! (donuts are the best, but cake and ice cream are always appreciated!)
• Include one of your hobbies/interests in your description so you can find more people who share your passions.
• Feel free to add in a random fact about yourself. I always think that these are really fun to read.

example-I like pineapples! (I really do haha..it’s abit random, but it’s still a fact!)

Always be polite and kind in the comments and please don’t say anything that could potentially offend or upset anyone!

That’s about it! I really hope that you enjoy the party (I’m really looking forward to it) and I hope that you have an amazing time!  *hands donuts*

Thank you all so so much for all of your love,support and amazing comments throughout the past two years, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it!

See you in the comments!

 

 

 

 

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DIY (Eco-Friendly) Statement Necklace + How To Personalize Any Outfit!

Hi everyone!

I’m really excited about today’s post because it’s going to be merging three of my favorite things together: Fashion, DIYs and being eco-friendly!

Recently, I happened to spot a couple of gorgeous statement necklaces; they were bright, colorful and unique. And I loved them.

Lately I’ve also been wanting to get more into conserving energy and saving the planet,consuming less etc.. and on that thought, I thought that those necklaces looked easy (and fun!) enough to DIY, so that’s what I did!

I have tons of old beads that I don’t use anymore, and I thought that I’d try to re-use them for this DIY. I had a couple of pretty bracelets that accidentally broke (oops) and I had collected the beads, hoping that they would come in handy, and I was right! They did!

I decided to paint my beads and charms (both taken from old bracelets) and I used a chain that I had bought ages ago, that went well with my plan for this necklace!

-Step 1-

You can connect the invisible thread to the chain using a jump ring, if your chain is a bit more delicate, or you can just tie a double knot through the chain, like I did.

You’ll have to close the chain first (with the clasps already on the chain) and then add in the thread in the middle part of the chain.You might have to remove a couple of the links in your chain or you could just use pliers to prise it open, to get to the middle.

You just need to thread in the invisible thread (that’s a mouthful haha..) through one link of the chain.

-Step 2-

Now it’s time for the fun (and slightly nerve-wracking) part: the beads. I recommend planning out a pattern or having a little idea of how you want your necklace to look before you begin, because that will definitely make it easier.

After you are done threading in your beads, you can tie a double knot at the other end of the chain to connect it all together, and then you are done!

You could also just go wild and add in all sorts of combos as well, too! Just have fun with it, it’s your necklace, it’s a part of you. It’s your statement so make it as big and bold as you want it to be.

You don’t even have to use beads or charms if you don’t want to! You could always trade in the invisible thread for some colourful yarn and make something intricate with a macrame knot style necklace! It’s all up to you,and how you want to make your statement!

I decided to go with an all silver theme with a statement pink bead in the centre and I also wanted to add in some charms after every two beads, to give it some variation and also because that’s what I wanted it to look like; a charm bracelet style necklace mixed with a unique layout!

When it comes to styling statement necklaces, it’s all about incorporating your personal style. You can either use your statement necklace as a statement piece to dress up an otherwise ‘ordinary’ outfit, or you could simply use it as a unique accessory to add in your personality to an already fab outfit!

I usually like to style my statement necklaces with shirts or dresses which have high collars so that I can slide the necklace under the collar, or I just wear it with a dress and a cute jacket.. the options are honestly endless!

Here are two outfits which incorporate my favorite ways to wear the necklace!

For this outfit, I decided to go with a water coloured shirt underneath a teal overall style-dress and of course the necklace! I really like how the necklace contrasts and coordinates with all of the colours!

I wanted this outfit to be a bit more toned down, so I picked out this white Broderie-Anglaise style dress and paired it with my sparkly denim jacket.(Yes, it does have glitter on it. I don’t know how. It’s amazing. Unfortunately you can’t really see it in the picture, unless you look really close.)

Anyway, I think a statement necklace really helps to transform an ordinary outfit to an extra ordinary one. Especially ones that you’ve made yourself!

I think it’s really cool to know that I’m the only one in the world who owns a necklace exactly like this one. There definitely might be similar ones, but nothing will be the exact copy of my one!

What did you think of this post! Are you going to try this DIY out?! I hope so! Oh, and what do you think of my necklace? At first I didn’t really like it, but the more I wore it, the more I liked it. I suppose it’s just one of those things ha ha.. also, if you made a statement necklace, what do think it’ll look like? What is your version of making a statement? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments and for reading my post!

