Showing posts with label blogger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogger. Show all posts

THROWING A FESTIVAL LOCKDOWN PARTY

Saturday


Our Bournemouth 7s Themed Party

Last weekend, I was supposed to be at Bournemouth 7s Festival. Like all other festivals, this had been cancelled due to coronavirus. Instead of moping around and being sad that I couldn't attend, I decided to throw a festival party in my garden with just my parents. They love it when I force my party ideas upon them!

Girl in festival outfit

The day was filled with games, food and music, without queuing an hour for the toilet or paying £5 per pint. We were deciding for ages what sort of food to have, and in the end we decided to do homemade pizzas that we all decorated ourselves. We had prosciutto, mozzarella, and pepperoni on them - deeelish!

Homemade Pizza

In preparation for the faux festival, I made some dodgy wristbands out of card. You can actually get custom festival wristbands printed too on various websites. I will definitely be trying this for another party!

We decorated the garden with bunting and decorated our bar with signs saying "Beer and Prosecco Bar". I also made signs to go on the bar that pointed to the VIP area, sports area and toilets. 

Hollie, our gorgeous pet Shih Tzu, worked very hard being a sniffer dog. By that, I mean we hid her treats on one of us and she had to sniff out who had the treat. I think she loved the attention but probably wouldn't hire her as an actual sniffer dog unless there was food involved

One thing I always try to do is make sure I have something to look forward to, but this can get hard with all the restrictions that we have going on at the moment. Planning things to do at home is one way I'm getting round that and how I am trying to stay positive. Read how else I am keeping busy whilst there are still coronavirus restrictions.

Other ideas on planning a festival party in your garden

All festivals need some headliners so it could be lots of fun to do karaoke. Or even more fun to laugh at your family members or friends doing karaoke. It could also be fun to do cocktail making, although I've never had a cocktail at a festival before, just VK's or something that I could actually afford. This could be a fun idea if you want to be a VIP.

Something we found it hard to think of was festival themed games. I'm sure there are some you can do that are to do with finding friends or searching people but we really struggled with this at our festival party. We ended up playing beer pong and a game where you blindfold each other and make the blindfolded person guess what they're tasting - we promised not to make it too gross.

I'd love to know your lockdown party ideas or anything else you have planned whilst at home. It would be good to get some inspo!

Festival Party Pin

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Wool of the King



20 SONGS TO CHILL OUT TO


Alexa, play my Chilled Playlist.
There have been lots of new songs out that I have been loving lately so I thought I'd share my new playlist with you. I always think it is great to share artists and songs with people that they could love but they haven't heard yet. These songs are good to chill out to, especially when you might be feeling stressed by the current state of the world.

Pink headphones on pink and blue background

Here is my latest favourite music:

1. Every song from the new It Was Good Until It Wasn't album by Kehlani. Kehlani is one of my favourite artists and her new album is the best one yet!
2. Hello? feat. Rejjie Snow - by Clairo
3. Too Late - by the Weeknd
4. Summer 2020 (interlude) - by Jhene Aiko
5. Playing Games - by Summer Walker
6. Eleven - by Khalid
7. Dive - by Victoria Monet
8. I want war (BUT I NEED PEACE) - by Kali Uchis
9. Cancelled. - by Kiana Lede
10. Chocolate. feat. Ari Lennox - by Kiana Lede
11. CYANIDE REMIX feat. Koffee - by Daniel Caeser
12. Up All Night - by Khalid
13. Drunk Dialing...LODT - by Summer Walker
14. Session 32 - by Summer Walker
15. You Know Wassup - by Kehlani
16. Tryna Smoke - by Jhene Aiko
17. I want you around (remix) feat. 6LACK - by Snoh Aalegra
18. Norman F*****g Rockwell - by Lana Del Rey
19. Cinnamon Girl - by Lana Del Rey
20. Hourglass - Catfish and the Bottlemen

I’d love to know your favourite chilled out songs! 

Related Read: What to Watch on Netflix and Disney+

Wool of the King


10 Destinations on my Travel Bucket List

Sunday


I'm am someone who always thinks about travelling and always has to have a trip to look forward to. I spend so much of my time looking at holidays and looking travel bloggers' Instagram accounts. So why not share my travel bucket list with you? So far this year I am lucky enough to have been to Amsterdam, before things got crazy! I have been to Amsterdam already and loved it. Some destinations will be more realistic than others due to my current student/intern income but a girl can dream!

Harbour in Alcudia Mallorca

1. Disney World, Florida - I am obsessed with all things Disney and loved Disneyland Paris but have never actually been to Disney World. This is definitely my number 1 destination that I'd like to go to!

