I always love wading through Google Analytics at this time of year, getting a good insight into what our readers have enjoyed the most and hopefully learning from it for the year ahead in terms of what kind of content to create. So, here they are, our most popular posts of last year! There are some real crackers in here. The top post, about Melbourne furniture brand Barnaby Lane, proves that amazing styling and photography go a really long way towards getting your brand noticed (and shared, and pinned!).
I’m not at all surprised this next post from Cherie Barber ranked highly. Who doesn’t love a bargain, DIY before and after (in fact, any before and after!)? And bathrooms are probably the most expensive rooms to reno, so these two examples of overhauling them for $3,000 and $8,000 got thousands of hits.
Our biggest competition ever with Latitude Financial Services, was of course popular! It was a dream to be able to offer one of our readers $10,000 to better their home. We’ll be bringing you the results of the winner’s bathroom renovation later this year. Exciting!
I really enjoyed putting together this honest account of what I’d learned from doing our first bathroom reno (in the apartment we ended up selling two months after we finished it, lucky buyers!) and hoped it would be useful. It seems it was!
This next post aimed to educate people on how to use timber in their homes in a sustainable, no-guilt way and I’m thrilled to see it in the top 10, hoping it has inspired lots of you to use this beautiful natural material, but in the right way.
A second post by regular contributor Cherie Barber to make it into the top 10, this one showcases some real kitchen makeovers with details of how they were transformed on shoestring budgets.
The idea for this post just came to me randomly one day and I have to say it is often these unexpected lightbulb moments which lead to great content which you love! Here’s to many more in 2018! I wanted to share all the styling tips I’m lucky enough to pick up from being surrounded by talented interiors folk on a regular basis.
And to round it off we have a real home, and one of my personal favourites of the year. It belongs to interior designer Kate Walker. I love how individual this Mornington Peninsula home is; it doesn’t follow any of the usual trends, but features what Kate truly loves and has brought together so well.
I hope you enjoyed this roundup and discovered some posts you may have missed last year. I always love hearing what you’d like more of so feel free to comment below or email [email protected] at any time.
We recently checked out blogger Rebecca Lowrey Boyd’s kitchen and loved it so much, we persuaded her to share all the details with us. You can check out more of Rebecca’s writing at Wee Birdy.
I never thought I would renovate our kitchen. When we bought our ‘70s modernist pole house on Sydney’s upper North Shore three years ago, I was a staunch defender of its wood-panelled walls and ceiling. While everyone peered around in the gloom, I felt like I was living in a little wooden cabin in the the bush.
Why renovate?
After three months of living with our kitchen, the charm of the timber-lined space wore thin. The darkness of the kitchen was at odds with the rest of the house, which we’d since painted white and was bathed in light. More than anything, the clunkiness of the cabinetry was annoying. The drawers were heavy and frequently got stuck, and everything felt disorganised and messy. The overhead cabinets dividing the kitchen and living room made the room feel dark and closed in.
Why IKEA?
We knew a stone benchtop was out of the question because we have two poles going through the benchtop. The only option was timber so we could cut around the poles like a jigsaw. For a flatpack option, IKEA appealed because of the budget-friendly cabinetry and oak benchtops. We’ve got a Scandi-style home and it’s easy to get the Scandi look with IKEA. Finally I was drawn to the soft-closing, deep drawers that are so much more expensive in a custom-made kitchen.
Big changes
We removed the overhead cupboards that hung over the benchtop, which opened up the space and allowed the light from the living room to flood the kitchen. We also painted the dark timber panelling white in Dulux Natural White.
Benchtops
IKEA’s AKERBY worktop in oak (no longer available but there are similar).
Cabinetry
White IKEA FAKTUM cabinets (now called METOD).
Splashback
Hand-made ceramic subway tiles with black grout. We loved the organic look and the wavy surface imperfections. It gave our flatpack kitchen a more handcrafted, customised look.
Sink and tapware
The DOMSJÖ double bowl sink completed the relaxed Scandi-style look, which tied in with the rest of our house. We’d like a black kitchen tap but for now we’ve got an ELVERDAM tap (we love the pull-out spout for rinsing dishes).
