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  • Dating as the Nights Draw In

    Dating as the Nights Draw In

    You might think that once summer is over it’s time to call a halt to your dating life for the year. But let me tell you, there’s something magical about dating in autumn.

    I don’t know about you, but I love the crisp chill of autumn evenings and the darkness of winter when I’m going out on dates. Getting wrapped up warm and then having an excuse to cuddle together as it gets colder can be a great ice breaker.

    I have been contemplating a trip up to the Isle of Man for a while now, and of course I’d combine it with a date or two! There’s so much I’d like to do there, and doing it with company is always more fun.

    There’s opportunities to explore the local wildlife on the island, including an amazing puffin colony! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a puffin so this would be top of my list. Isle of Man Dating is looking more fun the more I research.

    There’s also seals on the island too, and you can take a boat trip to get right up close to them. Boat trips with an autumn chill in the air and an excuse to get close to your beau? I’m right there already on a website for Isle of Man Singles!

    One of the other interesting ways to see the island, if boats aren’t really your thing, is the heritage railway network. You might think that trains aren’t really your thing, but it’s certainly a quirky idea for a date that will mean you’re never forgotten.

    The heritage network will take you around the island, letting you stop off to visit sights as diverse as a tenth-century Viking boat burial, a medieval castle, or a museum on the maritime history of the island. Make sure you swot up in advance so that you can impress your date with your knowledge of the island!

    Eating and Drinking

    I almost always prefer more casual eating on dates. If it’s the first or second time you’ve met someone you might not want to commit to a sit down meal just in case you don’t gel.Instead I tend to go for coffee or similar, but the Isle of Man offers some more interesting alternatives.

    In September there’s the annual food and drink festival which offers you the chance to try new things with your date – all local produce of course. How better to show your eco-credentials than shopping local?

    But if organised activities are more your thing then there’s a tour of a local lamb farm or a visit to a living museum specialising in the traditional curing of kippers! Perhaps check if your date is vegan before you book.

    If you prefer traditional pubs with a nice warm fire then there’s a number of organised walks you can take which will allow you sample plenty of booze with your date. Perfect for afternoon dates that roll into the evening, as autumn rolls into winter.

  • New Product Design for my Etsy Business

    New Product Design for my Etsy Business

    When I design a new product for my Etsy business I usually start with an idea that a potential customer has given me. Then we’ll brainstorm out their ideas and see what kind of images would be suitable for creating their piece of costume embroidery.

    I’ll let you into a secret – I can’t draw. No matter how much I’d love to be able to draw I have never managed to master even the basics. So when I am looking to create a design for a client (or for my Etsy store) I go to svg file download sites in order to find images that I can work with.

    The biggest benefit of purchasing svg files to use in my commercial designs is that I know they’re licensed and I can use them to make money without restriction. So many people aren’t aware of copyright laws and just take images from the internet without checking they’re allowed to use them.

    The other major benefit is that you get a fantastic vector image that you can scale to any size and output at any level of quality. It makes them a versatile and worthwhile investment for the future because I have no idea what direction my business will grow in!

    It’s certainly a steep learning curve to understand how to make embroidery design files from vector files that you’ve purchased, but if you do embroidery as a business it’s a skill that is well worth knowing. Getting your designs turned into embroidery files by someone else isn’t hugely expensive, but it does mean that you have to send everything out to another person and wait for them to come back before you can start work on the finished items.

    I have very basic software, the Janome Digitizer JR that came with my machine. But it’s enough to work with raster files that I’ve extracted from my svg file purchases. To turn the SVG file into the kind of image files I can work with in my embroidery software I use Adobe Illustrator, but many of the embroidery design software bundles available now can actually work directly with the SVG files which cuts out that middle step!

    Learning to work with SVG files to create embroidery designs either for business or pleasure can be super enjoyable. You don’t have to be able to draw, you just have to learn how to use the software and then sew the designs up in creative ways!

    And the benefit of digitizing your own designs from SVG files is that, even if you can’t draw, nobody else will have the same embroidery design as you, and everything you make will be unique because of that. Suddenly a standard garment or accessory made from a commercial pattern can become something truly unique that nobody else in the world has!

