Inspired by...A wall of feel good messages

Wherever I have lived I have always tried to create a space that shows elements of my personality and inspires me. Throughout university I decorated my bland walls with colour and images that spoke to me, creating a space that that reminded me of what I love and things that made me smile. I clearly remember a motivational board that I put together in a clip frame at university that came with me everywhere I lived.

I'm spending a few hours today in my creative space and I wanted to share with you my inspiring wall of feel good messages that I've been collecting over the past year or so. Each one motivates or connects to me in different ways and this week I added a few new postcards so it was a perfect time to tell you about this space I have created.

My wall of inspirational messages is in our attic room, a space where I like to get away to write and create. Over the past year or so I've been collecting cards with feel good messages that really speak to me. On this wall are a few of my favourite cards, they include some that were posted all the way from Australia by a great friend of mine, there are postcards collected over a few years from Paperchase, my winter manifesto, as well as cards and items that I've collected from events I've attended or from items I've bought. As well as the cards, I printed off the incredible quote that brought tears to my eyes at Blogtacular last year, "Are you doing what you love? Or just what is expected of you?". This quote by Anthony Peters spoke to me deeply on the day, changing my heart and my mindset, and has continued from that day to inspire me across everything that I do.

I continually add to this inspiring wall space when I spot something I love. This week I added two new postcards to the wall. Firstly a postcard that says 'The World is your Oyster', from Paperchase. I bought one for a friend who is about to embark on an exciting new adventure and I loved it so much that I went back and bought one for myself. I also received a surprise piece of post yesterday...During Blogtacular last year we wrote on a postcard a message to ourselves and included our learnings from the day. Selecting from the postcards available, I chose the postcard with the word 'Brave' on it...and yesterday it arrived. Reading the message I had written to myself was something that I really needed to see, and so I've added it to my wall.

Having a space with feel good messages or images that really speak to you can provide a real motivation, inspiration and focus. I know that for me having this inspiring wall of feel good messages will give me a boost when I need it. It's going to be a full year, I'm going to be studying for and completing my coaching qualification, planning a wedding (to happen later this year!) and continuing to write my blog and draft chapters of my book. Looking at a wall with these inspiring messages I know will keep me on track and be a space that motivates me.

Perhaps you may like to put together something similar to group together things that you love. Creating a wall of inspiration like this for yourself is really simple. Start with one or two inspirational images or quotes, and add to it when you see something special and create a small space that you love. You might like to add them to a wall like I have with washi tape, put them in a pretty frame or collect items on a shelf or sideboard. I will be moving these cards to a 3D frame at some point this year, adding my One Little Word from each year I've done the course, adding images and photos I love, as well as other things as I go too. I hope you'll join me and create your own, I'd love to hear about it if you do.

Blogtacular 2015: My key takeaways

On Saturday 13th June I attended my first ever blogging conference. After taking a month off blogging, having a holiday abroad and sitting down at my desk on rainy Sunday I can at last tell you about the experience. It is one that I will never ever forget and I very much hope to repeat next year too. The joy and emotions I felt during the day were off the scale and I felt that I had found a community I really click with and who just get it. I'm sure that for those bloggers reading this you will know what I mean as blogging can be quite a solitary activity, so meeting people face to face who are fellow bloggers and are as passionate about it as you is something really special.

Blogtacular 2015 had a the perfect combination of inspiring speakers, enthusiastic bloggers all held at the stunning Royal Institution. Blogtacular as I mentioned in my last post is "a place for bloggers whose hearts beat with creativity to come together to meet, share and inspire" and it didn't disappoint. Meeting enthusiastic bloggers has enabled me to reframe what I do, feel more connected with my blog, and appreciate again the hard work that goes into creating content and blogging.

Stepping away shattered after the day, I felt full of hope and brimming with ideas. I felt a huge wave of raw energy, from meeting enthusiastic people and hearing about how they spend their time and how they build blogging into their week. I've been pondering the key things that I've taken away from Blogtacular and trying to digest everything. All the sessions I attended left me feeling really inspired, informed and feeling that plans are achievable.

Emotionally I felt a real mix. Since the conference I have been feeling excited and enthused by all that was said, from the continual theme discussed of collaboration, to dealing with fear, through to creativity and finding inspiration. However over the past month I've felt the need to pause and take a step away from my blog, take a deep breath, and look at what I do and how I've been feeling about my blog. I've needed the head space to just sit and think about many things, as well as blogging. I hate having gaps on my blog but when you just freeze when you sit at your laptop it's a moment when you need time off and to work things out.

I wanted to let you know all about the conference and what was said, however for me the best way to sum it up is by telling you about my biggest takeaways from the day and what they have helped me to develop.