The NEW Blog Design Reveal + Blog Update!

Hi everyone!

It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? Well, this post is the reason why..

I’ve been re-doing my blog! Oh and I had exams. But I redesigned my blog! That’s the important thing haha.. as you can probably tell,I’m really excited haha..

I had a ton of ideas for my blog and I decided to just plan it all out and just go for it! I also really wanted to improve the quality of my blog-the graphics, content, pictures etc and I really hope that you all like it!

Okay. It’s time for the most important part! The Before and After pictures. After all a real re-design isn’t complete without it! 😉

I already loved the overall colour scheme of my old blog design, so I decided to use the similar colour palette, but with less colours so that it wouldn’t look too cluttered. I also wanted to change up the fonts I used and be a bit more consistent with my overall design!

Oh! And I changed my theme as well. I wanted my blog to be a bit more minimalistic and also easier to access so I switched themes from the WordPress theme-Dara to Toujours. One of my favorite features of both themes was the fact that they were both so easy to customize and they both had a ‘featured’ content slider for your home page! I’d definitely recommend both themes if you are looking for a change in your blog design.

There definitely isn’t that much of a drastic change, but I still really like how it looks!

While I was re-designing my blog, I came up with loads of fun new blog post ideas as well as ways to try and make my blog posts better! Since I haven’t done a blog update for absolutely ages, I thought that now would be the perfect time to have one!

As you can probably tell now, my blogging style has changed a tad bit. I’m thinking about using more pictures and graphics in my posts. I love having visuals along with my blog posts so I think that it’ll be a nice little addition!

I’ve also decided to update the style of my special Blogging Days!

Motivational Monday-

Motivational Mondays are a randomly posted (at least once a month) blog post to hopefully inspire you to have a better week, share my favorite quotes for staying motivated, chat about topics that I think are important and maybe even share a couple of DIYs! Whatever it is, I just want Motivational Mondays to help you all (and me!) stay inspired to be the best version of yourself. (And to spread positivity as well,of course!)

Talent Tuesday-

I don’t think I’ve ever had a proper ‘Talent Tuesday’ on my blog before but I’ve always wanted to! Talent Tuesday’s are the days on my blog when I collab with amazingly talented people, host fun interviews and do other lovely things with other fabulous people!

Wacky Wednesday-

Wacky Wednesdays have got a whole new look as well as a lot of fun new features like the scale of Wack-Fab-Ness (Wackiness+Fabulous-Ness?) where you get to decide how wacky/ fab that day’s experiment/experience was! I’ve also got a ton of ideas for new posts, including a challenge on trying not to talk for a day (Terribly hard for someone like me, because I tend to talk quite a bit haha..) and trying to bake my dream cookies! (Cookies+ Sasha=A Very Risky Combo)

Apart from these special days, I’ll still try to post regularly every Sunday and I’ll also be continuing ‘Sasha Chats’- The Occasional Chatty Sunday post where I chat about a lot of fun topics and just ramble (a lot) haha..

I’m also thinking about starting a little addition for ‘Sasha Chats’ called ‘Sasha Speaks Out’. I want to delve a little deeper into more topics like Bullying,Confidence, Staying Positive and other important topics! I actually need all of your help on this one because I’m not sure if I want to add in this to ‘Sasha Chats’ or just continue having it on my ‘Motivational Monday’ posts like I used to do.

I’ll also be continuing ‘Dreamer Diaries’ which is my official blog name for my travel diaries! I haven’t got any planned yet, but it’ll still definitely be a part of my blog!

I think that’s about it for my Update! It’s not as massive as my previous ones, but I’m still quite pleased with how everything has turned out! I really hope that you like my new design and that you are just as excited as I am for my new (and hopefully improved?) blog posts!

What did you think of the new design? Do you like it?? Do you have any design tips, you’d like to share? What do you think of the blog Update? Do you have any other suggestions? I’d love to hear them! Also, how is your day/ night going?I hope that you are having an amazing one!

Thank you so much for reading!

Five Starry Outfits To Brighten Up Your Wardrobe!

Hi everyone!

This week, I decided to put together a couple of outfits featuring one of my favorite things; Stars! I absolutely LOVE stars; I love how they brighten up the night sky, I love how unique each star is and I love the fact that although during the day some of them  can’t be seen, they are always still up there in the sky waiting for their time to shine again. Oh and I also love that they can just instantly add in a touch of glamour (and stardust) into any ordinary outfit and instantly brighten it up!

