10 Tips on How to Revise... Science

Time after time, I get requests on my instagram/twitter/email to do a post on how I revise. I for one take pictures of my revision all the time, because I literally revise ALL THE TIME. It is my life. I live, breath, eat and sleep to work, it's just what I do (basically, I was born a workaholic/perfectionist which is not necessarily a good thing at 7am on a Monday morning, when you were up until midnight the previous day studying).

So, seems as though I do so much, I thought I would share what I do with my readers. Now, I'm not saying that my revision techniques will work for everyone, each person has their different methods and blah de blah, but, I have to say that I use a lot of techniques, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot. Mindmaps, essays, videos, memorising, drawing, doodling, writing lines... I've even made a revision hat about static electricity... you name it, I've probaby done it at some point in my 16 years on this planet.

I'm going to try and do a series of posts aimed at different subjects, as we've all got a mental variety of subjects on our hands usually. More so if you're doing GCSE as you've got up to 10 different subjects to revise at any one time. Obviously I don't have any experience in revision from A-level and up, but I'm sure that I'll continue to apply the techniques I explain today as I continue to 'work my way up' this country's education system.

Today I'm going to be covering science, and the revision I've photographed specifically is my Triple Science Biology (and a lil bit of chemistry) revision. The unit is B7 and I'm doing OCR 21st Century if any of you are interested in the exam board.

So, without further or do... (I keep saying that recently, I need to stop and evaluate my exceedingly awful use of clichés).

 1) The biggest tip I give to any of you when attempting to do science revision is to make it funny. Well, at least, attempt to make it funny. Don't go overboard, but just add in little funny diagrams and things that you read and actually make you laugh. If you're struggling to think of anything funny, just write how you would write on twitter. I do it all the time, and if you were to sit and read my notes for hours, I'm sure that if would be pretty similar to my twitter, except just completely obliterating the 140 character limit.

2) Try and summarise double spreads of textbooks, in one page. The page on the left here is a summary of one double page in a textbook and a little bit more, and the page on the right is actually a summary of two double page spreads. Don't just copy out of the textbook, condense things down again and again and again until you have everything you need, just without the added jargon that will never ever get you any extra marks.

3) Be colourful. In science revision the worst thing you can do is write our 10 pages of notes with only your trusty BIC biro. Invest in some coloured pens! I personally love using staedtler (is that how you spell it? weird) 0.3mm triplus fineliners for writing, their broader triplus colouring in pens for, er, colouring in and their ergosoft pencils for shading and random things here and there. You can usually get all 3 in a bumper pack on amazon fairly cheap (under £30) and they last forever (I've had mine 2 years now and they are nowhere near running out, which is amazing when you see just how much I use them).

4) Draw diagrams! Always draw diagrams, it's so surprising how much you remember in an exam from drawing diagrams. And don't forget to label them! I know teachers always nag your butt off to do it, but it really does matter 'what bone is that one?' or 'what type of bond is that?'.

6) Make a table. Table's are so underrated these days on the revision front. You do them all the time in class experiments, but when it comes to going back through your confused scribbles that are class notes, the table is your friend. If you know the main topics and the subheadings, you can make a table to organise pretty much any information.

7) Don't be scared to rotate the page. A page doesn't have a right way up, or a right shape come to think of it! I've made many a revision poster in the shape of a circle/heart/triangle/rhino (yes, a rhino), and there is nothing to stop you from trying it either.

8) The cloud is your companion in science. This is just a cute little way tot organise revision, it works every time and makes normal paragraphs look 10 times cuter, and 10 times more snazzy.

9) Be chronological. This is so important. You're never going to cover everything you need to if you're jumping about from each subject! In science, each topic leads on to the next, so do it in order for god's sake man!

10) And last but definitely not least, the mini diagram. This is also a fantastic way to remember things in exams. Be sure to colour code and group similar diagrams together like above for maximum revision staying power!

I hope this helps at least one of you to revise better, or has just simply helped you see that revision shouldn't be a chore ALL the time, and it can be enjoyable a lot of the time if you're into illustrating, getting creative or simply think that you're really funny (like me, obviously).

As per, I'd love your feedback, and if you in turn have any revision tips- please suggested them below in a comment! The kookier and crazier the better! Also, if you have a subject suggestion, as long as I'm currently studying it, I'll consider it!