We spray-painted IKEA’S white RANARP pendant lights black, and hung them over the working area of the benchtop. We also ran LED strip lighting under the bottom cupboards. It gives the space a soft glow at night, which is great when we have the TV on in the next room.
Mini vertical pole gardens
Our home is filled with plants and the kitchen wasn’t going to be the exception, so we painted the poles white and turned them into mini vertical gardens with Little Urban Farmers’ hanging gardens planters.
Worst thing we did
We orginally went with IKEA’s recommended tradesperson. We ended up having to rip out the benchtop and start again.
Best thing we did
Hire our builder, Matthew Blackmore. He carefully cut around our poles and joined the new IKEA oak benchtops seamlessly with a biscuit-joint, held together with benchtop clamps and wood glue. (The first tradie butt-jointed the benchtop together with Sikaflex and the finish was messy.
Our tradie dream team
Builder: Matthew Blackmore 0499 997 375
Painter: Joey Neukam 0435 162 240
Matt Blackmore’s top 3 IKEA timber benchtop tips
If you’re joining together IKEA timber benchtops, ask your carpenter to make a biscuit joint and hold it together with benchtop clamps and wood glue.
Use kitchen grade benchtop oil and give your benchtop three generous coats of oil with a second sand.
It’s worth choosing the IKEA solid timber benchtops instead of the timber veneers, as the woodchip can disintegrate around the cut-outs to the sink and it can get black mould. If you do get a timber veneer, use the end strip to protect around the pieces which are exposed to the sink.
Seriously, how did this happen?! This blog turned five this Easter. I always like to reflect on where we’ve come from and where we’re going on anniversaries, and while it’s easy to let it pass while enjoying a lovely long weekend, this year feels pretty significant. It’s not just that the blog is half a decade old, but this last year has been one of the hardest professionally, and personally, because the last year started when I was eight months pregnant and now here I am with an almost 11-month-old baby. Sebastian’s even walking! I know, what a show-off. What’s the rush, little man?! I’m sure all the mums out there can appreciate just how busy it’s been with no childcare (we just had our first date night while a friend babysat this weekend!) and how much my priorities have shifted. We also bought our first home in Sydney this year (obviously we weren’t busy enough already!) so we have some reno fun ahead.
So in some respects, this year feels like one of “only” treading water with one eye on the business (my first baby) and one on my second baby. Recently, I’ve felt like I’m really coming out of the haze of adjusting to motherhood (it’s just life now!) and I’m ready to get back into work full steam and grow Interiors Addict. There’s nothing more motivating than wanting to give your child the best future you can and while happiness is by no means all wrapped up in money, it does make life a lot easier! And I don’t just want to grow my business to make more money (although I’ll never say no), I am really aware that this is a job I love and I have the luxury of working flexibly around motherhood. Keeping hold of that luxury long term is more important than ever. God forbid I ever have to work for someone else again…
Yes, it’s hard juggling a business and a baby but it is worth it. There were times I felt envious of my friends on maternity leave for a year and a little bitter I couldn’t make it to mother’s group outings because I had an overflowing inbox to attend to, but I always remind myself to get some perspective because I’m fortunate I have been able to be the primary carer of my baby for his first year while still making money and doing work I really enjoy. Sometimes I may feel like I’m losing the plot, but so does everyone! Somehow, despite everything going on, Interiors Addict has more readers and is making more money than ever, and I’m really proud of that.
There were many changes and challenges this year. My amazing righthand woman Olivia Shead left after two years for a new role at Sky News having always wanted to work in TV (I’m so proud!). The agency who handled all my advertising sales closed their doors, and rather than replace them I decided the best person to sell my brand was me! Luckily I have taken on two new excellent part-time team members in Emma (advertising) and Amy (editorial), who are both young, part-time working mums too.
The original Interiors Addict on Tumblr!
There have been some constants throughout the five years and the most significant is my “tech guy” and all round WordPress wizard David at ClickWP. Since moving my blog from its humble beginnings on Tumblr over to WordPress when people started asking to advertise in 2012, to supporting me month in, month out, making sure everything is running smoothly, building sister site Reno Addict and so much more, I wouldn’t be here without him. Thank you, David! Also thanks to Chantelle who looks after my graphic design. And a huge thank you to my husband Damian, who has always respected and encouraged my work and is a very hands-on dad when I need child-free work time.