    But lets face it – even if you can draw, sometimes you don’t want to reinvent the wheel. A quick check online could mean that you save lots of time drawing up designs where someone else has already created something similar and made it available to purchase.

    Happy crafting!

  • Do You Remember Your Prom?

    Do You Remember Your Prom?

    I remember mine. It was quite a while ago now, 15 years at least, and proms just weren’t such a big thing here in the UK as they were over in the US. It was more like a big party to see everyone before you knuckled down, did your exams, and then scattered all over the country to various universities.

    I didn’t really have the money to buy a proper dress for various reasons so I decided to make my own. This wasn’t a surprise to anyone – my grandparents worked as a tailor and seamstress so I’d been brought up sewing for most of my life.

    The dress itself was fine, but I have no idea what I was thinking when it came to choosing the fabric! I’m a very small person. Just 5ft tall and I was a pretty slim teenager. For some reason I decided to use a black fabric with huge flowers printed on it. It would have looked great on someone eight inches taller than me! Even with skyscraper high heels I still managed to get lost in that floral print!

    My dress that I made for my boyfriend’s sixth form ball was much better. It was navy satin, backless, with a plunging neckline. I wish I still had the pattern today, it would be so in style right now! I think I learned from seeing the pictures of my own ball and chose a plain fabric instead. Now if I’m buying or making a dress for a formal occasion I always buy plain colours. Patterns are just so hard to pull of when you’re petite!

    What I’d Have Done Differently

    Aside from choosing a different dress fabric, I think I’d have hired a cool car to drop me off and pick me up. The hotel that the event was at had a beautiful huge driveway where everyone having drinks could see you arrive.

    I wasn’t cool at school, but I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for lovely cars. I especially love sports cars in racing livery – this car here would have been perfect for me!

    The American trend for having pre-prom photos taken in your dress is really nice and I hope that takes off over here. The only photos my parents have of me really from when I was a teenager are my horrible school uniform photos. The opportunity to have “senior” photos done in a fancy ball gown with a nice car would be something that I think most young people would treasure forever.

    There are some great prom car hire ideas here. I had a friend at school who would have loved the 60s V-Dub they have on their list. And could you imagine turning up to your sixth form ball or prom in a replica of the Ghostbusters car? Or a New York yellow taxi cab?

    So many teenagers now are finding it much easier to express themselves because of the way that social media and the internet has transformed our culture. I like to think that turning up to their big send-off from school or college could be a wonderful extension of that.

  • Natural Light Product Photography for Etsy

    Natural Light Product Photography for Etsy

    Photography is hard and product photography is considered a particularly difficult kind of photography. Even seasoned professional photographers in other fields get pretty stumped when it comes to shooting product images. Ideally every person selling products would have the budget to pay a specialist product photographer. But the reality is that those of us running handmade businesses, especially sewing businesses, don’t have that kind of luxury.

    Lots of photographers will tell you that you need loads of expensive lights, a huge space, and lots of technical know-how in order to shoot a great product photo. I used to work in a large product photography studio in London shooting stuff on white backgrounds for major high street retailers. That kind of “white background” product photography does take a large amount of skill, setup knowledge and cost. It’s even harder if you’re looking for your colours in your photograph to match the colours of your product.

    However there’s been a shift over the last few years by many brands away from the highly commercial and “perfect” style of photography and towards something that feels much more natural and organic. There’s been a whole movement towards “slow living” and a more bohemian feel to the way we present both ourselves and our products in many cases and this can only help a small business owner shooting their own products.

    I’m not going to say it’s easier to shoot products in natural light, but it’s certainly simpler to learn. There’s a lot less gear to get to grips with and you can focus on getting to know your camera which will, in turn, enable you to shoot better images.


    Using Window Light

    You can shoot natural light product photography with just about any camera. The more sophisticated the camera, generally, the better results you’ll get, but you can ultimately shoot natural light product photos with a phone camera if you need to. So let’s take a look at my typical natural light product photography lighting setup. It’s super easy to be honest, just an old camping table next to a window!

    I’m really lucky to live in an old house with beautiful big windows, but you could set this up next to any medium size window. You could also set it up in a garage and open the door (just make sure you’re in the shade) or next to any open door in your house. Obviously a nice window is preferable because it’s not cold in the winter, but sometimes you just have to make things work!

