Getting Your First Tattoo?

Hello loves,

So for this past week I have been wanting another tattoo so badly and since that is what I've had on my mind so much I decided I would write up a little post to try and help out people who are thinking of getting their first tatt by giving you some tips on how you can prepare for it.

First of all this is super cliche and kind of annoying but please make sure that the tattoo you are getting is 100% the one that you want. I suggest giving an idea a couple of weeks to think about before getting it done as there have been times when I have wanted a tattoo so badly and then a few weeks later had second thoughts. It's all about patience.

I would also like to state that I am of course not a professional; these are just tips that have helped for me in the past but for the best advice about preparing for a tattoo your best bet is to speak to your tattoo artist.

STEP NUMBER ONE

One of my main tips of advice is to make sure you get a good night sleep. Depending on the time of your appointment you want to make sure that you get yourself to bed nice and early so that your body is feeling alive and ready to tolerate pain.

For my first tattoo I made sure I went to bed early but as I got more & more tattoo's I became super cocky and thought I could handle a tattoo while I was tired and I can 100% tell you that I definantly felt the pain more when I was sleepy than when I wasn't.

STEP NUMBER TWO

Make sure to bring some kind of drink with you - preferably something quite sugary. This is because rising your sugar level can make you feel better during your tattoo. Sometimes the pain can make you feel quite light headed & some people even faint during the process so it is important to keep those sugar levels up & to also stay hydrated.

However, if you aren't a fan of sugary drinks you can bring a bottle of water with you to stay hydrated and also bring along a snack as this has the same effect as a sugary drink.

STEP NUMBER THREE

Something that helped me so much to stay calm during my first tattoo was bringing my sister with me; especially since she already has tattoos so I trusted her when she told me everything would be fine - and it was!

Having someone that you love there with you can make the experience much less scary and a lot more comfortable / calm. Now me and my sister often go together and it's become a really fun and bonding experience for us both.

STEP NUMBER FOUR

This step is completely optional and will depend on what your tattooist wants you to do after your tattoo is complete.

I always make sure that I purchase a cream called Bepanthen to use on my tattoo during the healing process. It has worked wonders for me and really helps with the itching you have during the scabbing of the tattoo. You do not have to use this specific cream but do ask your tattooist what cream would be best for you.

STEP NUMBER FIVE

ENJOY IT!

Yes, getting a tattoo can be scary and not everyone will have a great experience but just remember that once it's done you will have something beautiful on you for the rest of your life that represents you and your journey. You will never know how you will react to it until you try it yourself so try not to listen to other people! Getting tattoo's has become one of my favourite things and I love every single one of them for all kinds of different reasons and I hope the same goes for you!

Thank you for reading,

Katie xxxx

5 Ways To Be More Positive

Hello loves,

I think we can all agree that we all have situations or people in our lives that give us ALL the negative vibes. Lately I have been slowly introducing little things to create happiness and joy resulting in a more positive attitude towards life and I want to share these 5 little tips with you that I have found helpful when it comes to training my mind to block out negativity.

1. LET IT GO

There are so many things that have happened in my past that I have struggled to forget simply because I held onto the anger and hurt attached to those memories or people. Once I decided to lead a more positive lifestyle I realised that to do this I had to come face to face with these things and ultimately let them go.

Although it is hard I think getting rid of negative people is the best thing to do. It's so hard to be positive when you have someone down your ear talking about all the things they hate in life. Remember that this is your journey and sometimes it's best to leave people behind before you start it.

Memories are still something I am struggling to let go of. However, I have learned to detach the anger and hurt that came with thinking of those memories. I done this by thinking about them a lot - trying to understand the other persons point of view and also realising that I am human and bad things will happen to me it's how I deal with those moments that determine how I feel.

2. DECLUTTER YOUR SPACE

For me this is something that was completely necessary. I'm definantly someone who gets effected by my surroundings quite a lot.

The first thing I found helpful was to go through my wardrobe and bag the clothes I wanted to give to charity; not only are you getting rid of things you don't need but giving clothes to charities or homeless shelters can really boost your mood.

I also redecorated my room by filling it with things that make me feel happy. Posters with positive quotes, fairy lights, candles, plants and lastly some pebbles I had picked up from Brighton (which is my happy place!). It's little things like this that can surround you with good vibes.

3. REFUSE ANGER

This is something that I struggle with so much. I have always been an emotional person and anger is something that I hate feeling. I find that when i'm angry I begin to think all kinds of negative thoughts and it really brings my mood down.

However, I have began to look at things in a completely different way. For example; if someone is trying to begin an argument with me I will take myself away from the situation and remind myself that everyone has there bad days & that life is just too short to have petty arguments. Talking sense into yourself is so important when it comes to battling anger.