Song of the post, Poliça - Violent Games

How to Make 3D Floral Bunting

Today, I'm going to show you how to make some lovely (and very cheap) 3D flower bunting! It's just a little tutorial that I completely invented today myself, so, without further or do, you will need...

Uno glue gun! This one I picked up for a tenner a while ago at hobbycraft, they come in useful for so many things!

You'll also need card bunting and string. Now, I am kind of cheating here, because I picked up this 25 pack with 5m of string pre-made for £2 in hobbycraft, but, if you don't want to buy a pre-made kit, you could quite simply download a template for scallop edged bunting online, draw round it, cut and hole punch the corners. 

Finally, you're going to need some artificial flowers. These ones cost be £1.79 for a bunch of 6, and I picked up 6 bunches, 2 dark pink, 2 blue and 2 light pink, so overall I had 36 flowers to play with. As well as this you're going to need some petals, these were £2.99 for 200, and are usually used as a wedding table decoration. The flowers and petals are both made of paper, not cloth, but this tutorial would work just as well with a flower made of a cloth/plastic/synthetic material.

And now, onwards with the making!

How exciting!

First, if you're flowers have 'stems', snip them off, right to the very edge.

Next, glue gun a small lentil sized drop onto the 'tip' of your petal, don't put it near the 'top' or the middle, because the bunting won't have the desired 3D effect!

Position 6 of these petals into a flower shape in the centre of your bunting, it doesn't matter which way the petals sit on each other, in fact, the more random the layering arrangement, the better!

Apply glue to the back of your flower, and simply stick in the middle of the petals and push down gently. Don't worry about holding it down, the glue doesn't take very long at all to set!

You should end up with lots of triangles like these!

And now, for threading... this bit is pretty self explanatory so I'll let you get on with that... Although I will say that if you tie one end of the string to something and thread them on, it is far far easier! (I tied mine to my wardrobe door)

And there you have it! Hang your bunting wherever you wish and celebrate your marvellous achievement!

Do let me know if any of you are thinking of making this, it's so cheap and I'm actually quite proud that I managed to invent it for such little money! If you do make it, tweet me a pic, I'd be thrilled! (@emily_cuthbert)

song of the post, Darcy's Letter from the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack (this is perfect and I have no regrets)

Does your fashion represent you?

I wanted to try a different style of posting today, and talk about how fashion is changing. Well, fashion is changing in my eyes at least, and it's for the better.

What made me begin thinking about this is my final art project for my GCSEs. I'm studying fashion right from the 1920s with flapper girls and The Great Gatsby up until the 1990s with spaghetti strap tops and The Spice Girls. Each era has this distinct style, an icon, an image. Think about it, if I showed you this...

You would instantly say 'Why, that's 1940s fashion!' and if I showed you this...

You would instantly say 'Well Emily, I believe that is the 1960s you've presented to me on a quickly edited paint file'

But if I was to show you the fashion shows of the past 10 years, would you really be able to define a style for the era? Would you be able to look at the last 10 years of street style photos, blogs, people you see in the street everyday and say 'Well, That's the 2000s because...'? Because I certainly wouldn't. There are no definite styles, no trends that span a whole decade, no iconic images of 2000s style. But why?

My theory is that style isn't just what's in, what's out, what's upside-down or back to front nowadays, style and fashion are so much more than that. It's individual now, it's personal and, most importantly, it's special to the buyer and wearer. Think about it, think about all the different groups in society and how they dress.

Some might combine a bit of 1930s pre-wartime glam and deco with a touch of 1970s flares, others might combine that 1990s grunge we've seen so much of recently with a 1960s beehive (did I just describe my dream style?), and maybe little old Mary down the road still likes to stick to her 1940s victory rolls and 1980s cone bra a la Madonna.

Now, more than ever, we're faced with choices of what to buy in every element of our lives, especially when we pop onto our favourite blogs and online shops. This dramatic increase in choice means that now we can be the rawest versions of ourselves, and dress and be who we want to be, and recently I've realised this. I used to buy clothes for all kinds of reasons, whether that be to create a capsule wardrobe (hopeless in my case) or just because I liked it and that was that (skint is the appropriate word in this instance).