    I almost always set my product photos up so that the brightest light source is on the left hand side. Our eyes naturally “read” images from the brightest points to the darkest points. To have the light going from the brightest on the left to the darkest on the right is the same as reading a book in English – we read from left to right. This makes the image comforting, familiar, and easier for our brains to decipher.

    Faking Beautiful Backdrops

    You’ll notice something clever in the pictures above – I’ve not actually shot them on a marble counter top. Even though it looks like I have. And the backing board isn’t actually a beautiful wood-panelled room in my house either.

    About a year ago I discovered the amazing PhotoBoards. Basically they are high quality photographic reproductions of interesting surfaces and backdrops printed onto sturdy and lightweight boards. Yes, you could buy a slab of marble or source some amazing wooden planks and fix them together – but honestly I’d rather just have the boards and store them neatly in a little portfolio case all together.

    I cannot begin to even tell you how much these boards have revolutionised my product photography. I don’t have a beautiful aged wooden farmhouse table in a huge dining room with great lighting, and I also don’t have a wonderful marble countertop in a light and airy kitchen. But thanks to these backgrounds I can have any number of different settings stored in a portfolio bag in my studio.

    Here’s a couple of images with this lighting, styled to look completely different:

    The lighter image above on the right is more in keeping with Etsy’s preferred style of photos. If you want to be featured in their gift guides I’d suggest sticking to light coloured backgrounds and sympathetic props. However I know that my target market are more likely to click the darker flatlay on the right on social media. It’s worth thinking about these differences. You may want to shoot your product images in more than one style for different purposes.


    Photographing Flatlays

    You can see the way I shoot products flatlay style in this article I wrote for Digital Photography School. It is an article on fine art photography but the principles are the same for product photography. I get my camera high above the product on a tripod and use a little spirit level to make sure the lens is perpendicular to the backing board. There’s a little bonus in owning a Fujifilm camera like mine – many of them work with the Fuji iPhone app. This means that I can put my phone down on the table where I’m styling and it doesn’t matter that the camera is above my head height because I can see exactly what the camera sees on my phone screen. Here’s a screenshot of the app, next to the final picture I produced:

    I can’t recommend the little Fujifilm X-T20 highly enough. As I write this it’s currently about £900 including a starter lens on both WEX Photographic and Amazon. I bought mine about eighteen months ago and it revolutionised my photography – although that’s a discussion for a different post.

    A new camera is a serious monetary investment in your business. I only mention it to let you know what I use if you wanted to upgrade to a system that allows you to use the app like I do. You probably already have a camera that will take more than adequate product photos. If you want to learn more about your camera I recommend joining a Facebook group for your make and model.


    Lightboxes and Light Tents

    I have used light tents in the past. Specifically I used to use them for photographing pens when I worked in the big product photography studio in London. Pens are often shiny little things and reflect everything around them, so the white surfaces from the inside of a light tent make for more pleasing reflections.

    I generally don’t recommend these kinds of photography accessories unless you have particularly challenging products with reflections or you can only shoot in the evenings. It’s hard to manipulate the light to get shadows that show off the product. Everything tends to end up looking quite flat if you use a light tent.

    At some point in the future I plan to try and write a post on using them well to create interesting product images.


    Styling Your Images

    Needless to say – styling is really important when it comes to these kinds of lifestyle product images. My plan is to write a whole series of posts (perhaps even an eBook) on the subject. But for now I’ve started writing on my photography site about styling. You can see them here:

    Souring Props for Natural Product Photography


    I hope that this has given you some useful information about how to go about shooting products for your Etsy shop in natural light. It’s not the easiest subject but with some practice then everyone should be able to create great images that really show off their products.

  • A European Travel Guide for Couples

    A European Travel Guide for Couples

    While I love travelling with friends, I sometimes think there’s nothing better than travelling with a significant other. Traditionally a honeymoon was often the first big, meaningful trip that a couple would take together. But things have changed now. We’re far more likely to be taking big trips abroad with more frequency than our parents generation ever did.

    I’m pretty sure I won’t get married, but that isn’t going to stop me taking “honeymoons” with my partners regularly! And I guess by honeymoon I mean one of those wonderful, romantic trips that sticks in your memory for life. So without further ado, here are some of the Europe honeymoons I want to take over the next few years with someone special.

