My 2015 Highlights ❤

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! 

I can't believe it's 2016 already, it's been a crazy year.

It only feels like yesterday that I was publishing my first post on this blog

which was about my highlights of 2014. 

It's gone so quickly.

Anyway, I hope you've all had a great 2015, if not, I truly hope that 2016 is a better year for you.

2015 has been a great year for me so here are my highlights of this year :)

January

In January, I saw one of my favourite artists, Jessie J, perform at the Manchester Apollo. She was absolutely amazing and performed several songs from her latest album, Sweet Talker, and a few from her previous two albums, Alive, and Who You Are. She has an incredible voice so it was great to see her perform again after seeing her perform in 2011 when she was just starting out. She's come so far and I couldn't be more prouder of her.

February

February was the month I met Tanya Burr at her Love, Tanya book signing and I was so happy as you can see from my selfie. She was really sweet and we talked for about 10-15 seconds. Her book Love, Tanya, is great too as it includes stories about her life and she also talks about helping people with confidence and she even includes some of her favourite recipes as well so there's something for everyone. When I was in the car going home, Tanya favourited my tweet and I was so happy. I feel so lucky to have met her, she is one of my favourite YouTubers.

I also met Fleur DeForce (who is also a YouTuber), a day before I met Tanya, at her signing in Manchester and she was really sweet and got pictures and selfies with everyone. In her book, she mainly talks about make-up but she also talks about confidence as well and gives tips. 

March

Since I left college in December 2014, I decided to volunteer by helping my auntie walk dogs. These are other people's dogs who can't walk them because of their jobs or being unable to walk them for personal reasons so my auntie picks their dogs up and takes them for walks for up to 45 minutes a day before taking them home. It's hard work looking after three dogs at once so I decided to help her out and it was really fun.

April

On the 22nd of this month, I met Stacey Solomon at her Shy album signing at the Trafford Centre in Manchester and she was really sweet. Before the signing, I got her a box of Celebration chocolates and she was so grateful as she had just come straight from a signing in Liverpool and hadn't had time to eat. This is the second time I met her as I also met her in May 2011 at her autobiography book signing and she was just as sweet. She hasn't changed one bit and that's what I love about her. 

I went to Blackpool the next day with my brother and we had such a great day. We went to the Pleasure Beach which is a theme park in Blackpool with amazing rides which is why it's one of my favourite places to go to. The picture is from when we went on the Lost River ride at Nickelodeon Ride and even with my poncho I still got soaked! Luckily, it was really sunny and I dried up really quickly. 

May

Carrie Hope Fletcher has been one of my favourite YouTubers since late 2013 so when she announced she was doing a book tour for her first book, All I Know Now, I couldn't be happier. What was great about this day was that Carrie didn't just do a book signing, she did a talk about her book and Q&A with the audience and she answered my question! I was so happy and I loved meeting her. Her book is really good as well as she gives great advice to those who are struggling with topics that include: bullying; confidence; depression; making friends, ect. If you want to read my blogpost on this day then click here.

June

The beginning of June was a bit crazy for me because on the 2nd, I saw Fifth Harmony walking into Key 103 radio station. A week before I saw them, they announced they were doing their first radio tour in the UK and I got so excited. I really liked Fifth Harmony and thought they were a great girl group so I was really looking forward to meeting them. I knew there was going to be loads of fans there so I wasn't expecting anything like selfies or autographs or anything like that. I was left disappointed though. They were meant to turn up at 2:30pm and they didn't arrive until over two hours later, leaving fans to wait outside in the on and off rain for ages. Eventually, a black van turned up and it was them. Everyone got excited and stood near the entrance and they walked out and walked past all the fans and went straight inside. The fans then waited another hour for them to come out which I couldn't be bothered with as I knew they wouldn't get pictures for anyone. It's so sad really because I noticed that they stopped and got selfies with fans waiting at other radio stations so why not Manchester? Fine, the security was strict but they could've said "no, these fans have been waiting all day for us, the least we could do is get selfies with them." but no, they just hopped into their black van and left. I remember reading tweets from loads of disappointed fans who had waited all day to meet their favourite girl group and they didn't even stop for one person. Sorry about this long paragraph, just had to explain why I was so disappointed when I saw Fifth Harmony.

