DIY Polaroid Heart Collage

'Print your memories' - Cheerz (formerly known as Polabox)

I recently decided to get a whole load of my pictures printed, but I didn't want the boring normal 6x4 or 7x5 print - I wanted to get them printed like polaroid pictures. I didn't really want to invest in a polaroid camera or printer, simply because they cost so much in the long run.. Buying all the films etc and the camera/printer itself isn't exactly cheap! So I took a look online.

There are so many brands to choose from: some brands that print straight from your Instagram, others may cost quite a lot to print.. Then I came across Cheerz.

Cheerz allows you to upload pictures from: your computer, Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox and other social networking sites which is very useful when all your pictures can be across a few networking sites! Their site is also very user friendly and so easy to use.

(source - Cheerz)

(source - Cheerz)

Once I had selected the 30 pictures it recommends, it then came up with a further offer of adding another 15 pictures for an extra 20p per print so you could either get 30 for £13.95 or 40 for £16.20.

(source - Cheerz)

Once my pictures arrived, I was so excited to open the box. I was so impressed with the quality of the pictures, the fact that none came back distorted or ruined. Picture perfection. Now, what to do with these pictures...

My friend recently told me she was ordering herself some polaroid pictures from a different website (see her blog post here) and she was going to put hers in a frame. Personally, I have no room in my bedroom for anymore frames. So I went in search of inspiration on Pinterest, as per usual! I came across so many different ways people had displayed their pictures, from hanging them on string to framing them and simply sticking them on their walls. Then I came across the heart collages, and they looked amazing. So many people had recreated this idea and I just had to try it.

Unfortunately, I'm no good as judging pictures in terms of how to organise and work out the layout. Luckily for me, I came across this template which helped me a lot:

source - Pinterest

This template helped me so much and the end result looks, if I'm completely honest, fantastic. I am so pleased with how the collage has turned out, and I would definitely encourage anyone who is looking for something to do with their old photos or polaroids to definitely recreate something like this - or maybe try out your own collage idea!

'You must have perfect skin to be beautiful...'

Hey guys! For today's society dictates, I'm going to look at how skin defines someone as 'beautiful'. Now, skin is a big personal issue of mine and I'm pretty sure plenty of girls, and guys, share the same problem as me!

 
(source: http://www.tumblr.com)

Has to be said, this is one of the biggest issues teenagers have to face on a day to day basis. The majority of teenagers have some form of issue with their skins, be it: eczema, acne, outbreaks etc. It does bring a major downer on your day and can really damage your self-esteem as your body image, for you, is shattered. This, added with negative comments and snide remarks, can really crush someone's confidence and, chances are, it's not even their fault they have problems with their skin. I can vouch for this...

I have eczema. You might not be able to tell if you actually look at my skin now, but if you go back 5-6 years, you would see a different story. As a child, I always had mild eczema like most children. However, when I was 14, I used a spot cream which was designed to be put directly on spots and basically put a layer all over my face which burnt my face as the cream was incredibly concentrated and acidic. After the inflammation went down, I went to the nurse as I still had flaky skin so she gave me some E45 cream which I majorly reacted to and my skin on my face swelled up. Not what a teenage girl wants! My skin then did some form of chemical peel which was very strange and I managed to infect my skin. My arms and face used to be red underneath the skin surface and very itchy and sore. 

In school, this was the last thing I needed! I'd have people stare and comment, it was actually heartbreaking and killed my self-esteem so much. Eventually, I was prescribed with some tablet which got rid of the infection and I was just left with very dry skin. Over time, it has definitely improved and, now, it's hard to tell I have anything wrong with my skin. But, at the back of my mind, it's still as bad as it was. That will never go away. At least I have found the right products which can keep all flare ups under control!

For teenage girls, in particular, skin is a big deal! If you have bad skin, you can wear many foundations or much make up. You also get people pick up on the fact your skin is bad. Especially if one day, you wear make up and, the next, you don't wear any and it's clear why. In particular, the media promote the image that girls need flawless skin to be perfect and beautiful. Let's be honest, have you ever seen a model with acne? Have you ever seen a magazine be nice about someone who isn't wearing make up...

I'm going to use Mila Kunis as my example, possibly one of the most gorgeous women in the world. 

 
(source: http://www.tumblr.com) 

Now, her skin in the majority of her images is simply stunning. Flawless, clear, beautiful.. That's what you get when you have an amazing makeup artist! Something the rest of us can not afford, unfortunately.  Yet, the minute she get's snapped without her makeup, she gets slated big time. How is that meant to encourage young girls to go for the more natural look when celebrities get slated for it so extremely?!

 
(source: http://www.tumblr.com)

Sorry but I'm pretty sure there are more important things for the media to be publicising and criticising rather than slating and slagging off someone because they look 'rough' without makeup on. What kind of example does that set young girls?! The fact that most images of airbrushed and perfected anyway greatly impacts how reliable and truthful these images are. They're not real! Same for the images of girls with thigh gaps (for those who missed my post on thigh gaps, click here), these images are edited to promote the 'ideal figure' when, actually, it's an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle. With sites, such as tumblr and instagram, also promoting these images, no wonder there are so many negative and pressured girls out there with incredibly low self-esteem.

So, have a think next time you make a snide remark or see these images in magazines or online. How on earth do you think these people feel?! People really need to take a step back and realise they are not perfect either so they have NO right to make judgements on someone else until they've walked in their shoes.