My GCSE Results

Just yesterday, August 25th 2016, I got my GCSE results. I was nervous to say the least but came out happy as can be. I'm so proud of what I achieved and I'm so glad that I finally secured a place in sixth form.

In sixth form I will be taking Politics, History and English Language. I'm looking forward to learning about politics as It's something that Interests me but I have never taken this subject before, so I am quite nervous too. 

Overall, I got 4A's, 3B's and 3C's. I am so proud of myself as I worked extremely hard and gave 110% during exam season. 

Here is a break down of what I got each grade in:

I got an A in Food technology, which actually surprised me! I found the exam pretty difficult and I actually assumed I would come out with a B. I worked hard in food and spent a lot of time making sure my coursework was solid. I did find it hard to revise as there was a lot of content I needed to remember, however resources my teachers gave me were a huge help.

I got an A in English language, which was the only subject I resat. I did english a year early and got a B. I was super disappointed, as I was so close to an A and it was a subject I knew I could do well in. I was the only one in my year to do both literature and language and I can definitely say I was stressed. I had to redo all my coursework for language too, which I had to do in the space of a month or so. I spent a lot of time with my teacher after school, trying to get it done in time. I was extatic when I saw that I finally got an A. I came out of the exam confident that I did it and I did! 

I also got an A in English literature, which was a huge surprise to me! I expected to get a B as I have to admit, I did spend a bit more time with language. I even missed literature classes to do language. I didn't feel as confident coming out of the literature exam, so seeing that I got an A is so amazing! Like I said, I did both literature and language, and without my teacher, I wouldn't have gotten through it. 

My fourth A was for ICT. I REALLY worked hard in ICT. My coursework was picked for moderation, so you have no idea how much work, time and effort I put into making sure it was atleast an A grade. I spent all my spare time revising and doing mock exams. I went back and forth with my teacher, getting her to check my work and I studied for every mock we did. I'm so glad that I got an A and I was so excited when I first saw it on the paper.

I got a B in science, which completely baffles me! I hated science so much but I still tried so hard. I just didn't understand it and I was so close to giving up. I got so many E's and D's in mocks, so I convinced myself that I would only get a pass max. After the horrendous physics exam, I just assumed the worst. But I managed to get a B! That's so weird to me and i'm still in shock.

I got a B in performing arts. I would have loved to get an A but I was still so happy with a B. I know I got an A in the practical, so my written work must have dragged my grade down, as it was worth 60%. Again, I spent ridiculous hours on this subject. I did one all nighter and stayed up until 2am on my laptop, writing my evaluations. With how much time it took up, I do wish I got the A, however I am still so so pleased with a B grade.

My final B was from child development. Again, I was aiming for an A in this subject, however the exam in my eyes was so tough, that I kind of expected it. My coursework was an A*/A so I went in strong. I really enjoyed this subject and actually didn't mind revsing for it. I worked extremely hard and studied so much. I did so many mocks and past papers that my bedroom floor couldn't even be seen! 

I got a C in maths, which I was so chuffed with. I hated maths and I struggled with it. I was about 5 marks away from a B, which I was gutted about, however I was just so happy that I passed! No more math lessons! 

I got a C in french. I PASSED FRENCH! Lord knows how many times I stressed over this subject. I really struggled with french, so I had to work twice as hard as any other subject. Again, I did mocks, I spent time working one on one with teachers, I used several resources. I struggled so much that a pass was all I wanted. I really tried hard and it paid off!

Finally, I got a C in History. Now this was the only subject I was so annoyed at because I almost thought I garunteed an A in that subject. I love history and worked incredibly hard at it. I actually got full marks in atleat 3 mocks! I got an A* in my coursework too, so either I completely messed up in the exam, or the grade boundries were insanely high. History is one of my A-level subjects so I really wanted to go into it confident that I could do it. I was so mad at myself and my grade. I don't know what happened. I know some people may think I'm exaggerating but people in my history class know how hard I worked. For me personally, getting a C felt like not passing at all, but hey sometimes thats the way it goes. 

So those are my GCSE results! I'm so happy with them overall and I'm ready for the next chapter in my life. Bring on A-levels!

My first Q&A

I've always wanted to do a Q&A, so asked people on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat to send me questions. These questions were asking about a week ago and I've just gotten around to answering them. Here they are!

Do you miss school? 

Honestly I do! I obviously don't miss exams but I miss seeing everyone everyday and I miss a lot of my teachers. I've had about 2 months off and its really weird knowing I'm not going back in September! I'm going to my school's sixth form but it's actually miles away from the secondary school. I'll definitely be visiting lots though.