2. Rome - I had Rome booked for my 21st birthday, but sadly it was cancelled due to coronavirus. You can read about what I did to celebrate my birthday instead here.

3. Venice - I love the look of Venice and basically just anywhere in Italy. I love Italian food and all of Italy just looks so beautiful. I have been to Sorrento and Positano and it was one of my favourite trips away.

4. Budapest - I have seen so many people go here in the last few years and it looks like so much fun!

5. Barcelona - Another beautiful place with amazing architecture.

6. Barbados - I love the Caribbean and have been lucky enough to go to Cuba and the Cancun area of Mexico that is close to the Caribbean. Barbados just looks so amazing!

7. Thailand - I have never been anywhere in Asia yet, and Thailand's beaches just look so appealing to me.

8. Brighton - I have never actually been to Brighton. Can you believe it? I just think it looks like such a nice place and would love to go there for a day/night out. This one is probably the most achievable out of them all in the near-ish future.

9. Stockholm - Purely because I am told there is an ABBA museum and I looooove ABBA.

10. Hawaii - Feel like this is definitely a winning the lottery level holiday but it just looks so beautiful and I'd love to go at some point in my life.

I'd love to know where you want to travel to when you can!


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Twitter: @_laurenken
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LinkedIn: Lauren Kenny
Pinterest: @laurenken1

Wool of the King

WHAT TO WATCH ON NETFLIX AND DISNEY+


Since I have mostly just been watching Netflix and Disney+ whilst social distancing, I thought what better time to post my recommendations of what to watch? I am a huge lover of Disney films so I would probably recommend watching all of the classics, but I will just try to pick out ones I have watched recently that are worth a watch.

Pluto at Disneyland
Image: Pexels.

Here is what I have been watching recently:

Disney+

Series

Disney's Fairytale Weddings - I have become so obsessed with this show! It's just so cute to see people get the Disney weddings that they have always wanted.

The Imagineering Story - Quite a lot of people who have Disney+ have been talking about this show so I decided to watch it and I love it. It shows you all about how they brought the Disney parks to life!

Films

Coco - This is a cute Pixar film, set in Mexico about a little boy who wants to become a musician. The colours in this film are so pretty and they have a lot of themes surrounding Dia de los Muertos.

Lady and the Tramp - This is the live action movie that came out last year. It was just so cute but I love anything with dogs so I may be biased.

Jack - This is an old film that I'm surprised I'd never seen before. The main character is Robin Williams so you know it's going to be good before you start watching it. He is supposed to be a 10 year old boy but he's in a 40 year olds body and tries to fit in at school.

Zootropolis - Another cute animated movie about a little rabbit who wants to become a police officer in the city of Zootropolis. Very much appreciate the scenery in this film too.

Princess and the Frog - A Disney Classic I can't believe I hadn't seen before. I think it might be one of my new favourites.

Pocahontas - Also can't believe I have only just watched this. Great story line.

10 Things I Hate About You - An old high school chick flick classic

There is still a lot I need to watch on Disney+, I haven't actually watched any other series on there yet. A lot of the stuff on there I have already seen but it would be interesting to watch more documentaries and other original series.

Netflix logo

Netflix

Series

RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 12 - I love all of RuPaul's Drag Race, season 12 is the current season that is going on now. New episodes come out every Saturday.

Pandemic - This is a short series and is an interesting watch if you want to learn more about viruses and how they spread to become pandemics. It may scare some people due to the current situation but I just find it really interesting, don't know why.

The Stranger - This is a very weird series based on a book by Harlan Coben. Definitely worth a watch.

AJ and the Queen - Wholesome show starring RuPaul!

Fresh Meat - This is a good one to watch if you are missing uni, I know I am!

Bodyguard - This is a British drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat at all times.

Too hot to handle - This is a cringe Love Island-style show but it is so gripping and binge worthy. It's only 8 episodes too so I watched it in 2 days. Oops!

Self Made - This one is a story based on the life of Madam C.J. Walker. It's only 4 episodes and definitely worth a watch.

Films

Gone Girl - I watched this for the first time the other day and I got really into it. Lots of twists in the story.

Dumplin' - This is one of my favourite films on Netflix. It's about a girl who's mum is a beauty pageant leader (Jennifer Aniston) and she joins the pageant as a joke at first. It also has a Dolly Parton soundtrack. Love love love.

The Pianist - This is based on the true story of a Jewish pianist fighting for survival in World War II Poland. I am really interested in World War II and the holocaust just because I can't believe it happened because it's so horrible. This film is pretty hard to watch as it depicts some of the awful things that happened to Jews at that time but it's definitely worth watching.

