Life is falling into place.

Today has been a good day. Today is the day that I got offered a four week internship at one of the greatest woman's glossies around; InStyle. Anyone that knows me will know that I've been applying for InStyle for as long as I can remember, sending out copious amounts of emails that never got a reply. Checking your emails and seeing an empty inbox is quite a depressing feeling, I'm not going to lie. But, my perseverance finally paid off and chief sub-editor of InStyle emailed me last night, and rang me this morning, and I start there on 1st August for four weeks!
To be offered an internship on such a great magazine is such an amazing thing for me. I finally feel like I'm getting out there and making contacts, like I'm finally showing what I can do, and it's such an amazing feeling. I've already done work experience at Zoo Magazine in March, I have InStyle, and I also have You Magazine (newspaper supplement) at the end of September. I am one happy girl at the moment, words cannot describe.

<3 <3 xoxo

Embrace. Celebrate. Smile.

There are thousands and thousands of young girls all over the world who hate some part of their body/face. For one reason or another, no one seems to be happy with what they have anymore. Whether it's because they've been bullied and made to believe they aren't beautiful, or whether it's just because they're down on themselves, girls are forever going on about how imperfect they are. 'I'm fat', 'I'm ugly', 'I have bad skin', 'I want to be a size zero', etc, etc. To be honest, I'm no different, and I'm not 100% happy with the way I look, but I'm starting to think we need to embrace our imperfections and become happy with the skin that we are in. Magazines that feature perfect models, and fashion shows that have size zero models are doing nothing whatsoever to help us achieve the ability to become happy with what we have been blessed with. No one is perfect, NO ONE. The girls you see in magazines have most probably been airbrushed within an inch of their life, and fashion models literally starve themselves to look THAT good. It isn't healthy, it isn't normal, and it isn't a message that anyone should be following. We need to embrace what we have, because every single one of us is beautiful, inside and out. I don't care that I'm not a size zero, or that I'm not tanned and have platinum blonde hair, or that I have big boobs and super long legs. I wasn't made like that, and I never will be like that. From now on, I'm going to be happy with what I have, what I look like, and who I am as a person. Looks really aren't everything, because if you have a beautiful personality, that will shine through more than anything else.

I'm not sorry

People have the ability to make you feel so significantly small, sometimes without even realizing what they are doing. People that you thought cared about you, jump to conclusions and accuse you of things you would never even consider doing in a million years. All I feel like I'm doing at the moment is apologizing; apologizing for things that I've said, to people who don't even appreciate it. I then go over what I've just done, and realize that I'm turning into someone that I've never wanted to be. Why should I be made to feel like I'm not good enough? Just because I'm not rich, and I don't own designer clothes, and I can't afford expensive things, doesn't mean I'm not a good person.

I'm sorry I'M NOT FUCKING SORRY ANYMORE.

Stars who inspire me

I saw this post over on cowbiscuits blog and thought it was a great idea to show everyone who inspires me, not just in the fashion stakes, but just in general as well. Enjoy!

Kate Winslet: I’ve been a HUGE fan of Kate Winslet ever since I can remember! She’s not someone that’s a massive fashion icon, but there IS something about the way she dresses that I simply adore. Whether she’s wearing floor length dresses or casual clothes that she wears day to day, Kate Winslet just has something about her. Totes love her!

Gizzi Erskine: Everyone knows how much I adore Gizzi Erskine and her quirky 60's inspired fashion. She has the edge over anyone else I know about, and her beehive and dramatic make up is just an added bonus to her overall gorgeous exterior. Her vintage style dresses and shoes are enough to make any girl green with envy, and I'm certainly no exception.

Jennifer Aniston: She's in her forties, and she looks this amazing? Seriously, she's so gorgeous and her outfits always look super cute. She knows how to dress for her body shape, and to be honest I'm pretty much in awe of her. Don't even get me started on her amazing hair, she's never had a bad hair day. Pretty.much.jel.

Alexa Chung: Super beautiful, with a gorgeous wardrobe to match. She never puts a foot wrong, and just about anything seems to suit her down to the ground. Styles that wouldn't normally suit someone else, looks absolutely amazing on her. Kinda not fair.


So there you have it! Famous women who inspire me, who are your favourites?
X

hey good lookin whatcha got cookin?

Gizzi Erskine is known for her tantalizing and delicious recipes, her gorgeous 60's themed fashion sense, and her fantastic books, TV shows & regular magazine columns. So, I interviewed the lady whose name is on the tip of everyone's tongue, and found myself adoring her just a little bit more than I do already.

> What does your job entail?

Ahhh, my job. Well it’s pretty diverse. Initially I was a restaurant chef but after I won my place at BBC Good food magazine I became full time food writer and food stylist (before the madness ensued). What this means is that I would spend the days working to brief devising recipes for books, magazine, food and wine Pr companies and sometimes product developers. You mark out a plan, think of recipes, get them approved and then get to the supermarkets, butchers, fishmongers, etc, buying produce and then spend the rest of the time conjuring up recipes in the kitchen and writing them up. Food styling is when you chef for a photographer and then present and then maintain the food while it’s getting photographed. Nowadays though things are a bit different. I do still do the 'day job' but I'm now so busy with the TV stuff I spend my time developing recipes for my TV shows, books and columns. It’s a dream job.