4. SOCIAL MEDIA

I'm definantly not going to be stereotypical here and tell you that you HAVE to stay away from social media to live a more positive life because I don't really believe that is true. You definantly need time away from social media, yes; but blocking it out completely I feel is a little unnecessary.

Finding a line between your online life and your 'real life' however is definantly important. By this I mean reminding yourself that you are a beautiful person & that you shouldn't compare your life with those on social media. You don't need that flashy car Kylie Jenner just posted on instagram, you don't need to hate your body because of Selena Gomez's bikini pics and you also don't need to be jealous of those online who seem to have it all because they 100% don't. Admire from a distance and be happy for them that they have what they do but don't forget to do the same to yourself too.

5.

Lastly is something so simple - SMILE.

I have gone through so many points in my life where I would smile and think 'Wow, I can't remember the last time I truly smiled.' and that is NOT cool.

If you don't feel you have anything in your life to make you smile then find it; even if it's a silly program on TV or a song that you love; finding time for things that bring us happiness will always lead to a positive outcome.

Thank you so much for reading and have a beautiful day.

Katie Ellen xxxx

My Valentines Story

Hello loves,

We all know valentines day is just a day away so what better way to celebrate than telling you the story of how me and my boyfriend Karl met. Some of you may already know him from my YouTube channel but for those of you who don't then I guess this is the best way to introduce him!

So, how did we meet?

We first became friends in high school in year 8 as we had a lot of mutual friends. We spoke often in school but had never talked properly outside of school until we ended up in some of the same classes together in year 9. We began getting the bus home from school together as we take the same bus and slowly became best friends over the years.

I remember him bribing me to walk the long way to the bus stop by saying he would buy me a cherry coke. "You where a cherry coke whore" says Karl - LOL. I was. Not even going to lie, I was obsessed with it.

Here's a little throw back picture of us on a day out to an arcade. I totes beat him on the motorbike games. (Not really.)

I'll be honest we where the type of friends that argued constantly. Mainly because his way of communicating with me was to annoy the living s*it out of me. I have always been a massive fan of music and back in the day 30 seconds to mars where my favourite band EVER. He used to always tell me that they where terrible to purposely wind me up. I got my own back though because a few years later he ended up liking them too!

So basically all the way through school we where best friends. I talked to him about anything and everything and could literally have the weirdest conversations and didn't feel like I was being judged. I always remember my best friend Katherine telling me he liked me but I never believed her, I was in a relationship at the time and sadly I just never saw us being more than friends. HOW WRONG I WAS, EH!?

So lets fast forward into college. We attended the same college and still talked pretty much everyday. However, I became a little bit of a party-holic through the first years and we slowly began to lose contact. Even though we barely spoke I knew he was someone I could turn to if I needed him and that was the type of bond that I could never let go of.

So, I began my third year of college and we began getting close again which sparked a lot of curiosity with our mutual friends. I remember sitting in the class next door to him and texting constantly and everyone giving me the 'why don't you just hurry up and get together' look. 

Most of the pressure came from our mutual friend Simon. He will be so happy he's finally getting some credit for this, haha! Me, Karl, Simon and another mutual friend always went to a pub after college for food and I remember us deciding to stay for a drink one day. I was a tad tipsy and Simon decided to bring up the fact that we clearly liked each other. AWKS.

That night we got home and started talking about what Simon had been saying earlier in the day and we decided it was about time we went on our first date. Although i'd known him for around 6 years at this point I was still super nervous. Here is a little snap from our first date.

Nothing calms the nerves like a glass of wine. AM I RIGHT LADIES!?

So the date was as planned - pub for 2 drinks and then the cinema. Instead we chatted so much we didn't end up going the cinema and just stayed in the pub chatting and I absoloutley loved it.

After spending a few hours talking we decided it was about time we went to get the bus home. 

On the way to the bus stop I realised that he seemed super nervous and quiet which I have NEVER seen Karl do before - especially around me. He slowly turned to me and said "Can I ask you something?" and at that point I knew exactly what was about to happen. Safe to say my heart almost fell through my arse. I was so nervous that we would lose what we had if we became more than friends. 

I laughed from nerves all the way to the bus stop and we sat down to wait for the bus. He sang and looked away from me awkwardly while I stared at him trying to figure out what to say and then we would laugh like school kids from the awkwardness of the whole situation. Eventually I asked if we could meet up again to talk about it. I look back at that now and I'm like Katie, you didn't even have anything to talk about, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY YES.

Anyway, that weekend he came over and we talked. I got the guts to say yes and we sat up till 8am watching the sunrise and I knew that it was the start of the best relationship I have ever had.

