by Carla Louise | Oct 3, 2013 | Inspiration |
Lovely Kathryn at the brilliant The Business of Introverts has nominated me for a Liebster blog award, which is rather happy-making š
The idea is that:
1. You choose a few young and evolving blogs that you love and believe in to receive the Liebster Award (which is simply like a stamp of approval from one blog to another)
2. You write a blog post stating that you are nominating them and asking them to answer 10 questions of your choosing (this is that post!)
3. They write a post on their own blog answering the questions and nominating more blogs for the award
Iām passionate about blogs and one of my very favourite things is finding new ones to readā¦ so here goes with my answers to Kathrynās questions:
1. Why did you decide to start your blog?
Iāve been blogging for just over eight years and I started my very first one to record my life at university, accompanied by two tiny rubber ducks called Freddie and Frankie. Itās a way of keeping track of some of my life ā a journal and guidebook all rolled into one!
2. Whatās your favourite season and why?
Spring! I love the feeling of newness as we emerge from winter, lush greens all around and the bracing fresh air, with sunshine and a promise of summer to come.
3. What is the last great book you read?
I am in the middle of re-reading for the umpteenth time, Robert Jordanās Wheel of Time series. Iām on book eight of fourteen and as always, Iām so hooked that the stories and characters are weaving themselves into my dreams. Iām a complete WoT addict, so much so that my 18th birthday present from my parents was a gold ring Iād designed, taking strong inspiration from the series.
4. What 3 things would you take to a desert island?
This is such a tough question! First up, Larry the lamb ā Iāve had him since birth and heād be a great comfort if I was alone on said island. Secondly, a boxed set series of the aforementioned Wheel of Time ā they would at least keep me occupied. Thirdly, a never-ending notebook and a pen with everlasting ink (you didnāt say I had to stay realistic!) so I could get my jumble of thoughts and experiences down onto paper.
5. Name 3 people that have inspired you
You donāt make these questions easy, do you Kathryn?! Ok so firstly my parents, for living all over the world before that was a normal thing to do, for starting a business at nearly 60 and for learning and changing with the times and not being set in their ways like so many of their generation. Theyāve set me a brilliant example.
Next up, one of my best friends, the genius behind Contrariety Rose ā for having the guts to quit her day job and focus on developing her own indie fashion label. She has the most determination and focus of anyone Iāve ever met and I admire her for it every day.
And lastly (though by no means least, and by no means the only other person I admire ā this list could go on for aeons), a newer but no less treasured friend, Rachael, who was brave enough to listen to her instincts, move to the other side of the country and start a whole new life over there. Iām proud and in awe all at once!
(more…)
by Carla Louise | Dec 6, 2012 | Creating, Memories |
Iām still rushing around in a tearing hurry (but oh, such a good feeling to be hurrying for myself!) so here are some snippets of things that have made me happy over the last week or twoā¦
Ink Drops orders ā I cannot wait to see reactions from the first batch of boxes, which ship on 14 December;
Treats ā I went to Waitrose and accidentally came home with two tubs of Haagen Dazs ice cream (they were on special, it would have been rude not to) and the utterly gorgeous Montezumaās mint chocolateā¦ itās expensive, but worth it š
Being given the go-ahead to join student dance classes from January, as both a dancer and a photographer. Iāll be dancing in ballet and hopefully working up to pointe class, which will inform a couple of burlesque routines I am plotting and choreographing. The photography is a project Iāve wanted to start for ages, but have never had access to dancers en masse before nowā¦ so Iām very excited!
The arrival of my new dishwasherā¦ itās been here a little less than 48 hours and has already changed my lifeā¦ I have no idea how I survived without one for so long!
Adding to my homeware and finally having a theme ā turquoise and purple seems to be across my kitchen and living room/dining area, while blue and vivid pink dominate my bedroom, and black and white in the bathroom. I can live with that ā they all reflect different bits of me. Here is a teal tablecloth, which will definitely get embellished and altered, and some cheap but pretty purple tea towels. Currently being ignored in favour of my Christmas ones!