I’m aware more than ever that outsourcing and having the right experts around you is so important and I’ve recently taken on book keepers and a virtual assistant. I’m trying to get on top of the money side (I’m pretty good at making it but not so good at knowing what do with it) and I’ve just registered as a company having been a sole trader until this point. It really feels like the business is growing up; it’s established and it’s a great time to get more organised and get systems and processes (my least favourite things) in place to keep that momentum going! There’ll be some stepping outside of my comfort zone this year but I’m ready for it!
My working weeks are a lot different lately. I spend a lot more time negotiating the commercial side of the blog and less on the content, and while other people are doing more of the writing, I’m still directing what they’re writing about and making sure it’s high quality, regular and relevant. I don’t attend all the fun events I used to because I’m a mum and while I miss it sometimes, giving readers and advertisers the best quality site has to be paramount and attending events, however fun, isn’t a priority and with a baby at home is often downright impossible anyway! But once we have childcare I will try and get out a bit more because relationships are important too and there’s nothing like face-to-face contact.
In the next few months we’ll be biting the bullet and getting a part-time nanny because wonderful as this juggling act can be, ultimately you cannot work and parent as well as you could when you’re trying to do both at the same time. I’m really looking forward to having a few hours a day of focussed work time to smash through my to-do list once we find the right person to entertain our little fella! Any tips for learning how to let go and let someone else care for your precious little person gratefully accepted!
Photo: A Pop of Love Photo (click for details)
Motherhood really is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Every single day I am grateful for and amazed by Seb and how he has changed our lives and our perspective on pretty much everything. I will never apologise for being a working mum and I hope to be a strong female role model for my son.
I can’t end this post without thanking you all, readers and advertisers, for supporting my business by reading, sponsoring, advertising and sharing and hope you’ll come along on the ride for the next five years and beyond!
Anyone in the homewares and interiors industry knows that Instagram is a great place to showcase and grow your brand. We asked blogger Christina Butcher to share her top tips for getting the basics right.
Instagram is the fastest growing social media platform and can be a launch pad for your brand or business. I love sharing photos and I’m not alone in Australia. 60% of users are women and 70% are active on Instagram every day.
I grew my Instagram, @mrandmrsromance, from 3000 to 10,000 in just over three months and have over 50,000 followers on my other account, @hairromance.
Instagram offers huge reach for your brand and there are so many insta-success stories. If you want to capitalise on the power of Instagram, here are nine simple tips to maximise your Instagram profile:
Instagram in real life. Look for insta-meets and photo walks in your area to connect with the Instagram community in real life.
Join up with instagram challenges. #7vignettes is the perfect community for interiors. The entries are amazing but don’t be put off, it’s a warm and friendly community and a great place to build connections.
Be aspirational. Instagram is mainly a platform for pretty pictures. You can keep it real but plain photos are better shared on Facebook or Snapchat.
Use your one clickable link with intention. Instagram only allows you one clickable link in your bio. Use it wisely. Create a specific page or offer to direct your followers to on your website. Make sure your website is mobile friendly.
Have fun with your bio! You have 150 characters but can space it out and use emoticons too. To get the right spacing, type up your bio in notes and then paste it into your Instagram profile.
Use Instagram as an amplification of your brand. Share images of your work or products, things that inspire you and show behind the scenes too.
Watch the grid. When someone comes to your profile they make a split second decision on whether to hit follow and that’s based on your photo grid. Keep an eye on the last none-to-15 images and make sure all your photos look good together.
Be generous. Make time to check in regularly to comment and like other Instagrammers.
Focus. You need to make instagram a priority if you want to grow your reach there. Set a goal and you’ll see your following grow.
–Want to learn more about managing your social media, creating content strategies and building your brand online? Little Blog Big are holding small group workshops that are perfect for small business owners, bloggers and solo-creatives. The next workshops are in Canberra and Sydney and head to Little Blog Big for more the next event dates.
I’m really honoured to have been included in Kidspot’s Voices of 2015 blogger alumni alongside some women I really admire. The alumni “represent the very best in Australian blogging excellence, innovation and professionalism.” You can read the full list of alumni here and I thoroughly recommend it if you’ve been looking for some quality new blogs to follow.