Self discovery

Before I headed to the conference I was pretty nervous as well as excited. I look back at the nervous me and see how much courage it took to dive in and just start talking. I'm a chatty person normally but sometimes get stuck for words in the most unlikely situations. When I arrived at Blogtacular I made a bee line for a table on the edge of the room and I just went for it. Taking a trusty comforting cup of tea I spoke to people who were feeling like me and gradually with more courage I got stuck in and gained confidence to just talk. On my journey to the conference on the Friday I wrote down my feelings and what I had hoped to get out of the day. I know that I've walked away with most of these ticked off.

Dealing with overwhelm

Since the conference (and before) I've had feelings of overwhelm as I'm feeling a little unsure about next steps with my blog. I've felt a little unsure about what to write, despite having a big list of post ideas it is all a bit too much.  I've felt overwhelm of the industry I am part of. I feel a tiny fish in a sea of bloggers, but deep down that overwhelm is calmed by thinking of the key people I met, and how I really believe being authentic and doing what I want is just how it will go for me. I don't have to implement all the ideas just what fits with what I'm doing. By taking a break away I've simplified my plans and thoughts and dealt with the initial overwhelm.

Practical skills

I attended a DIY blog design session and discovered a few things that started to slot in place, determined I spent a Sunday afternoon after the conference updating my blog design, switching on the mobile view, and trying to get my blog a little closer to something that represents me. It's simple, fresh and still has some of my favourite colours as touches. Without Blogtacular I wouldn't have had the confidence or practical skills to even try this.

Connections

I can't tell you how many wonderful bloggers I met on the day. Over the next few weeks I'll be continuing to take time connecting up with everyone I met, by reading their blogs, adding them to my social media connections and Bloglovin feed. I'm thinking about doing something creative with the business cards I collected, I want to remember the day through the talks but also the very inspiring people that I met. Meeting such an array of talent, enthusiasm, people keen to share their knowledge and awesome advice, swept me away and left me feeling really lucky to have been part of the day. I met only a fraction of the people there and those that I met were so very down to earth and authentic. I also discovered many bloggers who live near by too.

I felt energised by all the insights I gained and all the lovely people I met. Meeting fellow bloggers face to face was one of my most favourite parts of the day. For a few minutes you get to meet the person behind the blog, for a few bloggers I think I gushed a little too much about how much I love their blog, but hopefully this has given them a little bounce in their step knowing how much people love their little space on the web.

Going with your gut

I'm a big believer of the 'does it feel right' decision making process. I felt a huge gut reaction that I needed to attend the conference and that turned out well, I experienced and learnt more than I could ever have imagined. With the choice of speakers during the day and the busy schedule you have to select which sessions to attend out of three choices. At each point of the day I went with my gut, knowing what I most wanted to find out and how that fits with me at this phase of my blogging journey. The choices I made based on my gut reaction panned out so very well in many ways.

I have learnt to begin to truly trust my gut feeling once again. Over the past few weeks I have had a few things going on where I have just needed to trust a feeling to help me make quite a few big decisions. I've finally decided that some of my plans that I had so very much wanted to action, and what I feel I should be doing, but just don't fit with me and my life any longer. It can be a hard pill to swallow and process. Going with my gut has made me feel good about the choices I've made as it has freed up head space, time, and has opened me up to looking for something new and a different route.

Feeling inspired

I was most inspired by the engaging and deeply authentic Marta Marie Forsberg who talked about Creativity and Inspiration. Her story, her determination and her recent discovery of what she wanted to do made me feel very emotional listening to her story. I've only realised over the past year and a bit what I would really love to do (see my About me page) and hearing about what she has done has made me that more determined to take the next steps forward.

I felt inspired by the women I met during the event, so many different blogs each with their own real enthusiasm for what they create and write. Finding new British bloggers has opened my eyes to a whole new world of content and styles.

The day ended with an incredibly moving talk by Anthony Peters who talked about his story and about going against the grain. He is the creator of a documentary about creativity in the digital age called Made You Look. As a closing keynote speech it was just perfect and linked the handmade and digital space that many bloggers are part of and was very inspirational.

And so...

My memories of the day and the experiences I had still make me feel giddy and a little emotional when I think about them. I can't tell you how much I found out about myself, let alone about the world of blogging.

Heading away at the end of the day we were greeted with a generous goody bag encapsulated in a pretty tote. The generosity of this event was huge, from the knowledge sharing of everyone attending to the time Kat and Kat must put into making it so inspiring and finding great speakers.

My Blogtacular tote is hanging on my shelving in front of my desk so that each time I sit there and see it I'll remember the learning, feelings and experiences of the day. I heart Blogtacular and will definitely be going again next year.

