Tag Archives: blogging

Has Blogging Changed?

 

Having just returned from my accidental blogging break, but more importantly having felt slightly detached from blogging for the best part of a year now, as I have been starting my attempt to rediscover my blogging ability, I can’t help but notice that there are many things in the blogging world that seem to be different to how they were a year or so ago.

I mean, of course there is always going to be change. We live in a world where technology changes and improves on an almost daily basis, so of course the blogosphere will be reacting and evolving with the ever-changing environment, but there are a lot of things that haven’t evolved, but seem to instead have become extinct.

You see, while I may have slipped from posting on my blog, I definitely have not been away from Twitter, which I would say is my main source of interaction with the blogging world, and the majority of the people I follow on Twitter are bloggers or linked to the blogging world. I would probably also go as far as to say that Twitter is the main site of blogger interaction, would you agree?

Twitter brought my blog out of the depths of the internet and into the view of so many of my readers – I was super late to the Twitter game and started this blog over a year before I actually got Twitter. It is one of my biggest sources of traffic, and I have always taken advantage of that fact by being as active as I could on Twitter. I used to try and schedule 4-5 tweets a day to share new and older blog posts, tagging as many retweet accounts as I could and hoping that I would get those shares, and I was not alone. My Twitter feed used to be full of scheduled tweets (sometimes the same ones EVERY DAY..) but now as I scroll through I feel like I’m seeing fewer and fewer of them. I mean sure, this could be due to the ever-changing Twitter algorithm, or the fact that I’m following a more diverse range of accounts, or, as I feel it might be, it could be that scheduling constant blog promotion tweets has become a thing of the past..

Why does this matter, I hear you ask. Well, it leaves me confused as to what is acceptable for me now as I re-enter the blogging world – not that I truly left in the first place but still. If I go back to my old, 5 posts a day ways, will I be the minority, or worse still, will I be considered annoying?

Also on the subject of Twitter, where did all the blogging chats go?! I remember a time where everyone who was anyone was present for as many Twitter chats as they could possibly manage; I myself would be at my laptop with 3-4 tabs open so I could keep up with the sometimes hundreds of people weighing in on these chats and it was insane but it felt FAB. The term ‘blogging community’ has been somewhat tarnished of late so I don’t really like to use it, but this truly felt like just that – a proper community of people all wanting to talk, all wanting to be friends, all wanting to feel like part of something. I worry now that everyone is too busy trying to become better than others that they’ve forgotten that blogging used to be something that so many of us turned to because we wanted a way to express ourselves and the community made us feel like we weren’t alone.

This has become a bit of a ramble, so I’ll wrap it up. I guess I just need to feel my way around for a while and find my own blogging way again. (But if anyone wants to clue me in on current etiquette, hit me up)

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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Hi, yes, I do care about my Instagram followers thanks

I know I’ve written a similar post to this in the past, but in light of the recent Instagram ‘glitch’, and that my opinion on this now comes from a slightly different standpoint, I thought I would come out and say this again.

Yes, I know that social media is just that – a website or an app – and followers ‘shouldn’t matter’, but I’m gonna be straight with y’all here: they do to me.

You see, in the last 9 months or so, my social media pages have become less about me personally, and more about my small business. I took my Etsy shop full time back in July after leaving my accounting job to relocate, and it’s been absolutely wonderful. It’s always been my dream to be self-employed, and being able to do something creative and to my own rules to boot, I’ve loved every second*

*Except, ironically, the accounting.

It’s also no secret that the way that people are swayed by trends and products now is mainly through social media. Brands now focus a lot more on social media marketing, full-time bloggers and influencers have become a legitimate thing and I’m honestly just so grateful that I had a blogging background when I decided to start my shop as it meant I knew all of this from the start, and so my Instagram page has become less about my blog and life, and more about my business, which I am totally cool with.

BUT this does change the pressures on it. Yes I am still very much me on Instagram, and I still use it as a social outlet, but probably 80% of what I consciously do on Instagram now is promote my business. The more I grow, the more people see my creations, the more people become potential customers, and as a small business this is SUPER important.

During the Instagram glitch, I lost almost 200 followers. No big deal, some might say, right? So I’ll just have to wait a bit longer until I hit my next follower milestone, that’s not the end of the world? You might think that and honestly I’m not offended if you do, but from my perspective, that’s 200 potential customers lost. That’s 200 people who may not have seen that I released a new product yesterday. That could be the difference between me being able to pay my mortgage this month or not.

My business aside, there are so many full-time bloggers and influencers out there who could lose out on work if they lost their followers. I may have only lost 200 followers but I know of others who lost thousands. That could be the difference between working with a particular brand or not.

I know this might all be sounding a little dramatic, but I just want to reduce the stigma around people being upset about losing followers, or even just not being able to gain them. We all know how hard it can be to gain followers on Instagram these days, so even if you’re not reliant on your follower count for your income, you’ve probably still worked pretty hard to get to where you are with it, right? Just be mindful about slamming people for something that might be important to them, even if it’s not important to you.

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Things I’m Doing to Love Instagram Right Now

You know, it’s really starting to feel super cliche when I complain about Instagram; it’s just not what it used to be.

On the flip side though, I do have to think that back when our feeds were chronological and the dreaded algorithm didn’t really exist, I didn’t have the following that I do now, so truthfully I can never really compare engagement, and maybe even I wouldn’t have my 5000+ followers now if not for the changes. Who knows, right?

Despite all this, I honestly do still love Instagram. It’s my favourite social media platform because I feel it’s where I can be the most creative, and it’s gone from a place where I post occasional life and holiday photos and promote my blog, to all of this plus being the primary place where I promote my business and a place where I’ve made a lot of really good friends.

Over the last few weeks I’ve made a couple of changes in how I approach Instagram, and honestly they’ve all really boosted my positivity around the platform, and have also possibly contributed to an increase in engagement for me as well!

Getting chatty

I see so many rumours and theories flying around about what helps boost posts and I really don’t know where they come from or if they’re true, but supposedly comments really help. Whether this is urban legend or not, I’m actively making sure that if I scroll past a photo and have a thought about it eg ‘ooh I’d love to go to this place’ or ‘wow I need those shorts’, I put that thought into writing. If nothing else, I know how much I love getting comments so if all I’ve really done is given someone a little internal ‘yay’ then it’s a success in my eyes.

Now I don’t know if this is coincidental, or possibly that other people are having the same thoughts as me, but I have noticed since doing this that I am getting more comments and generally more likes, especially within the first few hours of posting, so I might be on to a winner. If nothing else though, I feel pretty good about it.

New editing software

I went from ‘what is this Lightroom thing that everyone’s banging on about?’ to ‘wow this is fantastic’ in approximately 2.5 seconds. Sure I still don’t fully understand it but I’m having fun winging my way through it! And yes, I guess it is just another additional step I’ve created for myself before being able to post to Instagram, but I really enjoy editing photos and I really love the results.

Planning ahead a little

I really take pride in my Instagram, so it does stress me out sometimes when I can’t find the perfect photo to post and sometimes that means I don’t post for days which makes me sad. I know this might sound ridiculous to a lot of people, but like I said earlier it’s one of my biggest creative outlets so while it may just be Instagram, it’s kinda like an artistic wanting to paint but not having any brushes. You get me?

Anyway, I’m tackling this head on with my handy sidekick, the app UNUM, which I’ve had for about a year now. I don’t religiously plan my posts, but I do like to know what I’m doing for the next day or two, with maybe a couple of blank spaces for ‘of the moment’ inspiration, just like I do with my blog posts, and it means I’ve always got something to fall back on if inspiration is lacking a little.

Staggering photos

I came back from my recent Disney trip with, no joke, THOUSANDS of photos. I posted maybe 2-3 photos a day while I was out there, but especially being on the cruise for a few days with no WiFi, I still have so many photos that haven’t seen the light of Instagram yet. Sure, I could post them all back to back, but I sometimes worry people will get sick of them and I also like to keep some content back to fill the gaps between trips (not that I’ve really got many gaps this year if all goes to plan!), so I spread them out between current photos for variety.

Not getting too hung up on numbers

No one likes not being liked, I get that, but Instagram is a weird and wonderful place full of bitchy politics and bots, and I’m just learning to accept that. Fact is, if you’ve seen your follower count drop overnight, it’s more likely to be courtesy of bots dropping out or accounts being deleted or deactivated that it is that many people making the conscious decision to take you off their feed. Hakuna matata.

As for people playing the follow/unfollow game, I just think that they must be having a really miserable time on Instagram if they feel the need to do that all the time, so they can do them and I’ll just be over here having a fabulous time because it’s so much easier than stressing over it.

…

At the end of the day, I know its just an app, but its also an app that is very important to me for a lot of reasons, so its so much easier to enjoy what I’m doing on there, don’t you think?

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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Its Okay That My Blog Has Taken A Back Seat

I’ve talked a lot lately (or at least it feels like it) about how I’ve been struggling a little with blogging; not finding the time for it, perpetual writers block and general lack of focus and motivation. I’ve blamed so many factors, then promised myself I won’t let it happen again, and then it does, and the cycle continues.

I’ve been thinking a lot of about it, and I think I’ve finally come up with an explanation that I’m happy with.

For so long, my blog has been my life. Its been the constant source of pride and happiness in my life when my life hasn’t always been perfect. I worked for so long in dead end jobs that didn’t make me happy, so I loved having something that gave me a sense of purpose, and so I dedicated myself to it; if I wasn’t working, I was working on my blog, and that made me feel like I was doing something worthwhile.

But things have changed now. My life feels fulfilled in so many ways. I have a house, I have a job doing what I love, and there are so many things in my life that make me happy now, so the happiness and sense of fulfilment that my blog used to give me is already there. I don’t feel like I NEED to blog to be happy.

Of course, I still love my blog. I love writing and it makes me happy, so its not something that I think I’ll ever really give up, but I think I can finally let go of the need to publish 5-6 new posts every week like I used to. I can let go of the pressure to create content and go back to just loving creating the content when I do.

Now that I have realised this, I have found a sense of peace with my blog that I think I really needed. I was starting to think that because I couldn’t keep up with my old posting schedule that I should just give up altogether, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, its whatever I want it to be, and I want it to be the thing that makes me happy again.

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Would You Change Your Online Self?

Image from Channel 4 website

I don’t know about you, but I have been glued to The Circle on Channel 4!

If you don’t watch it or know what it is, The Circle is a reality TV show where a group of people are living in the same building, but are only allowed to communicate through a specially created social media platform, and because they never see each other, they can choose to be whoever they want to be, with the aim of the game being to be popular. Some people are being themselves, some are hiding or changing certain aspects of their lives/personalities, and some are being completely different people altogether. Every few days, players rate each other, and the most popular players get to choose who out of the least popular players get ‘blocked’ and have to leave the show.

As well as obviously being entertaining, I’m finding it fascinating. We, the viewers, obviously get to see exactly who these people really are, and see what they actually do, say, think and act like when they know the other players can’t see, and it is really interesting to see what goes on behind the screen.

Being a person who does put so much of myself online, I know of course that I don’t share everything, and I would hope that most people know that. I don’t share all the bad stuff, and I often don’t share all the good but mundane stuff that happens in my day to day life, but personality wise, I am completely myself. But this show got me thinking: would I ever change myself in order to be more liked?

Well, without wanting to sound big-headed, I like to think that I’m not disliked online, or at least if I am its by people who aren’t vocal about it, or who are mature enough to just unfollow me and be done with it. Equally, I could probably be more popular. I could have tens of thousands of followers who all think I’m amazing, but I can’t help but think what or who would I have to become to do that? I like who I am (for the most part), and I don’t actually know what I would need to do to become more popular. Would I be more liked if I was the same person, but prettier? Do I need to change my personality to be more liked? Its so hard to say, but when I think about it, if I was anyone but myself, they wouldn’t be liking me for who I really am, and I don’t want that.

Comparing myself to players in The Circle, I definitely think I’m most like Kate. I try to be nice to everyone, and I do prefer to keep some opinions to myself rather than stirring the pot, choosing instead to confide to my close friends rather than openly bashing the beliefs or opinions of others that I don’t agree with. I personally don’t think any of these things make me a bad person, and these traits are what made Kate so popular for the first few ratings, but now a lot of players are finding her niceness annoying, which makes me worry a little bit whether everyone thinks I’m annoying. Its interesting and terrifying at the same time!

So I put this to you, people of the internet, would you ever portray yourself differently online, just so people liked you more?

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1000 Blog Posts Later

This is it, blog post #1000.

In reality, this blog post is no different to any other post I’ve written, but it does mark an incredible milestone in my blogging life. Honestly, there are not many things in my life that I have stuck with for this long.

This year has probably been the hardest year for me in terms of blogging. In previous years I have always maintained at least 5-6 blog posts a week, which I know is a pretty impressive achievement considering I’ve always done this along side working full time, but this year there has just been so many other distractions and changes in my life which have got in the way.

D’you know what? That’s ok. The things that have distracted me from blogging this year have been mainly wonderful. So much time has gone into buying and moving into our house, but as the the biggest adventure of my life to date, of course it was going to take priority over blogging, and the great thing about it is that I now have a whole load of new content ideas because of it.