As someone who isn’t your typical blogger (more of an online publisher as an ex journo) and who doesn’t write much about their feelings(!) or parenting (give me time!) it’s really nice to be recognised. It’s also lovely to see my friends Christina Butcher (Hair Romance), Lexi Kentmann (PottyMouthMama) and Sonia Stackhouse (Life Love & Hiccups) on the list!
I was recently gifted an awesome Mighty Purse from Handbag Butler. Now, you can imagine someone like me relies on and uses their mobile phone a lot. Instagram usage alone is enough to burn through half of the best phone battery in half a day! When I’m out and about, if I can avoid it (and especially since I’ve been pregnant) I try to avoid taking my MacBook Air with me, light as it is. And these days, you can do so much just from your small screen.
To avoid being caught short of juice, I had bought a portable battery charger for my bag. However I kept blooming well forgetting it. So when Handbag Butler offered me one that comes attached to a purse, and a nice looking cream real leather one at that, I knew I was onto something.
Another pregnancy thing has been downsizing my massive bag (the 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Medium) to a smaller, hands-free (motherhood pending!) cross-body bag (Tory Burch, if you’re interested). My new Mighty Purse fits perfectly inside it, fitting all the essentials like my phone (as it charges), Opal Card, business cards, keys and LIPSTICK. Because this on-the-go charger is now kept with other everyday must-haves, I don’t tend to forget it.
For a full-time blogger, being able to charge on the go is a dream. My phone would often die on the way home from an evening event when I’d taken lots of pictures. Not being able to catch up on emails on the way home (by cab or train) was always really irritating. As a business owner, I like using ‘dead time’ wisely!
The battery in the purse is a Lithium-ion Polymer battery, the same type as in your smartphone, except for its size. The purse battery has a capacity of 4000mAh; more than twice your phone battery. With a fully charged purse, you can typically charge a smartphone twice over before your purse will need to be recharged. When it does, you plug it into the mains via your phone charger: easy! Or into your computer’s USB port! The purse measures 20cm x 12.5cm x 2.5cm and weighs just 200g. It comes in many colours and is RRP from $99.95 for faux leather. It is suitable for all micro-USB phones and iPhone adaptors are an additional RRP $14.95.
The wristlet collection is made from the finest grade leather and The Mighty Purse Sport Luxe Collection is for the fashion forward and active person. Crafted with quilted nylon, with a genuine leather trim, this bag has belt loops on the back and a removable, adjustable leather strap. It can be worn across the body or around the waist as a hip-bag, taking you from work, to the gym, and out at night!
WIN
I loved my Mighty Purse gift so much, I’ve got hold of three (each with iPhone adaptors should that be your mobile of choice) to give away to three of you lucky ladies! Just fill in the form below for your chance of winning. Please state your preference of:
If you’re impatient or not feeling lucky, we have a special 20% off Mighty Purses for our readers using the promo code interiorsaddict. Valid until next Tuesday 28 April 2015 online.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, but having a creative space with all the essential tools fosters the perfect environment to spark creativity and bring your ideas to life. This Mother’s Day, Brother Australia introduces the concept of the creative/sewing space, a place where all your creative ideas come together and a place where inspiration, creativity and Brother are the perfect partners. This is where the #BrotherInspires campaign comes to life.
Brother has partnered with highly recognised bloggers to inspire the community with projects that will show everyone how to make their ideal creative space a reality. The community are asked to pick and recreate their favourite inspiring project which can be found on the Brother projects page marked with an ‘I’.
Pin cushion and thread catcher organiser by Angie Wilson of GnomeAngel
Embroidery hoop storage by Ros Russell from Sew Delicious
Inspirational fabric banner by Kylie McGinnity from Handmade Kids
Faux leather geometric vase by Fiona Michelon from Craft Hunter
This is not where it stops…with the #BrotherInspires campaign in mind, we have a really exciting month-long competition to announce this week, giving you the chance to create your very own, fabulous sewing or craft studio in your home with furniture, accessories and the professional skills and assistance of one of our favourite stylists, Briar Stanley from Sunday Collector.