If you want to join the virtual conference and see each of the talks that were filmed, head over to Blogtacular to buy a virtual ticket for the conference this year, it will be worth it! I've bought mine and can't wait to be inspired once again.

How to make coasters from wall tiles

Earlier this year I bought some gorgeous blue and white wall tiles. I instantly fell in love with them and bought eight in total, getting two of each pattern.

I was inspired by an image of tiles I had seen in a magazine article about a Moroccan home interior. I really liked the way they combined a terracotta wall and coloured floor tiles. Mr C and I have a terracotta and white lounge and adding blue into the mix seemed to really work.

The tiles were bought specifically to be used as coasters so we could add some colour and pattern to our coffee table. We have carefully used these raw bottomed wall tiles on our coffee table, but I have really wanted to use them on our dining room table. I was worried about the damage they may do to the table, however after some searching I found a solution, small felt sticky tabs! I converted the tiles to coasters for a few pounds by adding sticky tabs to each the corners on the back of the tiles.

I now have some pretty tile coasters that can be used to add pattern and colour to any of our surfaces without adding scratches!

Little achievements and inspirations

You may have noticed that I’ve had a few weeks where I haven’t posted on my blog. Outside of blog land I’ve been super busy with my day job...For 8 months I’ve been working on a variety of projects to help the team that I’m part of deliver a better job and improve what we do day to day. The final stages of the projects have been particularly tough as each project interlinked. We have had some big highs, as things worked, and huge lows when things weren't going to plan…However seeing the pieces of a huge puzzle fitting together and each day for the past few weeks making little achievements was really satisfying.

Many months of planning and decision making came to a head last week when we launched the projects. I’m very pleased, relieved and so very proud of what our project team have achieved and I hope that our hard work will make a difference. I work with some incredibly talented and creative people who have been a real inspiration to me and they've kept me going during one of the hardest and biggest projects I’ve ever been part of. At the end of our busy launch week I was greeted with this fantastic sunset on my walk home, it made me smile...the calm after the storm...

The projects at work have been a key focus of my time, especially for the past few weeks, and this has meant that I haven't felt like doing any projects of my own. My weekends have been precious, using the time to catch up with friends and to relax. I found myself documenting things that have inspired me or made me smile while I've been out and about...

I’ve enjoyed being outside on a super sunny Saturday sitting next to the river eating a yummy ploughmans lunch with my amazing man, Mr C, and seeing our fab friends.

I caught up with a very special friend from uni who lives nearby and had some fantastic home-made ice cream from Swinky Sweets we then sat in the park soaking up the sun, enjoying spring and chatting for hours…

I laughed so hard at a comedy night I went to this week that my cheeks and jaw ached!

…I met a friend in London who very kindly treated me to a coffee and delicious cake while we caught up on news and talked about how life is changing...

...I celebrated with friends who are expecting the arrival of a little bundle in a few weeks time...we ate yummy cupcakes and sipped champagne…

I love taking photos and capturing the little details...whether it's food I'd like to try and make myself, moments that make me happy, or things that have inspired me to think about creating new things...I've felt inspired in many different ways over the past few weeks...I'm looking forward to getting back onto the projects I've had to put to one side...I can't wait to put my energy back into what I really love doing... creating, making, baking, getting inspired and learning new things.

One of the most important things I’ve learnt during the past few months is to enjoy the little achievements and inspirations that happen everyday, they really do count towards an end goal…I hope that for the rest of the year and going forwards I will share with you more of my little achievements and inspirations and get to finish some projects of my own...What little achievements have you made this week? What has inspired you to do something new?

The joy of new books

I have a big thing for books, especially hardback books full of beautifully styled photos and fit to be shown off on a coffee table! At the moment I seem to be collecting cookbooks, books about interiors and styling, and sewing/craft books full of projects to try out. Despite our bookshelves being packed full, somehow there is always a book out there that I like the sound of!

In my post New Year, New Projects I mentioned I had some new sewing books given to me for Christmas, they were The Sewing Book by Alison Smith and Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts. Since then I’ve added to my book collection with two new books about making quilts, The Quilters Bible by Linda Clements and The Essential Sampler Quilt Book by Lynne Edwards.

I’m very happy with my new books as they have given me so much information and answered questions I had. Having the chance to dive into a chapter each night or over the weekend gives me a feeling of achievement as I move my way through the book thinking about the projects to make or techniques to try.

There’s something special about having a ‘how-to book’. It will be used for years as a reference guide, hopefully handed down to others and shows the fashions and trends of the time. I enjoy seeing the step-by-step images of how to do things and moving through a book with well thought out chapters. It’s almost like being on a course with the help and advice, but with all the tips and information available whenever you want. I use the internet as well to view how-to videos, shop for supplies, and read blogs for inspiration, but sometimes only a book will do!