If you love vampire films, then check out these vampire movies on Netflix.

Shutter Island - This is a classic film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Eat Pray Love - A feel good Julia Roberts chick flick about self love and self care.

A Fall from Grace - This is about the trial of a woman who confesses to killing her husband. The whole film is about finding out what happened and there is a twist at the end.

Another show I have to mention that isn't on Netflix or Disney+ but it is one of my favourites of all time. It's Gordon, Gino and Fred's American Road Trip. I would encourage everyone to watch this the 3 of them are just so funny and go so well together. It's on ITV at 9pm on Thursdays at the moment and you can find it on ITV hub as well.

This blog post was inspired by Becca's Small World's YouTube video 20 TV shows you need to watch on Netflix, Amazon and Disney+.

Related Read: 20 Songs to Chill Out to

Wool of the King

WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING DURING LOCKDOWN

Wednesday

Like many other countries across the world, the UK has gone into lockdown due to the coronavirus and we have been told we shouldn't go out unless completely necessary.

Whilst staying indoors, I have been keeping track of all the things I have been up to beside working from home, so I can share it with you.

Paint splash with caption from wool of the king

Disney+ and Netflix

A couple of weeks ago, Disney+ came out in the UK, so I decided to pre-order it so that I could watch it in isolation. I have to say, I have not been disappointed! I must have watched something from Disney+ every day since having it, as well as watching Netflix as usual.

Paint by numbers

Giraffe paint by numbers painting

Knowing I wouldn't be able to go anywhere for a while, I ordered myself a paint by numbers kit on Amazon. I have been working on this for a few weeks now and I have found it very therapeutic.

Home work outs

I have also being doing some exercise at home with my friends on facetime. I did try a yoga with Adriene video but I am completely useless at yoga. I am pleased I tried though.

What else?

In addition to keeping myself occupied, I am also trying to tick things off of my ongoing self admin to-do list. I got my Google Analytics for Beginners certificate. I have also been clearing out some make-up and have cleaned my make-up brushes which was long overdue.

Girl doing yoga with Adrienne

There is a lot more I hope to complete before lockdown is over. I would like to write more blog posts for you and would also like to update my CV with all of my new internship information.

How do I stay positive?

In times like these, it can be hard to stay positive. The way I try and look at it is, every day is a day closer to being back to normal. There will be an end to this and even though it is hard to plan things at the moment, when this is all over you will be more grateful for everything that you do.

Social Media

Twitter: @_laurenken
Personal Insta: @_laurenken
Blog Insta: @wooloftheking1
LinkedIn: Lauren Kenny

Wool of the King

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO

Sunday


"Alexa. Play my summer playlist."
I have downloaded a lot of new music lately so I thought I would share this with you. I haven't done a post like this in a while so here's your chance to keep up with the music I have been listening to recently.

Holding phone playing music playlist

SUMMER PLAYLIST
Eviction notice - Kojaque (feat. Kean Kavanagh)
Last pint - Kojaque
Flu shot - Kojaque
Losing you - Boy Pablo
Here Comes The Cowboy (album) - Mac Demarco
Gone - Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens
Can I - Kiana Lede
LOVE AGAIN - Daniel Caeser & Brandy
Just us - DJ Khaled (feat. SZA)
Triggered (freestyle) - Jhene Aiko
BMO - Ari Lennox
Ride it - Tink (feat. DeJ Loaf)
Borderline - Tame Impala
Doin' Time - Lana Del Rey
Loose Ends - Loyle Carner
Choose sides - M.O & AJ Tracey
Television / so Far so Good - Rex Orange County
You - Jacquees
Who's - Jaquees
Shot clock - Ella Mai
Racks - H.E.R (feat. YBN Cordae)
Jade - Lolo Zouai (feat. Blood Orange)

My Top 3 from the playlist
1. Doin' Time - Lana Del Rey
Obviously Lana is my favourite artist of all time and this is a cover of the 1996 Doin' Time by Sublime. I would recommend Lana's version of the song, even to people who don't usually like Lana Del Rey's style of music.

2. Television / so Far so Good - Rex Orange County
A new favourite artist of mine. This song is my favourite by Rex Orange County, it's just so catchy and very summer.

3. Choose sides - M.O & AJ Tracey
This song is the type of song you want to listen to when you're getting ready for a night out, that's all I'm going to say.

Let me know what your favourite songs of the summer are in the comments!

Previous blog post: Dublin 2019 and seeing Lana Del Rey

Social Media 
Twitter - @_laurenken
Personal Instagram - @_laurenken
Blog Instagram - @wooloftheking1

Wool of the King