So, where are we now?

We have almost been together for 2 years and I have never been happier. Yes we are human and have our arguments - we aren't perfect but I like to think of us as a real life fairytale and I can't wait to live out the rest of our story together.

I was never someone who thought of the future before we became a couple. He makes me look forward to every tomorrow and that is something that hand on heart I have never done before.

I feel lucky to be spending this valentines day with him.

I hope that whether you are spending V-day with your friends or someone you love that you have the best day.

Thank you so much for reading,

Katie Ellen. xxx 

Good Grief

Hello beautiful's,

I am back this week with a more serious blog post as I think this will not only help me but also help those of you dealing with the death of a loved one.

Over the Christmas period I was staying over at Karl's (My boyfriend) and was fast asleep when I awoke to my phone ringing. Now I didn't panic as when I am away from home even for a day my mum and I will keep in touch through texting and an odd phone call so I wasn't worried. However, when I answered the phone and heard my mums cries I immediately knew what had happened. It was then that she explained that my granddad had passed away.

Now I must stress that we was not expecting it to happen as although he was 89 he was almost healthier than me! Haha! So it came with trying to accept what had happened while grieving and it was a huge whirl wind of emotions in my head. I couldn't accept that my little Granddad was gone.

It's crazy isn't it how the world keeps turning and people go about their daily lives when your whole world has just came crashing down. But I guess that's why i'm here making this post. Because my life has to keep going without him.. whether I want it to or not. So, I am going to give you some things I have found helpful when dealing with the shock and death of a loved one.

1) Acceptance 

I actually want to write that I hate this word, because in a way I do. We never want to accept that someone we love has gone, but the sad part is that we have to. For me I took moments alone to sit and tell myself that what was happening was very real, it helped me to accept it when it came from my own head. Although it hurts and tears will come just remember that someone else is going through this too. You aren't alone. Every time I found myself upset I'd wonder what he would say to me if he seen me that way... I reckon it would be something like "Blasted ell, what are you crying for!?" haha. Remember those funny little things, they will probably help most.

2) Memories

Now, if you have just recently lost a loved one then I bet you rolled your eyes at this one didn't you? I almost did too if i'm honest, haha. 

Memories hurt most when a loved one first passes. You remember all the little things that mattered the most that now hurt you from the inside out. The good memories - the bad ones.. they all hurt. However, there is one thing that I can promise you. Over time and once the shock begins to fade and you find yourself thinking about them without having a breakdown - those memories will be everything. Cherish them in your heart and mind.

3) Grieving Together 

This one played a massive part for me. I am very lucky to have a very close family. We would visit my granddad at his home around 4 to 5 times a week with my uncle and auntie & maybe more sometimes; to have tea with him and just spend time watching TV and chatting away. The thing that comforted me most was that after his passing we still kept on doing this. We would meet at his house and talk about all our amazing memories with him and grieved together. 

Sometimes we believe we can't show emotion in front of our families after things like this because we want to stay strong for each other. That is not true. Sometimes crying together and picking each other up can be a huge step in processing grief together and alone.

4) Look After Yourself

Sometimes after a loved one dies it feels like part of us has gone with them too. We can get so caught up in making sure everyone else is okay that we forget about ourselves and it's so easy to do. We lose our appetite and when the person who has passed is part of your day to day life you find yourself losing track of time and days without them - but please remember that you are important to the people around you too.

Even if its as simple as taking a long relaxing bath or treating yourself to a takeaway. Those things can really make a difference to your mood and will also give the people around you reassurance that you are looking after yourself during a time when it doesn't feel possible.

5) Go Back

Honestly, if you could see my face while writing this one you would laugh as this section is going to be talking about taking those steps back to reality. 

I was lucky enough to be given 3 weekends off of work to grieve and I was off University for the Christmas break anyway, so that wasn't a problem.

However, before I knew it it was time to go back into work and I thought that as soon as I stepped foot inside I would begin to have a breakdown. Instead, I talked to some lovely customers, it kept my mind active and distracted and I also thought of the idea to do this blog post! 

When I left I felt so proud of myself but I can't deny that going back to reality was a painful experience but you have to remember that of course - it will be. Nothing is ever easy after going through something that breaks your heart but you have to push yourself as you and I both know that that's what they would of wanted.

I am going to end this post here as I don't want to overwhelm anybody with all my writing in this post, haha! 

I want you to know that if you're reading this and you can relate - I'm here for you. Feel free to contact me through my social media links on my homepage if you need someone to talk to. I am here for you and I promise things will get better.

Go out there and make them proud,

Lots of love,

Katie Ellen.

"We Only Part To Meet Again."

George Wright

x