Interior stylist and blogger Briar Stanley from Sunday Collector and daughter Sunday
To enter the #BrotherInspires Competition, all you need to do is either pick your favourite project made by one of Brother’s four influencers and recreate it, or make something unique for your sewing space.
Images of your entry must have the hashtag #BrotherInspires physically within the image to be valid. You can submit your project either via the Facebook App or on Instagram using the hashtag #BrotherInspires. An automated response will then provide you with a link to complete your entry on Facebook.
Once the projects have been created and submitted (deadline 11 May 2015), a judging panel (including yours truly!) will pick one lucky person to win an Inspirational Sewing Space valued at more than $12,000.
Up to $3,000 in sewing accessories and furniture to decorate your at-home craft studio
Styling and decorating services with renowned interior decorator Briar Stanley. Briar will work with the winner to create the perfect Craft Studio, this will include:
Consultation – assess the room and chat with the winner to understand what inspires them.
Plan – provide the winner with a presentation of the suggested space, based on the discussion. This will include furniture and décor suggestions.
Process – Briar and the winner will shop for the larger furniture items to help pull the room together.
Completion – Briar will work with the winner to style the craft studio and complete the space!
In addition to the grand prize, there’ll also be two runner-up prizes. Entrants are encouraged to post a progress shot on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #BrotherInspiresWIP and #BrotherInspires for their chance to win a ScanNCut CM550DX. The grand prize and the runner-up winners will be announced on the same day: 29 May 2015.
Everyone who submits an eligible entry will also receive a copy of the ScanNCut Project and Idea Book.
Will you have a go at making this vase for your chance of winning?
With such great prizes at stake, being creative has never been easier! For full terms & conditions please visit the #BrotherInspires Competition app on the Brother Australia Facebook page.
Struggling to get started? Brother has gone one step further to provide inspiring quotes to help drive creativity and keep everyone motivated. The free downloadable quotesare available on the Brother website and perfect to put up in your home and creative/sewing space!
This week, our publisher, Jen Bishop, was honoured to be named #43 in a list of Australian female entrepreneurs under 40 by Startup Daily.
“It was a huge surprise,” she said. “But definitely makes all the late nights and hard work and juggling worth it. I feel very lucky to love what I do and the growth of Interiors Addict since I became a full-time blogger two years ago has been really rewarding. It was particularly nice to get this honour the day after International Women’s Day. Now I need to work out how to juggle running a business with becoming a mum in a few weeks’ time and proving you really can have it all! Wish me luck!”
Earlier this year, Jen launched sister site Reno Addict and an online store with her own homewares range is launching later this month.
A new blog launched today and I think it’s going to be pretty great. We Are Scout is a collaboration between two popular Australian design and lifestyle bloggers, Lisa Tilse (The Red Thread) and Rebecca Lowrey Boyd (Wee Birdy).
Lisa and Rebecca
With an impressive 13 years of combined blogging experience, along with many years’ experience in the magazine, publishing and design industries, Lisa and Rebecca bring a fresh and thoroughly professional edge to the lifestyle blog category. And if there’s something I’ll personally always champion it’s professional bloggers. The more of us out there, showing we’re a force to be taken seriously, the better!
Based in Sydney, both Lisa and Rebecca offer an expert global view on design, craft, interiors, travel, shopping, fashion and beauty, with a distinctly Australian voice and focus. By combining forces, the pair believe that We Are Scout will quickly establish itself as a trusted, respected and influential lifestyle blog that will lead trends and shape tastes.
Content will include:
– free DIY craft tutorials;
– free printables;
– shopping & destination guides and maps;
– a weekly newsletter with extra content.
Photo credit: Lisa TilsePhoto credit: Lucas Boyd
Designer, crafter and maker Lisa established The Red Thread, in 2008. Her passion for living a creative life and inspiring others to embrace creativity has attracted a loyal global following.
Experienced journalist Rebecca Lowrey Boyd founded Wee Birdy during the summer of 2007 in London, and captured the attention of a global audience obsessed with shopping, fashion, design, interiors, style, travel and beauty.
Last week, I met with a friend of a friend who really wants to make a go of blogging as a career. She is already off to a good start and full of enthusiasm and passion, which is really half the battle. I get asked for blogging tips all the time but unfortunately I don’t have time to sit down one on one with everyone. So I thought I’d share some of my most common sense beginner tips here with you all, if you’re looking to blog seriously. And by seriously, I mean to one day, if not immediately, monetise your blog. In fact, these tips are for anyone who wants to make a longterm go of blogging and even if not for money, to be taken seriously as a blogger. I hope you enjoy!
