17 February 2021

Random Acts of Kindness Day

Hey everyone!! Today is February 17, which means it is Random Acts of Kindness Day. Spreading kindness and positivity is important all year round, not just today, but I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give some suggestions of random acts of kindness you can complete. They are small actions which benefit your family, friends, or even strangers, and most of them either cost nothing, or are fairly affordable to do. It's important that you complete these actions with no expectations of getting something in return - you're not doing them to benefit yourself (although that being said, it's proven that being kind is likely to increase your serotonin and energy levels!).

There are hundreds of acts you could complete, but here's a short list with some of my favourite ideas:

Pay for the order of somebody behind you. 
Obviously we're in a lockdown, so it's not possible to do this in restaurants, pubs etc. but there are still some drive-thrus and coffee shops open. When you next go into one, if you're in a financial position to do so, it's a really lovely thing to pay for the order of the person behind you too.

Buy some extra food when doing your weekly shop, to donate to foodbanks.
I'm not sure about other supermarkets, but my local Sainsbury's has boxes by the exit, where people can put donations which will go to our local foodbanks. While your picking up your groceries, you could buy a little extra to donate.

Write letters to your friends / extended family 
These days, we almost all communicate with our friends + family via the Internet, but sending someone a handmade card in the mail is so thoughtful, and shows the person that you've made a real effort. Cards aren't too expensive to post, so this is a fairly accessible option. 

Bake goods and hand deliver them
Alternatively to the option above, if you live near your loved ones, you could go the extra mile by baking and hand-delivering their favourite treats. Obviously, it's important to follow covid guidelines while doing this - but if you leave them on their doorstep and then quickly run back, it's definitely possible!!

Support a small business
If there's something you need to buy, try and see if you can buy it from a small business instead of a large corporation. £20 means nothing to a business like Amazon, but can really make the day of a small business owner. I'm going to be doing a whole blog post soon sharing my favourite small businesses, so stay tuned for that!

Pick up litter
It's important to be kind to the environment too - go to a part of your area which is notorious for having lots of litter, bring a bag, pick it up and dispose of it correctly!! *Remember to bring some gloves, and hand sanitizer to stay hygienic*

Send a thank-you email to your teacher
Teaching through this pandemic has definitely been a challenge, so if you're a student you could send your favourite teacher an appreciative email to remind them that you are grateful for them.

Listen to smaller musicians
There are so many singers/musicians out there who are trying to make it - scroll through hashtags like #independentartist, and give some of their songs a listen. It's fun for you, and likely means a lot to them!

Give compliments!
It's a cliche one, but that's because it costs nothing and can have a lasting effect on someone's day. Obviously we're not out and about much at the moment so it's harder to give them to strangers, but maybe when you next go to the supermarket you could compliment the cashier... Alternatively, just pay compliments to those in your household, or text a family member/friend.

Had a positive customer service experience? Tell the company.
Companies are so used to dealing with complaints from customers, so if you've had a positive experience recently, why not email in and tell them. Not only will the worker receive recognition for their good work, but it's also likely to be a refreshing change for the person managing the company's social media/email.

Cook for your family
Now I have to admit, I am not good at cooking (!), but I do think making a surprise meal for your family would be a lovely way to spread kindness.

TREAT YOURSELF
And most importantly, be kind to YOU. Random acts of kindness aren't just limited to other people... buy yourself a hot chocolate, do a face mask, treat yourself to a new dress, eat some cake or do something else to treat yourself!!

What other suggestions would you add to the list? Which of these do you think you would do? What has been the nicest act of kindness anyone has ever done for you? Let me know in the comments below!!

Go check out my Instagram: instagram.com/whatlexieloves
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Lexie x

03 February 2021

Not a Lot To Say at the Moment...

I want to write blog posts, but I have nothing to say.

Well... that's not strictly true, I actually have a lot to say about a lot, but I just don't know where to begin.

This has been my thought process every time I have tried to write a blog post recently - I miss regular blogging, and I want to resurrect What Lexie Loves, but I just can't seem to eloquently articulate what I want to say. To be honest, I'm just really really fed up - lockdown 3.0 seems to have sucked all energy out of me, particularly as the little motivation I do have has to be used on my schoolwork.

So, that's why I haven't posted on here in a while. Also because I don't feel my words are providing any value anymore. Sad, I know, but my blog posts used to feel useful, interesting and unique (at least I think they were!) - now I just feel that I can't offer anything special to the online world. Every time I sit down to write a blog post, or even an Instagram caption, I just get this sinking feeling that no-one cares. Maybe it's irrational, but maybe it's a very fair assumption to make - after all I am just another basic 16 year old girl on the web.

I'm sorry to write such a short, gloomy blog post - particularly as this is my first one of 2021, but I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still here!! I haven't permanently given up on What Lexie Loves, I just need to get over this little mental block. I am going to start posting more regularly again... I promise.

Thanks for reading this very pessimistic blog post - just wanted to keep it real! I'll be back soon!!
Lexie

14 November 2020

A/W Clothing Wishlist 2020

Whilst there are many things that I'm missing about summer, I do absolutely love autumn and winter fashion, and I'm definitely going to be giving my wardrobe a huge glow-up over the next couple of months. The last week or so, I've spent ages online shopping and browsing, and I thought for today's post I would share my A/W clothing wishlist 2020... whilst I'm realistically definitely not going to buy all these items, it is called a wishlist for a reason! So if you're looking for A/W fashion ideas or just like seeing people's wishlists, then keep on reading...