A huge portion of my spare time this year has also gone into my Etsy store. At the start of the year, I set myself a little target of what I wanted to make from my store each month, and when in January I surpassed it within the first week, I knew that something good was happening, and things just got better and better. Well, long story short, now we’ve moved, my Etsy store is now my full time job, along with my other small businesses. In my wildest dreams I did not think I’d be doing this back at the start of the year, but we’re only just a week into August and I’ve already covered my mortgage payment, which makes me so frickin’ proud. It also means that I’m not squeezing custom orders into my evenings and weekends, so hello more time for blogging again!

So 1000 posts later, I’m still here, and I’m still loving this little corner of the internet of mine. In October, Lottie Does will be 5 years old, and of course I’ll be celebrating big time then, but this post is a little mini celebration for me!

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How Relateable Do Bloggers Actually Have To Be?

I’ve been thinking a lot about bloggers and relate-ability lately. Let’s face it, the aim of the game for most bloggers is to create content that people are going to want to read, right? But do readers always want to see something that they can relate to?

I recently read a really interesting post by Hannah from The Giraffe’s Life about why Zoella is considered by many to be unrelateable, and I agreed with many of the points put forward; personally I’ve never really been that bothered by Zoella anyway. But regardless of whether or not her millions of fans actually relate to her life of million pound mansions, jetting off to 5 star hotels and being on the cover of every magazine under the sun, they still want to watch her videos and read her posts, which got me thinking about whether or not bloggers do actually need to be relateable?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I kinda like reading about things that I would never actually be able to do myself. Clickbait-y titles like ‘I spent £700 in Primark’ are intriguing, and I can’t help but want to see what on earth was purchased to rack up that receipt total.

From my own stats, I know that my most popular posts are my holiday diaries, especially when I’m in Disney parks, and while I’d love to live in a world where being in Disney parks is considered everyday, I know that it isn’t.

And yes, on the flipside I do love a high end makeup dupe, a budget city break and quick, easy recipe posts, but I’m also super nosey and would love to see what it was like at the latest Spectrum release party, because it’s something that I’d never get to experience myself.

I think also that there’s a huge difference between the relate-ability of a blogger and the relate-ability of their content. A relateable blogger could do the most unrelateable activities, and I’d still read what crazy stuff they’d be up to, but an unrelateable blogger could buy five things under £5 from Primark and I’d have that little meh feeling when I read it, so I guess in that respect relate-ability is kinda important.

These are just my own personal musings on the subject, I’d love to hear your thoughts so drop me a comment!

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Another Mid Year Review

And just like that, half of 2018 has been and gone.. What?

This has honestly been the craziest year of my life, the last few months especially, and I’ve definitely been swept up in all of the goings on which has probably caused the year to fly by so much, but I can quite confidently say that its been a great year so far.

How am I doing with my blog targets?

  • Bloglovin followers – 1500 – I must admit that I have been super rubbish with Bloglovin lately, so I definitely haven’t seen the same growth that I achieved last year, but I’m on 1179 right now, and I think if I kick myself back into gear for the next 6 months, this is still reachable!
  • Twitter followers – 3500 – I can’t remember what I was on at the start of the year, but I’m just over 3200 at the moment so I feel like this is going to be doable!
  • Instagram followers – 2500 – after a measly 2017 where I didn’t hit my target at all, I feel like I have really smashed Instagram this year, and now have over 3300 followers, having only hit 2000 sometime in January! I’m setting myself a new possible target of 4000 for before the year is out, but I’m not putting too much pressure on myself because we all know what it can be like!
  • Page views – 100,000 – well I’m just coming up to 85,000 now, so this is definitely in sight so long as I manage to keep up my content!

I’ve felt myself slip a lot with my blog this year, which I’ve hated but its been somewhat necessary with everything that’s gone on this year. I’ve been posting a lot less than I have done over previous years, but what is good is that I’ve learnt that this is totally ok.

There’s a lot more exciting things coming to the blog over the rest of the year, including lots more house related posts, my 1000th blog post will be coming in July, and in October my blog turns 5, so stay tuned!

Resolutions, goals and life

Looking back on my 2018 resolutions post, I feel quite happy in knowing that I’ve achieved a lot of these things. Despite occasional dips, I’ve been looking after myself a lot better and putting myself out there more, and I’ve surrounded myself with wonderful people who make me so happy. My love of photography has definitely come back, and my sewing has gone to new levels I couldn’t even have imagined back in January.

The only thing that’s really hit a major roadblock this year has been my marathon training, after breaking my ankle back in April, but I’m seeing definite improvements in physiotherapy, and I’ve even taken part in my first fun run since the accident recently, which makes me confident that I’ll be back out there very soon, and if you want to sponsor me for my marathon, you can do that here!

I’ve learned a lot in the last few months about so many things, but the rest of the year will be focusing on putting so many of these things into practice. My whole life is changing as of the end of the week when I officially become a Northerner, and I’m seeing this as an amazing opportunity to create and live my best life and become even happier.

I hope 2018 is treating everyone well, and the rest of it only gets better!

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Hashtags I Am Loving Right Now

In a world where algorithms are trying their hardest to take the joy out of Instagram, I’m trying my hardest to keep finding the fun.

Hashtags are not only a way of giving your posts a helping hand at being seen, but they’re also a great way of exploring posts from other people who you might not otherwise see, or discovering new accounts to follow, and recently I’ve been making an effort to not only diversify the tags that I’m using, but also to explore said hashtags and find new posts and people to add to my feed.

Here are a bunch of my favourites right now:

#shinyhappybloggers

The latest hashtag brought out by the wonderful Jemma from Dorkface, #shinyhappybloggers has been one of my favourites to use since it was announced. As someone who tends to post bright and colourful content on my Instagram, sometimes the traditional #lbloggers or #bbloggers hashtags can be a little too full of carefully curated flatlays on white backgrounds and I feel like I’m sticking out like a sore thumb, so this hashtag feels way more me.

#chattycaptioncommunity

I used to feel like I had to keep my captions short and sweet, but I actually love reading (and writing) long captions on some of my posts, and now I’ve got a whole hashtag of likeminded people!

#candyminimal

As a lot of my posts fit the bright/pastel template, this is one of the latest hashtags I’ve been adding to some of my posts, but I’ve also been loving scrolling through this to discover other bright and beautiful posts and accounts!

#discoverunder5k and #discoverunder10k

Descriptions kinda speak for themselves, but this is my favourite for scrolling through at the moment to find new pages and help boost the followings of smaller accounts, and as I technically fit into both brackets I’ve been using both of them quite regularly on my posts

#myyellowlife

At the start of this year I kept a pretty good yellow theme going on my page, and while this hashtag already existed but with relatively few posts, I sorta decided to champion it a little. I’ve not got the yellow theme so much now, but I love keeping yellow, my favourite colour, alive in as many posts as I can because it makes me so happy, and all of those posts get this tag.

#styledbymagic

As most of my outfit posts are at least 50% Disney related, this is the perfect hashtag for them, plus a great tag to scroll when I’m looking for outfit inspiration!

Do you have any favourite hashtags right now?

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Can We Stop Pretending That We Don’t Care About Exposure?

As a blogger, there’s nothing worse than opening a PR email and thinking it all sounds pretty fab, only to find the classic excuse of having no budget but offering exposure on social media. We read it, we sigh, we tweet something about exposure not paying the bills and we either kindly (or not so kindly) decline the offer, or just ignore the email altogether.

Now I fully agree with this stance on exposure being considered a form of payment, especially when I think about the amount of time that goes into writing, editing and taking photos for a blog post, but I’ve been thinking a little bit about exposure, and how despite bloggers as a whole complaining about it when brands offer it, we also crave the exposure that brands can give us.

I mean, if you’ve put together a killer outfit, nailed your hairstyle and spent half a day trying to get that perfect Instagram shot, are you trying to tell me that you’re not gonna be tagging every single thing you’re wearing down to your setting spray? Sure, we do this a little to avoid the inevitable ‘ooh where’s this from?’ (even though at least half of the comments will still be asking that exact question), but I know that I for one would be lying if I wasn’t hoping that said photo will be spotted by at least one of the tagged brands. I also have no shame in saying that there’s a little part of me praying that I might get a regram, not only for the great feeling of knowing that they loved my post so much, but also because hey I might gain a bunch of followers from it.

So why do we pretend that we don’t care about social media sharing? We all need exposure – I mean, it literally means to be put in the light – but it seems to have become a dirty word in the blogging dictionary. Yes it’s an unacceptable form of payment for hours of work, but it does still offer a lot to a bunch of people who make their side hustle (or even full time hustle) from putting ourselves online to be seen..

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Are Instagram Pods Really The Answer?

Just to prefix this post, I have absolutely no qualms with Instagram pods or people who use them, these are just my musings!

The humble Instagram pod; a supposed way of boosting engagement on the platform that we all want to love and love to hate at the same time.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with the term, an Instagram pod is simply a group chat within Instagram DMs, where friends/fellow bloggers/like-minded people chat and share their latest posts, with the idea being that other members of the group will then head on over to the post to like and comment to give the image a better engagement than it might of done otherwise, for example if thanks to Instagram’s notorious algorithm meant that it wouldn’t have otherwise shown up on their feed. Sometimes people in these pods will also do shout-outs for the other accounts in the group on their Stories in order to help each other out with followers.

When it first became a thing, there wasn’t a day when I didn’t scroll through Twitter without seeing a good few weeks of people asking if anyone wanted to join their pod, or people asking if anyone had room in their pod for them, and of course naturally it led to a little bit of drama as well, with some people being told they couldn’t join certain pods, or people complaining about pods etc. Twitter loves a bit of drama.

I myself have never been part of an Instagram pod, so I can’t really vouch for their effectiveness, but as an outside-grammer, it can become quite easy to spot a pod if you pay attention. Sure, you’ll always see friends supporting each other as much as they can, but you start to notice the same people cropping up in the comment section of every post by the same group of people. Now I love my friends and will always try to like every single one of their posts, but I wouldn’t comment on everything and I certainly wouldn’t expect them to do the same for me.

Yes, statistically the posts seem to have a higher engagement, but as a person who likes to look a little beyond just the photo, it all looks a little inorganic, especially when the comments just say things like ‘oh this is a great photo’ or ‘you look fab’. The same goes for story shout-outs. Sure, I do shout-outs for my favourite accounts, and often I might feature the same people, but I do try to mix it up every time, however when the same group of people only seem to share each other on a weekly basis, it just screams pod to me and I can’t help but feel like its a bit forced, plus if I didn’t follow those accounts the first 10 times you mentioned them, chances are I won’t follow them after the next 10..

Now these are just my own observations, and I really don’t mean any shade to anyone who does use pods, especially if they’ve worked really well for you (if they have, I’d love to hear your experiences so do drop me a comment!), I’m just curious to know if anyone else feels similarly, and given that they seem to be talked about a whole lot less than they used to, are Instagram pods fading out again?

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Things I’ve Learned While Trying To Beat The Algorithm

Instagram; it makes us all sigh just a little bit, right?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Instagram. It was the first social media platform I used to promote my blog, and you know what they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words, so its an amazing place to express yourself, but since the introduction of the infamous ‘algorithm’, interaction and growth has been pretty sucky, and everyone and their mums have been theorising various ways in which to take back the platform for the greater good.

I am, of course, one of these people. Having failed to reach my end of the year goal for 2017, I’m determined to do it this year, and I’ve already written about my plan to make this my year on Instagram, now we’re a few months in, I’ve already learned a few things along the way.

People actually like seeing me in photos

I used to avoid photos of myself like the plague – they never seemed to get even a fraction of the likes that any of my other photos did – opting instead for photos of clothes hanging up or as flatlays, but it turns out that people actually like little old me in photos! My outfit photos lately have been super popular, so I guess you’ll be seeing more of me on the ‘gram.

Timing isn’t always everything

I use UNUM to plan my Instagram feed, and even on the free version of the app you do get some insights, one of which being you’re supposed best time to post based on previous likes and comments. Well, I gave it a go, and I can quite safely say that its totally hit and miss. Sure, certain times of day are always going to be better than others – I tend to post on my lunch break at work, and that seems to work for me, probably cos that’s when most people are checking their phone anyway, but even when I followed what the stats told me to a tee, it didn’t guarantee the post would be super successful.

Posting what I love makes me so much happier with my feed

Since the new year kicked off, I’ve been concentrating more on making my feed something that I love to look at, even if no one else did. Yellow is my favourite colour, and integrating it into my feed has made me super happy. I’ve also been using a cute textured throw blanket as a backdrop for product photos to mix things up a little and not shying away from my Disney side so that every aspect of my personality and life shine through in my photos.

Support and shoutouts are super important

If I’m being totally honest, I think the biggest factor in the growth of my following so far this year is thanks to supporting other accounts and other people doing shoutouts for me. I did a Twitter request for people to send me their Instagram links so I could go on a follow spree, and I followed about 100 accounts, most of which returned the favour (although I didn’t expect or ask them to), and I’ve also gained a lot of followers when other bloggers and accounts have included me in shoutouts on their stories, which I am so grateful for. Asking for help, especially when you’re about to hit a milestone, is nothing to be frightened of, and people who support you are always happy to help!

