Sandwich Ideas #BEDM

Image Credit:Wearychef

 So this week it is British sandwich week and this was the topic for Sunday for #BEDM . I'm eating very healthily this week and including lots more fruit and vegetables into my diet. At first I wanted to find some healthy packed lunch ideas and then I came across these delicious looking sandwiches on Pinterest which I could just eat right now. I love food so much and gaining inspiration to make tasty recipes. Even though most of these are not strictly British they look delicious so here they are.

This pesto pizza grilled cheese sandwich by the Weary Chef look simple yet delicious. It's made with pepperoni, pesto, tomatoes and cheese and then popped into the oven to bake.

Image credit:Six Sisters

 For this low fat turkey bacon wrap from Six Sisters all you need is a wholegrain wrap, Romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing, 3 slices of turkey bacon and 2 slices of bacon. This would be great to take  in a packed lunch.

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 Cheese Sprinkles and Rocket ships are fun, inspirational sandwich ideas and can be found on the Etsy blog.

Image credit:Fitnessmagazine.com

 I could eat this Philly Cheese Steak sandwich right now. This has thin sliced steak, peppers, mushrooms, onions and Provolone cheese. Looking at photos of food makes me so hungry. Have you ever done that though when you're really full and then you see an advert for food on the television and it puts you right off? It makes you feel even more full!

Image credit: Emily Bites

 For this grilled chicken pesto wrap you use fresh basil pesto, ripe plum tomatoes, chicken and wraps and serve warm.

I think I have saved the best for last here. The Sweet mornings banana breakfast sandwich was found on Sugar and Charm  blog. I follow this after seeing the amazing recipes and photography. The french bread, banana and syrup look absolutely scrumptious and I have all of the ingredients to make this right now apart from the French bread! I'm making a note to get some so I can try this out.

I could have gone on all day finding yummy looking sandwich recipes but I had better stop and make fajitas for tea.

What are your favourite sandwich recipes?

Love Laura xoxo

My Motivation Tips #BEDM

Image credit:  Browneyedbellejulie

Image credit: Mochithings.com

Image credit: Blippo Kawaii Tumblr

Image credit: Cuteasafox

Happy Friday everyone! 

So today for #BEDM the topic is motivation. 

My tips to keep motivated are to keep lists. Write down everything that needs to be done and goals that you would like to achieve and tick them off. If you put them up somewhere you can see them regularly, it helps you to accomplish them as you are reminded of them. If things are out of sight for me then they are out of my mind.

Being really organised helps with my motivation too so a schedule and routine for me is a must. I can get so much more done when I know what I have to achieve for the day. Without a schedule I can be 50/50. Some days I won't do hardly anything and then the next day I do so much as I am really spontaneous.

My motivation is boosted whenever I feel pressure too. I've always been one of those people that leaves everything until the last minute and then get everything done. Sometimes I surprise myself and get things done early as I really don't like stress at all. 

If I am overworked then I become exhausted so easily and therefore my motivation goes out of the window for everything as I just want to sleep . I make sure that I have time to unwind and pursue interests.  

Post-it notes and pretty stationery help too with motivation as when everything looks tidy it clears your head so that you can think. How cute are the ones above? I need them.

Communicating helps with my motivation too. This can be triggered by conversations with people and gaining inspiration for what they have done that has worked.

I love the saying that you have as many hours in a day as Beyonce! I always try and cram as much as I can into my days and I am constantly busy.

I am motivated from the inspiration I see around me too and that I seek out. I love visual photographs or recipes from magazines and I love reading blogs too and watching Youtube videos. These all motivate me to eat healthier, try new recipes, organise my belongings, be time efficient and generally boost my mood levels.

Love Laura xoxo

My Local History- Edinburgh #BEDM

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 Edinburgh has so much history that it's hard to know where to start and finish. It has been the capital of Scotland since the year 1437 and it gained status as a city in the year 1889.

This photo above shows a part of Edinburgh's vaults which are a series of chambers formed in the nineteen arches of the South Bridge. These are so interesting as they were used to house trades people and were reported to store illegal materials. Reportedly bodies were kept down here too for experiments. The Vaults started to flood and because of the damp conditions, businesses moved out and poor people moved in. During an excavation in 1985 this secret underground world was discovered and objects and artifacts were found.

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 Mary King's Close is fascinating and has been shrouded in mystery. It's a tour in Edinburgh that you can learn interesting facts about the people who lived in these underground streets. It was said that the people who had the plague lived under the Edinburgh town and the rest of the city was built above them. I would love to go on this tour and learn all about it.