I really want to do NCS but I'm too scared to, should I bother?

Definitely! It was the best experience I ever had! I had so much fun doing the program and it generally changed me as a person. I'm more confident and I'm now even more excited for uni life. Even if you're really shy and nervous, you'll easily make friends! The mentors are the best support and you'll never be left alone. I'm actually considering becoming a mentor in the future!

Skittles or M&Ms?

It depends on my mood. Sometimes I want something fruity and sometimes all I want is chocolate. But I would have to say skittles.

When is your birthday?

September 11th

Online shopping or shopping in person?

Online. I get to stay at home looking in any state I ALWAYS find deals online.

Favourite place you've travelled?

Definitely Orlando Florida! I had so much fun there and I swear to you, I miss it everyday.

Are you nervous about results day?

I have my results now but when I was waiting, I really was! Like every so often I do found myself getting butterflies when i realised how close it was but I was no where near as nervous as last year, which is strange actually. I may post my results later, and discuss how I feel about them.

What are your birthday plans?

I haven't really thought about it. Although 17 is a good age, its 18 where I'll have a structured plan. 

What makeup product could you not live without?

Lip balm because my lips get dry super easily

Are you nervous for sixth form?

I am VERY nervous for sixth form. I don't know what to expect but I know that right off the bat, the work will pile up. I'm definitely a motivated person and I work so hard, so hopefully I'll be fine.

What is your biggest advice for someone thinking about starting blogging/vlogging?

I would say to talk about things you're passionate about. The moment you talk about whatever is in trend that you're not actually interested in, is when you loose your drive to upload. Show that you're passionate and enjoy what you do and 100% there will be people who will enjoy your content. I love it and I definitely want to stick at it for a very long time.

Saver or spender?

I am more of a saver. I can be stingy when it comes to shopping. I contemplate whether to get chocolate and Haribos a lot of the time, which cost barely anything! However, I do love shopping.

What is your best feature? 

I would say my smile is my best feature. I just try to smile so often that I guess, I've just really learnt to love it.

Those are all the questions that I got. I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you want to give me questions for the next Q&A I do, then feel free!

Have a great day x

Testing Pinterest DIYs: Melted Crayon Art

I'm a huge fan of Pinterest and I've wanted to try some of the DIYs for a very long time, so I finally decided to go out and buy some supplies to make one. One of the main crafts that I've wanted to do is a melted crayon art canvas. Today I did just that! I went to Poundland and I bought a small canvas and some wax crayons.

I'm going to take you through what I did to get finished product!

The first thing that I did was collect all the equipment that I needed. This included, some newspaper, a glue gun, a hair dryer, a canvas and some wax crayons. The newspaper was to cover the surface and floor, so that my mother didn't throw me out the house for making a huge mess.

After I made sure I had everything I needed, I took the canvas out of the packaging and took out the crayons from the little pouch it came in.

I laid out the crayons over the top, in the order that I desired. I chose to use the more bright colours and left the dull colours to the side.

When I was happy with the look of it, I used my hot glue gun to stick the crayons to the top of the canvas. At first it was difficult as I wasn't applying pressure so that it would stick, so I recommend that you hold onto the crayon once it is placed back down. Eventually they will all stick down and be secure.

I made sure to put newspaper all on the floor and surface, before I turned on the hair dryer. I stood it up against a stack of clothes baskets and started to apply the heat to the crayons. It took a little while, until eventually splats of wax flew around and dripped down the canvas. I carried on, going in different angles, until I was content with it.
I let the wax completely dry for about 20 minutes and I was done!

It was so much fun to do and actually very easy. I definitely recommend trying it out.

Thanks for reading!

Have a good day x

Random Thoughts #1

Sometimes, I just want to write. There isn't a particular thing I want to talk about or just one thought on my mind, and I just feel like writing how I feel. Whether I post this or keep it on private, I don't know but sometimes you just have to put your thoughts somewhere other than stuck in your head. This will probably end up being of such poor structure because I'm basically just slapping words onto a page. Being out of school, I definitely have had a lot of time on my hands to think. Some good thoughts, some not so good. But that's OK. That's normal right? That's how you know you're growing as a person.

Recently it has crossed my mind how hard it is nowadays to be a teenage girl in this society. There are so many expectations to live up to and so many stereotypes everyone wants you to fit. I feel like 2016 has been such a good year for me to learn about myself. I've learnt so much in just 7 months. I've learnt to love who I am and not try to fit the stereotypes out there, which is something I would never have believed just 2 years ago. I've really had this sudden burst of confidence this year which A LOT of people have commented on. I told myself when it struck midnight that I was going to make it my year, and it's been the only new years resolution I have ever stuck to.