Anyway, I wanted to combine my love of stars and fashion together and this post is the final result! I really hope that you like ’em!

Outfit 1- A Celestial Dream

This was the outfit that originally served the purpose as my inspiration for this post. If I’m completely honest, it almost might be my favourite haha.. I fell in love with the pattern of the sweater and I just knew that I had to pair it up with a pink skirt and a beret! (I also simply ADORE that mini camera as well,don’t you?)

For some reason whenever I find myself putting together outfits, I also dream up people whose personalities are sort of connected to outfit as well. So, for this outfit, I thought that its personality would be someone who loves to daydream and take photographs of everything that she finds extraordinary in an ordinary city and turn it in to something just a little bit magical.

Outfit 2- The Star Spangled Superstar

For this outfit, I wanted to go really casual but also unique and bold, and what’s more bold and unique than a coconut purse, glittery sneakers and fun patterned leggings??

I toned down the star theme a bit with only a white shirt with a row of silver stars around the neckline and a matching celestial bracelet. I think the effect is bit more subtle but still really fun! (and quite effective!)

(Outfit Persona- A fun and quirky teen who walks with confidence and has an immense love for glitter and fruit loops!) 😂💗

Outfit 3- A Starry Night

This look is a bit more toned down in terms of the colour scheme, but I still think its perfect for anyone who is a bit more glamourous and still wants to incorporate this fun theme into an everyday look!

I stuck to grey, black, white and silver for this one and I’m actually really pleased with how it turned out! I absolutely ADORE the shoes (as always haha..) and I thought that adding in the pink frames were a bit of a unique touch.

The person I had in mind while putting this one together is someone who is classy, coordinated and confident but also a tiny bit rebellious and loves to ice-skate, for some reason? I just think that the jacket kind of brings out that different side? Because people can’t really be fit into specific genres, there’s so much more to them than a label after all!

Outfit 4- Starring : Candy With a Sprinkle of Stars

I just HAD to include in an outfit with a dress and as soon as I saw this one, I loved it! The star print isn’t too loud but it isn’t exactly subtle either and I wanted to emphasize that, but also add in a couple of sweet little touches like the golden starry socks that are going to tucked into the boots! (They just remind me of Harry Potter, for some reason so I just had to include ’em!)

I also adore the colourful umbrella that also just adds to the sweet and pastel theme that this outfit brings out!

For some reason when I think about this outfit, I always imagine the person wearing it to be dancing around a cobblestoned street when it is raining with a big smile, while the others are all shut up inside their houses mourning about the gloom.

After all life isn’t always perfect and embracing that fact is the first step to being truly happy and content!

Outfit 5- A Burst Of Stardust

As always, I love to save my most unique outfit for last, and this time definitely isn’t an exception. I found these gorgeous jeans and I paired them up with a cashmere sweater patterned with stars! I was actually quite surprised at the contrast and how much I liked it!

To tie in the outfit together, I added in some silver wedge sneakers, a red and black wristlet and some silver star earrings! This outfit just screams STARS, so its definitely not subtle but I still think that although it’s a bit more bold, you can definitely dress it up or down.

What did you think of this post and my outfits? Did you have a favourite? Oh, and would you wear any of these outfits, if you got the chance? If so, which one and why? I’m quite curious! Let me know in the comments down below!

Have Chapped Lips? Try THIS! | My FAVORITE DIY Lip Scrub Recipe.

Hi everyone!

Today I’m finally going to be sharing my go-to DIY lip scrub recipe. If you are anything like me and you have chapped lips all.the.time then this recipe is definitely for you! I discovered this recipe quite a while ago and I altered it lil’ bit to make it more amazing and I really hope that you all like it!

Oh, and you know the best part about this recipe? It can be done made in under three minutes and it’s really really easy too!

• Sugar- 1 tablespoon
• Coconut oil-1 teaspoon (you could also substitute this with olive oil or even honey)
• Vanilla Essence or Extract.
• Pink or Red food colouring (optional)
• A Container

• Mix together the oil and sugar.

• Then add in vanilla extract (or any other flavoring of your choice) along with a couple of drops of food coloring. (For a little pop of colour or tint after using the lip scrub!)
• Mix it all together, pop it into a container and then you are done!

If you want to, you can decorate your container as well,I used a bit of washi tape and a couple of letter stickers to make mine a bit more unique and fun!