    Amsterdam

    Rembrandt van Rijn, Isaac and Rebecca, Known as ‘The Jewish Bride, c. 1665 – c. 1669. On loan from the City of Amsterdam (A. van der Hoop Bequest)

    This year the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will be holding a special blockbuster exhibition that brings together twenty two paintings by Rembrandt, as well as many other drawings and smaller works! This is pretty much my idea of a perfect romantic honeymoon getaway. Planning a week in a gorgeous European country centred around a once-in-a-lifetime cultural event is my idea of heaven.

    I love theming my cultural trips too – so I’d totally make the painting above, which is believed to be an image of two lovers (possibly even Rembrands’ son) the central attraction. I’d then make sure to see some other works in the Rijksmuseum’s collection that are romantically themed, and spend idyllic evenings wandering along the beautifully lit up canals!

    Italy

    Sorrento by worldaroundtrip.

    If adventure was top of my list, as well as the opportunity for stylish Italian romance, I’d be heading to Sorrento. I first went to Italy when I was at school studying Latin and I fell in love with the country. In fact that’s probably one of the reasons I’m studying History of Art now!

    Sorrento makes a great base for exploring the local area. There’s culture to be found in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. There’s glamour and glitz if you take a ferry and cross to the incredibly beautiful island of Capri (there’s also amazing snorkeling too apparently). And if you truly want a unique adventure you can climb to the summit of Mount Vesuvius and walk in the crater of this active volcano!

    I highly recommend walking up Vesuvius – it’s a memory I will never forget. I just can’t wait to take someone special there and share the memory with them too.

    Adventure Honeymoons

    If I was looking for adventure in particular, I would love to book a 2 seat spitfire by going to Spitfires (or a similar site) to enjoy the aerial view of Wales with my significant other steering the aircraft. Even thinking about it gives me butterflies in my stomach, trust me! I lived in Dyfed for three years and loved every moment of the experience. My weekends were filled with rock climbing, kayaking, and hiking and I’d love to share these kinds of moments with someone special to me on a unique honeymoon.

    Photo by arg_flickr.

    The picture above is of Cadair Idris, a mountain in North Wales. It’s not as popular as Snowdonia but it is worth climbing for that spectacular view! Adventure honeymoons don’t have to happen in some incredibly exotic location half way around the world, fun can be found closer to home too. In fact you could probably do all three trips that I’ve talked about here for the same price as two weeks abroad in an all-inclusive beach resort! That’s not to say one kind of honeymoon is better than another, but just that there are fun alternatives to the traditional options!

  • Successful New Year Dating

    Successful New Year Dating

    The New Year celebrations are all about having fun, right? And what better way to have fun as you head into January than trying to find someone to snuggle up with through the cold, dark, winter months!

    Truth be told though, dating is hard at any time of the year. And during the winter it can really start to grind you down. Those dark evenings can make it a real drag to get out and about meeting people after you’ve finished work. So you need to make it easy for yourself and the best way to start is by smartening up your profile and attracting the kind of people that you really, really want to meet.

    Tell People About You

    No really. I know it seems obvious but it’s a great place to start. So many people write about what they’re looking for on their profiles but they barely write anything about who they are. How are people supposed to know if they’re interested or not? They’ll just move on to the next profile if they have no idea who you are and what you love.

    Plus the things you do are fascinating to other people. You might think that your hobby of making Christmas wreaths while singing Frank Sinatra is weird, but there will be someone out there who thinks it sounds brilliant and wants to have a go with you. Tell the world about what you love to do, and someone will find you interesting enough to message you – believe me!

    Tell People What Your Deal-Breakers Are

    Allow them to self select themselves out of the running. If it’s a deal-breaker when someone isn’t vegan then be up front about it. Don’t wait until you’ve started messaging each other because by then you’ve already started to establish a relationship of some kind. If you wouldn’t go out with men five years older or younger than yourself, write that too! You’ll get the occasional person who will lie, but most decent people will read your requirements and then move on to the next profile if they don’t suit! This is great because it means you spend less time reading profiles and replying to people you’re not interested in, and more time actually getting out and about with your new beau!