Luckily, a week later, Little Mix were going to be at the same radio station and I was really excited. Unfortunately, I got there too late to the station to see them walking in but after about an hour, they finished their interview and walked outside and took pictures for the paparazzi. I couldn't believe that they were standing in front of me! I'd been a massive Little Mix fan ever since they began on The X Factor. After getting pictures, they then proceeded to perform an acoustic version of their song, Black Magic. As they were leaving, they managed to get selfies with everyone including me. I was so happy. This is why Fifth Harmony irritate me. They could have easily done what Little Mix did and take selfies with everyone as they were leaving or perform an acoustic version of Worth It (which was the single they were promoting) but no, they turned up over two hours late and left without meeting any fans. Sorry for my rant but I really had to say it. Anyway, if you want to read my blogpost on meeting Little Mix, click here.

July

July would have to be my favourite month because so much happened! I met Louise Pentland (SprinkleOfGlitr on YouTube), Vicky Pattison, Charlotte Crosby and Sarah Harding, four of my favourite celebrities. 

I met Louise on the 3rd of July at her 'Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter' signing and, despite being over an hour late, she was so down to earth and met everyone waiting. The reason why she was late was because she had been stuck in traffic so when I met her, I told her that I was sorry about the traffic and she was like 'Aw it's okay, I got to relax in the car for a bit!' She is just like her YouTube personality, funny and full of energy.

I then met Vicky Pattison the next day (4th) at her 'All That Glitters' book signing. I had previously met Vicky almost a year earlier and she was really sweet. However, when I met Vicky for a second time, she was more upbeat and a lot happier. She spent at least five minutes with everyone and chatted to all of us. When I met her, I told her I'd been reading the book in the queue and she was like 'What do ya think?' (in her Geordie accent) and I told her that I was loving it and I loved that it was set in Manchester (where I'm from). We then got a picture together and four selfies (you can see one of the selfies above).

Over two weeks later, Sarah Harding did a radio tour for her first debut single, 'Threads' and she was visiting ImagineFM which is the nearest radio station to me. I was so excited to meet her because she used to be a member of one of my favourite girl bands, Girls Aloud. I was so happy when I met her because she was so lovely and got selfies with everyone. I also got papped with her. Such an amazing day.

Two days later, I met Vicky's Geordie Shore co-star, Charlotte Crosby, at her 'Me, Me, Me' book signing. I had previously met Charlotte in November 2014 and she was really nice and got selfies with everyone waiting. However this time it was a bit rushed because there were so many people so I got a picture. Whilst she was signing my book, we talked about the new series of Geordie Shore and she said that it was the best series yet.

August - watched Paper Towns

In August, I didn't really do much. However, I did watch the film adaptation of John Green's best selling book, Paper Towns, at an exclusive screening two weeks before its UK release. This exclusive screening included a video of the Q&A event in London with John Green and the two main stars, Nat Wolff and Cara Delevinge. The film was really good, I loved watching it, it's full of humour and some heartwarming moments. You can read my review on my review blog here.

September

September was a great month because I celebrated my 18th birthday in Corfu, Greece! Despite the weather not being the best (there were several thunderstorms and it was very windy), I still managed to have a great time. One thing I love about going on holiday is that they always have Cheetos which are one of my favourite crisps and we can't get them in the UK so you can see how excited I was to get a packet! The middle picture is my birthday breakfast and some of my birthday presents. The last picture is of me and my Mum before we went to the beach. Such an amazing birthday!

October

At the beginning of October, me and my auntie, Liz, spent the weekend in London. On the Saturday (3rd), we went to see Les Miserable which one of my favourite YouTubers, Carrie Hope Fletcher, stars in. She was amazing as Eponine and has one of the most incredible voices!

The next day (4th), we went to Madame Tussauds where I took loads of pictures and selfies with the waxworks. If you want to read my blogpost on my weekend in London click here.