Bershka Faux Leather Jacket - £25.99



Leather is super trendy right now, and since my old leather jacket is way too small for me now, I'm desperate to get a new one! Real leather is pretty pricey, so I think I'm going to get this faux leather one from Bershka. 

Dr Martens 1460 Bex Boots - £169



A pair of black boots are such a staple for A/W fashion, but I don't own any!! I really want these Docs, but I'm waiting for them to restock in my size on Schuh or Asos as they offer student discounts. They're pretty pricey, but apparently they're a great investment as they last for years.

Pretty Little Thing Camel Balloon Sleeve Maxi Coat - £35


To be honest, I don't know if I could pull this off, but this jacket is so so cool! I'm loving neutral tones at the moment, so I think this piece would be really fun to style.

Urban Outfitters Satin Tie-front Top - £18.00


Arguably, this is more of a summery piece, as you'd probably be very chilly in it, but I saw this top whilst browsing on UO and I couldn't not include it as it's so pretty!

H&M Knitted Polo-neck Jumper - £24.99


I absolutely love the green shade of this jumper - it is so autumnal (and festive... it would be perfect for the Christmas season too). I definitely believe there is no such thing as having too many jumpers in the winter, so I'm really tempted to buy this one.

Pretty Little Thing Camel Pocket Front Shacket - £27


I am OBSESSED with the shacket trend at the moment - recently I've just seen so many people wearing shackets and I need to get one. This one from PLT is such a lovely colour and would go perfectly with some skinny jeans and chunky boots.

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So, those are the clothing items I would absolutely love for this autumn and winter - which are your favourite pieces? Do you prefer spring/summer or autumn/winter fashion?

Thanks for reading!
Lexie

07 October 2020

Happy 7th birthday to What Lexie Loves...

Today's post is such an exciting and crazy one for me, as today is my blog's SEVENTH birthday..... When I started blogging at 9 years old, I never ever imagined that seven years later, I would still be over here in my little corner of the web. Creating What Lexie Loves was one of the best decisions I have ever made - the last 7 years of my life really wouldn't be the same without it. Blogging has brought me some of the best memories, friends, opportunities and experiences I could ever dream of and I am so so grateful to everyone who has ever supported this little blog.

For today, I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane, so I've decided to share some of my old blog designs and blog posts! 

I've spent ages going through my blog's old posts (and there are a lot - 344!!!), and I've selected seven of the cringiest, cutest, weirdest or just downright confusing posts. I cringed so much reading these, so I can't quite believe I'm going to link them for you to all easily find, but just remember that I was aged between 10/11 for all of these!

https://whatlexieloves.blogspot.com/2015/12/hola-lexicans-today-i-have-written.html - This post contains a little poem that 11 year old me wrote and besides the incorrect and misleading use of italics (what was the point of them haha?!), I lowkey like this one!!

https://whatlexieloves.blogspot.com/2015/10/l-o-v-e.html - This post was an incoherent rambling about love, after our hamster escaped from its cage (don't worry we found him at the time, although he's obviously passed away now). This was an.. interesting.. one for me to reread!

https://whatlexieloves.blogspot.com/2015/10/i-live-for.html - This was a cute post and most of it still applies to me now to be honest.

https://whatlexieloves.blogspot.com/2015/09/autumn-fall.html - This one is short but sweet, and obviously very topical seeing as it is currently autumn.

https://whatlexieloves.blogspot.com/2015/09/me-lexie.html - This post makes me cringe SO MUCH!!! The line 'QUIRKY! :D' really made me giggle, as it sounds so sarcastic but I just know that at the time I meant it seriously.

https://whatlexieloves.blogspot.com/2015/02/yay-yay-yay-yay-yay.html - I feel bad laughing at this post as I just know how happy I was while writing it, but the writing style is hilarious and so informal in this. It's so cute how proud I was to hit 10k all-time pageviews though, I wonder how little Lexie would feel about the fact that I've now hit over 130k!

https://whatlexieloves.blogspot.com/2016/02/through-good-and-bad.html - To be honest, I'm pretty proud of how creative this post was, considering I was only 11!


Those are 7 of the many random blog posts I have written over the years - if you go to check some of them out, let me know, but don't judge me!!


I also recently found out about a website called Wayback Machine, which shows past designs of a website. It was just the other day that I was thinking about all the layouts I've had for What Lexie Loves over the years, and I was so happy to find the website. I know for a fact that it's missed a few, but here are the ones that it had recorded.


My blog's first ever layout!!


Similar to the OG one, but the pages tab is different, and I obviously switched the name a little bit!


I actually loved this design hahaha - I kind of miss it!


Very similar to my current one - although the tabs are different. I actually way prefer those tabs to the boring ones I have now, but I couldn't change them around easily which was annoying.


I've had this current design for years now, and honestly I want a new one!! I used to have lots of blogger friends on here who were happy to help me with them, but now most of them have left the blogosphere and I'm so clueless on designs!! But yes, those are a few of the many designs What Lexie Loves has had.

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Thanks so much for reading this post and for supporting What Lexie Loves. Being a teen blogger is so fun, and whilst its time-consuming, I always feel proud of everything I've posted on here. Blogging has taught me so much, from writing to email ettiquette, from social media to knowing your worth. Thank you for all the love + support. Cheers to 7 years.

Lexie x