Over the past month or so I’ve been dipping in and out of my new books and they’ve been helping me get my head around what I can do, but perhaps they are giving me too much choice of what I should try out! I’ve been thinking about a few basic projects, but I like to think beyond that and get creative. I think about trying to make things more my own, whether it’s using different types and patterns of fabric, adding buttons, embroidery or ribbon to the finished piece. Watch this space!

Have you seen any books recently that you are lusting after? Invest in a good book, sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and learn something new this week. Let me know how you get on!

New Year, New Projects!

Happy New Year to you! I hope that you are looking forward to the year ahead as much as I am. I wonder what the year ahead may hold?

For the past few weeks we have had really cloudy and rainy weather but at last blue sky and fresh cold weather has made an appearance…

...and with the bright weather has come some clarity for the year ahead…I always try and write a few resolutions every January and I’m reasonably good at keeping them! However this year I’m going to set goals for what I want to achieve. I’m hoping to learn new things, share my inspirations and projects with you and spend quality time with good friends and family.

My wish list of projects to complete this year includes...

1) Complete my adventurous knitting project, a gorgeous Rowan cosy cable cushion

2) Pick up a crochet hook, refresh myself on the basics and make a start on a project

3) Learn the basics in quilt making and make something by the end of the year that I’m proud of

4) Try some new recipes, perfect my cake baking and biscuit making skills

5) Pick up some basic sewing skills using my lovely new sewing books I had as Christmas gifts, and make a few projects for the home

6) Get gardening again and find some new things for the home

There are quite a few things on the list, I just hope I can decide what to start first! What are you hoping to make and create this year?

Christmas has almost arrived...

Christmas has almost arrived! The tree is up, the fairy lights are casting a twinkly glow over the lounge and my collection of red and white decorations are arranged on the tree...
 

...gingham bows...nordic style wooden decorations...ah just lovely!

...a new addition to the tree this year was this gorgeous metal christmas tree...

...Also I was very lucky to be given some corkscrew hazel a few weeks ago! I've been lusting after some branches for some time now. Last weekend I got round to arranging a few of the branches in a big glass vase and added some lovely clear stars that I found stashed away in my decorations box.

I love it so much I want to keep it up all year round!

I think that it really adds something to the room. I had better get my thinking cap on...I wonder how I will decorate these gorgeous branches during the year?!
 

...It's not long now until Christmas day...I've taken some time over the past few days to leisurely wrap gifts, make a Christmas card, finish knitting a scarf and chill out. I've been snuggled up on the sofa with a yummy mug of hot chocolate topped with mini marshmallows while watching some Christmas films...one of my favourites is 'The Holiday'...well mainly because I'd love to have a little place like Iris's cottage...

I've almost finished my Christmas cross stitch but probably wont get it framed in time, I think I'll just leave it in the embroidery hoop for the time being...

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! I'm looking forward to the new year and plenty of new projects to get stuck into throughout 2012!

The year of change...a new chapter begins!

I love autumn, a season of change and the chance to learn something new. The year so far has brought plenty of changes in my life and it is now about to change even more…

In January I put my job and career on hold for three months and went travelling. It had been an important goal of mine for a number of years. During the trip I went out of my comfort zone, took on new challenges and saw so many fantastic places. Whilst I was away I had time to reflect, being away from my normal routine and the city I have lived in for 10 years. Every day of my trip I gained a new perspective of what the day to day could hold and discovered a real appreciation of what made me happy.

Being away from home I realised that my job does fulfil my need for new experiences and challenges. I love the working environment I’m surrounded by every day, however something big is missing in my life. This is the opportunity for me to be creative, to have real hobbies and interests that make me tick.

I want to change that and it got me thinking...when I was younger I enjoyed dabbling in creative hobbies, however I let my interest in them slide to other choices I made. I rarely gave myself chance to flourish creatively…So in April I came back refreshed from my trip and started thinking about the next chapter in my life.

After a summer of getting my head together, I have made a decision to embark on a set of new goals to challenge myself. I want to reinvigorate my passions that I had but put on hold, clear out the clutter in my life and start something new. I want to learn new creative and practical skills to grow into a queen of domesticity! My aims and goals are to teach myself new crafts, build on my passion for interiors and home styling, learn to be a great gardener and become a brilliant baker!

I hope that through The Pink Button Tree I will be able to share with you my journey of learning crafts, home styling, gardening and baking. Each week I hope to bring you updates on my projects, my thoughts, my tips and my inspirations.

This autumn change is happening…I’ve planted a new seed into my life and I hope you will join me as I grow my passions and start creating. I’d love for you to follow me through this new chapter in my life and leave your comments.