I absolutely adore this lip scrub and I hope that you do too! It was honestly a life-saver because at some point my lips had gotten so chapped that I could barely even smile without suppressing a grimace of pain. It was awful.

I’d recommend using this with a toothbrush (I know it sounds weird but, hey, it works!) and sort of using it to brush your lips? (With the lip scrub, of course!) It’s actually one of the most effective ways to use it as well haha..you could use your fingers too,of course, but this was just the easiest and the quickest way to do it!

Oh,and you can always feel free to experiment with new flavors and combinations! I made Nutella lip balm a while ago and I can definitely customize this recipe to make a Nutella lip scrub too! You can be as wild and creative as you’d like!

Okay, now I’m dying to know: if you could make a lip scrub or a lip balm in any flavor or combination (go as crazy as you’d like), what would it be?? I think I would probably make something that smells like chocolate but looks like a rainbow. (Rainbow chocolate? Hmmm)

Oh, and do you have chapped lips too? If so,how do you deal with it? I’d love to know!

Comment down below and let me know!

Lee @ Golden Pink Journal

Thank you all so much for reading and for your lovely comments!

Sasha Chats : Balancing Blogging and School, The Unexpected Hiatus + An Exciting Announcement!

Hi everyone!

Gosh, it feels so amazing to be able to blog again! I’ve missed this more than I could have ever imagined!

One of my biggest goals this year was to not have any blogging hiatuses and unfortunately almost as soon as I made it, I took an unannounced hiatus. I’m so sorry everyone!!

I feel absolutely awful and the worst part is, it was so unexpected that I didn’t even realize I was on a hiatus! Recently I signed up for quite a few extracurricular activities and took part in a couple of  other events, but I didn’t expect it to take up so much of my free time, which of course, I use to blog.

In short: February was an absolute whirlwind of a month and I even quite enjoyed it? but as a consequence I had absolutely NO time to blog or even read! (terrible, I know!)

I had a TON of ideas, but I just had no time to sit and type up a post or even just have a quick chat with all you! Well, not until now, of course. It’s all still a bit crazy (not as bad as before though) but I think I will just have to learn how to juggle it all, because blogging is way too special to give up!

I suppose in a way, this hiatus was a sort of blessing in disguise though? I was able  to focus more on specific things and just learn, which was lovely and everything but I still really missed my blog.

 Every time I go on a hiatus, I always realize that when I return to the blogosphere, I just feel more motivated and re-energized and this hiatus (as exhausting as it was) was most definitely not an exception. 😉

Oh, and one of the main reasons this post is a ‘Sasha Chats’ post and not an ordinary one, is because I just love chatty posts (as you have probably guessed haha) and because I thought that this would be the perfect way to hopefully explain everything and also just catch up!

My last ‘Motivational Monday’ post was one of my fave blog posts to write and I was thrilled at the positivity that I saw through the comments, so thank you all so much!!

I had never written something like that on my blog before and it was a bit of a challenge to sort of spill out everything that had been running through my head, but it was most definitely worth it! If you haven’t checked out yet, then please do! I’d love to know your thoughts! You can read it here.

I also wanted to chat a bit more about balancing everything in your life? I know it can be really overwhelming at times (or in my case, for a whole month!) but I think that in the end it all comes to how you decide to  deal with it.

Last year, I came up with a blogging schedule that I loved. I still do love it actually, so I’m just going to strengthen my resolve to stick to it. I have chosen to blog usually during the weekends (unless it’s an extra special post) and I’ve found that it gives me quite a lot of flexibility but also doesn’t cut into the time that’s reserved for other things like school, reading and daydreaming! (those things must be prioritized too!)

Oh, and I have a really exciting announcement to make!

*dramatic pause*

I’m going to be redesigning my blog! As most of you have probably already noticed the style and design of my blog posts have changed quite a bit during the past few weeks, and I think that my blog has definitely grown quite a bit since my blog makeover last year.

So,I thought that it would be really fun to have another makeover! I’ve really enjoyed playing around with the different styles and variations of potential blog graphics (the featured image for this post is a ‘lil sneak peek!) and I absolutely CANNOT wait for the big reveal! ❤

That’s it for this week’s ‘Sasha Chats’! I really do hope that you enjoyed reading it! What are your tips on balancing school and a blog? Have you ever gone on an unexpected hiatus?? Do you have any special plans for your blog, too? Let me know in the comments down below!