    Be Specific About Location

    The reality is that we all have a rough idea of how far you’re willing to travel for a date. If you’re only willing to look as far as Hertfordshire dating, for example, then you should write that on your profile! There’s really no point in saying you’ll go anywhere when the reality is that you won’t. We all know, logically, that exceptions can be made for the right person, but the right person will probably drop you a message to ask if you’d be willing to literally go the extra mile.

    All in all you just want to tailor your profile to give yourself the best chance possible to meet new people over this festive period. If you spend an hour or two freshening everything up then you might just be able to find yourself a few dates over the next few weeks of holidays!

  • Avoiding the Single Life at Christmas

    Avoiding the Single Life at Christmas

    There’s always a bit of stigma attached to being single around Christmas and New Year, and so many of us redouble our dating efforts in the run up to the holidays. I have no idea where this stigma comes from, but I know that the fear of being single for the festive season really does make a difference – the dating sites always seem to be far busier at this time of year!

    One of the ways to really make a difference to your chances of meeting someone during the festive season is to have a real stand-out profile picture. There’s more and more photographers, like myself, who will shoot profile pictures for dating sites. It is a really worthwhile investment to hire a photographer to shoot your portrait if you want to stand out amongst the crowd.

    This is the shot that I’ve been using recently for my own dating site profile picture. Although it doesn’t show my whole face, it’s given me the best success I’ve ever had!

    You see, it stands out in the results as potential matches school through their search results. Anything that entices people to click on your profile and take a look is great news when it comes to online dating, especially around Christmas.

    It also shows my tattoos, which can be a sticking point for many people, and gives people a rough idea of my style, my hair, and my body. So even through it doesn’t give everything away, it gives enough away to make people want to look closer.

    When you are choosing a photograph for your dating profile I think eye contact is super important. Get some shots of you where you’re looking right down the camera! They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, so don’t hide away behind sunglasses or by facing the other way! Let people see what you’re all about and you’ll have far more success for those New Year’s parties!

    Another thing to consider is the kind of style and interests you want to portray in your profile photo. If you spend every weekend cliff diving then you might want to let any potential partner know that it’s a big part of your life. Your hobby will most likely turn off as many people as it turns on, but that’s a good thing – right? It makes the shortlist of potential hot dates for New Year’s Eve an even shorter one that requires less time to sort through!

    Don’t forget to perhaps try and include some images that show you in your local area if you’d like to try and find someone who comes from your area. It’s always great to feel a connection with someone through their photo. For instance when I was into the Cardiff dating scene I always made sure to include some images shot in the Brecon Beacon’s while I was out walking. It would pique the interest of those local to me with similar hobbies and I met up with more than one person because of those shots!

    Above all don’t forget to be genuine and have fun. Good luck with your festive dating!

  • Finding Gifts for my Golfer Dad

    Finding Gifts for my Golfer Dad

    I’ve always found buying gifts for my father incredibly difficult. I’ve mostly resorted to gifting experiences now – it started a few years ago when I took him to an art exhibition that was meaningful for the two of us and I’ve kind of carried on that way ever since. But sometimes it’s nice to see him unwrap those beaded bracelets, custom-made gifts like pillows, photo frames, t-shirts, etc. that I could get him (for additional reading, tap here). Especially at the time of Christmas, it is endearing to watch him unwrap the gifts with the enthusiasm of a child. As children, there is no greater joy than seeing your parents happy and doing something for them. I usually take a lot of joy in those little pleasures.

    My Dad is a golfer. Over the years I’ve tried to buy him golf gifts and almost always failed. It’s one of those hobbies that if you’re not really into it then you probably have no clue what to buy someone. I’m sure that there are hundreds of amazing gifts and gadgets that any golfer would love to have – but my father is not the kind of man who knows where to find the Amazon wishlist button, and so they are largely unknown to me! My friend suggested that I get him one of those cute Custom Bobbleheads in his golf outfit. While it would have been a really cute gift, I had other plans.

    This year I’ve decided to buy him some vouchers for his local driving range. I know he likes to head over to the driving range when he can, and sometimes I even go with him (some years ago he bought me, second hand, my own little set of clubs). I’m not great, but most of the time I manage to hit the ball and get it to sail off down the driving range to some corner that I wasn’t aiming for…

    Anyway, vouchers on their own are a little dull. So I’m going to pick him up a small gift to go with it. I’ve narrowed it down to a few different options.