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 Burke and Hare murdered people  in Edinburgh in the year 1828. They sold the corpses of the 16 bodies to Doctor Robert Knox who dissected them for his lectures and were reported to have taken place in the vaults mentioned previously. The Burke and Hare film was out in cinemas in 2010 and is based upon the true stories that took place.

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" Edinburgh Castle is no doubt one of the most well-known structures in Scotland, dominating the skyline of Edinburgh atop volcanic Castle Rock. A royal castle has existed on the site since the rein of David I in the 12th century, and over the centuries Edinburgh Castle has come to be one of the most important fortresses in Scotland. It has been involved in many historical conflicts, from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century to the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Despite its location, it has been besieged successfully." Quoted from Edinburgh History.

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The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is performed annually, in August,  by the Commonwealth, British Armed Forces and International Military bands. 

There's so much History in Edinburgh that I could write a book about it. However I have aimed to show you a few snippets of the city instead. The city is fascinating and there is so much to learn.

Love Laura xoxo

Passion Projects #BEDM

Today for #BEDM ( Blog every day in May,) the topic is what you love and would like to make money from. So for this you will gain an insight into some of the things that provide me with great motivation and passion but also I am linking to people who have companies which are inspirational for me. I am a fully qualified teacher and my degree was combined with English Language and Literature. I love caring and helping people rather than a sole focus of making lots of money. I would much rather be happy although money is nice to have.

Now if I think about my true passion then that would be to save animals. I cannot stand the thought of animals being treated cruelly, neglected or left without a home so I would set up an organisation which would protect them. This is from my heart and I wouldn't do this to make money in the slightest. I am just interested in giving.

The topics I am highly motivated by, if I was to think about my passions and making a profit, would be to design and create lipsticks, make unique clothing, create an inspirational quote book full of sayings and positive ideas to keep people happy, decorate make up cases, create paper art and create headbands. These are the ideas that I would put lots of effort into as I love them and they are super creative.

Everything Alice- Hannah Read-Baldrey

 I absolutely love the books created by Hannah Read-Baldrey. I have this Alice one, the Oz book and the Girl's night in one too. They are packed full of inspiration, fantastic photos and crafts. These are the best craft books that I own and they are in different league to others. I love Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz so much and these books are brilliant.

Image credit:Lime Crime

I would love to create lipstick shades and have amazing packaging like Lime Crime has. I love holographic and unicorns and these look beautiful, innovative and quirky. I love the design of Doe's website too as it's bright, fun and sets itself apart from other brands available.

Image Credit: Beauxoxo

 I adore Georgie's headbands. She owns Beauxoxo and a blog too which is really interesting and one of my favourites. She sells a range of hair accessories and I particularly love the whole look that was created in the image above. I need to invest in some of her pieces. How adorable are the glittery hearts?

Image credit: Miss Patisserie

 How gorgeous is this bath cupcake created by Charlotte who owns Miss Patisserie? I have reviewed Miss Patisserie's products previously and they are relaxing, fun, moisturising and smell beautiful. The company was first created in Charlotte's kitchen and she now sells a range of products. I also love the design of the website too.

I absolutely love the I'm Your Present Etsy shop. Kelly creates a variety of creative pieces which are quirky, beautiful and innovative. Here is my make up case which has been  adorned in her creative style. I would love to be able to do something like this. I love how a lot of thought also goes into the packaging too.

What motivates you?

Love Laura xoxo

Mexican desserts #BEDM

Churros- Betty Crocker

Mexican Hot Cocoa Cupcakes- Betty Crocker

Mexican Chocolate Raspberry Parfaits- Betty Crocker

Fresh Fruit Salsa With Cinnamon Crisps- Betty Crocker

Banana Tres Leches Dessert- Betty Crocker

Grilled Apple Cinnamon A La Mode Tacos- Betty Crocker

Mexican Chocolate Cake- Betty Crocker

Caramel Banana Roll Ups- Betty Crocker

I'm a huge dessert fan so when I saw that my blogging challenge for today was the subject of Mexico I knew straight away that I wanted to focus upon food. All of these recipes were found on the Betty Crocker website and all photographs belong to them too.

I'm a really visual person and so these photos provide lots of inspiration for me to try out the desserts. I love all of the ingredients that I have included here and it gives you a chance to sample a slice of Mexico. 

