Graceful & Claire Turns 1!

(source)

Hello all!

It has been ONE YEAR since we launched Graceful & Claire! And what a year it has been. 

We'd like to thank everyone who has read our little blog over this past year. Your love and support means the world. It makes our day when we bump into people we haven't spoken to much over the years telling us how much they enjoy reading our blog. We love that we have been able to share our lives with you all.

As we go into our second year, we are excited to bring new posts and content (And actually use our Instagram account more), starting with more style posts and can't wait to share with you something else we have been cooking up... all will be revealed soon (but a few of you already know. Whoops!)

We have also done a slight re-design. As the year has gone on, our vision for the blog has slightly shifted, and what better way to celebrate a year than a new header?

Along with our celebration, we will be updating our About posts, since some of our answers have changed (Claire is now a proud Hufflepuff, not Gryffindor and Grace has added Girl Meets World to her list of favourite shows) so be sure to check them out.

Once again, thank you so so much. 

Let's bring on a fabulous year two!!

As always, 
Stay gold.

A Day In the Life: SWOTVAC Edition | Grace

Follow Grace around as she conquered a day of SWOTVAC, or as we like to call it, swot-WHACK. (I know, we're very funny), through a series of snapchats. And when you're done, give our individual snapchat accounts a follow for more looks into the daily lives of uni students living that Melbourne life.

Okay now... go!

I started work at 7am and it was freezing! I don't mind the early start, though. It means that I can get a lot more done in the day. 

After work I went home and changed, then Claire and I went into the city and met our fabulous friend, Miriam, for some lunch. We decided to try out Journal, which is next to the Melbourne City Library in Flinders Lane. I ordered a pot of English Breakfast because I don't usually have time to enjoy my morning cup of tea in the mornings I start work early, and the mushroom bruschetta, which was one of the specials for the day. I am so obsessed with mushrooms right now. I cannot get enough! 

As exams are coming up, we decided that we should actually do some study today, and hey, studying isn't so bad if you do it with friends! So we went to the Starbucks across from QV in Swanston St, where we set up camp like the other Uni students that were there studying, and did some work for a few hours. I was working on my American History revision essay/exam, just going over what I had written the day before and editing here and there. Something casual as I knew that I would probably get distracted being with Miriam, as she is one of my best friends. 

Then of course, there is the multiple journeys on the Melbourne Metro service. Nothing too exciting here.

(Boots: Target, two years ago (similar) | Boot Socks: Cotton On | Jeans: Cotton On, last year)

Also, totally not planned was me rushing to the bank at 4:30 in the afternoon trying to sort out an issue with my online banking. I totally felt like a real adult though, guys! I did not freak out at all and I handled the situation very maturely. Our Mum is so proud. Go Grace!

And of course, because it is SWOTVAC and today was a kind of Treat Yo' Self kind of day, Claire and I finally decided to satsify our multiple-weeks-long craving for donuts, and bought a Krispy Kreme each to enjoy as a dessert. Of course, while doing more studying. 

And there you go! Thanks for following along. Let us know if you enjoyed it and would like to see more posts like this. If you just CANNOT POSSIBLY WAIT (wow, enthusiasm), for another post to see what we get up to during our days, you should probably add us on Snapchat, because we post many many snaps a day. 

Grace: gracefulwhitex

Claire: clairencew

Until next time,

Stay gold!

Grace

Back to Uni Haul | Second Year

 Welcome back!

Our second year of university begins in exactly two weeks! We are ready to go back and learn more about the subjects we are passionate about, (although we are sure that we will be counting down the days to mid-year break by week three). This is also exciting because it is an excuse for new stationery! And boy oh boy, do we love stationery shopping. It is something that we share with our Dad.

So let's get into this haul, shall we?