On the 10th, TOWIE stars, Amy Childs and Sam Faiers were, coincidentally, both doing signings on the same day and at the same place. Amy was signing copies of her book, '100% Me' and Sam was signing her second perfume, Pure. I met Amy first and she was really sweet and we got a picture and selfies together. I then rushed to the Indulge fragrances shop and managed to meet Sam, get my perfume signed and a quick selfie before she left which I was so thankful for! 

On the 26th, I met one of my favourite presenters, Caroline Flack, at her 'Storm In A C Cup' book signing. She is best known for having a funny and quirky personality on screen and I can definitely say that's what she's like in real life. When I met her, we chatted about her appearance on, daytime chat show, This Morning, and then we got selfies together. I loved meeting her.

November

My biggest highlight of November was meeting Olly Murs. He is a singer who came second on the sixth series of The X Factor and has just released the special edition of his third album 'Never Been Better' and did a signing in Manchester. I was so happy when I met him. He is also currently presenting the latest series of The X Factor alongside Caroline Flack. The two have great chemistry as they have been friends for years. I feel so happy to have met them both!

December

One of my favourite times of the year is Christmas because I get to see all of my family and spend some time with them and enjoy Christmas dinner (see above). I didn't take many pictures as I was too busy enjoying some time with my family but the three pictures are of: my Christmas dinner which was made by my auntie and grandma and was very nice; my two cousins Katie and Amy (Amy on the left and Katie on the right), I loved seeing them and they looked so cute in their dresses and one of the presents I received which is a 'Festive Friends' gift set from Lush which includes four of their Christmas-themed products: the Butterbear bath bomb; Snow Angel bath melt; Father Christmas bath bomb and a Peeping Santa bubble bar. I was very happy with this as I love Lush products and their Christmas themed products.

Overall, an amazing year spent meeting some of my favourite celebrities and seeing some of my favourite people.

I just wanted to say that I can't believe it's been a year since I first started this blog. I honestly didn't think anyone would take any notice but it now has a total of over 1,300 views which is amazing!

Thank you so much to everyone who reads my blogs, it means a lot.

Hope you had an amazing year, if not, I really hope 2016 is a better year.

Thanks so much for reading my blog and Happy New Year!

❤

My Inspirations ❤

It's been a while since I last did a blogpost 

so I thought I'd talk about my inspirations 

and who I look up to. 

Cher Lloyd

I first became a fan of Cher Lloyd's when she was a contestant on The X Factor in 2010. She came fourth on the show and, by August the following year, she had released her debut single, Swagger Jagger, which went straight to number one. In November, she released her first album, Sticks + Stones and I met her for the first time at her album signing. There were loads of people there and I only managed to spend about 15 seconds with her but, whilst she was signing my album, she said that she loved my hoodie as I was wearing a hoodie that said 'Katie Loves Cher Lloyd' on it. I was so happy and still have my signed copy of the album. I then met her a few months later in February 2012 on her radio tour. There were about 15 people waiting and she got pictures and signed things for everyone, she was so sweet. She then spent over two years in the US, releasing Sticks + Stones and recording her second album, Sorry I'm Late. The reason why she named it that was because she was originally meant to release the album in late 2013 but didn't release it until May 2014 in the US and July in the UK. I was so happy when she announced she was coming back to the UK and doing a album release party and I was even happier when I won tickets and I got to meet her (see above picture). The other times I met her, I was so shy and didn't speak but this time, I told her that she was amazing performing and she was like 'aw thank you!' I feel so happy to have met her three times and, hopefully, I'll be able to meet her when she releases her third album next year.

Little Mix

When I was younger, my favourite girl group was Girls Aloud. I saw them on four of their tours and have now met 2/5 of the members. I still love their songs and support them but my favourite girl group now would have to be Little Mix. They were the first group to win The X Factor in 2011 and are one of the most successful contestants. I love their songs and have seen them perform once and met them on their Black Magic radio tour in June. There were so many people but they managed to perform an acoustic version of their single, Black Magic, and get pictures with everyone waiting. I had such an amazing day. If you want to read more about meeting Little Mix, click here.