I've never really had a problem with making friends but I'd never really had an opportunity to either. Of course I had school, but that was all I had. All my school friends knew people outside of school and had other friends to go out with but they were all I had. I guess that was the main reason why I wanted to do NCS so badly. No word of a lie, I was more upset finishing the program than when I left high school. I made some of the best friends whilst on the program and I can talk to them about literally anything. NCS was the best decision I ever decided to do!

It's been really eye opening, hearing all their stories. It's made me think about the future...quite a lot actually. Not anything too serious, just what I want to do next and what I want to do after results day etc. I worked so so hard during exam season and I'm so anxious to know if the work has paid off. I've always been school focused and it feels really weird to know that I'm finally going to know how i did in exams. Grades have always been a personal thing to me. I used to have a set plan on what I wanted and when I wanted it. I knew what i wanted to be, where I wanted to go. Now, i just don't. I know what I'm heading towards but I'm also 70% sure that it will change. I don't even know what college I want to attend. I have a place somewhere but I just don't feel "at home" there. I've been thinking about it quite a bit and I'm probably going to just go there as it's only 2 years. University is the thing I'm going to think DEEPLY about. I really want to have as much options as possible. As long as my A-levels go well, I'm not too fussed about where I go. University is obviously different because you have more opportunities and more memories to be made.

Another thing I've really thought about is the whole "relationship" thing. I'm not the type to really think about it at my age, but growing up, it's obviously cross my mind. The thing about me is that I'm all or nothing. Most people my age just go with how they feel and that's it, but I just see it as so much more complicated. I'm so not ready for all of that. I've been told I'm really mature for my age, which is why I probably think that way. Also talking to my parents and hearing how much you need to work at marriage and relationships, I'd just rather wait for the "right person". Why go through all the drama and heartbreaks when you can just find the one person you're meant to be with. Then of course there's the obvious. My parents. They're obviously not so keen on me being with anyone whilst I'm still young. I don't even know anymore xD I'll stop now because it's getting way too deep. But then again, it's just random thoughts.

It's strange because I always assumed I'd be really busy and adventurous this summer as its the longest summer i'll ever have, but after NCS I feel like I've been so lazy! It's not even that I don't want to do anything, it's that my friends always seem to be busy when ever I have free time and I don't feel like going out by myself, so I just stay at home. However, starting from Friday, my summer is finally going to be interesting since, my parents have booked 2 weeks off work, so I can spend a lot of time with family. We''re planning to spend a few days in London and hopefully go on holiday. I'm really looking forward to it.

I feel really bad about not posting as much as I wanted to this summer. I did a whole Snapchat rant about my reasons for it. I don't want to repeat so I'll just summarize it. Basically, I just haven't had the motivation to write original and creative content, and whenever I do, it just doesn't go to plan. I really wanted to post as much as possible and be proud of all of them, but I just feel like what I have produced hasn't been good enough. With some posts, I was bored writing them, so you guys must have been bored reading them. These sort of deep thought posts seem to be what i enjoy most. I genuinely get passionate when I just say whatever comes to mind. I didn't plan any of this, I'm sort of just writing whatever. However that's not always what other people enjoy, which is why a lot of my posts have been planned to the point. I think i just need to be more free with what I post. That way i still enjoy everything I post, and hopefully people want to read them.

If you have been reading my posts recently, thank you for sticking around. I'm sorry that they haven't been the best. Just know that I'm trying.

Thanks for reading this random thoughts...thing.  I hope you liked reading it and hopefully I'm not alone with some of it to. It would be nice to know that someone can relate.

Have a good day! x

How to: Have an instagram photoshoot

Lately I've been struggling to come up with original and interesting blog ideas due to lack of inspiration, however I have a free week before I go to London, so I can be creative. The next few blogs are ones I am proud of and happy to be uploading.

Sometimes I have days where I feel like posting on Instagram but I don't have any new pictures that I want to post, whether it be a selfie or something artistic. That's when Instagram photo-shoots come into play. Not only do you end up with pictures to post but it's so much fun to do. It can be done outside or inside, My personal favourite is to get a bus day saver and take pictures around my area, however a lot of the time i do it within the comfort of my own home. Here is how to have an Instagram photo-shoot.

There are two things you can take pictures of during an Instagram photo-shoot. Those are artsy photos and of course, selfies! Both are amazing for Instagram and you can prepare for them in many ways.

