Faded Spring

    It’s Ok To Have Mental Health Issues

    We all go through life being told to ‘chin up and smile’ because positive thinking can cure all your troubles. Depressed? You will be right as rain in no time, lost a loved one don’t worry time is a great healer. No matter your predicament there appears to be a solution for everything. The truth is ultimately a lot darker and when it comes to grieving, mental health or other related issues I believe that society chooses to turn the other cheek. Now hear me out, how many of you have been told to smile because it will make you feel better only to realize that you are just acting out the part of a character that is not ‘you’. How many of you are forced to pretend you are something you are not, ... read more

    Feel Good With Prezzybox This Autumn

    Regular readers of my blog will know that I am open with my struggles with depression and anxiety and as much as I would like to pretend that I have been 'completely fine' recently, the truth is I am not.  I have been struggling to stay happy and it frustrates me that I feel this way. After all I have so much to be thankful for; I am in a job that I love, have readers who I adore and was placed as 33 in the top UK Blogs. I should be grateful that I have had so many opportunities come my way but I am struggling to show gratitude, especially when my life seems to be falling apart at the seams. I am overwhelmed and struggling to stay afloat but those who know me understand how I still fight ... read more

    4 Reasons Why You Should Quit Smoking For Stoptober

    I remember aged 14, surrounded by friends in a circle playing a game of truth or dare. A 'ciggie' was lit and passed around the circle and we were all dared to take a 'puff'. I remember rolling it through my fingers and taking it in my mouth, feeling the dustiness of its open flame cascading away from the circle. It was the first and only time I ever tried smoking and in my own words at the time it was 'f**king disgusting' and I never touched a cigarette again. But for some it's not that simple, friends who were in that circle, nearly 10 years later are still smoking, while some people have been smoking like a chimney from a young age and even now, aged 75 is a woman, who says that 'she ... read more

    Finding New Places To Eat And Drink At With Hollabox

    The night began like this; it was a cold blustery evening and the night was still young. As I put on my dancing shoes and stepped into the big city, I could feel the air charged with promise. It was going to be a good night, I could feel it in my bones. I grabbed my lipstick and ran into the darkness, excited at the thought of new beginnings. You see, me and my friend G, were off on our first dating adventure together to a 'wonderful, magical night' of what we hoped would be filled with romance and roses. Except unlike the romance novels, where every tale had a happy ending, we stepped into-and I kid you not- the worst dating event I have ever been to in my life. As I cringed inwardly at ... read more

    A True Story About Alcohol Addiction

    Two lovers were married for all eternity and promised to stay together til' death do us part and true to word, they died within 2 years of each other. The grandad went first, bedridden and battling cancer, while the grandma became his carer, changing his dressings and attending to her husband with love in her eyes. When he died she was heartbroken and within a year deteriorated until she was bedridden herself. This proud, independent but giving woman had spent all her life caring for the man that she had loved and when he died she had no chance to live out the rest of her days with happiness in her heart. Instead, two years later she too died of (bowel) cancer and had regressed into ... read more

    Faded Spring’s Obsession With Henry VIII

    From a young age I had always been obsessed with history and in particular two historical eras: The Tudors and Ancient Egypt. I marveled at the grand gowns and gasped at the political intrigue, as one by one each historical reigning monarch became partial to bloodlust and thirst. But there was one monarch who piqued my interest most of all and that was Henry VIII. From his cruel treatment of his six wives- the poor souls- to putting anyone who dared defy his counsel on the chopping block, its safe to say that that Henry VIII always got what he wanted. Feared as much as he was hated Henry VIII is one of the most intriguing monarchs in the English history books. His complex love life and ... read more

    Dear Depression: Did You Call Me?

    Dear Depression, I remember the first time you paid me a visit. Like a dark cloud you swept into my life and washed away any happiness I had known. You made me feel like I was worthless and questioned who I was as a person. You told me I would never be good enough, that all those people who said I could never amount to anything were right. But here I am still standing, struggling under the weight of your darkness. There are days, weeks even where all I seem to do is cry. I shut myself off from all the people I care about because I don’t know what to say or how to act. I don’t want people to see me as you make me feel: weak, broken and unable to control my emotions. People used to call ... read more

    Learning How To Be Casual With Debenhams At V Festival

    Conjuring up an image of me wearing wellies and rolling around in mud is hardly brand appropriate. After all, when people comment on your 'Princess dress style' chances are the only backdrop that they are imagining you in is a castle of some sort. And while I certainly don't live up to expectations- unless you like princesses that swear a lot and are socially awkward then be my guest haha- and live in a house share as opposed to a castle, I do tend to be a little extra when it comes to 'dressing up'. Maybe it's because I never really got to dress up as a kid or that I found fashion at a relatively late age, but dresses, even at summer music festivals has always been part of my 'wardrobe ... read more

    Faded Spring’s Thoughts On ‘Casual Dating’

    Casual Dating: Yay or Nay? When it comes to dating- excluding my university years- I have always been a fan of 'commitment-only' dating. I would enter relationship, after relationship in search of the one, only to find that the dates had been doomed for the very start. You see for one I was attracted to guys who were notoriously known as the 'players', B. were total arseholes and C. had no self-respect for women. But for some unknown reason I kept coming back for more, because in my childish 'eyes' they were 'hot' and therefore could make me appear more desirable, even if the guys were only using me for sex. In a sense we were both using each other; they might have been after one thing ... read more

    Exploring Canaletto And The Art Of Venice With Buyagift

    Born in 1697, Canaletto was an Italian painter of 'city views' in Venice, who painted canal landscapes with frightening accuracy, even down to the 'seasonal submerging of Venice  in water and ice'. Alongside his talent for 'accurate city depictions' Canaletto also shared a passion for teaching his pupils how to not only paint but also explore the cities that they lived in through the medium of 'art'. While Canaletto's art pieces were painted in the style of Rococo-an interior led painting technique that concentrates on 'large scale decorative paintings'- modern critics believe that his paintings became a precedent for later, impressionist works like Claude Monet's Haystacks Sunset ... read more