Love is in the Air

It feels like only a couple of weeks ago that I was writing a post very similar to this one. But here we are again with the day that everyone either loves or hates. That's right, Valentines' Day.

This year my relationship status is very much single but I'm okay with that! So much so I feel another post coming to mind but that's for another day!

Back to the matter in hand, let's face it, Valentines' Day is a money making scheme, and can catch couples out with how much/little effect they have/ feel the need to spend.

In my opinion, it's a day which is nice to focus on and tell your significant other how much you care about them, but don't forget that it also totally acceptable to be soppy every other day of the year!

If you are however looking for some gift inspiration/ requests then look no further! I've tried to keep the gift ideas to a reasonable budget and all of which are featured I'd personally love to receive.

Lindt Lindor

If you don't think some form of chocolate for Valentines is a good idea than you may find yourself very disappointed this 14th February. Lindt is my absolute favourite chocolate so they're an easy way to my heart.

Rihanna Nude

This perfume was on my Christmas wish list and luckily I got it! It has been a favourite for quite a while now and is one that doesn't break the bank! Nude very much takes after it's name and isn't to over powering to wear on a daily basis. It's a really easy go to.

I think celebrity fragrances can be so hit a miss and I'm not going to lie I haven't really tried any other Rihanna ones, but at a fraction of the designer brands it might be something worth looking into!

Marmalade

Next up is my new favourite candle. I stumbled across Marmalade when shopping in Uppermill, somewhere me and my mum have become obsessed with! There's so many collections to choose from but I am guilty of being drawn to sweet smelling things, hence when I had to get the pomegranate & pear. With a range of different sizes there is something for everyone's budget!

Paperchase

I think as you get older, you appreciate more homeware pieces. I recently picked up this amazing jewellery tray from Paperchase. Ever since I saw the waving bear video (many years ago now, I know), I always get excited when I see something with a bear on it and this plate gave me the exact same reaction!

I've recently been wearing a mix of earrings and putting them back in their original packaging to make sure I don't lose them. With this adorable plate I can finally stop doing that.

Ella and Coco

Last but by no means least is this stunning bracelet. This is also from Ella and Coco in Uppermill. Alongside candles and homeware, they have a lovely selection of jewellery and their collection goes from delicate pieces like this one, to more fun costume pieces!

Here's hoping I've helped you with some Valentine's gift ideas and I hope you all have an amazing day celebrating with everyone you love.

Happy 1st Birthday Setting the Style - What have I learnt in my first year of blogging?

Let's rewind a year to Wednesday 1 February 2017 when I had just clicked publish on my first blog post. I had been planning content since the beginning of the year and wanted to give myself a bit of a head start having a few posts ideas already up my sleeve.

At this point I was unemployed and wanting to find a new way to express myself and share my love of fashion with the world. 12 months later and I'll admit, I haven't posted as much as I wish I had but when I have managed to get another post out there, I have been overwhelmed with the amount of views I have received.

A lot has changed in the past year, I have tried my hand at a variety of jobs, got my confidence back and made more of a conscious effort to spend more time with my favourite people. For all of these reasons, it has sometimes been hard to maintain regular posts, but is definitely something I hope to improve on in the next 12 months!

So here it is, what have I learnt in my first year of blogging?

Stay true to yourself

Comparing yourself to other bloggers is one of the worst things you could do. Everyone is on their own little journey and it's okay to go at your own pace. It may be that some people simply have more time to write and shoot than you do so naturally they're going to have more content than you are. As long as you post about topics that are important to you, that will come across and people will appreciate that.

Working full time and blogging is hard work

Monday to Friday I spend my time in an office working in admin and marketing for a local accountancy firm. Once I get home and I've had time to relax, have my tea and watch Corrie I often find it's time to get in bed and start the whole routine again the next day.

Then when it gets to weekends, I'm either catching up with friends or family and before you know it, it's Sunday night and I'm wondering where the hell my weekend disappeared to?!

Between all of this I find time to write and shoot to ensure that I have content ready to be posted. Blogging isn't the fastest process. I get what I want to say written down, get the imagery together to support the post and then once it's all complete and I've gone through it a couple of times, I get my editor (my mum) to read through and make sure everything is okay! After that I post to all my social media platforms, to ensure that everyone knows I've got a new post on my blog.

Sometimes I don't think people are aware of how much time and effect goes into blogging, but I do it because I love it, and love hearing from you.

It's okay to get writers block

I like many bloggers I imagine, experience two things on a regular basis.

My mind is either bursting with ideas and and after a couple of hours I'll find myself with 2 to 3 new posts ready to go! Or the alternative, I sit staring at my laptop screen without the foggiest idea of what I am going to write next, let alone, where I am going to find the imagery to support the posts I can't even seem to think up!

I've found with blogging, you simply just have to go with those intense power hours, and also come to terms that it's okay to not be able to think of a topic you want to talk about just because you feel that you need to get something written down.

Readers love to learn about you

Last year for my birthday I shared everything I've learnt in 25 years and it was by far my most popular post to date. Not only did it show how successful it was in reader numbers, but I also had people coming up to me and contacting me through social media to tell me how much they had enjoyed reading it and it just so happened that I had really enjoyed putting it together!

It was then that I realised how much I do love blogging and the effect that it has on my readers.

Do what you love

It's only been a year but I have loved being apart of the blogging world. If I didn't enjoy what I do, there would be no point in continuing and it would come across very clearly in the work that I produce!

This year I am hoping to write even more and I am super excited for things that are coming up which I can't wait to share with you!

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, like and comment on posts and social media this last year. I get such a buzz from seeing that what I love to do is something that you're also interested in!

Happy 1st Birthday Setting the Style, here's to many more years of creativity.