I will definitely have to try a few of these delicious looking recipes. If you click on the links underneath each photo it will take you directly to the Betty Crocker recipes for each of the desserts.

Don't they look delicious? They've made me really hungry now.

Love Laura xoxo

Five Of My Favourite Posts #BEDM

Happy Friday everyone,

Today I have chosen five of my favourite blog posts that I have written on Ray Of Glitter within the past eight months.

I have just been looking back at my photography and I like the decorative shots the best. Some that I have previously taken needed a bit more artistic flair but I am learning all of the time. It was quite nostalgic looking back through posts and photographs and I can see how far I have come. 

I absolutely loved the look of these Barry M Aquarium nail polishes when they had been released and I had to have them. Anything to do with Mermaids and I am attracted like a moth to a flame. I like the look of the bottles on my dressing table and I also like the swatches I did too on the nail wheels. The longevity of the polishes is really good and I like the colour change in the light. You can see my original blog post here.

I chose this post as I love the outfit that I have put together here that I wore on New Years Eve. I like co-coordinating and putting items together and the dress that I was sent from Bank is gorgeous. As you can see, I like a lot of sparkle! You can read my original post here.

I chose this post as I like the way that my review is organised. I think it is clear and I like my photography too. I love the pink of this lipcrayon too. They are so easy to apply and this colour is so vibrant. You can read my post here.

I chose this post as I put a lot of effort into reviewing the three fizzy bath balls. The colours were really vibrant and as I usually take showers, having a bath and using these was a real treat. Here are my posts; Flower Chick, Jungle Flower and Bunch Of Roses.

Finally, My Pastel BBQ Ideas which was from my Wednesday wishlist. I love the pieces I have chosen and it took quite a bit of time to source all of the products. I really like the final look of the collages that I put together. I love BBQ'S and sunshine and this gives me inspiration which is a huge contributor towards my motivation.

What are your favourite posts?

Love Laura xoxo

What Is My Blog About? #BEDM

After scrolling through my Bloglovin' app and catching up on blog posts Rosalilium's BlogEvery Day In May #BEDM was mentioned and I thought that it was a great idea so I signed up. I love how the topics for each days are in advance, that you can find other posts and discover new blogs and talk to new people. It's also a great motivator for me as April was the month that I have blogged the least. I am definitely more productive with a schedule and just when I was planning one, this challenge appeared in my feed. If you would like to join pop on over and sign up. You can also search for the posts on Twitter using #BEDM

So what is my blog about?

My blog Ray Of Glitter was created in August last year and I started to document snippets of my life and to review beauty products. I also adore fashion and show my new fashion finds and outfits too.

My blog helps me to become more motivated as I want my blog to be regularly updated and it provides a focus, challenge and to set goals for myself.

I use my blog to document my life so that I can look back and see changes and all of the activities I got up to and to remind me of happy, positive times.

 To use and appreciate products. I have so many items of clothing and beauty products and for a while I just kept them in perfect condition. I then had a  new perspective where I thought that the items are no good if they fade, go off or dry and up and they haven't even been enjoyed so my blog helps with trying out the items by documenting and reviewing them.

To have an escapism. I am a really bubbly person but at times I need to recharge, switch off and pursue my own interests. I love reading other peoples' blog posts and I also need to centre myself and to simply become lost in thought. Without this I become frustrated.

My blog has enabled me to become even  more creative. I see a craft opportunity everywhere I look and reading other blogs and watching Youtube videos has inspired me to start crafting and organise my belongings.

 My blog has enabled me to work with some fantastic brands and to review their products. In doing so, positive relationships have been made and communicating effectively, being organised and super reliable are key strengths that I have practiced and developed.

 To talk to people with similar interests. When I first started my blog, I discovered people who had started writing at a similar time to me such as Hannah from Hannah's Beauty Sweet who is really lovely. People have left genuine comments on my blog and if I love a blog post, I try to either like the post on Bloglovin' or leave a comment too. I also love Instagram and lots of users I have discovered have beautiful accounts that are very inspiring.

 My blog hopefully inspires others as I gain lots of inspiration from reading a variety of blogs. I love clear photographs on blogs as I am very visual.

My blog also enables me to write regularly. Ever since I remember I have loved writing. My mum always used to say that when I grew up she thought I would write books. My blog enables me to write about topics that I am passionate about and the greatest motivator for me is for things that I love.

My blog is truly me from the heart and it encompasses my personality and shows you snippets of who I am and what I love. I hope it exudes positivity and makes you smile :)

Love Laura xx