    Something Handmade

    It’s no secret that I make things for a living. I’ve even started to write a whole series about starting a handmade business. I’ve been considering making a little embroidered pouch for my Dad this Christmas but I am struggling to decide what design I should do.

    I’m thinking something like this because he’s a little traditional, but the embroidery site I often purchase from also has some cute retro designs too.

    Small cloth pouches are so useful for just about every hobby – I imagine he could store tees in them or perhaps a slightly larger one might store a few golf balls or similar.

    Cute T-Shirts

    There’s always room for more t-shirts in any Dad’s life, right? He retired a few years ago but found himself bored so he got himself another job… so this t-shirt from golf crowd seems particularly appropriate! I’m fairly sure that he’s said this exact same thing to me on more than one occasion when giving me some fatherly advice to not work too hard and spend time doing the things I love instead.

    Or there’s always a Golf Book…

    I happen to know that my Dad spends most of his internet-surfing time looking at beautiful foreign golf courses, working out which is the best golf simulator available that can replicate these courses, and figuring out how much it will cost to tour the world playing on them.

    Although part of me thinks I should be discouraging him from spending most of my inheritance, I also think he should just get on and enjoy himself – and perhaps he’ll take me to one or two of them as well!

    That’s why this book full of stunning photography and interesting commentaries is on my list of gifts to buy him this Christmas or for his birthday in January. I usually buy him historical fiction books but I’m a bit out of the loop on what’s good at the moment. So this year perhaps I’ll change it up and do something different!

  • Creating a Luxurious Bedroom Space

    Creating a Luxurious Bedroom Space

    Creating a tranquil and relaxing space to sleep in your home is vital for a great night’s sleep and so a luxurious bedroom space was top of the list when I started redecorating my home. It’s something that’s been on my mind since I started postgraduate study – rest is so important. Without it you’re useless the next day, and it has a knock on effect too.

    This was my bed and nightstand after I’d cleared and cleaned it. It was full of cuddle toys, glasses that had been there for weeks, random rubbish that I’d dumped out of my pockets… you know, the usual stuff that gathers on your nightstand from where you undress at night. I didn’t even want to post a picture on the internet of how bad it was.

    So after giving my bedroom and good tidy up and clean, I started to work on creating a space I really enjoyed being in rather than one I just headed to at night by default. The bed frame and nightstand are from Ikea and have been moving from house to house with me for years. I love them because they’re beautifully designed and have a neutral colour that fits in with almost any colour that a landlord decides to paint their house!

    Bring in some Greenery

    Over the past year I’ve been really enjoying having houseplants. To be honest, it’s getting a touch out of control now. This beautiful Monstera is possibly my favourite plant and so I relocated it from my study to my bedroom. I wondered at first if it would be out of proportion and huge, but actually it’s architectural and sculptural qualities really work well with the rest of the textures that I planned on bringing in. It’s a gorgeous white, textured pot from Ikea that it’s in.

    Get a Carafe

    It doesn’t even have to be expensive – this carafe costs just a few pounds from Ikea. Just something that you can keep on your nightstand that is beautiful to look at. If things are nice you’ll use them more – and keeping hydrated is almost as important as getting restful sleep.

    I also popped a beautiful Moroccan style lantern on the nightstand with a set of fairy lights in it. Sometimes you want a bit of warm lighting in the bedroom that isn’t a bright overhead light, and this is a nice way to achieve that. I have seen many people opt for neon light fixtures from companies like Neon Mama to add a beautiful touch to their rooms! It looks really pretty and if you are into something similar, you might want to research more about it and incorporate it into your home.

    Pick Beautiful Textures

    If you want something to be luxurious, then it really needs to feel luxurious as well as looking luxurious. Textured duvet covers and pillowcases create a sumptuous feeling. On that note – I always fine that white bedding feels more luxurious than anything else – even if it’s not expensive. It’s worth spending a little more money on your duvet cover and pillowcases because they will be next to your skin when you sleep. And generally the better quality sets do stand up a bit better to washing.

    Add More Layers and Textures!

