Happy One Year Blog-iversary!!

"I always get really excited when I see that Esmee has posted something new on her blog because I know that I can expect something different every time.  I love how Esmee hasn't stuck with one particular style for her blog, there's such a variety and I can always find something to read no matter what kind of mood I'm in.  I also love how much her personality is in her writing, her posts are so friendly and chatty.  Also, I'm really happy that I can call Esmee a friend as well as a fellow blogger, she's so lovely and that definitely shows through 'Ezzlepops'." 

"I always enjoy reading Esmee's blog and feel that even as a guy I can relate and find relevance in her advice"

"This little space on the internet is a dream to visit. Esmee's blog is full of little bits and bobs that are suited to anyone and everyone. Her style of writing and witty comments always make me laugh and she really does let you into her life! It's a pleasure to be friends with Esmee and I think she deserves more credit than she gets!"

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Wow! So, with what started off as a hobby that was to be honest - going nowhere, has lasted a year so far! Something I didn't expect, if you know me you'll know it's a rare occasion. I tend to give things up as I get bored so easily but I guess as this is my own little space on the internet where I'm free to do whatever I want, I've started to love it! even though I've had my ups and downs and suffered from 'blogger's block' as I like to call it (think writer's block but in the blogging world).  

Because of this little blog I have grown in confidence and improved on my writing skills (no doubt my English teacher probably wont agree with me but hey you can't please everyone ;P). Thanks to 'ezzlepops' I have made new friends, strengthened existing friendships and even renew old friendships with people I haven't seen or spoken to in years - all down to her finding my blog online!

So what's happened in a year? I didn't think my life would be that interesting yet so many people keep coming back for an update! I've learnt how to keep my mouth shut (oh how I would have loved to write multiple rants and publish them ;P), the experience has opened my eyes to a lot of issues but I wont go into detail about now, and had the amazing opportunities to interview some brand new artists which you can read them HERE, HERE and HERE. 

Other posts I've written that have been popular with you lot are these;

Book Haul - this post was fairly recent but it seemed to appeal to many even if it was out of my comfort zone

Most Recent Life Update - crazy how many people read this and enjoy these little insights even though they can be classed as cheat posts :P

Pastel Clouds Jewellery colab. - It was a delight to work with these lovely ladies (I have another post similar for New Year) aaaaand they just released a Christmas range...need I say more?!

Personalised Gifts Comparison - I really did not expect this to be that popular but it was fun to write and I think I'll do some more like this soon! 

It's been a crazy first year and I would like to thank everyone who has been part of the journey. Whether you've been there since my first post or this is the first blog post of mine that you're read - THANK YOU!!

Here's to next year!

Esmee xx

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Against The Grain

Against The Grain are a new company set up by a group of students from Albyn School as part of the Young Enterprise Scheme. We sell wood and canvases with photos and quotes transferred on to them with the opportunity to use your own personal photos too! 

October and November have been busy with creating the processes to make the product and events happen, including our production process which is very labour intensive. We take wood and canvases sourced locally from stores and from friends and family and then cut and sand them to size. Then one of our standard images was stuck into the wood/canvas with gel medium and left to transfer over night. The paper was then sponged off with water and, after repeating this process, the product was glazed and finished. All of our standard images are taken by ourselves from all over the world and feature images such as animals, events and landscapes.

We then did our market research to determine our final details and created social media pages and leaflets to hand out to people to let them know about our product. You can find us at;

Facebook: Against The Grain 

Twitter: @againsthe_grain 

Instagram: @againstthegrainaberdeen

We recently had a selling event at Trinity Church in Westhill where we received great feedback for our stall and products and also received many sales! There are also two more events coming up soon: 

Saturday 22nd Nov at The Bon Accord Centre 

Saturday 29th Nov at Albyn School ASPA fair 

At all of these events gift wrapping is available for just £1! With prices for all of our products ranging from £5-£18 

If you would like to find out anything more about who we are and our product, do not hesitate to ask-  visit our social media pages linked above or email us at against.the.grain.aberdeen@gmail.com

Thank you and we hope to see you soon!

ATG Team x

Safe Drive Stay Alive

On Monday of last week my year group were invited by the organisation 'Safe Drive, Stay Alive'. It was a talk warning us about the dangers of driving and what could happen if something were to happen. The even started off by one of the local DJs trying to get every one up and dancing before the mood rocketed downwards as the reenactment began. It showed two sisters getting ready for a night out for one of their 18th birthdays. Fiona recieves a new phone from her mother and in the car on the way to the party, the boy in the back of the car steals the phone off her. I order to retrieve it she undoes her seat belt and climbs over her seat, knocking the drivers arm. As you can guess it doesn't end well. 

Just as every service arrived at the scene in the video the screen faded and someone from that service walked onto the stage; explained what they have to do in that situation and what happens after as well as sharing a personal expirence of theirs. The police man that spoke to us about how he has to drive past the home of a mother who lost her child in a road accident that he broke the news of everyday of his life. The paramedic described one of his first expirences at the scene of an accident with the car hanging out of a tree and he had to check the driver who was still in the car with the engine implanted in his stomach; everytime he has to drive past that tree all he can see is the car hanging there. The firefighter witnesses her neighbour pass away in front of her after her collided with a tractor on his motorbike. I think the doctor scared us all. After explaining his role, he finished along the lines of "Remember my name, I'll be seeing you soon". It's not exactly the words you want to hear. 

Then came the personal expirences. 

First a young guy who couldn't remember anything that happened the night of his accident and was only piecing together the event from what other people told him. He ended up in hospital with multiple broken bones and damage to his brain; he had to teach himself to walk and speak again. 

Finally, a driving instructor walked out onto the stage. The thoughts in the room were that he was just going to tell us how to stay safe on the roads but he had his own story. Hi youngest daughter died in a car accident. As he explained what happened, how it effected his family at the time and how it still does now; I'm pretty sure it brought a tear to the eye of everyone in the room, including the guy on the stage. 

Personally I don't think the presentation has put me off learning to drive (others would disagree) but it has definitely scared me. 

Being one of the first in my year, the first in my family as well as living so far away from everyone I feel pressured in myself to try to pass first time

 

If you can drive, did you pass first time round? And do you have any driving tips or tricks?!

Esmee x