Iāve done more fairs, and enjoyed every moment of them ā in the time i took out, Iād forgotten how much I enjoy meeting people. Also had a wonderful coincidence at the Leigh fair, bumping into three lovely ladies (a mum and her two daughters) who Lou and I had met in Spitalfields in the summer, while trying on clothes in Collectif. They popped up at the fair and it was a fabulous moment! Hereās me with my stall (and my hastily-altered dressā¦ itās strapless, and it was FREEZING, quite literally, on Saturdayā¦ so a lace top was added!)
Lovely, lovely evenings with my parents ā particularly in this run up to Christmas, they and I have been decorating new places and new trees and sharing decorations and itās AMAZING. I love that they live so close, and my Christmas spirit is very much present and correct this year!
Putting the world to rights with friends ā in person, on the phone and over Skype, itās all rather soul-nourishing. Inspiration is all over the place and I think 2013 may be the best year yet!
On a more profound note, two people have, without any prompting at all, told me Iām brave this week, and a dear friend said I appreciated and savoured life more than anyone else she knew, and that I ādo the things everyone else just talks aboutā. If youāve been reading this blog for longer than a month, youāll know thatās in no way always been the case, and that comment has stayed with me all week ā alternately making me want to shriek in triumph, and cry with happiness. Glorious.
—
Iāve also noticed, and I donāt think this is particularly worthy of its own post, that lots of bloggers I follow have been wondering whether to continue, fretting about their readers or lack thereof, and worrying about what they post if itās less than their best writing (because this is apparently what ārealā or ābigā bloggers recommend). Here seems as good a place as any for me to gently but unwaveringly reaffirm that Ducking Fabulous is my little home on the web. I am beyond delighted to have you, lovely readers, along for the ride, but as you have probably gathered, there is no particular focus, and there is more waffle than well-thought-out, profound writing. I make no apologies for this, as I believe blogging should be something you do because you enjoy it, and you do for youā¦ if you stop writing what you truly want to write, your blog loses its soul. Readers usually follow because they liked what you were already writing, or at least thatās why I follow the blogs that I do.
Iām not offended when people unfollow me, whether itās here, on Twitter or anywhere else ā I assume itās because whoever it is is no longer interested in what Iām saying. And thatās fine. Conversely, I am RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED whenever WordPress, Twitter or Pinterest tells me I have a new follower, because the chances are their blog, feed or boards will be something I also want to read or follow. And that, for me, is by far the beauty and biggest strength of the social web ā finding likeminded people youād never have known before the internet existed.
All photographs are my own ā the one of me was taken by the fabulous Val, who was a brilliant Ducking Fabulous ambassador on Saturday! Donāt forget to have a quick nose at the shop, or pop into Tea & Sympathy (Colchester) or Make Do & Mend (Chelmsford), both of whom are currently stocking DF jewellery. Iāll be at the Vintage and Makers Market on Saturday 8th December in Chelmsford town city centre, and last order dates for Christmas are 8 December for the EU and 16 December for the UK ā my official rest-of-world last order date has passed, though I will still do my best to get things to you in time for Christmas š
by Carla Louise | Dec 9, 2011 | Uncategorized |
This week, like the few before it, has been utterly insane. I haven’t had five minutes to do anything, and Ā being December, the number of social events has soared very suddenly. I’m also battling insomnia and really not sleeping very well, but on the plus side, there have been some lovely things that have happened š
being called ‘endearingly odd’ by a colleague
new year plans
vintage tea party happiness
seeing old friends and making new ones
old work’s christmas do
sparkly shoes officially make days better
an email from my boss appreciating effort i’d put in
Christmas decorations, Christmas music, Christmas earrings, Christmas lights
Having Floyd as my background photoĀ (although I miss him)
people caring whether or not I make it to CAE this year
discovering Jasmine’s back at Ancient Lights and reinstating a proper cocktail menu
Zen and cocktails with dear friends
my love story theory
seeing MumĀ & Dad on Wednesday evening