So whenever I go to the shops nowadays or have a little looky on Asos, I don't just buy what I think looks cool, but I buy what is represents little old 'me'. Of course, I adore looking at and spotting trends and melt when I watch fashion shows (Elle Saab haute couture, Temperley SS13, Louis Vuitton SS12 and Valentino A/W 13/14 especially may I add), but I dress for myself, and I love it that way, because at the end of the day, who really wants to be someone they're not?

21st century fashion is about a culmination of things in my opinion, it's about getting inspired, showing the person you are on the inside on your outside as well, and it's about feeling comfortable in your own skin and accepting who you are.

What do you think fashion is all about nowadays? And do you, like me, enjoy representing yourself through the clothes you wear? I'd love to know your opinions and thoughts!

Outfit // Red Riding Hood (and her brolly)

Coat-ASOS, Umbrella-Joules*, Boots-Topshop, Jeans-Topshop, Bag-Mum's (aka no idea)

(excuse pots, must move them in future...)

I was sent this beautiful umbrella by Joules this week, it really is so pretty! It wasn't raining when I took these pics, but this umbrella could practically pass as a parasol so it's cool. The design is so fresh and feminine, and the actual umbrella itself is incredibly well made, which means that hopefully I won't be pulling the classic inside-out umbrella pose any time soon. 

I was also sent a fantastic pair of fluffy socks, but I'm hoping to feature them in my next post, because they also deserve their own post of wonderfulness and warmth.

In other news, my parents got me this beautiful red duffle coat for my 16th birthday! Yes kids, I am now 16! I was in Barcelona from Monday to Thursday with my school (full post coming up!), and my birthday was on Thursday, so I got to experience sun AND snow on my birthday. And a plane. And Barcelona football club. And I was on top of a mountain. And I had two cakes (chocolate cream and lemon cream fyi). And I was with all my friends. So yeah, I had a pretty awesome day! Since being 16 I've bought a lottery ticket and applied for a job, so, let's see what the rest of this year has for me eh?

Song of the post- ABBA- Dancing Queen, for my Grandma, who sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago... this one's for you girl! x

Outfit // Black Polo

Dunagree dress- Topshop; Polo neck- Primark; T-bars- UO; Leopard scarf thingy- mi madre's

This is what I wore yesterday, and yes, I know, that's cheating, but hey I took the photos in the morning and then completely forgot.
I feel really old wearing a polo neck, but on the other hand, it does make me feel quite mature and civilised, which I suppose is a good thing considering that I'm 16 next month (ahh so close now I can almost touch it!). This dungaree dress is the most versatile thing I have every bought, I genuinely haven't found one thing in my wardrobe yet that does not go with it, although saying that, I'm not too sure it would go well with a cami top, you might actually look naked it you wore it like that in the summer.

Nuno DaCosta copy

Nuno DaCosta inspired

I often put my illustrations and coursework up on instagram after I've finished them,  and sometimes when they're in progress, and recently I've had a couple of requests to do a blawg post with my work in. I thought for now I'd just pop in two, but in the future would anyone be interested in my doing regular posts on my illustration work and possibly even my revision which I also get a lot of comments saying 'oh how do I revise! Please tell me how!' So do comment and let me know if you would like me to start doing that kind of post! 
Hope you all had a lovely week, my exams are over until March so I'm a happy bunny!

Outfit // Spotty Snow

shirt and earrings - primark, blazer - UO, fur stole and boots - tosphop, lipstick - mac russian red, black jeans - m&s, bag - turkey somewhere

Today I braved the snow to do my weekly stint in Oxfam and also took along my camera to get some lovely snowy numbers of Guildford, but I don't think you'll be too interested in seeing all those, so here's my favourite ones...

I've had two exams this week, Biology and History, which both sucked pretty bad! As the government had decided that GCSEs are too easy, they've ramped up all of the exam's 'hardness' level. Good for them? Possibly. Good for me? No. Let's hope physics is nice to me this Friday... Electromagnetic induction will not get the better of me! (And neither will magnetic fields I hope)

Have a lovely week and stay safe in the snow if you've got any! Oh, and also, I need to re dye my hair... the question is... what shade of brown guys?!

song of the post - alunageorge - you know you like it