FIRST: Our Bags

CLAIRE

Firstly, the backpack. Isn't it the cutest? I'm such a 60s aesthetic girl and so the combination of the mustard with white polka-dots and brown side pockets is just me in a bag. It has heaps of room for my notebooks and readers, as well as a draw-string top under the flap. The two badges that I have are form the music theatre association tent at Clubs and Societies day last year in O-Week. They say 'I <3 Musicals' and 'Crew Are People Too' (because duh). I like to type my lecture notes, but our laptop (we have the same one.Twins!) is a massive 15 inches, so it won't fit in my backpack. Therefore: 2 bags are required for lecture days. This brown one we were eyeing off on Modcloth for MONTHS until Claire saw it at Colette one Boxing Day. It's the only bag I have that fits my laptop, but it's so classic! 

Backpack: Sportsgirl 2013 (Similar) | Laptop Case: Typo | Laptop Bag: Colette Hayman (Similar at Modcloth)

GRACE

How much I carry to Uni depends on each day, so I usually alternate my bag. I recently purchased my new backpack from Target. As my laptop is large a 15", I needed a bag big enough to carry it for the days that I may need to bring my computer. At only $30, it is the perfect cheaper option of the Herschel Little America backpack. Unlike Claire, I prefer to hand write all of my lecture notes, so sometimes my backpack is larger than necessary to carry around, so I like to use my black handbag from Colette Hayman. It is large enough to fit my lecture book, water bottle, snacks, purse and my keys.

Backpack: Piping Hot (Target) | Laptop Case: Typo | Handbag: Colette Hayman (similar)

SECOND: Our supplies

Colour coordination and organisation is key, hence different coloured pens, highlighters and sticky notes are key. The pens we use are the Papermate Inkjoy. We've been using them for a couple of years now and haven't gone back since. 

In our Arts degree, handing in a hard copy of your essays as well as online is very common, so having a stapler on hand is super helpful. And this one is so cute and pink! 

The notebooks are Claire's (one for each semester) and they have spaces for 4 different subjects in them. Since we only take 4 subjects a semester, it's perfect and means we only need to take one notebook to Uni. The black one is A4 and a hard cover (so fancy) for semester 2 and the smaller one is A5, which is perfect for tutorials. The cover says 'Crafter's Gonna Craft'. 

The 2015 Planner is also Claire's and was a gift form our friend Anna. It's also from Typo and super cute because the pages have a floral print border. Claire added a notebook elastic from Kikki-K to keep the planner closed and hold a gold and white polka dot pen, also from Kikki-K. Another post about how she uses her planner will come later (maybe.)

These are Grace's notebooks for the year! Four subject notebooks are so handy and better for organisation. I loved my Typo Campus notebook last year, however this year I wasn't that impressed with the covers. So, instead I decided to use the Marbig Colour Hide subject notebooks, which worked out to be cheaper than the Typo notebooks anyway. I love how bright these colours are! For tutorials, I usually write less, so I decided to opt for A5 notebooks. The spiral notebook is from Typo, and the other four I found in our Dad's stationery supply. The covers were not that interesting, so I contacted them in pink glitter! In case you haven't noticed, I am all about the presentation when it comes to school supplies.

And that's it! How do you like to take notes? What's your favourite pen to use? Trust us, if it's about stationary, we want to know.

Until next time, 

Grace and Claire.

The Moving Out Mix

What is hip-hop-happening, party people?
(I don't know what that is, but let's just roll with it, 'kay?)

We are currently visiting our parents home, and today Claire started packing up her bedroom to officially move out of home, like a lot of people that may be starting Uni in the next few weeks and moving to the big city like we did a year ago. 

Despite the fact that I have already officially moved out, the posters and photos on my wardrobe doors were still hanging up. I felt that it was time that they finally came down, so that is what I did this morning. Down went the Glee posters and the photos of our family holiday to Nelson's Bay when we were in Year 7. There were reminders of my campaign for School Captain, my ribbons for high jump, and a photo of Princess Grace Kelly and her son as a baby I once cut out of a Sunday magazine. I removed my poster of Florence Welch only to find that a quite fetching photo of Chace Crawford was on the back this whole time! Obviously something went wrong when I was deciding which side of the poster to use a few years ago.

Packing up your childhood bedroom can be daunting and a little bit like a reality hit, but something that makes the task more enjoyable is having the perfect soundtrack! Claire and I struggled with this last year when I packed up my whole room to move to my apartment, and Claire packed her things to move in to on-campus residential college. (Claire just gave up an made her own mix, which you can listen to here) Even today I can hear Claire in her room constantly changing mixes on 8Tracks trying to find the right vibe. 