Quality over quantity

I’ve been working so hard on improving the quality of my photos this year. Rather than just taking photos on my phone, I’ve been utilising the 50mm macro lens on my Sony a5000 to take most of my photos and I’ve been so happy with the photos I’ve been taking, and I think I’ve definitely been seeing an increase in likes on *most* of my photos since then. I say most because, y’know, the algorithm is still against us all..

So I’m quite proud to say I’ve gained about 300 followers this year, give or take a bunch of follow/unfollowers (ugh), and I’m really hoping I’ll reach my 2018 goal fairly soon, but we’ll see! If you want to join me over on the gram, you can follow me @lottiedoesdisney!

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What’s Been Distracting Me From Blogging

You may have noticed, or you may not have done, but over the last few weeks my mind has been far from blogging, and I’ve certainly noticed. I’ve always prided myself on consistently posting at least 4-5 times a week, and that just hasn’t been happening, simply due to the fact that my time and my brain power has been used up elsewhere.

Now its definitely not to say that it hasn’t all been bad, there’s been plenty of good stuff too, but some things have just taken over a little bit more than I had expected, and you know what they say, something’s gotta give..

House stuff

If you caught my week of daily blogging, you’ll know that a few weeks ago Matthew and I put down a holding fee on a new build house that’s due to be finished at the end of May, and from that moment onwards, there’s been a lot of excitement but also a lot of stress.. We’ve been having to do a lot of the boring stuff – sorting out the solicitors, going through mortgage and Help to Buy applications (which involved a 3 hour meeting with a financial adviser on a Friday night which was a little painful) and thinking a lot about money, but there’s also been a lot of decisions and planning which has been a mixture of stress and excitement.

Because we’re not moving locally, we want the move to be as smooth as possible so that we don’t have to make a whole bunch of trips back to Bournemouth, so we’ve probably spent at least a little bit of time every single day working out details. We’ve decided on most of our furniture (spoiler alert: my office is going to be the cutest thing ever), Matthew has already started sourcing things like internet and tv so we have an idea of budgeting as well, and I’m trying to start packing some things up that I won’t need in the next few months.

Creations

While blogging has always been my main creative outlet, my Etsy work has taken over recently and I’ve also got a bunch of custom orders on the go, so evenings and weekends have been dedicated to whizzing up anything from skirts and dresses to matching top and shorts sets. I’ve been making so many new things which has been really great, but it also means that I’ve been having to put a little bit more time into unfamiliar designs. You can see some of my latest makes here!

Migraines and more

I’m a fairly regular sufferer of migraines, and these last few weeks have been full of them. They’ve not been my worst, but I feel like I’ve basically had a continuous one for the last two weeks. Combine that with that time of the month and all the various stresses of life lately, I’ve been quite run down and have been struggling to motivate myself to do anything after getting home from work other than wanting to get into bed.

And its not just been my blog..

Sure, I think my blog has faced the brunt of this little slump, but I’ve been slacking in other aspects of my life too. I’ve not been keeping up with social media, especially Instagram and I’ve been forgetting to schedule tweets, not to mention my skincare routine going out the window and I haven’t put any makeup on in at least a week, if not two, and there was a whole week that I didn’t go to the gym once, but this is just a phase..

These kind of slumps happen, and its ok. I mean, they suck at the time, but they never last forever, and I’m hoping that I’m coming out of the other side of it now. The hardest part of the house buying process is almost over, and everything else is practically planned to a tee, I’m working my way through my Etsy orders nicely and I’m feeling my writers brain kicking back in, so I hope you guys haven’t been enjoying my somewhat silence too much, cos I’m coming back!

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A Week in the Life of Lottie – Saturday and Sunday

So Saturday was a pretty crazy day and due to my phone dying on the drive home from up north, and being too tired when I got in, I decided to combine the two days into one blog post!

Saturday was not in any way a normal day in my life, but I guess it might just be the biggest day in my life to date. You see, the real reason Matthew and I drove up to Cheshire on Friday night wasn’t just to visit his mum after her house move, but actually so that we could put down a reservation fee on a new build that we fell in love with a few weeks before. That’s right you guys.. WE’RE BUYING A HOUSE!

The house itself, being a new build, isn’t finished of course, but we’ve visited so many showhomes of the same property that we know that this is the one, and whilst we were at the development we did get to poke around a completed one that someone else has bought, just so that we could take some measurements and get some ideas for when our house is finished, and then we had to go through a lot of paperwork and sign a number of documents, but I won’t bore you with the nitty gritty because I foresee a lot of house-buying blog posts coming in the future! I am just so happy and excited, I can’t tell you..

Well after all that we were pretty hungry, so we went to the Chill Factor to have a Nando’s for lunch, because we figured the Trafford Centre one would be pretty busy – I’ve never been to Chill Factor before but it is SO COOL. After lunch, we did actually go to the Trafford Centre to pick up Mothers Day cards, I treated myself to some Lush goodies because I got a big Etsy payout this week, and then we went to DFS to look at sofas, although we got caught up in some post-match traffic around Old Trafford so that took a little bit of time to get to. We’ve actually had our sofa picked out for quite some time in the hope that we would be getting a house soon, but now we can actually say we have one, and had all the measurements we needed, it was working out the logistics of what style of the sofa would fit the space and where etc, but I think we’ve got it sorted now.

We then stopped off back at Matthew’s mum’s, where Matthew finally found his childhood Disney pin collection which he’s been looking for for ages, watched a little bit of Crufts and then drove back to Bournemouth!

Today, despite being super tired from Saturday’s antics, we were both awake just before 7am, but I didn’t get out of bed for at least 45 mins, then went and had a shower before my mum woke up and I gave her her Mothers Day present. As the sun was out, I took the opportunity to get some blog and Instagram photos taken, which I’m happy I did because the sun quickly disappeared behind a lot of cloud..

This morning I had a family friend coming round for a wedding cake consultation (oh yeah, do you guys know I’m a cake decorator sometimes too?), so I spent a bit of time playing around with some sketches and getting some inspiration from Pinterest before she arrived, and she was here for about 2 hours chatting cake stuff, wedding stuff and just having a general catch up because I haven’t seen her in about a year or so.

After she left, I spent some time doing general admin type stuff – writing up the weekly newsletter for the #HappiestFitbitClub, editing blog photos, doing some Etsy bits and packing up orders etc, before having some lunch and watching last night’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

My sister brought our cousins round early afternoon to help put together the Mothers Day afternoon tea we had planned – my job was to make the cupcakes – and the rest of the family came to ours at 4pm. Big family dinners are quite a common thing for us, and they tend to be fairly loud affairs with 13 of us round one dinner table! Once the extended family had left, we watched the only tv show that we still watch as a family since my sister moved out, Only Connect, and then my sister left too and Matthew and I watched Sherlock Holmes while I did a bit more Etsy work and some writing and we’re just gonna chill for the evening now.

This week has been pretty busy, but I hope you’ve enjoyed tagging along with me! Normal blog posts will resume from tomorrow!

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My Plan of Attack for Instagram

The algorithm might be screwing us all right now, but this year I’m determined to hit some goals when it comes to Instagram. Its always been my favourite social media app, and although engagement is a bit sucky right now, bots are a nightmare and the follow/unfollow game drives me a little crazy, I do still love it.

What I do not love is that little number at the top of my profile that just doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Even when I get that little notification to say I’ve gained followers, the number never seems to change, and its a little disheartening, but I refuse to let this setback, albeit fairly major, bring me down, and I’ve been spending a lot of time so far this month coming up with things I’m going to try to get back in the game.

Plan plan plan

I’ve always liked pre-editing my photos and saving them into the handy drafts function that Instagram has, but I’ve never actually had a proper planning tool for what to post when. Well I did a little research and took a few recommendations and downloaded Unum, which is an app specifically for planning out your Instagram feed. You link your account and it imports your current feed, then gives you a whole bunch of blank squares that you can put photos into to decide exactly where you want them to go in your feed. You can even edit photos and upload them to Instagram directly from the app and I am loving it.

Get engaging

I’m ashamed to say that recently my activity with other people on Instagram has taken a dip, but I’m getting back on track by double-tapping and dropping comments whenever I can. I’m not sure if this will actually help my own account at all but if it puts a smile on the face of another user looking for some engagement then my work is done.

Celebrate others

Again, whether this actually helps my own follower count or not I don’t know or care, but recently I did my first ever Instagram story shout-out to some of my favourite accounts, and it made me so happy! I’m gonna try and make this at least a monthly thing going forward and continue spreading the love.

Spend more time looking for new accounts

I’m very much the person that follows people I know, then people who appear in the suggestions tab, and people I see sharing their links on Twitter, but I rarely just go hunting for new accounts to follow, so I’m gonna hit the explore tab a bit more and brighten other people’s days by hitting that follow button.

Get regular and utilise stats

My aim for 2018 is to try and post every day wherever possible because its rumoured that being more regular generally sees an increase in engagement. Well I’ll have to wait and see with that one, but what I am curious to test is looking at some of the analytics from my posts. As well as planning posts, Unum also has an analytics tab which shows all sorts of data from my most popular posts, best hashtags and even the best times for me to post on each day of the week based on previous engagement – apparently Thursdays seem to be my best day! PS. This is all included under the free version of Unum, but you can pay a subscription for more insights.

Have fun with it

More importantly than anything else, I just want to continue loving Instagram. Towards the end of last year I found myself falling out of love with it a little as I felt some posts were forced, or didn’t fit my style and I just didn’t like feeling that way. I’ve currently got a bit of a yellow theme going on, and with yellow being my favourite colour and also a happy colour, I’m smiling every time I look at my feed which is exactly what I want.

If you wanna help a girl out, my link is below, or you can search for me @lottiedoesdisney!

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Things I Learned When I Tried To ‘Fit In’

I don’t think there’s a single day that I don’t see some tweet about how someone doesn’t feel like a ‘proper’ blogger because they don’t use a marble backdrop, rose gold props or whatever style is currently being conceived as a ‘typical’ blogger thing.

There’s a number of reasons that these sorts of comments bother me, and I’m not going to get into all of them now, but the biggest one for me is that people think that you have to conform to a particular style to be a blogger. Yes, there’s a bit of a stereotype and a lot of bloggers make jokes about being ‘basic’ or ‘cliche’ but the fact is, its just a popular style and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

In my early years of blogging, I didn’t know much about my own style, or even anyone else’s for that matter, but when I started to discover more of the blogosphere, I started to feel a little bit of a tug to replicate these pretty photos I was seeing all the popular bloggers post. I started brightening my photos, doing more flat-lays and I even made myself a fake marble backdrop. And what happened?

I never used the marble backdrop

After going to all the effort of making my backdrop, it has never actually graced the pages of this blog. I tried, but I realised that it just wasn’t my style and I didn’t want to compromise myself just to look like everyone else.

I discovered more topics that I like writing about

I created this blog original to just talk Disney, but now its so much more than that and I love it. I discovered that I actually really like writing about beauty, even though I never thought I’d be a beauty blogger, and I’ve learned that there are a million other things that I can use this platform of mine to discuss.

Flat-lays are a true art form

And one I have yet to master! You may look at a flat-lay and few products laid out on a nice backdrop but oh my gosh is it so much more? I have so much respect for the bloggers who nail them every damn time, and I aspire to be even half as good as them!

I like my own style, and I like not ‘fitting in’

So I don’t fit the so-called stereotypical blogger style, and I am 100% okay with that. I like bright and colourful and that is me. Blogging is all about being your own person and doing your own thing, and I have known that all along. And yes, I love rose gold and shiny beauty products, and I like marble and pastel and pretty stationary and anything else that makes me a ‘basic’ blogger, so sue me?

I guess what I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to be anything but yourself to be a blogger. A blogger is just someone who has a blog, simple. Love it? Own it.

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My 2018 New Years Resolutions and Goals

And just like that, another year is upon us, and I think there’s something extra satisfying about January 1st being a Monday, anyone else? New week, new year, new set of resolutions and new goals to try and smash.

Resolutions

When it comes to resolutions, I’ve learnt that the key to success is being realistic, and being positive. This year, I’m focusing more on the things that make me happy, and continuing to become the person I really want to be. So here goes:

  • Put myself first more – I’ve always been the sort of person to put others needs first, and of course there’s nothing wrong with that, but it can mean that I end up run a little bit ragged. Well, I’m learning, and this year will be more about making sure that I don’t put too much pressure on myself.
  • Start asking for what I want – I’m often too shy or nervous to put myself out there and tell other people what I want – I won’t even ask my boyfriend to take my blog photos sometimes cos I feel like its too much to ask. Long story short, it means that sometimes I miss out on things that I want to do for no reason other than my own lack of confidence, and I’m tired of that.
  • Learn to sew more stuff – when it comes to my sewing creations, I’ve got a little comfortable with making the same kinda thing. This year, I want to branch out from skirts and teach myself some more advanced patterns like tops, dresses and shorts so I can start creating more wonderful things!
  • Wake up earlier – 2017 was the year I learnt how to have a lie-in, following years of being an early riser. Well, I could really do with that extra time in the morning again, so I’m gonna get myself back into a routine of getting up and getting stuff done.
  • Learn to love photography again – as soon as autumn/winter kicks in and the days get shorter and darker, taking photos starts to seem like such a chore, especially when it comes to blog photos and Instagram. No more! I’m saving for a new lens for my camera, and I’m gonna be bringing bright and beautiful back to your screens very soon!
  • Keep being braver with makeup – I’ve been having the most fun recently playing around eyeshadow, as well as generally improving my makeup skills, and I’ve been loving it. Here’s to a more colourful 2018!
  • Hang out with more amazing people – they say you should always surround yourself with positive people and people who support you, so I’m gonna do just that.

