Social Media // The image

A few Sundays agoI had the best day ever. The sun was shining, church was cranking and I smiled so much with my beautiful friends. We drove around every fish and chip shop in the city until eventually we found one and sat eating them in the sun. It was honestly perfect. Afterwards we had planned to video a speech about the image that social media portrays, a subject which I think very strongly about. Have a watch of the video below.

-Samantha xxx

Friday fun // The youth of ARISE

A really big part of my life is church and youth group. It is what I call home, where I feel most connected and the atmosphere is always so welcoming. I wish every teenager could come along and experience a Friday night at Elevate Youth because I guarantee that their life would change forever.  Last week we had a colour war before the service and oh was it fun to watch! Here is a few photos I took of the mayhem. I'll leave you with a quote from the service:

"Who you are is not decided by the people around you, our reputation is chosen you by the one and only Jesus Christ"

Love,

Samantha

Wood you rather? // Fashion shoot

Samantha wears:

Brooklyn top // Ghanda

Jeans //  Cotton on

Sandals // Saltwater sandals

Glasses // Cotton on

Wood you rather be at spending your weekend doing homework or spend your weekend shooting a blog post? I know what I would rather be doing so I did! School has been so busy lately, 5 out of 6 of my subjects have assessments due but I decided to take some time out and enjoy myself by writing a post for here instead. How's the start of your year going?

Love,

Samantha 

Wishlist // March 2015

Next year I am going to university so it means that the majority of my money is going straight into savings (I feel like such an adult saying that) which is a scary thought! This means my wishlist is growing each day so I made this to stick onto my wall to remind me of what I am aiming for.

1 // Love Tanya- I'm a massive youtube fan and after reading Zoella's book- girl online- I came to conclusion that I must read Tanyas too! Unfortunately this isn't out in New Zealand yet so I'm waiting for it to be released.

2 // ICE watch - Oh I do love watches, and rose gold.

3 // Headphones- I bus to and from school which takes 2 hours in total and man is the school bus noisy, quality headphones are essential on this trip and as I mentioned before rose gold really makes me want these even more! 

4 // Happy socks- Who doesn't want gorgeous socks to jazz up their outfit?

5 // Sonny angels - To add to my ever growing collection.

6 // Converse- My idol Any Warhol came has now got his own line of Converse... ahhhhh! Unfortunately these are only available in America so the grey or mustard colour are my back ups.

What are you saving up for?

Love, 

Samantha 

22 February // Dear Christchurch

Dear Christchurch,

Four years ago today you changed mine and many others lives forever. I never thought I could forgive you for that but now I have began to accept that all things happen for a reason.

It was a Tuesday 2011, I finished school at 12pm and was walking through town with mum when we both decided that going for an afternoon swim was going to be our plan of attack. We drove out of town and stopped at a red light as you do when you approach an intersection. Unbeknown to us things were about to change forever.

Mum started screaming, I had not figured out what was going on yet but soon my mind clicked. An earthquake, not just a small one, but as we found out later on- a magnitude 6.3. Our car bounced across the road and shock violently, Mum and I clinging onto each other crying not knowing what to do. You were a short but violent earthquake, lasting only 10 seconds- It felt like a life time though. Once the shaking stopped we looked back at you Christchurch for the last time and saw mountains of dust rising into the sky.


For the next week my family was too scared to live at home so our friends lounge became our makeshift bedroom. Gripping to the doorways when an aftershock hit or diving under a table became normality. We had to boil water to drink as taps were contaminated, use a barbecue for an oven as power was not on, cellphones had no reception so communication was lost. Looking back now I would never wish this experience upon anyone, ever.

My school was kept closed for the longest (4 weeks) due to it being situated in the city centre. I was very uncomfortable going back seeing as the building was four stories high but the students and staff made it very welcoming. It was good to finally get back into routine.



Four years on I now look at Christchurch with hope. We have the most beautiful artworks surrounding our streets, amazing pop up malls constructed out of shipping containers, structurally stable buildings going up and a fresh start and clean slate that not many are lucky enough to get. I don't want to leave Christchurch yet, I'm in no way ready to move on. I never thought that I would say that, but It's true, I have fallen in love with my wee city.

Thank-you Christchurch for showing me that life can be re-stored and that we can rise up.

Love,
Samantha

Garden of stripes // Summer outfit

 

Samantha wears:

Striped singlet top  // Ally Fashion (Similar) (Similar)

Black dress shorts // Temt

Lace socks // Glassons

Converse // Light Sapphire

Shamballa Bracelet // Warehouse 

Earings // Lovisa (Similar)

I am very excited to release my first fashion post on thesamantharoom. I had so much fun photographing and styling this post. I shot this at a primary school down the road from my house and had to keep pausing as kids were walking past- It was a fun adventure!  The outfit I'm wearing has to be my favourite combination this summer. What is your favourite outfit this summer?

