Faded Spring

    Creative Curtain Hacks To Upscale Your Home

    It might seem odd to say, but curtains can say a lot about who you are as a person. From the colours that you choose, to the texture, transparency, and even where you place your curtains, it offers an insight into your personality. Even if you are renting like I am, you can still customize your curtains, and make your home your own. Anyone visiting my flat for the first time would say that I love to bring colour into my home, and am passionate about prints, being bold, and above all quirky. Even my curtains, have been personalized, to match the mood of the room I am in. My living room has shutter blinds that are colourful, in a beautiful shade of teal. This is because I have predominantly ... read more

    Benefits Of Private Health Insurance As A Freelancer

    As a freelancer getting private health insurance can seem impossible. After all, you work unconventional hours, earn a different amount each month, and can sometimes struggle to find financial freedom. That's why I am so grateful to the NHS, for helping me get treatments for my physical and mental health, when I couldn't afford private health insurance. However, I quickly realized that the waiting times to be seen on the NHS is monumental. Even when I was battling mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, and PTSD, as well as a chronic stomach condition, it took what seemed like forever to get help. Considering I wasn't diagnosed with mental health issues until I was 22, but had symptoms ... read more

    The Burnt City: Punchdrunk Returns To Immersive Glory

    The sky washed with fluffy clouds, was by no means an omen for The Burnt City, a dark, cavernous world. Unlike the sun soaked skyline, and the chittering animated queues, Punchdrunk was eerie, and mythical. Nothing was ever as it seemed, and no story was the same. It was an immersive experience like no other, where theatre, debauchery, and exploration of gender exploded riotously. Like 'Mulan Rouge' at The Vaults, the promendade allowed theatre-goers to leave their gender at the door. Here, there were no rights or wrongs as to the way that performers dressed, or gendered language. Instead, there were beautifully choregraphed dances, that were fluid, seamless, yet evocatively ... read more

    Mulan Rouge And Its Exploration Of Gender At The Vaults 

    It was love at first sight, a stunning exploration of gender identity, that was as inclusive as it was tongue in cheek. Drag Kings, Drag Queens, and non-binary performers in a dazzling queer immersive cabaret show, were a heavenly delight. For The Vaults was no ordinary theatre, tucked away in the graffiti scrawled Leake Street Arches, where art, creativity, and culture came to play in one mesmerizing sweep. They would leave their gender at the door and let go of all inhibitions. This was a safe space, where people were free to be their authentic selves. There was no judgement here, only a welcoming hand that plunged you into its LGBTQIA+ friendly multiverse, where labels were eradicated, ... read more

    Colourful Cat Gift Guide For Cat Lovers

    It seemed like just yesterday that two feline angels came into her life. They were her mental health warriors, her champions of life, nuzzling into the furrows of her clothes. For A had been drowning in sadness for a long time, swept away by trauma, grief, and loss. Loved ones that came and went, plunged into the throes of eternal rest, jobs gone, people forgotten. Through the mental health struggles, the deaths, and obstacles she had overcome, the cats were her constant. Just a purr away, their glossy coats winked conspiratorily, imploring her to come closer. Their fur was fluffy, and soft, begging to be stroked, and petted. To A, her cats were a huge part of her mindful self-care routine. ... read more

    Vintage Fashion Accessories That Changed History

    I love time-travelling back into fashion eras, that define fashion history. Sure, I was born in the 90's (button jewels or covers will never get old) but my escapism is rooted in the 60's and 70's, with a hint of the 50's. My personal style is eclectic, a mix of trends, Parisian 40's style berets, and 60's style skirts. Eccentric floral prints, from the 70's, with 90's style jewellery. A touch of art deco creeping in from the 30's, and petticoat swing dresses from the 50's a delightful blend. I don't follow trends per say, but its undeniable that I love vintage fashion. Why? Because it takes me back into the past, experiencing an era I didn't live in, like watching an old movie. Its ... read more

    Ambient Lighting Hacks For A Fun Kitchen

    A was dreaming of a kitchen laden in dreams, where clean and contemporary lines were juxtaposed by riots of rebellious colour.  Colourful LED strips were wired into cabinets, an unexpected surprise with a click of a button. By day, the kitchen would be colourful but in a different way, natural light flooding through rectangular windows, illuminating splotches of greens, purples, reds and pinks in a pictureque rainbow that brought colour into your home. By night, it was a lightshow, bulbs gleaming over kitchen islands, illuminated with accent strip lights that brought the kitchen alive. It was a mood-boosting affair, a sensual dance between colour, and minimalism, depending on the mood. After ... read more

    Simple Vegan Recipes With Violife Cheese

    Crisped up sourdough puffed up with sea-salted vegan butter, was doused in oozing Camembert, dribbling on plates. Laced with chilli flakes, and a dashing of olive oil, it clambered into open mouths, crumbs falling. For this was no ordinairy cheese, but vegan cheese, that slithered its way into simple vegan recipes. It would make a glorious vegan fakeaway night in. There would be an easy Italian salad smattered with Epic Mature Cheddar, and Original Flavour Grated, oozing with flavour. Homemade vegan cheese and garlic herb croutons would dance with stuffed green, and black olives amorously. And who could forget the sensual master Olive Oil, that swirled around the lettuce leaves, locking in ... read more

    How To Have Financial Freedom As A Freelancer

    Just over a year ago I was miserable, working in a toxic full-time job, for a boss who made my life a living hell. He would constantly put me down, criticize me endlessly, and make incessant threats towards me. It was rare that I would not leave work in a flood of tears, believing that I was this 'worthless, useless, and good for nothing' employee that he made me feel like I was. After all, when someone tells you that you are not good enough, or what you do is not good enough, you believe it eventually. I wouldn't go back there for all the money in the world. Why? Because to this day, I am still processing the after-effects of the emotional blackmail, manipulation, and abuse that I faced ... read more

    Easy Vegan Meals With Gordon Rhodes V And Easy

    The dining room was flooded with light, as the yellowing spring sun reared its balmy head. Pouring through unsuspecting windows, it danced on a wipe-down tablecloth, awash with bold rainbows, and smiling sunrays, that were bursting with joy. For A had prepared easy vegan meals, that radiated positivity, browns, reds, and greens too, contrasting with whites, in monochromatic fusion. There was a vegan chilli con-carne, smattered with cheese, slowly melting into a puddle of comfort. And who could forget the vegan chicken curry, with basmati rice, laced with parsley, chilli, and tender flavour? The two meals were flanked supremely, by sides, and assortments, a feel good vegan fakeaway night in, ... read more