Blogging Goals

2017 was another incredible year for this little blog of mine. Despite a few ups and downs from my end, my blog has held fast as it hit its 4th birthday. I hit all but one of my targets for last year (stupid Instagram), so I’m hoping this year will be just as successful!

  • Targets
    • 1500 Bloglovin followers
    • 3500 Twitter followers
    • 2500 Instagram followers
    • 100,000 page views
  • To achieve
    • Improve flat-lays and product photos
    • Include more photos of myself
    • Help other bloggers by retweeting posts and commenting more
    • Try my hand at proper makeup posts
    • Remember to take more little breaks
    • Just generally chat with more lovely bloggers!

Who else is feeling like 2018 is gonna be a great year?

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Why I’m Disappearing for Christmas

I don’t imagine this is much of a surprise given that over the last week or so I haven’t been keeping up with my usual posting schedule, but I’m putting myself on a little Christmas break and there will be no new posts until the new year!

As I mentioned last week, I’ve started a new job and I’ve been concentrating on getting settled into a new role and new routine, as well as getting ready for the big day next week, so blogging has just had to take a back burner. This is a huge step for me, because as someone who religiously publishes at least 5 posts a week, I do feel a little like I’m letting my little blog down, but I’m proud of the fact that I’m not letting myself feel guilty for putting myself first.

I need a break, and this year is the first time that I have let myself really take one. If I’m not at work, I’m writing, or working on my small businesses, and I even blog daily when I’m on holiday. This Christmas, I think I’ve earned myself a little time off. I only have a few days off work over the festive period, and I want to spend that time enjoying myself, spending time with my family and just relaxing for a change.

I’m also concentrating on making sure come January I’m gonna be ready with great new content right from the get go, and using a new job and a new year as a fresh slate – and there’s going to be lots to come!

In the meantime, I wish you all the most merry of Christmasses, and if I’m not back by then, a lovely New Year!

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Why I Can Never Enjoy ‘Down Time’

I love keeping busy. This is handy, because I pretty much always am.

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day..

I have a full time job, but I only actually work 3 days most weeks, opting for 12 hours shifts over a regular 9-5, and this gives me quite a few days off in the week, which is great, right?

To the untrained eye, yes, but as well as my job, I also publish 5-6 new blog posts a week here, as well as running two small businesses on my own, both of which involve designing and creating the products that I sell, so my days off are dedicated to those commitments first and foremost.

Any blogger reading this knows exactly how much time and effort goes into blogging. A single post can take hours to make perfect, from the writing to photography and editing, and even when the post is live, then comes the promotion. In fact, I reckon its not inaccurate to say that probably 50% of a bloggers work is done on social media, rather than in the actual writing. There’s the tweet scheduling, Instagram posts, flatlays, PR emails, networking in the community and so much more.

Then comes the small business work. I have stock and supplies to order and products to design and create, then there’s packaging and post offices runs to go on, and again all the promotion work that goes alongside it all.

Great things take time..

Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do but it can be exhausting. I often feel like my work is never done, or there’s more I should be doing, so if I ever take time out for myself, I end up feeling guilty, or feel like I’m forgetting something important. For this very reason I feel like a lie-in is a waste of time, I can’t just sit and do nothing and if for whatever reason I can’t get any work done – hello creative blocks.. – I end up feeling guilty and stressed.

I know that this probably isn’t healthy, and I’m trying to work on it, but I just really want to be successful in the things that I do, and for me success comes from hard work. I don’t expect things to just be handed to me, and I’m more than happy to work for what I want and I just hate wasting time..

Does anyone else suffer from this problem, or have done in the past?

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How My Blog Planning Has Changed Through The Years

It’s always October that I find myself thinking a lot about my blog and how much it’s changed. In just over two weeks this little space of mine will be 4 years old, and I will never stop being grateful for all that blogging has given me.I look back to the early years with a lot of fond memories. I wouldn’t like to call myself naive but I think that’s exactly what I was, but innocently so. Back then I wrote how I thought I should be writing, and when I look back I cringe over how the words don’t even sound like they’ve come from me, but back then, same as I do now, I wrote because I loved doing it.

Back in the day I had no idea how to schedule a blog post, and in fact there were a few days within my first years of blogging that I published about 6 posts in a day because I had no concept of the importance of staggering my content. In those days I didn’t even know how to check my blog stats, let alone worry over them, and I didn’t think I needed a Twitter account – cute right?

For the first year or so of my blog, I just wrote whenever I had the chance. There was no real pattern of much of a schedule, and pretty much everything was posted on the same day it was written without much of a thought. It was simple and I was happy doing that.

When 2015 came around, I wanted routine. I was still LottieDoesDisney back then and I still thought all I could write about was Disney, but came up with an ingenious blog plan and routine for the coming year. For each week I would honour a particular Disney movie, and represent said movie in various inspired posts through the week – I think Monday was an intro, Tuesday was fashion, Wednesday was DIY Thursday was food etc. I don’t even think that lasted two months.

The problem with this is I felt too restricted, and by this stage I was wanting to branch out and write about more topics, and this sort of schedule wasn’t allowing me the ability to do that. I quickly ditched that, although I never stopped writing about Disney, and change was creeping in, but it wasn’t long before I was introducing new schedules that were just as tight as the old ones.

2016 came and again I planned the year out carefully with a bunch of series that I was sure I’d see through, some weekly, some bi-weekly and others monthly. At the time I loved thinking that I was so damn organised, but if for any reason the posts couldn’t be written, I felt like I’d failed the system. Knowing I had to have a certain post written by a certain day of the week made everything feel forced, and I fell out of love with the writing, so I decided to let go.

I still plan, and I always aim to keep at least a week ahead of the game, but I’m far more relaxed with my blog schedule. I am, in fact, writing as many posts, if not more than I ever have done, but I don’t pressure myself and the words just flow much better that way. I try to have 3-4 posts for each week planned at the start of each month, and that allows me to fill the spaces with the spontaneous and off the cuff posts, which often tend to be the most popular.

I’ve always said it and I always will: I just enjoy writing and being a blogger, and what’s funnier still is I always say I’m grateful for what my blog has given me, but I guess really it’s what I’ve given myself.

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Blogging for a Better World

It constantly amazes me how much of an influence bloggers and vloggers actually have these days. I was browsing the beauty aisle in Superdrug the other day near a group of loud teenagers, when I heard one of them say ‘no don’t buy that, *insert name I can’t remember* the YouTuber doesn’t like it so it must be rubbish’, and I just thought it was amazing. Sure, the influence you have can vary, but it got me thinking that as a group, we could make incredible change.

Now I don’t believe for a second in telling other bloggers how to blog, or what you should blog about, but there are a bunch of ways that without compromising your blogging style, you can help make the world a better place.

Be more domestic

I’m not talking about doing the ironing or washing up, this is about cutting the carbon footprint of your shopping spree by choosing to shop from companies and brands that operate in this country. Not only will you save on hefty customs charges, but your items haven’t got to you courtesy of a plane journey!

Order with friends

If you are ordering from abroad, why not do a joint order with other people? I try to do this with a lot of US companies to save on the shipping and customs costs, but it does also save on packaging and transportation.

Promote the use of local produce

If you’re sharing a recipe, why not buy from a local producer and talk about your experience in the post? You can get great deals from your local greengrocers and butchers, they can tell you more about the produce and you’ll be supporting the local community too.

Try natural and cruelty free

You don’t have to switch out your entire makeup collection, but next time you shop try switching to a cruelty free alternative. And hey, if you don’t like what you try, you can write about that too!

Chat about the planet

Write a post on how you recycle at home, or share your favourite outdoor activities. Opt for a staycation bucket list for your next travel post, review a product from a sustainable brand, or just get chatty and talk about saving the planet!

Play a part

There are so many incredible charities that are trying to make a difference in this world, from fighting for human rights to animal conservation and saving the planet. You can blog about your experience at a fundraising event, take part in a fun run or even just promote the charity through your blog and social media – even a single tweet can make a difference!

We don’t have to make big changes, but the changes we make can make a huge difference. It doesn’t hurt to try, right?

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Things To Do When You Hit A Block

I know I cannot be alone in suffering from regular bouts of the dreaded ‘block’. Whether it be writer’s, artist’s or just a general creative block, its the worst feeling when there’s just nothing going on in your head, or at least nothing that will translate into anything you’re happy with.

Know the feeling? Next time, why not try a few of these..

Take a step back and clear your head

A watched pot never boils and a blank page doesn’t fill itself.

Don’t force anything

There’s nothing worse than trying to force results. I look back at blog posts and I can spot the ones that I bashed out just because I felt I had to write something, and I’m not entirely proud of them.

Do something silly

Just for a moment, stop taking it all so seriously. Write a funny limerick or doodle something stupid, create something crazy just for the sake of it (but like I said, don’t force it) – just doing something can start getting those cogs turning again.

Take a proper break

If you can, totally walk away from what you’re supposed to be doing; take an hour, a day, a week even. You won’t find the cure instantly, but not being so in the zone for even a little bit of time can do wonders.

Remind yourself why you love what you do

Just take a few moments to list some of the things that make you love doing whatever it is that you do, look back at some of your favourite pieces of work or read nice feedback you’ve been given by others – take a minute to actually feel proud of yourself!

Know that this will pass

At the end of the day, remember that this is just a block. Whether any of these steps help you or not, they eventually go away anyway and you’ll come back fighting, so don’t fret!

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Things That Are Worth Paying For as a Blogger

While we may make a little bit of money from sponsored posts, advert space and affiliate links, for the majority of bloggers, a blog is a labour of love, and I know that I for one definitely don’t make as much money out of blogging as I put into it.

As a result of this, over the years I’ve learnt all the classic money-saving tips for blogging: hitting up Primark and Asda for blog props rather than Zara Home, robbing B&Q for wallpaper samples to use as backdrops for photos and finding as many high street dupes for our favourite beauty products as possible. The list goes on.

I’m a firm believer that you don’t need to pour money into your blog to make it successful, but with that said, there are a few things that I am more than happy to pay out for in order to keep my blog running as smoothly as possible.

A domain

Whether you’re self-hosted or not, buying your own domain as opposed to being a .blogspot or .wordpress address is 100% worth it. I pay about £18 a year for mine, and not only does it help my blog look more professional, it all counts towards that all important (though also thoroughly pointless in my eyes) DA score.

Buffer Awesome Plan

I’ve been with Buffer since I started scheduling tweets, but there are a whole bunch of other sites available. When I first started out I stuck to the free plan, meaning I could schedule 10 tweets in advance at a time. Now I schedule 5 tweets a day, so it doesn’t take a genius to work out that I could only ever schedule two days at a time, which was a nightmare when half the time I would forget, or if I was away I’d face days of no tweets at all, so before my trip to Florida back in February I decided to upgrade so that I could schedule the whole two weeks I was going to be away, and since then I’d never go back. Its $10 a month, which depending on exchange rate is £7-8, but it makes me so much happier knowing at the start of each week that I’m all set until Sunday night, when I’ll top them up again.

ASOS Premier

I’ve been paying for Asos Premier for 3 years now, and trust me its worth it. £9.95 for the year to get free next day delivery on all orders, meaning I never have to worry about knowing if my items are gonna show up on time. Its kinda like Amazon Prime for my wardrobe, and yes I did once just order a pair of gloves for £5 two days before going to France because I knew they’d get to me on time and I couldn’t be bothered to schlep into town to dig through Primark for a pair.. PS. If you ever return and item for an exchange, the replacement item is also sent next day.

Upgrading your iCloud storage

If you’re forever snapping away for those all too Instagram-worthy shots, paying to upgrade your iCloud storage so you never run out of space on your phone is a lifesaver! I think I pay 99p a month and not once I have I had the dreaded ‘your storage is almost full’ pop up. In fact, I have photos back to December 2015 on my phone and I’m at no risk of running out of room any time soon.

Do you have any services that you swear by?

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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Would anyone miss me?

I’ve always been a firm believer that numbers aren’t everything when it comes to blogging. I write because I want to write, and only write about what I want to write about, and that’s how it always has been and always will be.

The last year has been incredible for my blog. I’ve seen such massive growth since I started almost 4 years ago, and the start of this year brought even more; more content, more quality, more readers. I was riding high and smashing record after record, growing not just in terms of my blog stats but also in my confidence. Then June happened.

As my life outside of blogging changed, I was struggling to keep up. I felt under pressure to produce new posts, and I felt myself slipping into a less prepared and more haphazard version of myself. I was banging out posts the night before, or even on the day, and reusing photos because I hadn’t had the time to take new ones. If I’m honest, I wasn’t proud. I decided to step away from my blog and take a break, but with that came the inevitable guilt; the feeling of failure.