Today I decided to listen to Nick Jonas' latest album and it was perfect for my poster removal! I was, and still am, a big Jonas Brothers fan (no point lying about it), and they were a big part of me growing up, so listening to the newest music to come from a Jo Bro seemed like the perfect decision to have that fusion of reliving my childhood and looking towards the future. Plus, I am totally digging this jazzy, cool vibe coming off this album that just made me dance and bop my head while removing every trace of blu-tack I could find. I cannot get Jealous out of my head! A+

If you are in the process of packing or moving, what music have you been listening to? Have you been feeling the nostalgia and listening to some throwback tunes? Or do you listen to french music to feel like a domestic goddess? Some chill-wave to allow for some reflective thoughts? Or some cheesy pop for a dance party? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below and help us build the perfect Moving Out Mix! 

Stay gold.

Grace

Things We Learnt In Our First Year Of University

Hello beautiful people! It is the second of February, which means that it is officially one month until we start our second year of University. Today we are also kicking off our little back to school series of blog posts, because next to Christmas and awards season, back to school is also one of our favourite time of the year! I know, we say that about everything, but at least back to school satisfies our obsession with stationary (We could spend hours upon hours in Officeworks alone).

As class registration opens today for our school (UoM, represent!), and we have a couple of friends who are going in to their first year, we thought that we should share some of the things we learnt, and feel like we want to share, about our first year. 

(Graceful and Claire do not own this image. This is a still from the semi-auto biographical TV series Gilmore Girls.)

Having a break longer than an hour might seem a good idea at first, but it will actually become the most dreaded time of your week.No one wants to hang around campus for a few hours waiting for their last class when you would much rather go home. But then again, if it is a scheduling thing you cannot avoid, make the most of the time to get some readings done, or do some research in the library.  ALSO, while spreading out your subjects across five days might seem like a good idea, you have the power and option to get a three or four day weekend! 3 days of Uni and a four day weekend is pretty great. But hey, whatever works for you.

Try out classes that you have never taken before.

Grace’s class on World Religions last year had the most interesting tutorial discussions, and I learnt a lot about all the different religions across the globe which will actually come in handy in the long run. First Year is your time to experiment before you declare your major in second or third year

If you’re coming in to Uni without knowing anyone, get involved in any O-Week activities or clubs. Grace didn’t know anyone coming in to Uni last year, but she went to the O-Week beach day my campus held and came out of it with some great friends! Having friends on campus will make your Uni experience a lot less scary. Also, check out what clubs and societies your campus has. It’s a great way to meet people who love the same things you do, and also can give you great benefits. For example, our Uni has a Coffee Appreciation Club and for like a $5 joining fee, each week you get free coffee at a different café on campus! FREE COFFEE! Nothing makes a Uni student happier.

 
Do your bibliography while writing your essay. Once you decide to use a source, take note of EVERY BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAIL of that source and store it before you leave it. Keeping on top of your sources will save a lot of time when it comes to finalising your essay ready to submit.

Attend your lectures as often as you can, if not all of them.You have a time set aside in your schedule for you to watch this lecture, why not use it? Watching lectures online, while helpful, do not always work and you can become distracted on other things on the internet. 

Grades/marks might be important to you, but if you’re really stressing about a subject, just remember: P’s Get Degrees! This isn’t year 12 anymore where every mark counts and determines which course you get into. You’ve done the work, and that is over. Now you are in Uni and sure, marks might matter to future employers or if you want to do masters or post-grad, but that’s mainly your second and third year marks! You’re a first year at Uni. You’re not expected to smash everything out of the park, you basically have to relearn how to write essays etc. It’s a whole new ballgame. A few of Claire’s tutors told her last year about how bad their marks were in first year, and now they are scholars! So DON’T WORRY. As long as you pass, you’re doing alright, kid. 

ALL IN ALL, everyone is different. This is just what we found worked for us. But you might be different to us, so just take this first year to get a feel for things and figure out what works for you. We’d love to hear your own tips and lessons!