Love,

Samantha xxx

DIY // Make your own clay pots

 For this DIY you will need:

• Air dry clay
• Gesso
• Paint + Paintbrushes
• Palette 
• Craft mat
• Rolling pin
• Cup + Plate
• Knife

1) Use a chunk of clay that is in-between the size of a golf ball and tennis ball. Warm up the clay in your hands to make it moveable.

2) Use a rolling pin to flatten the clay out. Make it about 4mm thick.

3) Use a bowl as a guide to cut a circle out.

4) Carefully mould the clay around a plastic cup to give it shape. Smooth out the edges with your fingers so that it not crinkled.
5) Leave it sit for approx 48 hours so that it can dry.

6) Prime your pot with gesso so that the final layer of paint will stick to it.
7) Paint it your choice of colour and leave to dry!

Wolah! There you have your very own clay pot. I hope that you enjoyed this DIY. Make sure that you tag #thesamantharoom with your creations so I can see what you have made!

Love,
Samantha 

Travelling tips // What you need

I wouldn't say that I'm always travelling but I have flown quite a lot in my life time. I always seem to over pack for my carry on luggage as I am scared that I will get bored on the plane so I tend to bring a lot to entertain myself. In the holidays I went overseas and it gave me the idea for this blog post so I am going to share with you some top tips for flying.

1) Have a good book. There is no Wifi on a plane so this is the perfect opportunity to pick up that book you have been meaning to read for ages. May I add that Penguin books are just so great. They're affordable and the perfect size to take anywhere.

2) Always bring a journal. You never know when a fabulous idea will strike! My previous post on journalling will give you some great ideas on what type of diary will suit your needs. 

3) Wear cozy shoes and socks. My Saltwater Sandals are defiantly my favourite buy for this summer. Wearing them with frilly socks is great for on the plane- That way they're warm and comfy!

4) Use comfortable headphones. Nothing is worse than the headphones you receive on the plane. So that you can use your own pair purchase an adapter like this which means you can use your own through out the flight. 

5) Beauty products. I don't fly with make-up on but there is nothing worse than chapped lips or dry skin from the planes air conditioning. Make sure that your products don't breech the carry on luggage requirements though as you're only allowed a certain amount of liquid on the plane. 

I must add, please don't ever forget to bring your passport or ticket otherwise you will never get onto the plane! Where is your favourite place that you have ever travelled to? Mine is Prague which is in the Czech Republic. Leave your answers in the comments below and let me know.

Have a fantastic week,

Samantha xx

Journalling Tips // Choosing your way

As my first post on my new blog I thought that I would discuss Journalling. I am a person who prefers writing than talking and will fill up endless notebooks with words. Any problem, thought or idea that pops into my head is always written down before I share it with anyone. Whenever I go shopping my parents cringe when I get home as I have usually purchased a new piece of stationary  with journals being the top item I can not stop buying! I'm going to share with you the types of journals that are handy to keep.

1// Diary
This is essential especially for your school, work, homework and appointments . Make sure the diary you choose is not all about the appearance, you want the layout to suit your style. Personally I like the weekly planners so that you can see what is ahead of you. In my diary this year I'm using a black inked pen just so that the pages are tidier.

2// Sketchbook
If writing is not your forte then a sketchbook is perfect for you. The key to having a visual diary is having an appropriate sized one so that you can take it with you everywhere you go- you never know when creativity will strike! I also recommend checking out the paper type before you buy as bad quality paper can ruin your lovely drawings.

3// Draft Book
When I get a new idea in mind I'm always far too excited to write it out perfectly, I need to have somewhere to draft out things as soon as I think of it. Typo notebooks are perfect for this as their pages are able to be torn out and there is a pocket in the front to store important pieces of paper. Not only are they perfect for that, there is also a massive range of designs available for such a cheap price! Draft books are in no way meant to be kept neat -Who cares what your writing looks like as no one will ever see it besides you.

4// Starters
Writers block. Yes we all get it sometimes. Thats why starter journals are perfect to solve this issue. I have a wide range of books on my desk that give prompts, ideas or inspiration to get my mind into the flow of things. They're super handy to have and look pretty cool too.

I hope this post gets you inspired to organise your diaries and gives you some ideas of creative journal starters that you can purchase to help stop your mind blocks. Tag #thesamantharoom with photos of your journals so I can see what you're projects are!

Love, Samantha xxx