I pushed myself back into blogging after just a week away from the keyboard. In all fairness, I felt at the time that I’d given myself enough of a break, and threw myself back into 5-6 posts a week, but while I went back in on a high, this last week has seen another low.

Despite feeling more on top of my life and having fresh new content that I was proud of, and was working ahead on my schedule, the numbers just weren’t racking up like they used to. I feel crushed. While I write because it’s what I love to do, I feel like a chef who’s cooked a beautiful meal but everyone’s already full. It feels wasted. It’s not that I don’t feel appreciated, it’s just that I feel that I’m not entertaining anyone anymore, and ultimately that’s what I want my blog to be doing; making people happy, inspiring people, or just giving them something to read on the train home from work.

I don’t know if I could ever bring myself to give up this blog – I’ve worked long and hard to make it what it is, and I am still seeing some small progression, but I can’t help but think: would anyone notice if I wasn’t here?

I hate being a negative ninny, especially on here, but I just needed to vent. If you have any thoughts or have ever felt similar, I’d love to hear from you.

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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Dear New Bloggers

It’s pretty strange to think I’ve been at the blogging game for almost 4 years now, and that’s not including a few blogs I’ve had prior to this one!Very often I do still feel like a new-ish blogger, primarily because I was blogging for a good year or two before I joined Twitter and discovered the rest of the blogging community, but the fact is I have been at this for a little while, and so today I thought I’d share some advice for those who are just starting out.
You should not be analysing your stats straight away

I don’t actually remember ever looking at my blog views when I just started out – I’m not even sure I knew how. You have to remember that it is gonna take a little while before you see a real growth.

Be in it because you love it

The reason I never looked at my stats when I first started this blog is because it wasn’t the reason I was writing. If you don’t love writing, or whatever you write about, then blogging is never gonna make you truly happy.

Don’t expect brand work straight away

I see a lot of new bloggers complaining that they haven’t been approached my brands yet, or posting a million #prrequest tweets with no response, and even when you’re an established blogger, these opportunities may not always come up. I personally don’t work with many brands and I’m perfectly happy with that because I like writing about my own stuff, and when I am approached, I appreciate it so much more!

Set your standards

Don’t think that just because you’re new to the scene that you should sell yourself short. When I first started out I did so much work for free because I didn’t think I could ask for a budget, and I also accepted any opportunity without thinking about how well it actually suited my blog, which I would never do now.

Know the game

Do a bit of research about what you should and and shouldn’t be doing. I’m not saying you need to learn how to code or anything complicated, but find out about SEO, follow vs no-follow links and the general rules around sponsored content and disclaimers.

Get involved in the community

The blogging community is so lovely and so welcoming and supportive. Sure, the occasional drama happens, but for the most part you’ll meet the sweetest people, and I guarantee a good portion of your blog readers will be fellow bloggers.

Photography is important

They say a picture’s worth 1000 words, and there’s definitely an element of truth in that when it comes to blogging. Find your style, learn what works for you and have fun with your blog photography. Remember, a marble background doesn’t have to be your thing.

Bloglovin and Instagram can be nightmares

I would say these two platforms are by far the hardest to grow, and here are my top tips for each:

Your Bloglovin won’t grow unless you actually use Bloglovin yourself. Make the effort to follow others, read and like posts and frequently share your link, and you should see some movement.

Post on Instagram because you like it. I hardly ever use my Instagram to bring traffic to my blog, I just genuinely enjoy posting to Instagram, and I like it that way.

Appreciate your niche

Not every blog has to be a beauty blog or a fashion blog; your blog doesn’t even have to have one topic. I describe this blog as a lifestyle and travel blog, with a helping of fitness, fashion and Disney magic, and that doesn’t even cover everything that I write about. You do you.

If you’re ever in need for any more tips or advice for blogging, I would recommend you take some time to read through the blogs of Maria and Corinne, who have tonnes of great posts, but cheesy as it sounds, just have fun!

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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My Mid-Year Review

Can someone tell me where the first half of this year has gone?! ITS JULY.

The last few months have been pretty mad for me for a number of reasons, but also incredible for a whole load more, and I’m pretty excited about more things that are happening in the coming months, so watch this space! Today, however, I thought I’d have a little look back over my blogging year so far..

Blog Highlights

  • Smashing my Bloglovin target for the year at the beginning of March
  • Starting a new fitness series which was so much fun to create and has had a great response
  • Working on the collaboration of DREAMS with the Disney Store
  • Hitting 50,000 page views
  • My DA finally went up in the last update!!

While I don’t know if I consider it to be a highlight, I also took my first break from blogging for over 18 months at the end of June. Despite seeing it as a bit of a bump in the road, I do think that it was good for me, and I feel refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the year and keep adding to this list of highlights!

2017 Target Update

I last reviewed my targets back in March, but how am I doing now? (All figures as of last night!)

  • Bloglovin followers
    • 2017 goal: 500
    • Current: 680 – I’m so happy with how much I’ve been able to grow my Bloglovin this year, and I’m secretly wishing that I might hit 1000 before the year is out, so watch this space!
  • Twitter followers
    • 2017 goal: 2500
    • Current: 2183 – I’ve gained just over 200 since March, so there’s a chance that if I keep that steady over the coming months that this might be possible, but who knows?
  • Instagram followers
    • 2017 goal: 2000
    • Current: 1624 – I think everyone’s feeling the same about Instagram followers, but its just so difficult to gain numbers quickly! Back in March I was at 1445, so I’m about 200 up from then, so again its not totally impossible but I’m also not putting too much hope on it with Instagram being so silly..
  • Page views
    • 2017 goal: 65,000
    • Current: 51,338 – I surpassed the 50,000 mark a little while back, and I’m pretty confident that I’ll hit this in the next few months!

What’s coming up?

There’s going to be a fair bit of change in my life over the next few months. I’m starting a different work pattern, where I’ll be working 12 hour days but as a result will have more days off in the week so I’ll have a whole load more time to dedicate to my blog and my small businesses, and I can’t wait for that. I’ll also be posting a lot more real-life stuff as I’m expecting some big changes in the next few months!

I’ve also got more trips coming up, so you can bet I’ll be blogging those, including my first ever Disney Cruise (eek!), RunDisney in Paris and Matthew and my first Disney trip together, so stay tuned!

How was 2017 been treating you?

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My Blogging Break

This has probably on the whole gone unnoticed, but there has been a lack of any new posts for the last week due to my decision to take a little blogging break. Well, I’m back!

A week may not seem like much of a break for some, but the fact is since October 2015 up until last week, I published at least 5 new blog posts a week. In fact, since October 2015, I have posted 525 blog posts, which averages out to 25 posts a month. Posts have been written come rain or shine, hell I even tend to post daily when I’m on holiday! And while I’m super proud of this achievement, the fact is I’ve never taken a break in all that time.

You may have remembered back at the end of April I ummed and ahhed about taking a break – hell, I even shared my pro/con list! – but even then I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The decision was finally made, however, following a week of pretty poor blog stats, and while I try not to take a bad week to heart too much, it was my worst week for blog views for quite some time, and this time I did take it personally. That, combined with being so busy doing overtime at work to save money, and feeling a little bit down about life in general, I figured now more than ever was the right time to do it.

I’m not gonna lie, I did not find it easy.

To me, it felt like failure. I tried to focus on the benefits of the break, but after two days when I didn’t find things getting any easier, or any more creative juices flowing, I started to worry that it would be more than a week of this torture.

I tried to sit down and write, but I couldn’t find words. I had a few ideas, but while normally I spill the contents of my brain without much thought to the matter, my fingers just weren’t moving over the keys, and I was just staring at a blank screen. Writing and blogging has been such a big part of my life, I was now starting to feel like something was missing. Being a blogger is part of my identity and I was feeling lost without it. I tried to think of ‘easy’ posts; lists, product reviews, the stuff that I can normally bash out fairly quickly, but even then I couldn’t do it. It all felt forced.

Some things, however, did me some good. I spent a day scrolling through my blog to add to my document of scheduled tweets, re-discovering some old favourites in the process. I stopped obsessively checking my blog stats, and that probably did me a world of good. I went to the gym, I ate healthy, and I binge-watched TV.

On Saturday afternoon, I finally managed to put fingers to keys and managed to write two posts. It was time to be back, and if I’m a honest I’m actually a little nervous, but I’m hoping getting back into things will be smooth sailing! There are going to be quite a few changes in my life over the coming weeks and months, but this little corner of the internet of mine will always bring me so much happiness, and I hope you’ll continue to share it with me!

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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My Blogging Time Saving Hacks

I take a lot of pride in maintaining my blogging routine of at least 5 new blog posts a week, alongside working full-time and running a few small businesses.

Time is always of the essence for me, and over 6 months I’ve discovered a whole bunch of ways to ensure that I’m not wasting those precious minutes, and here are a few of my favourites:

Pre-writing scheduled tweets

Scheduling tweets is blog promo 101, but I used to find it such a chore sitting and choosing which posts to schedule, then writing them out and auto-pilot-typing those same set of hashtags and RT accounts over and over. No more! Every time I publish a new post, I write a promo tweet for it, and then I copy and paste this into one huge document of all of my posts, complete with tags and all. I have these categorised into different topics, so I just have to rotate between lifestyle, beauty, food, travel, Disney etc, and copy and paste a post from each category for each day.

The Buffer extension on iOS

I also used to think I could only schedule tweets from my laptop so that I could link posts, but I’ve since discovered that if you add the Buffer extension to Safari, I can schedule post tweets straight from my phone!

Instagram drafts

Although I’m finding them super glitchy at the moment, the drafts feature on Instagram is my favourite update since stories. I spend my work breaks editing all my photos and writing captions, then whenever I need to post I just have to pull it back up and hit publish!

Bulk writing series posts

When I have a new series planned, like my Glass Slipper Camp workout posts or pre-Disney trip outfit posts, I’ll try and sit and write them all in one go and get them scheduled and out of the way. I can only really do this when I know exactly what I’ll be writing/posting, but it works for some series!

Giving yourself a break

Ultimately, the best time saving hack is remembering that if life gets in the way and I don’t have enough time to get a couple of posts out, its okay. Rather than stressing out about stats or a dip in views, you just have to let it go and accept that life comes first, and that its alright to miss a day or even a week if you need to. Letting go is a blessing.

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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Room For Everyone

I think its safe to say that if you’re connected to the blogging world in any way, you’ve all read or at least heard of THAT interview by now. If you haven’t, here’s the Readers Digest version: a big influencer pretty much called out the whole blogging world for copying her, and said there’s no room for any more bloggers in the world.

Now all thats really happened as a result of this article is that she’s alienated a whole bunch of her following, made herself look bad, and united the rest of the blogging world against this idea, but its raised something that I’d like to share my thoughts on.

Whether you’re talking about the blogosphere, or the small business world, or just general friendships, nothing is mutually exclusive. Reading one blog doesn’t prevent you from reading another, buying from one shop doesn’t mean you can’t buy from another, and gaining a new friend doesn’t mean you have to drop one. The fact is, the more the merrier! It introduces diversity and different points of view; 50 bloggers could review the same product and no 2 posts would be identical. Hell its like saying that just because I already own a whole bunch of highlighters, I can’t buy another!

I design and make things which I sell on Etsy, but if I see something similar being sold by another store and I love it, I’m gonna buy it, because it means supporting someone else’s dream. If I see a blogger write a post that’s similar to one of mine, I’m gonna read it to compare opinions.

We need to stop this idea of competition, and welcome and support one another. The best bloggers are the one’s who engage with others, and I’m always grateful for every like, read and retweet. I’m always going to do my best to be supportive to others and give back to the community that has always been so kind to me.

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram

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Daily Thoughts of a Blogger

Its safe to say that blogging is definitely more a way of life than it is a hobby. Once you enter the world of flatlays and food photography, you also enter a whole new mindframe, and you’ll probably find the same thoughts popping into your head on a daily basis..

  • Good morning world, is it sunny enough to take good blog photos today?
  • Will I be able to get a good enough selfie to justify the amount of time I’m spending on my makeup?
  • OOH LOOK, my Instagram follower count has gone up!
  • (10 mins later) Never mind..
  • Should I branch out and use a different one of my way-too-many lipsticks? Nah..
  • Has my scheduled post actually gone live at the right time?
  • And did I remember to schedule any tweets for today?
  • Ooh, a post idea! Write it down, quick!
  • Why has no one read today’s post yet? Does it suck?
  • Can I get a sneaky photo of this shop display? It would work so well with my Instagram theme..
  • I wonder how many times I day the staff here watch people photograph the food
  • I want someone to take my photo but is it weird to ask?
  • Why am I not Zoella already?
  • Just sat down at my laptop and now all the inspiration I had earlier has disappeared from my head
  • I won’t spend my whole evening on Twitter *three hours later* oops
  • I checked Instagram 2 whole minutes ago, so I should definitely check it again, right?
  • WHY HAVE I LOST INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS AGAIN?
  • I didn’t reply to a blog comment three days ago, is the person going to hate me now?
  • Why does scheduling tweets take SO LONG?
  • I’ve been great today, I should really treat myself..