    It’s winter here which means it’s pretty chilly in this old Victorian townhouse! So I threw a few blankets on top of the duvet to keep the warmth in (and to keep my cat off the nice duvet). These blankets are both from Ikea. I’m like a magpie when it comes to throws and blankets, I just don’t think you can ever have enough! It’s so easy to change up the look of a whole room just by using a few blankets or quilts. You can also look into bedding throws to create a contrasting look that will complement your bedroom walls. For instance, If you have a beige theme in your bedroom, you can bring in the contrast through brown or orange pillow covers, cushions, and throw duvet.

    Splash Out on Bedding

    The place where you’re really going to feel the difference when it comes to luxury is in your duvet and pillows. If you look after it properly a good quality set of pillows and duvet will last you for years to come so it’s really worth looking for something high quality and in the luxury high end of the market. There are different styles of bedding depending on moods and themes that you can explore to pick one that feels right for your bedroom. You can find Catherine Lansfield bedding here, which comes in a variety of designs and fabrics often designed with a balance between luxury and comfort.

    I’ve always favoured proper feather duvets in the past because I like to be really warm when I sleep even in winter. It’s probably a habit I’ve learned from living in slightly draughty Victorian houses since I was a small child! But I think for this winter I might bite the bullet and splash out on Mulberry Silk-Filled Bedding which really is a true luxury item. Mulberry silk is finer than almost any other kind of silk you can buy, so it really traps the warmth in between the fibres while still being beautifully breathable.

    Finishing Touches for a Luxurious Bedroom

    The only other thing I added was a small carved pot I bought from a supermarket a few years ago. It will now act as the place where I dump everything out of my pockets at night. This way, at least, I can go through it every few weeks when I’m ready, rather than having it sat out, feeling chaotic.

    And that’s it really. That’s how I improved my night’s sleep and in turn lowered my stress and improved the quality of my work. Restful, uninterrupted sleep really is crucial for humans to function well.

  • Making Money with Blogger Outreach

    Making Money with Blogger Outreach

    Thirty five years after the invention of the internet and we’re still discovering new ways to approach doing business using this incredible technology. Entrepreneurial individuals have been partnering with blogger outreach services to look for new ways to monetise their writing. Traditional routes to becoming a writer or journalist have been long and difficult to break into. They’ve involved lengthy courses, endless internships, or knowing the right people. The good news is that everything has changed with the rise of the internet – anyone with a skill for crafting good prose can be a writer if they have the drive, plus one of the great at&t internet plans, or a plan from a different provider, to help them stay connected at all times and get the most out of their writing possible.

    Blogger Outreach for your Brand

    It’s indisputable that the internet has also presented more opportunities to brands looking to find new audiences too. But not everyone is a digital marketing expert and budgets have to be spent carefully. Here’s why a blogger outreach strategy should be a part of your brand from day one

    Successful blogs are built on trust. People return to the same blogs time and time again as loyal readers because they respect the authenticity of the writer and their output. So when a blogger recommends a brand or product to their followers those individuals are far more likely to take that recommendation on board.

    By working with a blogger who has an authentic following you’re effectively using their social capital to advertise your product. Word of mouth referrals are extremely powerful in the world of marketing and should never be underestimated. An ethical blogger will never recommend products that they don’t personally believe in. Make sure that when you’re selecting bloggers to work with there’s an affinity between your brand and the writer. If your product or the brand doesn’t appeal then your email is likely to land in trash folder.

    Are you a Blogger looking to Monetise?

    Chances are that this isn’t the first article you’ve read about monetising your blog. You may have even have tried putting adverts on your site or affiliate marketing techniques. Curating a loyal following and then working with brands you love is most definitely a productive way to make money from your blog.

    But a word of caution. Stay on target and make sure you stick to products and brands that make sense for you. If you go off topic for the money you’ll start to lose the authenticity that you’ve spent time building up. It’s better to wait for the right brands to come up than have your message all over the place.

    A great place to offer blogger outreach opportunities is if you’re running a blog as a part of your business. Recommending products and services to your audience that fit with what you offer is a great way to build up a relationship with new brands. Aligning yourself with the values of those that you work with can boost your reputation. Your audience will thank you too if you share a hidden gem with them, especially if the brand you recommend solves a problem that they were having. Working with the right brands can only ever improve the relationship you have with your audience.