Motivational Monday | Beauty, Being Yourself and Bravery

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to another Motivational Monday post! I hope that you are all having a great Monday! (Hopefully anyway!) and if you aren’t then, I hope that this post cheers you up a bit!

This isn’t going to be like my usual Motivational Monday Posts though, I wanted to just do a bit more of a chatty/ discussion type post today because a lot has happened recently that really got me thinking.

So, recently I was with a couple of my friends and we were all just chatting about the most random things and then we came to the subject of being “pretty” and at that point I fell silent, because I didn’t exactly agree with what they were saying but I didn’t know what I could say to explain what I was thinking either.

And that’s what I wanted to talk about in this post.

Beauty is something that is universal (and over the past few years it has become quite a controversial topic) but sometimes, I think that it all just does not make any sense. Being pretty, Having to look and behave a certain way in order to follow a standard.

Being a teen and being exposed to the media and the online world isn’t something that you can really avoid.Unfortunately with all the good things online, bad things follow as well. Things like stereotypes and always having the need to look a certain way, wear certain brands and be a certain type of person. Just always having to fit within a label.

And the worst part is that it’s never announced out loud. It’s just something that forms within every mindset and it tends to affect people in different ways.

There are always these articles in magazines telling you to be yourself and no one will judge you, but then the very next week, the same magazine goes about telling everyone that you simply must wear this and you most definitely shouldn’t be wearing that if you want to be pretty or beautiful.

But that’s just not what beauty really is about. It’s not what it symbolizes and it’s not what it stands for. Beauty is more than what you are wearing and if it’s the ‘Brand of the Season’ or not. It’s not about looking a certain way or having the right hair or clothes. Its so much more than that.

Beauty is something that you can’t always see. It’s within all of us. Sometimes it just takes us longer to find it.

That person you saw on the streets yesterday? The one who looked helpless and desperate for money? That person is beautiful. Why? Because he doesn’t want the money for himself. He wants it for his family. He wants to see a smile on his daughter’s face. He wants to raise his son in a better way than his father raised him. He just wants a better life for them. Not for him. For them.

True beauty is being kind. Being caring. Being unselfish. Being loving. Giving a helping hand. Offering a smile to someone who needs it, even if it’s the smallest thing that you could do.

And that is what I  think being beautiful really is all about. Being human. And being compassionate. Having a good heart. Because in the end that’s all that truly matters.

If you really think about it, You aren’t going to look the same in about 70 years, are you? and is all of this really going to matter? In about a year or two, the “ideal standard of beauty’ is going to change anyway.

So don’t torture yourself. STOP comparing yourself and your ideas to other people’s. You never know, they might wish they had something that you have. And comparing yourself isn’t really going to make you feel good about yourself. You are absolutely wonderful just the way you are. No one is perfect but in the end, being perfect is all just a myth anyway.

Being beautiful. Truly beautiful on the other hand isn’t a myth. It’s completely real. And YOU are one of those rare, beautiful people!

Fashion is something that I love. It’s something that I genuinely enjoy doing and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s just like any other passion like reading or even blogging.

It’s just the ‘stereotypes’ that we somehow unconsciously adopt that is kind of scary. I mean if every person in the world looked exactly the same, then what is the point? What would make us all so unique?

I think that’s where courage comes in. Being brave doesn’t always necessarily mean that you have to do something massive. It could be something like accepting yourself for who you are and choosing to become a better person or even  standing up for what you believe in. Every single act makes you brave. And that is something else that makes you beautiful.

It doesn’t even have to be with your words but also with your actions. Choosing to wear the hijab to increase your faith, although you are afraid of what people might say or do is also another form of courage.

With these thoughts in mind, I decided to take the plunge and do something I had never done before, and just  talk about it. I wanted to stand up for something I believed in. Just like all of my heroes had done. It wasn’t anything massive-but like I said, it doesn’t have to be.

I decided to talk to my entire class about what had been running through my head since that fateful conversation. My mum was the first one to tell me to go for it. And I did.

Sometimes, it isn’t easy to stand up to people and speak up. But it went quite well and it was just an amazing feeling after I was done, and my friends were so supportive of it all. And now being able to blog about it as well is just like a dream come true as well!

So, what I want to say is- just go for it! Be yourself. Do what you love doing! And never, ever be afraid to brave. It’s never easy but it’s always worth it.

Thank you all so much for reading!