And the cycle continues!

What are your daily blogger musings?

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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A Pro/Con List for Taking a Blogging Break

When I started my new job back in November, I told myself that I’d rein it back a little and keep my blogging down to 5 posts a week, rather than the 6-7 posts a week I was publishing throughout 2016. Well.. It didn’t last very long. In fact, since then I’ve only had a 5-post week 4 times, and I quickly slipped back into my previous pattern.

I’m not gonna lie, recently I’ve been finding it a little exhausting. In fact, since getting back from my holiday at the start of March, I’ve not entirely felt properly back on my blogging game, and that combined with a slight dip in my stats over the last few weeks has led me to lose a bit of motivation, so I’m debating taking a break.

So I’ve been writing a pro/con list, and it looks a little something like this:

Pros:

  • More time for the rest of life – I can’t even hazard a guess at the number of hours that go into writing, editing, photographing and planning posts, as well as scheduling tweets, maintaining a cohesive Instagram theme. Think of all the time for other activities!
  • A chance to clear my head – taking a step away from the keyboard for a week or so would give me an opportunity to shake my constant blogger mentality, and find new inspiration and ideas. I mean, a watched kettle never boils, right?
  • Sorting priorities – my blog has been probably one of the biggest parts of my life for the last 3 years, and stepping away would give me an idea of if I still want it to be such a big part, or whether a step back would be better for me
  • No drama or competition – I don’t get involved in blogging drama, and I try extremely hard to not find myself competing with or comparing myself to other bloggers, but it would be nice to distance myself from the negative side of blogging
  • A chance to fall back in love – they say you don’t know what you’ve got til its gone, so maybe I should walk away to make myself want to come back

Cons:

  • Dropping engagement – its generally the case that the more you post, the better your stats seem to get. Regular posting has probably been the biggest influence in my blog growth over the last two years, and I’d hate to see that growth stutter.
  • One less creative outlet – blogging has always been a way of expressing myself and getting my creative juices flowing, and while I do have other hobbies that help get my creativity out, this blog has always been the place for me to word vomit everywhere and what would it be like if I didn’t force my word vomit onto others?!
  • Missing sense of pride – I have so much love for my blog, and it always amazes me how far I’ve come in my little corner of the internet, and if I take a break, I’ll miss the joy of seeing a new post get a great response, or hitting another milestone.
  • FOMO – if I’m not blogging, will I be extradited from the blogging community that I love so much? I’d hate to miss the social side of blogging, but also any blogging opportunities that might slip passed me.
  • Filling the gap – with my blog being such a big part of my life, will I find that taking a break leaves me with a sense of missing something? What if my life turns out to be even more boring than I thought if I’m not blogging?

Quite the debate, huh? It doesn’t take a mathematician to see that these lists are both equal, and the debate is still ongoing in my head so watch this space. Or, y’know, don’t..

If you’ve ever taken a blogging break, let me know your experience and drop me a comment!

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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Blogging Things I’m Bad At

A little while back I wrote my blogging confessions, and this is sort of a follow up to that, y’know, a little tongue in cheek, take the micky out of myself sorta thing that you know I love to write..

SEO

Yup, a pretty big one right? The fact is, I know very little about it (yes, even after 3 years of blogging), and because I blog more for fun that the big statistics, some of the time that goes into working on my SEO goes into other stuff instead.

Twitter chats

I am forever wishing that I took part in more blogger chats on Twitter, but I either forget when they are, or don’t have the time, or I end up getting really shy and decide to give them a miss. I’m determined to change this though!

Scheduling tweets

I do try and keep my Buffer profile topped up at all times, but there have been a few occasions where I suddenly remember that I’ve not had any tweets going out all day. I also really hate doing it, and rarely schedule more than a few days in advance if I don’t need to.

Checking notifications

When I’m at work, often I just skim over my notifications on Twitter and Instagram, so on occasion I miss out on some replies or new followers. If I ever don’t reply or follow back, this is normally the reason, I’m not one of those bloggers who’s too big for their boots to even like your reply!

Replying to comments

I do read all the comments you lovely lot read on my posts, but I do often forget to reply at the time, please don’t hate me!

I guess no one’s perfect, right?!

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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March Life and Blog Update

Happy Friday y’all! Last day of the working week, last day of the month, and a quarter of 2017 is up already! With that in mind, I thought I’d do something a little different to my regular monthly favourites, and do a little update on this first section of the year.

Happy moments in March:

Matthew has finally moved to Bournemouth this month, yay! After 8 months of long distance, we’ve both been looking forward to being in the same town for the first time in our relationship and a chance to be a proper couple. I’ve been taking more time to read, I’ve been baking more and I’ve also had a chance in the last couple of weeks to get back to my sewing machine and get some creativity flowing. Creating things gives me such a sense of happiness and pride, and I would love to be able to do it all day every day.

Products I’m loving recently:

  • Benefit Dandelion Dew liquid blush – a total whim purchase from Sephora, but this has become a daily staple for me as we start heading into Spring
  • Too Faced Sweet Peach highlighting palette – there is just so much about this palette that I love; I feel like it was made for me
  • Bite Matte Creme lip crayon in pastille – this was one of my Sephora freebies, but after saying ‘I don’t really need another lipstick’ I’ve totally changed my tune and I need more of these in my life!

What’s coming up:

I’m not very far away from my next trip and with that, my next 10K and half marathon, so the next 6 weeks will be spent planning and training. I’m also going to get my butt into gear at work and try and put in as many extra hours as I can without driving myself mad because I want to save as much money as I can in the next few months on top of my regular saving plan.

2017 target update:

(Figures as of last night!)

  • Bloglovin followers
    • 2017 goal: 500
    • Current: 545!! I actually hit 500 at the start of this month, which makes me so happy to have beat my target for the whole year already!
  • Twitter followers
    • 2017 goal: 2500
    • Current: 1972 – I’m finding growth is happening slowly, whether or not it’ll speed up by the end of the year is a different matter..
  • Instagram followers
    • 2017: 2000
    • Current: 1445 – I have gone up about 100 from the start of the year, but with it being such a fickle platform for numbers, I’m not getting my hopes up too much!
  • Page views
    • 2017 goal: 65,000
    • Current: 43640 – I’m so happy to have seen a big growth in my blog starts since the start of the year, and I know that if I can keep it up, I’ll be hitting this goal before the year is out!

And if you want to help me out with any of these numbers, you’ve got my links below!

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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I Am NOT Blogging for the Wrong Reasons

Blog Birthday

I’ve seen a few tweets going round recently regarding bloggers being obsessed with numbers, and its true. Very rarely do I ever manage to scroll through my Twitter without seeing someone who’s just hit a follower milestone, or wishing to hit the next.

I have no issues with these posts, because when push comes to shove, readers and page views are all really important to blogging. What I do have an issue is other bloggers complaining that people who care about numbers are ‘blogging for the wrong reasons’. Nah.

I have always been fascinated by numbers. At work, I always love to know figures and targets and statistics; they appeal to my competitive self because there’s nothing I love more than being in competition with myself. Yes, I’m basically Monica from Friends.

You see, that’s how I see my blog stats – a way of beating and bettering myself. If my followers are going up, and my daily views are rocketing, that means I’ve done something right. Its nothing to do with beating others, its all me vs me. I get such a sense of pride seeing improvement in my little blog, and its the same with compliments – I don’t mind if I’m not getting them, but whenever I do its such a lovely part of what I’m doing.

Does this mean I’m blogging for the wrong reasons? Well I sure as hell don’t think so. Whether my stats are up or down, I still love blogging, and I still write because its what I love to do. But here’s the thing: NUMBERS CAN MATTER. I don’t make any form of steady income off my blog, but I know a number of full-time bloggers and freelance writers, and as far as they’re concerned, that’s what companies care about. Are they blogging for the wrong reasons? No, they’re trying to make a living.

Apologies if this has been a little bit ranty, but I can’t help but get a little bit offended when people get all ‘holier than thou’ telling other bloggers that they shouldn’t be thinking about the figures. Sure, I totally believe that numbers aren’t everything, and I always make an effort to not stress or obsess over them, but if I’m a few followers from a milestone, yes I’m gonna tweet about it, because d’you know what? Most other bloggers are lovely and I know they’re gonna hook me up.

So whether you look at numbers or not, just go out and smash it, because you’re awesome regardless.

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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How To Take a Day Off Social Media

Taking a day off social media

As bloggers, our lives generally revolve around social media. Its not a bad thing – its how we drive traffic to our site, its the best way to communicate with other bloggers and its a great way to get exposure with brands. I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s been told things like ‘you spend too much time on your phone’ and ‘you’re being anti-social’, while all you’re doing is chatting to other people and promoting your latest post, right?

All the same, sometimes a break from the screen is a good thing, but how can you take a day away without letting your blog suffer? Try a few of these tips:

Schedule all your tweets

I normally only schedule 5 promotional tweets a day, and do the rest by myself, but if I know I’m gonna be busy and away from my laptop or phone, I’ll stick a few more in for good measure!

Take a camera, not your phone

Its easy to justify needing to take your phone out with you in case you need to snap some shots, go out with your camera instead – it might even get your creative juices flowing more!

Tell people what you’re doing

Whether you just text around to let your nearest and dearest know you’re gonna be off the radar for the day, or drop a tweet to announce you’ll be quiet – it means you can be disturbance free and also the accountability will make it easier to stick to your guns.

Go old school

Instead of putting all your thoughts into tweets, write them down instead! Carry a notebook and a pen, and every little thing that pops into your head can go down on paper for you to use another time.

Use it as material

If you’re worried about what a day away might do to your blog, why not your experience as a blog post? Write about what you did, how you did it and how it was for you, and share it with the world!

Don’t worry, its good for you!

There’s nothing wrong with spending all your time on social media. There’s also nothing wrong with taking time away. Whatever you wanna do, do it!

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram

 

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My Stance on Pay for Bloggers

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The relationship between bloggers and companies is a tricky one. While there’s nothing better than working with a brand on an amazing collaboration, I can’t be alone in also being tired of endless ‘we’ve not got a budget, but we’ll share your post on our social media’ and ‘the post will get you an entry into a free prize draw’ emails, and that’s before you even go through the demand for follow links and non-disclosure, or even the funny ones where they’ve spelt your name wrong and have clearly never read your blog before ever. All fun and games.

I 100% believe in fair treatment for bloggers, but I know different people have different beliefs when it comes to how bloggers should be treated for our work, but here’s my take on how I approach PR work.

Sponsored posts and guest content

If I’m publishing a post that contains sections that I did not write myself, I expect some sort of payment, and I will ALWAYS disclose that it is sponsored and/or guest content. Its not fair for companies to expect me to compromise my integrity as a writer, and I don’t believe that a little disclosure note at the bottom of the post is going to make any difference to the message conveyed in the post.

I don’t have any problem with people publishing these posts – I mean, a girl’s gotta get paid! – but I’ll also never take one that isn’t relevant to my audience!

Free products for review

9 times out of 10, if I’m being sent a free product to review, I’m not gonna be asking for any other form of payment. I know I’m still fairly small in the grand scheme of blogging, so I’d never expect anything on top of the gifted products and I’d certainly never ask for it unless I believed that I was putting in considerably more work than I normally would.

Again, I won’t accept products that I don’t think fit my content – in the past I’ve been offered children’s books etc which I’ve politely declined. I also won’t accept products that I’ve done too many times – no more matcha green tea for me!

Affiliate links

I know this one is controversial with some people, but I really don’t see these as being an issue! Quite frankly, if a blogger posts a link to a product that they love, and 50 people buy it as a result, damn right they should be entitled to a bit of cash! For a blogger, they can be a huge source of income, and it makes me happy to see companies appreciating how much of an influence we can be, and I’ve used them myself with great results.

Free work for little/no payout

When I first started out as a blogger, I did take a few of these projects, but now they’re a no-no for me. My time is worth more than the chance of exposure via social media or a possibility of a prize draw. I do have some exceptions however..

If its a charity collaboration, I would never dream of asking for any payout. I’ve worked with awareness and fundraising projects before, and those are worth the time I put into them as I always love helping a good cause.

Small businesses are another exception. As a small business owner myself, I know that having budget available for advertising isn’t always an option, and I know that they are always so much more grateful for the exposure you’re giving them. I always try to promote smaller businesses as much as I can!

I think my biggest pet peeve on the subject is seeing PR companies and brands try to walk all over bloggers, thinking that its free and easy advertising and exposure, especially when I know how much time bloggers take preparing, writing, photographing and editing posts, and that’s before you think about the time spent promoting each post. There is nothing more off-putting than a company that doesn’t show respect for the people they want to do their work for them.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

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Why I Sometimes Feel Like A Sub-Standard Blogger

Spectrum Fresh Face set

We all have those days where nothing seems to be going right, and we question everything we normally believe in. As a blogger, this happens probably once or twice a month, maybe because my views are down, or I see other bloggers being offered opportunities that I’d love to be a part of, and it just leaves me with a little bit of a sinking feeling. Often, it disappears as quickly as it comes on, and I’m back in my little blogging bubble again, but here are a few of the reasons that ever so often I feel less than average.