For selfies:

The first step to taking good selfies for Instagram is to make sure you look presentable.
Doing your makeup is always a good way to get photo ready. I tend to wear more than needed for Instagram photo-shoot days as it always looks better in photos. Makeup can tend to look washed out in pictures, so by wearing more than usual, it will stay looking flawless. You don't have to wear any makeup of course but I prefer to in my pictures. You don't have to be a makeup artist to take amazing pictures.

Hair is one of the those things that the eye is drawn to in pictures, therefore it has to look good right? It doesn't have to be perfectly curled or straight but it can't look like you just got dragged through several bushes. Even messy buns, which take a few seconds to do, can look amazing in pictures. I love wearing bandanas because I feel its what suits me best. You see its all about what you feel good in and what you think you look good in. I could have the messiest hair but by adding a bandana, it looks like i put in so much effort.

When it comes to selfies, you want to have an outfit you feel comfortable in. There is no point wearing a low cut top if you're insecure about your body. It just makes taking pictures feel like a task and feel awkward. Wear clothes you feel comfortable in and that look nice. Obviously make sure it's clean and stain free, otherwise that's just embarrassing. There is nothing worse than scrolling past an Instagram with people that look like they woke up 2 minutes before they snapped it. Even clothes being creased can sometimes be a turn off. There are days when I like to wear play suits/dresses, however I also love wearing a simple tank top and leggings.  

I've found that lighting is one of the most important ways to get a good selfie. Standing in front of a window is always a good way to get natural good lighting. My favourite place to take selfies is my conservatory as there is good light all around me. It's always bright and does amazing things for my skin. Sometimes lighting can make your skin look smoother and blurred, without having to edit.

Also having a good background or interesting foreground will improve the quality of the photo. It doesn't have to be a backdrop or anything expensive. All you need is a blank wall or something that draws the attention to you. I usually try to make sure to clear behind me when I'm taking a selfie.

Artsy pictures:

What do I mean by artsy pictures? I mean those Tumblr looking pictures of random things like drinks, shoes, food etc. The key is to find things worth taking pictures of.

One of the most important things needed for an artsy picture to work is the background. I have a fluffy throw blanket that I always use for these types of images. I usually lay it out on my floor. As I take my photography more seriously for my blog, eventually I will invest in backdrops and tiles etc. My favourite background to look at on Instagram is marble, so I will definitely be getting some soon. A good background, makes it look clear and of high quality.

Again, natural lighting is important, however using the flash also works, depending on surface and textures.

For an example, I used a pair of nude heels. The first thing you need to do when taking artsy pictures is to spend time moving the object(s) around. You want everything to look aesthetically pleasing. I sometimes spend more time moving things around than taking the actual picture.

You should also try from different angles. Depending on what the object is different angles may be best for different things. For example from the side, birds eye views, leading lines etc.

My favourite feature to use for artsy photos is the grid lines. You can turn these on by looking at your camera settings. It is really good to use as you can move your objects around to look the most appealing. If you want a particular thing to be the focus of attention, you could use the grid lines to get it in the middle. I also like to use it to see where i can fit extra things in the frame, if i feel the image needs more space to be filled.

Now you have pictures, all you need to do is edit them and upload! Roll on the likes and comments.

Thanks for reading! And don't forget that I have an Instagram account just for this blog! @chellebellexox

Make sure to follow as I am currently working on my feed.

Have a great day x

August Goals

Last month I came up with 3 different goals that I wanted to achieve, and I managed to reach them all in some way. I found it really fun working towards something and I'm looking forward to the months to come for the rest of the year.

This month I have another 3 goals that I am aiming to achieve.

My first goal is to travel to at least 3 places that I've never been to before. This does not have to include abroad. It could literally be somewhere 10 minutes from my house that I have never been to before. I love visiting new places and summer is the best time to explore. I want to take lots of pictures, wherever I end up visiting for memories.

My second goal is to help out at least one charity. I'm planning on volunteering this summer, so I know that this goal is definitely achievable. I really love taking part in charity work. I feel that by volunteering, I'll be able to make a difference to other people's lives and also learn new things about myself. I find that giving always helps me to develop as a person. I tend to do more during the Christmas season, which is why it's my goal to do charity work during August.

My third and final goal is to finish my book. I'm currently reading 'see me' by Nicolas sparks, which i am really enjoying at the moment. I want to finish the book by the end of this month and start a new one for the new school season. I have a feeling I will finish it this month as there are 33 chapters and i'm already on chapter 10. I've been reading it every other day since i bought it.

Thanks for reading! Make sure to check back at the end of the month to see if I achieve everything.