Miley Cyrus

Miley has been my inspiration since I was about 9 years old when I first began watching Hannah Montana. I continued to support her when she released her first album, Breakout, in 2008. She then continued filming series of Hannah Montana and appearing in films such as Bolt and The Last Song. I then saw her at her Wonder World tour in 2009 and I was so happy. She was an amazing performer and I had such a great time. In 2010, she released her third album, Can't Be Tamed which is, by far, her best album. She then took a short break from music and cut her hair short and donated her hair to a charity that makes wigs for people with cancer. However, despite this, people were shocked by her image change and sent her hate which was really unfair. Since this change, she was slated by the media and public and accused of going through a 'crazy' phase. I knew this wasn't true and felt sorry for her. In 2013, she released her first single, We Can't Stop, from her fourth album, Bangerz. I remember listening to the song for the first time and loving it. In late 2013, she released Bangerz and announced she was doing a world tour and she was going to be performing in Manchester again. I was so happy when I got tickets and saw her perform again in May 2014. It was one of the best days of my life. What I love most about Miley is that she's always herself, no matter what. She grew up in the public eye from a very young age and I think there was always pressure on her to be media's idea of 'perfect' and I think she struggled with this. However, I now know that she is happy with herself and that makes me happy. The above picture is when she won a Video Music Award in 2014 for 'Video of the Year' and, this year, she hosted and performed at the VMAs. Not only is she a successful artist but she is also very charitable. She has her own charity, The Happy Hippie Foundation, which helps homeless people and people in the LGBTQ+ community. People always prejudge Miley from her image which is wrong. Underneath the OTT outfits, she is a really sweet and caring person. 

Jennifer Lawrence

From a young age, I've always wanted to act. I loved the idea of being someone other than myself. I had many actresses I looked up to when I was a child, one of them being Anne Hathaway after I watched her in her first films, The Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted. I also loved Hilary Duff after watching her in The Lizzie McGuire Movie and A Cinderella Story. Since becoming a teenager, I have many actresses that I look up to but I would have to say that my favourite actress and the person who has inspired me to act the most would have to be Jennifer Lawrence. Since watching her in The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook in 2012, I became a massive fan. I loved the characters she played, including Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. I also love her personality as well. She is so down to earth and really funny in her interviews. She won an Oscar at the age of 22 which is an amazing achievement. She's the type of actress I want to be.

Emma Blackery

I remember when I first became a fan of Emma Blackery. It was in 2012 and my friend introduced me to her by making me watch one of her videos, Awkward Sexy Teenage Moments, and I remember laughing because her story was really funny. Since then I've been subscribed to her channel and watched all of her videos. The majority of her videos are comedic and intended to make people laugh which is what I love most about of her. She works hard on all of her videos and really cares about her viewers. I haven't met her but she has tweeted me eight times which I'm so grateful for. I never expect her to tweet me and, when she does, it always makes me smile. Not only is she one of my favourite YouTubers but she's also a singer. She has released EPs on iTunes, last year she released her Perfect EP which I loved. She recently reached 1 million subscribers which is a huge achievement and I couldn't be more prouder of her. 

Carrie Hope Fletcher

Another one of my favourite YouTubers is Carrie Hope Fletcher who is friends with Emma Blackery. I discovered Carrie after Emma uploaded a video of them two together talking about good and bad people. I thought this video was really funny and I loved their friendship so I subscribed to Carrie's channel. She mainly uploads videos giving advice on certain topics and has her own blog on Tumblr, All I Know Now. In 2014, she was given a book deal by a publisher that wanted to make a book out of Carrie's blogposts. Since Carrie loved writing, she accepted this offer and began writing her first book, All I Know Now. In April 2015, it was published. The book is mainly Carrie giving advice on different topics such as confidence, depression, bullying and many others. She also talks about her experiences growing up and how she's managed to become the confident and happy person she is now. This book inspired me a lot and made me smile in the same way her videos did. This book has come straight from Carrie's heart and she has put all of her time and effort into it. Carrie announced she was doing a book tour and she came to Manchester in May, which I was so happy about. I loved meeting her and she really is a lovely person. If you want to read more about the day I met Carrie, click here. What I love most about Carrie is that she works exceptionally hard. She is currently playing Eponine in Les Miserables at the Queens Theatre in London whilst writing her first novel, On The Other Side, and recording, editing and uploading videos to YouTube. She is a hard-working and positive person which is why she's one of my inspirations.