My selfies get a fraction of likes

For starters, I can rarely take a good selfie, and even after I’ve Facetuned the hell out of it, I’m still not happy, but whenever I do post a quick snap of my face, the likes just don’t rack up like they do on my other photos. Cool guys..

I’m not constantly un-boxing blogger mail

I love writing, so the fact that I haven’t worked with that many brands doesn’t bother me too much, but sometimes when I see blogs where every other post is a collaboration or sponsored post, I feel a little bit like I’m not as ‘seen’ as others. I do, however, think that this makes me so much more grateful and excited when brands do want to work with me.

When it comes to makeup, I’m 100% winging it

I love putting on makeup and trying new things, but I wouldn’t for a second pretend that I’m anywhere near competent, and I cannot for the life of me get decent photos of my makeup to prove the days it does look good.

I’ve never been to a blogging event

Yes, I’m not exactly located in a big city where events happen all the time, so I totally understand it, but I don’t even know how well I would handle one without exploding with nerves!

Some retweet accounts ignore me

When you’ve only got 140 characters, you have to be pretty careful about which RT accounts to tag in a post, and I always feel a little awkward when I see an account retweet the same post by one person 5 times a day, and never retweet mine.

I’m not also on YouTube

I don’t vlog, and I don’t particularly want to vlog, but sometimes it feels like you’re only gonna get seen if you’re also cranking out a daily vlog on YT and raking in those subscribers.

Do you ever feel like this?

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50 Post Ideas for Disney Bloggers

Disney Blogger Ideas

In a #disneybloggerschat (Thursday 8pm) a few weeks back, I was a little upset by the number of people saying that where they struggle most when it comes to Disney blogging is actually not having enough ideas for posts. It bothered me, because all the Disney bloggers in the community are totally fab and I love reading everything they have to write, so my primary reaction was ‘what can I do to help?’..

Personally, I’m always intrigued when I see those ’50 blog post ideas’ or ‘101 Instagram photos’ posts, so I thought I’d give my own version a go, and if I can provide a little bit of inspo for my fabulous Disney blogger friends, then I’ll be a happy girl!

  • Collection posts:
    • Mickey ears
    • Disney mugs
    • Disney artwork
    • Funko pops, vinylmations, Traditions etc
    • Tsum tsums and soft toys
    • DVDs and O-rings
    • How you display your collections
    • Advice to others wanting to start collecting
  • Movies:
    • Your top 5 favourite movies
    • Movies you watch when you’re happy/sad/need inspiration etc
    • Favourite moments
    • Favourite character and why
    • Most underrated films
    • Most overrated films
    • Favourite soundtracks/songs
    • Movies you’ve never seen/want to see
    • Thoughts on upcoming releases
  • Disney parks:
    • Park bucket lists
    • Your favourite park and why
    • Favourite rides
    • Favourite character meets
    • Things you’ve never done
    • Favourite places to eat
    • Dining reviews
    • Eating in the parks with dietary requirements
    • Hints and tips for others
    • Favourite photos
    • What’s in your park bag?
    • Things you HAVE to pack for your trip
    • Disney park must-dos
    • Hotel/resort reviews
    • Trip diaries
    • Trip hauls
  • Disney lifestyle:
    • Best places to buy Disney merch
    • Disney small business spotlights
    • Your Disney wardrobe
    • Disney outfit posts
    • Disney inspired makeup looks
    • Disney hairstyle tutorials
    • Favourite Disney bloggers
    • Favourite Disney vloggers
    • Favourite Instagram accounts
    • 5 Disney blog posts you’ve loved recently
    • Why Disney means so much to you
  • Disney DIY and crafts – even if they turn out to be a disaster!
    • Recreate your favourite Disney food
    • Try making your own ears
    • Bake Disney inspired cupcakes
    • Buy some iron-on patches and customise a denim jacket/jeans
    • Make a collage of photos from trips
    • Cosplays and handmade Disneybounds

I really hope that this can get the ball rolling if you’re stuck in a little bit of a blogging rut, or if you just fancy something a little different!

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Why I’m Considering Changing my Instagram Handle

LottieDoesDisney instagram

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: while I love Instagram, I’m finding it almost impossible to grow on there. I gain 10 followers, lose 12, and the cycle continues with a never ending loop of spam bots and follow-unfollowers.

This year, I’m determined to hit a new milestone of 2000. It’s probably tiny for many but it’s still about 700 away, which would mean consistently gaining two followers a day with no drop outs. Sounds simple, right? Ha.

I’ve tried all sorts. I have a theme (sort of), I post good quality photos with as many hashtags as I can fit and while the likes come rolling in, the followers don’t follow suit, which has led me to believe that it’s one particular thing about my Instagram: my handle.

Back at the beginning of 2016, I implemented a huge blog overhaul. I bought a new domain, my snazzy layout and header, and I rebranded. By rebrand, I removed one thing from my blog’s title. You see, LottieDoesDisney was how I began, and if you’ve been following me long enough to remember the days of the blue cloudy blog posts, then I salute you! Instagram was the first form of blog related social media I got into, and being @lottiedoesdisney made me, well, me. Back in those days my blog was entirely Disney, and it’s only been in the last 2 years that I’ve branched into proper lifestyle blogging, and the rebrand made sense for the benefit of my blog, but I’ve clung to my Instagram as the only remaining form of my blog as it was when it was born.

What I fear now is what I feared back then: what if having Disney in my name is putting off new followers? I will always post a lot of Disney, both on my blog and Instagram, but that’s not all I want to be known for, and I’d hate to think that it’s the reason people aren’t hitting that follow button?

What do you think – does having a fandom/obsession in a username put you off following?

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Balancing Blogging

Balancing Blogging and Work

Its now been almost two months since I started my new job, and being my first permanently full-time job, one of my biggest fears was being able to maintain my blogging schedule alongside my new position. Throughout 2016 I was able to consistently post 5+ times a week, and with my blog being such a big part of my life, the last thing I wanted was to have to reduce the amount of time I could put into it, so I’m really happy that I’ve managed to not only keep up with my posts, but also continue to improve and grow my blog!

With that in mind, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve been doing in order to fit blogging around my 40 hour working week and still keep up appearances!

Bloglovin’ and the Bloglovin’ app

Bloglovin’ has really been my biggest obsession in the last few months. I worked really hard at the end of last year to improve my following on the site, and in doing so I’ve also fallen in love with it a lot more. Its such a great way to read all my favourite blogs without having to flick from website to website, and because it saves me time in reading blogs, I have more time to comment on other people’s posts and increase my interaction with other bloggers which I’ve been really enjoying.

Using work breaks

I’ve found that using my tea breaks and lunch breaks for little jobs, like replying to emails and posting on Instagram.

Keeping a notepad with me

I carry a notebook with me pretty much everywhere, so whenever I get a spark of inspiration I can get it down before I forget! It also means that while things are quiet at work, I can get some blog work done.

Planning and scheduling

I like to make sure I’m at least one week ahead on posts at any time, so that should I run out of time to write, I’ve always got a little bit of time! The same goes for scheduling tweets, it keeps everything ticking along nicely while I’m at work.

Bulk photo taking

When I know exactly what posts are going out in the following week, it means I can spend my weekend taking all my blog photos in one go. My work hours mean that during these winter months I’ve seen no daylight other than through a window from the office, so my weekends are the only time I have to take them!

Pacing myself

Whereas last year I wanted to post as many days as I possibly could, this year I’m reigning myself back a little, aiming for just 5 posts a week, with an occasional 6th when I can, which means I don’t have to stress too much about writing 6+ posts a week!

I’m so ready for another great year of blogging, and have set myself some goals and targets that I’d love to meet or maybe even surpass, so here goes!

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Sony A5000 Review

Sony A5000 review

I’ve had my new little Sony A5000 for a little while now, and I thought it was about time I shared my thoughts on how its working for me! I’ve always been a Sony person, so when I decided that I wanted a smaller camera for the days I don’t want to lug around my big SLR, I didn’t really want to change brands, and after comparing all the options, this little one came out top so I was pretty happy!

Its 20.1 megapixels, and the standard lens is 16-50mm, which for me is ideal for everyday use – blog photos, holiday snaps etc, and the flippable LCD screen is nice and big so you can see exactly what you’re doing, although I do prefer to have a proper viewfinder, so this bugs me a little sometimes! What I do like, however, is the pop up flash, because I very rarely use a flash and I like the fact its hidden away so it doesn’t ruin the aethestic of the camera, and you almost forget you have one, plus it doesn’t do the annoying ‘auto-flash’ thing that my SLR sometimes does!

But how is it as a camera?

I definitely think it takes its best photos when you know how to use it properly, and by that I guess I mean I’m not blown away by the Auto+ setting. Yes its ok for taking a quick shot without having to worry too much, but it definitely doesn’t give you the best shot you could get if you used a manual setting. I do LOVE some of the special features it has though, like the ability to pick out a single colour, apply a filter, or adjust brightness and vividness while in Auto mode.

Sony A5000 features

It does come into its own when I use manual settings. When I’m taking blog photos, I like to be able to fiddle with manual exposure and aperture, and while my SLR can take FOREVER to process those shots, this little beastie snaps them in seconds with no issue. The settings are also really easy to adjust using the dial on the back, and just generally, its really user friendly.

Blog Birthday

Other features that I love are that the screen flips up into ‘selfie mode’, and that as well as manually zooming using the lens, you can also use the toggle on the shoot button, and there’s also an extra zoom control on the lens. It’s also got built in wifi, which is brilliant although I often forget about it! I’ve also bought a second lens recently, the 55-210mm telescopic lens, which is AMAZING and can’t wait to get more of a chance to play with!

I’m still getting used to having a small camera, but this little guy is growing on me massively, and while I’ll never completely disregard my SLR, the more I use this, the more I love it and its taken some amazing photos for me.

boomf cake

Mainly of food. Not gonna lie.

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Instagram Posts I Love Seeing

Instagram Posts I Love Seeing

For a blogger, Instagram is a fickle friend. Personally, I love it and its probably my favourite form of social media, but like many others, I have been struggling to increase my following over the last year thanks to spambots and classic follow-unfollowers.

That being said, it doesn’t detract at all from the amount of time I spend scrolling and scrolling through my feed, and while the new algorithm makes seeing all my favourite accounts a little bit trickier, there are always certain posts that always get the double-tap from me.

Travel inspiration

Nothing gets my wanderlust going more than beautiful photos of other people’s adventures. Please please please tell me where it is in the caption though – I don’t want to have to guess at where this beautiful place is! My favourite accounts for travel posts are @wandernessblog and @thatsutherskid

Bright colours

I know that a lot of bloggers have that ingrained need to post marble and muted toned photos, but I’m a bright and bold kinda gal and it always makes me super happy to see some colour on my feed. Feel the same? Check out @hellobeestudio, @nikkimcwilliams and @dorkfaceblog

Yum yums

I’m taking about food that makes me drool over my phone. Even better if its healthy and inspires me to recreate the delicious looking dish. I blame @marvelsteph and @tartanmouth for a lot of my tummy rumbles!

Top product photography

You could be showcasing any number of strange things, but if its a gorgeous set up and your photography is on point, I’m still gonna be all over that. To name a few amazing bloggers, look at @wonderlandblogs, @flourishnblog and @mariajblogs

Disney magic

My Insta feed is still all about the Disney. Magic moments, castle shots and Mickey shaped food are all winners if you ask me. A few faves are @livvybirdadventures, @heli.paints.the.roses.red and @pocalice

Perfect pets

If you’ve got an adorable creature, I’m always gonna want to see it. Cats, dogs, lizards, rodents, whatever, #petsofinstagram do it for me. If you’re also all about the cute, you need to follow @spaniellife and @_bellesmoments

What do you love seeing on your Instagram feed?

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My New Years Resolutions and Goals

New Years Resolutions and Goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

In the classic style of January 1st, I’m setting myself some goals and resolutions for the coming year, and would I be a proper blogger if I didn’t post them online?

Resolutions

Every year, resolutions are made and broken, so as much as possible I try to keep my choices positive; rather than giving things up, I find things to do more of etc. I’ve thought a lot about this year’s, and here they are:

  • Take more selfies – to be honest, I want to take more photos of myself in general. Its not vanity, its about gaining confidence and being happier with my appearance
  • Save more money – I’ve always been a religious saver – I think its one of my biggest strengths. This year, now I’m in a new, better paying job, I want to make sure that more money is being put towards my future.
  • Travel more – whether its seeing more of the UK, or doing a few weekend city breaks, I just want to get out there and enjoy more of the world.
  • Stay moisturised – I’ve recently had the epiphany that just because my skin is fairly good, it doesn’t mean I can’t look after it
  • Read more books – I said last year that I wanted to take more time out to read, and I think in the whole year I maybe finished one book.. Take 2!
  • Shop more from small businesses – as a small business-er myself, I really want to help out more small businesses, artists and creatives and make more dreams happen!
  • Be my best self – I’m just really wanting to make 2017 the best year ever. I saw a quote on Twitter a while ago that said ‘Live in such a way that if someone spoke badly of you, no one would believe it’, and I just really want to be that person.