> Is everyday different with your job?

Absolutely. Today I have a day at home writing, yesterday I was in meetings all day and spent the afternoon shopping for produce. Tomorrow I’m on BBC Breakfast, first thing doing an interview, I then head over to This Morning to do a recipe, I then have a lunch meeting, I am then having another meeting with a Model agent and then I dash home to get my last bit of work out. It’s pretty hectic.

> What's the BEST thing about what you do? & the worst?

The best thing is finally being able to get out there that the young do enjoy cooking and be able to teach people how to eat really yummy healthy food. The worst are me still fighting to prove that woman are not all about cupcakes and whoopie pies and that I can be a girl and into offcuts, game and offal in the same way a boy can be.

> Have you always known you wanted to be a chef?

I have always been into food. I only thought about taking it professionally when I was about 22. I would go to bed with the cookery encyclopaedia Larousse Gastronome and swat all the terms at about 17 so it was a given I was going to venture into food anyway.

> How did you get into writing for the glossy magazines?

I left BBC Good Food at 23 all bright eyed and bushy tailed and thought I would just fall into a food writing job. No one gave me a second glance. The food industry has up until recently been looked at as an 'older' industry for women and I struggled with that. Especially going into meetings with an undercut and weird clothes. I got a lucky break ghost writing for a big celeb chef and before long I had a better portfolio and was able to back up what I felt. Then I started writing for one of the big supermarkets and with the help on an excellent food writing and styling agent I felt confident to hit the Glossies up again.

> Do you have any advice for people wanting to get into the food Industry?

Get trained. With the influx of blogs there are people creeping through, but if you have the gumpf to back up what you’re doing you will be more respected.

> Do you have anything else in the pipeline? Books? TV shows?

Yes. All a bit too soon to confirm but you will be getting quite a bit of both from me. I don’t know if my next big TV project will be on our screen until next year, but hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

> Now, you're not just famous for your fab recipes, your gorgeous clothes and trademark beehive is always talk of the town! Have you always styled yourself in the 60's era?

I was a punk at 15-16, then into psychobilly, then into rockabilly and then into 60s Garage. I’ve always had a 'look' but I think the 60s suits me the best. I'm most comfortable in this era. I look this way purely because f the music. I know very little about fashion.

> You’re a huge hit with millions all over, but do you class yourself as a celebrity?

No way. I am just a normal girl riding a wave and pinching herself every minute of it. I also don't want fame. I fell into this world and didn't seek it. I am appreciating it and embracing now I’m here but I just want to live a normal life. Okay, maybe a normal life with a few perks...

> You have over 12,000 followers on Twitter, which must be pretty surreal? Do you just follow other celebrities?

No not at all. I'd say two thirds of the people I follow are mates or work friends. I do follow some celebs and am friends with some. You get to meet a lot of famous people doing what you do, but you honestly find that these people are totally normal and I think twitter should show this. As for fans, I won’t follow people if they ask me to but if someone tweets me regularly in a respectful way, and I build a relationship of sorts with them, then maybe. I do think I’m very good at responding to fans on twitter.

> It's your last ever three course meal, what would it be?

Shellfish platter with oysters, langoustine, brown crab, Prawns, Lobster and a good homemade mayo. Then Roast beef rib and short ribs with the trimming and proper gravy made from beef bones and then Rhubarb crumble with custard. All washed down with a bottle of Krug. If you’re gonna go out, go out in style...?!

Thanks to Gizzi Erskine for taking the time to answer these questions. Follow her on Twitter @GizziErskine, go buy her fabulous book 'Gizzi's Kitchen Magic' and look out for her on your TV screens!

Picture was taken from Google Images.

Hello life.

Life is a funny old thing, and it can run up and bite you on the arse when you least expect it. I've had my fair share of bad news, unexpected moments and life shattering changes, but that's part and parcel of living in this world. There have been times when it's completely thrown me, and I haven't known where to turn, what to do, and where to go from that particular moment, but these are what makes us stronger people, what spurs us on to make something good out of our lives, and what keeps that fire burning in our bellies. I truly believe that you've quite simply, got to take the negatives with the positives, because bad days and people that knock you down are what should keep you fighting for what you believe in. I don't know of anyone that's led a completely sheltered life, and to be honest, even if they have, I wouldn't want to be that person. My life has been pretty special, and I've got some amazing memories that I'll keep for the rest of my life, but I've had to take the good with the bad. I've had moments that have made me cry my eyes out, days where I haven't wanted to see anyone, and been given news that has turned my world upside down, and inside out. However, it's made me a stronger person. It's geared me up for whatever may be around the corner, for what life will throw at me as I grow older.

I'm not stupid, because I know that life will never be perfect, and it will never run smoothly. At the moment though, it's going pretty well, but I'm not going to jinx it. I'm not going to run around and tell everyone I pass how amazing my life is, and how lucky I am, because I'm not big headed, and I don't believe in rubbing things in people's faces, because there are others who aren't as fortunate as me, and I'm fully aware of that. So I'm just going to be thankful for what I've got, for the people that I've got to share it with, and for the things I'm currently taking part in. Like I said before, life is a funny old thing, but it's also an amazing thing. Treat it as if it's the most precious thing you have, because who knows what will happen tomorrow? Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, and just have fun. That's what we're here for, so make the most of it.