Vicky Pattison

Before I met Vicky Pattison at her book signing in Manchester in September 2014, I didn't really knew who she was, apart from she was a member of, reality TV series set in Newcastle, Geordie Shore. When I heard she was doing a book signing in Manchester for her autobiography, Nothing But The Truth, I really wanted to go. I was so happy when I met her because she was so sweet and complimented me which I was so shocked about. Her on-screen persona made her out to be a loud and argumentative person but, in reality, she's nothing like that. She's a down to earth and sweet person. I loved meeting her and continued to support her through her after she left Geordie Shore. She then went on to bring out her own range of clothes with HoneyzUK, release her own range of weight-loss supplements, have her own reality TV show where she travels the UK helping people and her first novel, All That Glitters. When she announced she was doing another book tour and was coming to Manchester, I knew I had to meet her again. I was so happy when I met her again and we chatted about her book before getting a picture and selfies together. I was hoping to meet her again when she released her second novel, A Christmas Kiss, and did a book signing in Manchester but I was too ill to go. Not long after releasing her third book she went into the I'm A Celebrity... jungle and went on to win the series and become Queen of the Jungle! I was so happy for her because I knew how much it meant to her. She has done so well after leaving Geordie Shore and has become a much more positive and happier person. Words can't describe how proud I am of Vicky.

So those were some of the people I look up to and consider role models in my life.

They mean a lot to me and always make me smile.

They all inspire me to become a better and more positive version of myself.

❤

My Favourite Things About Christmas... ❤

If you know me well, you'll know I love Christmas! 

Since it's finally December, I thought I'd write a post about my favourite things about Christmas.

Christmas Songs

You can't celebrate Christmas without the best Christmas songs. Last year I got this 'Now That's What I Call Christmas' album which has three CDs full of the most popular Christmas songs. If I had to choose my five favourite songs, they'd probably be: 'Last Christmas' by Wham; 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' by Wizzard; 'Merry Christmas Everybody' by Slade; 'Fairytales Of New York' by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl and 'Do They Know It's Christmas' by Band Aid. Whenever I hear those songs, I get really excited about Christmas.

Christmas Jumpers

Christmas is always cold as it's Winter so I love having an excuse to wear a silly jumper during the festive season. I got this cute jumper from Primark last year and I still love it. I'll definitely be buying more jumpers as I love staying in and getting all cosied up in my favourite jumper.

Hot Chocolate

If someone asked me if I was prefered savoury or sweet, I'd definitely say that I prefered sweet. I have a really sweet tooth at the moment and I am loving all things chocolatey, especially a hot chocolate with cream on top. I got this hot chocolate from Starbucks a while ago and it tasted amazing! I can't wait to buy another one.

 Christmas Decorations

No Christmas would be complete without decorating the tree. It's one of my favourite things to do because I love choosing which decorations to put on the tree. This is my tree from last year and I think it looks really pretty, I can't wait to decorate it again.

Christmas Films

I am a huge film fan so it's no surprise that I love watching Christmas-themed films, especially Elf. Will Ferrell is hilarious as the title character whose name is Buddy and has been brought up as an elf in the North Pole and must find his real father. I also like watching Christmas romantic comedies like Love Actually and The Holiday, they always get me in the spirit of Christmas. Keep an eye out on my 'Film & TV Reviews' blog as I'll be writing about my 'Top 5 Favourite Christmas Films' on there soon.

Christmas Presents

And last, but certainly not least, my favourite thing about Christmas is presents. I love seeing peoples reactions when they see what I've got them and I love receiving presents. I think, at Christmas, the saying 'it's the thought that counts' really comes to mind because, while I love receiving presents, I love knowing that someone has thought of me and gotten me something. It makes me so happy that they saw something in a shop and thought to get me for Christmas. If you get a present from someone and you don't like it, don't tell them, just feel happy that they got you something for Christmas. It's better than nothing. 

So those were my favourite things about Christmas!

Thank you so much for reading my blogpost, it really does mean a lot

❤

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