Blogging Goals

Last year I didn’t actually set any goals at the beginning of the year; I don’t think I knew how amazing the year could be. 2016 was an incredible year for my blog, and I’m hoping for an even better 2017!

  • Targets
    • 500 Bloglovin followers
    • 2500 Twitter followers
    • 2000 Instagram follower
    • 65,000 page views
  • To achieve
    • More Insta-vlogging
    • One outfit post a month
    • Improve my fitness posts
    • Talk about my blog more
    • Participate in more Twitter chats
    • Work more on my Pinterest

What are you hoping to achieve this year?

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The Bloggers Who Influenced My 2016

Blogger Influences

While 2016 has been rubbish for many people in so many ways, its actually been a pretty great year for my blog. Yesterday’s post was my 300th post of the year (yes, just this year!), I’ve hit a tonne of milestones and I just feel so proud of all the hard work I’ve put into it, and super happy with the results.

A lot of change has happened this year, from my layout to my writing style and the topics I’ve written about, and every one of these changes has made this blog reflect my true personality more and more. Finding my blogging voice has absolutely rocketed my confidence, but looking back I’ve come to realise that I have quite a few other bloggers to thank for inspiring me..

Dorkface

Without a doubt, Jemma is absolute blogger goals. She is the loveliest person, her work ethic is incredible, and her style is 100% goals. I’ve always loved bright colours, and in a world full of marble backdrops, Dorkface is a ray of sunshine and rainbows.

Vix Meldrew

I don’t think a blog has ever been more true and relateable, and I don’t think I’ve missed a single post this year because this girl cracks me up. Reading Vix has given me the confidence to write exactly how I want to, whether I’m feeling sassy and sarcastic, or completely open up about my feelings – not that I could ever do it as well as she does!

British Mermaid

Cara is the most beautiful person, both inside and out. I’ve been lucky enough to become friends with her this year, but as well as just being all-round amazing, she’s inspired me to wear and feel confident in whatever clothes I want, and frequently find myself thinking ‘would Cara like this?’ when I’m shopping.

Hello, Steph

I knew that 2016 was the year I’d be making much more of an effort with my fitness, but this girl has made me want to push myself harder and further. She’s my absolute fitspo queen and I’m always keeping an eye out for her amazing meal prep photos and workout selfies!

Belles Moments

This year would have absolutely not been the same without this girl. She’s my Disney soul mate and become one of my closest friends, and I can’t wait for all our 2017 adventures together. Plus she has a dreamy Instagram account that you should 100% be following.

What bloggers have had the biggest impact on you this year?

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A 7 Day Kindness Calendar

Kindness Calendar

I’m always looking for ways I can be a better person, and nothing makes me happier than when I can make other people smile.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a little schedule of the things I can do to spread some happiness online, and as much as possible I’ll be trying to stick to it, as well as doing extra things as and when!

As much as possible:

  • Try to cheer up anyone who’s upset
  • Wish people happy birthdays
  • Promote and support my friends
  • Be super nice to retail workers – especially at Christmas!
  • Put my change in charity pots

Every day:

  • Follow two new people on Twitter and Instagram
  • Retweet another blogger’s post
  • Compliment someone on their outfit
  • Like the first 10 photos on your Instagram feed, and comment on at least two
  • Retweet or share any post about a good cause or charity

Every other day:

  • Follow 3 new blogs on Bloglovin
  • Comment on two blog posts
  • Tell someone they’re pretty

Twice a week:

  • Share a small business
  • Randomly tweet someone something I love about them
  • Remind someone how awesome they are

Every week:

  • Treat someone at work to a coffee
  • Either do #FF or #SundayBlogShare tweets for at least 10 people

Join me and spread the positivity! What do you do?

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A Blogger’s Christmas Wishes

Blogger Wishes

Its that time of year; the time we put all our hopes into the wrapped goodies that appear in our stockings or under the tree. We’ve published our Christmas wishlists, written gift guides and dropped enough hints on Twitter about our favourite brands and products, so there’s no way we shouldn’t be getting some lovely presents, but what else might us bloggers be wishing for this Christmas? Cue tongue in cheek..

That all our Christmas presents are Instagrammable

Let’s face it, a pile of presents can give us Instagram photos for weeks on end, so if all our presents match our theme and are super pretty and rake in 100+ likes, that’d be fab.

And that we can write some killer review posts

Cos a stocking full of the latest beauty products can’t be forgotten about

To hit our end of year targets

If we manage to reach out Bloglovin follower goal by Christmas and with a week still left to the end of the year, then we stand a pretty good chance of surpassing it before the year is out

People aren’t too busy to keep reading our blogs

I always find my views tend to take a little dip at this time of year as people are busy with Christmas shopping or parties, so if we can maintain our daily view count, it will really be the most wonderful time of the year!

That we can come up with good New Years resolutions

And y’know, stick to them – cos once we publish that post we know our readers might keep an eye out throughout the year..

That all our blogger friend and followers have a lovely Christmas

While the rest of this post has been very much in jest, I think its safe to say that the most important thing that we all wish for at this time of year is that everyone else has as special a Christmas as we do.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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How I’ve Been Growing my Bloglovin’

How I'm Growing Bloglovin

I don’t know about you, but I find it kinda annoying when bloggers write about how to blog. I mean, unless there’s some really great advice in there (or anything Corinne writes as she’s a blogging queen), I’ll just skip straight past them, and if I see them pop up on my Twitter feed, chances are they won’t even get a click. I think what I’m trying to say, is that this post isn’t really about giving advice, its just my account.

Bloglovin was something I only got maybe a year or so ago, and I quickly lost interest as I found I just wasn’t gaining any followers, which is particularly disheartening when you scroll past pages and pages of bloggers with hundreds of thousands of followers. Naturally, I couldn’t be bothered to waste my energy on promoting it, but in recent months I’ve picked it back up, and have been amazed at the results of a little more effort!

So what have I done?

I follow back

I promise a follow back for anyone who follows me, and I stick to it. Everyone who follows me gets a follow back, and as well as this growing my following, it provides an incentive for other bloggers to grow theirs, and also gets some fresh posts in my feed

Finding new blogs

As well as a blanket policy of following everyone who follows me back, I’ve actually made a lot of effort to hunt for bloggers to follow. I check my ‘recommended blogs’ every week, and as much as possible follow blogs with fewer followers so I can read more smaller blogs and help others to grow!

Sharing my link

I’ve gone back to scheduling tweets about my Bloglovin account, especially when I’m closing in on a milestone, but in general it just gets the word out there! Also when I see other bloggers asking for links, I’m not afraid to send mine like I used to be!

Asking for links

As part of my hunt for new blogs to follow, I’ll often tweet out asking for people to send me their links. Sometimes I assume I’m following blogs on there, only to find I’m not, and this way, I can ensure I’ve got as many of my favourite bloggers in my feed as possible.

While my following may not be as amazing as other bloggers, I’m really proud of how far I’ve come in the last year – I mean, I don’t even think I had 50 at the beginning of the year! A little bit of hard work is really paying off, and I can’t wait to hit my next milestone!

If you’re on Bloglovin, drop me a link in the comments so I can follow you!

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Why I Love Instagram Stories


Remember when Instagram announced Stories, and the Twittersphere went crazy? ‘But they’re just ripping off Snapchat’ was the initial outcry, followed by people declaring sides in the debate.

I didn’t really care. Instagram is probably my favourite social media platform, and given that the introduction of Stories didn’t affect the main jist of the app as it was, I just kept ticking along until I finally got the update, and then continued to use it in exactly the same way, just with a few random little circles at the top of my feed.

A little time went by, and I decided to start watching a few stories, and yeah, it was pretty much identical to Snapchat, but rather than seeing my old school friends on raging night out, or a million identical selfies with an assortment of filters, I was watching some of my favourite bloggers, my favourite Disney accounts, and seeing some pretty cool things.

So I decided to start posting a few things, and I was amazed that people were actually watching them. And the more I posted, the more confident I became, and now its become much more a part of my routine.

But why have I chosen Instagram over Snapchat?

Much like with Facebook, I use my Snapchat to connect with my friends. Generally I’ll send things directly to certain people, rather than using My Story, and I probably only have about 50 people on there. I know that some of my friends wouldn’t be interested in the blogging side of my life that I save for Instagram, and to be totally honest, I’m not confident enough when it comes to sharing that side of my life with those friends.

Instagram gives me a feeling of anonymity. Yes I’m followed by a lot of my blogging friends and my Disney friends, as well as some family and my boyfriend, but those friends who don’t know this side of my life don’t know this account exists (not from hiding it, just from not knowing!), so I don’t feel self-conscious posting more of my life on my story. As well as personal stuff, I use my story to promote new blog posts, as well as my business, and it gives me a much larger audience for these things, which is great!

My Instagram username is LottieDoesDisney, so pop over and say hi!

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Reasons I Won’t Follow on Twitter

Reasons I Won't Follow on Twitter

For a person who only a few years ago couldn’t understand the purpose of Twitter, I’m pretty lost without it now. Its how I keep up with my friends, promote myself and my business, but most importantly its how I connect with other bloggers.

I’m always looking for new blogs to read and the way I find these is by broadening who I follow on Twitter. I try and follow at least 3 new accounts a day, or do at least one big follow spree a week, but I still screen my Twitter suggestions before I turn that button blue. So what makes me skip an account?

You don’t follow anyone back

You don’t have to follow me back if you don’t want, but if I see you’ve got 10K+ followers and you only follow about 200 people then that’s a bit of a turn off. Unless you’re a business, or a big influencer/celeb, I would expect you to have a better proportion of followers to following. Twitter is for interaction, not collecting numbers..

You’ve followed me at least three times

If you’re popping into my notifications as a new follower on a regular basis, I know what game you’re playing. If I didn’t follow you back the first time, there’s a reason, and your persistent game isn’t gonna help your case.

You’re under 18

I’ll admit this is me being a little bit superficial, but unless I know you quite well or am really drawn to your account for the content you post, I’m not gonna follow you. I don’t know if its because I went to an all girls secondary school or what, but it just makes me think twice.. Sorry!

I don’t know that you’re a blogger

This is about first impressions. I rarely click on profiles, and mainly just read your bio in the little pop up thingy, so if you don’t mention blogging or writing, how am I supposed to know? Loud and proud people, get that in your bio!

Your content doesn’t interest me

This is in no way meant in offence, but if you only post about topics that I’m not super into or aren’t relevant to me, then its nothing personal but I’m not gonna follow for the sake of following.

You’ve slipped through my radar

Maybe you’ve followed me on a busy day where I’ve skim-read my notifications, or I keep thinking I already follow you, but sometimes I’m not following you just because I’ve forgotten or haven’t noticed you! Chances are one day I’ll realise the error and we’ll become Twitter friends!

What are your Twitter turn-offs?

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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How I’ve Been Upping My Photography Game

Photography

Last month, you might have read my blog improvement post, where I said that I was really hoping to better my blog photography. Since then, I’m hoping that you’ve been seeing better quality photos in my posts, and also on my Instagram as I’ve been making a real effort with this one particular area. After all, a pictures worth a thousand words, right?

Here are the steps I’ve taken:

Learning my camera

A shiny new camera does not an amazing photographer make. I never studied photography at school or anything, but a few years back my dad bought me a book on food photography which taught me a lot about manual settings on cameras, but since then I’ve fallen prey to the Auto+ setting and everything I learnt went out the window. As well as my DSLR, I recently bought the Sony A5000 compact, which gave me the boost to go back and learn how to get the best out of my camera through exposure, aperture and shutter settings, and I’m falling in love with photography all over again.
I’ve also found that since using my cameras to their full potential, I’ve been needing to edit photos less as I’m actually happy with what I’m taking!

Switching up my backdrop

I’ve always been a bold and bright kinda gal – my brief encounter with a marble background didn’t stick – so I’ve stuck to a plain white desktop as my go-to photo space. Sure, it makes for nice simple photos, but I was falling out of love with it a little, and starting to think my photos a little blah, so instead I’ve got a lovely new wooden worktop which has not only given me more space, but more versatility in my photos as I can switch from flatlays to upright shots with ease

Using gadgets

My biggest saviour in the last few weeks has been the remote shutter control that I bought from Amazon. Finally I can get in-focus outfit shots (YAY!) using the nifty little remote that connects to a little unit that plugs right into my camera via some sort of frequency, and at the push of a button I can focus and take photos from a distance. Game changer.

Always putting myself into photos

No, not literally, but showing my personality in every photo is what gives them a style that’s unique, whether it’s using a Disney plate to photography my makeup on, or having gerbera daisies in the background, it differentiates my photos from others and prevents them from looking staged and stiff. It also makes blog photography way more fun.

Giving myself time

Because I’m a planner and a scheduler, I always know what posts I’ve got coming up, so I can allot a chunk of time out of my week for taking all my photos, meaning I don’t have to rush the morning that a post is due to go live to get an image for it. I also tend to bulk-shoot photos when I have great lighting (especially for Instagram), or if I get a sudden burst of creativity, I’ll sometimes take a bunch of stock photos that I could apply to a range of posts as back-ups. Having the time to take good photos just makes the whole experience more enjoyable.

I’ve really been trying hard and I hope it’s shown through!

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
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