Interiors Addict’s Jen Bishop
KEEP IT REAL. If there’s one thing readers tell me they like over and over it’s that they feel like they know me and that I come across as someone who is genuine and doesn’t sugar coat everything. I really try to achieve that. It’s my personality to be this way and that’s what I hope to get across, whether it’s being honest about the realities of self-employment and blogging for a living or not having the perfect interior myself. It’s also a lot easier to be yourself than to keep up a pretence and readers appreciate you letting them into your life a little. I don’t talk about myself and my feelings a lot but, when I do, there’s always a big response.
CHOOSE WORDPRESS. This is my personal platform of choice and of course, you don’t have to take my word (pardon the pun) for it, but I believe this is the best blogging platform out there and its flexibility is key to that. Choosing self-hosted WordPress also means YOU own your blog and if you’re going to start hosting ads and making money, why would you want anyone else to own it? That’s just crazy talk! Did you know Interiors Addict used to live on Tumblr? (Click WP moved me across a couple of years ago).
OUTSOURCE. You can’t do everything. You likely don’t have the time or the skills. I’m no good with web development, graphic design and advertising sales and I outsource all these things. At the beginning, even when budgets are tight, you will still do yourself a favour by getting someone to help you. You have to spend money to make money and if you’re serious, you’ll invest in your blog, even if it’s just a few hundred dollars (you’ll have to sacrifice a bit of your shopping/meals out/holiday money). These days, as a full-time blogger with an employee, I outsource many things, but when I was new it would be an hour of graphic design work here and a bit of email server help there. It all makes a difference.
USE SOCIAL MEDIA BUT DON’T RELY ON IT. Plenty of bloggers (myself included to an extent) felt the pain of relying too heavily on Facebook for traffic when it changed all its rules last year and stopped people seeing the majority of pages’ content unless you paid to boost it. The biggest learning from this is to not put all your eggs in one basket. Social media isn’t the only way to get the word out about your blog either. Consider guest posting on other sites, sending a newsletter and looking at your SEO.
COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESSES. This was a major fail for me and possibly my biggest blogging regret. Although I have a very respectable email database these days, I didn’t start collecting my readers’ email addresses for almost TWO YEARS. D’oh! Start now (I recommend Mailchimp for its ease of use, and it’s free until you have over 2,000 subscribers, but there are other options out there). Make it easy and maybe even offer an incentive, for your readers to sign up to hear more from you. And then make sure you send them content which is relevant, useful and enjoyable. When my second blog launches next month, I will be collecting email addresses from day one! (Oh, you can sign up for our newsletter and get a free eBook in return here!)
BE HONEST AND ETHICAL. While the law around disclosure is a bit patchy, it is increasingly being questioned as brands use influencers like bloggers more and more to spread their marketing messages. I have absolutely no issue with being paid by a brand (provided I like the way they do things) to spread their message to my readers. I have worked hard, and continue to work hard, to build that following and to earn their trust. What I am very big on is transparency. If a post has been paid for on this blog it will always say so at the top. If I’m gifted a product I will always say so. If I don’t like something, I won’t blog about it. It’s that simple. Don’t disrespect your readers by trying to pass off a paid message as your own, unbiased thoughts. If they find out, they’ll not be impressed and you’ll quickly lose their trust.
GET EDUCATED. Of course, you learn a lot as you go when blogging, but in the early days when I was a newbie, I soaked up eBooks and webinars like a sponge (most of them free). I still can’t get enough of the blog learning but these days I seem to have way less time! Some sources I recommend are: Secret Bloggers’ Business, ProBlogger, Blog with Pip, Blog Society, Decor8’s Blogging Your Way and Copyblogger.
COLLABORATE, DON’T COPY! AND BE PREPARED FOR ANNOYING COPYCATS! My advice here is to be open to working with other bloggers and small business owners on win-win situations. Or even just mentor each other. I have had incredible success from teaming up with others and have one friend I regularly meet with to biz brainstorm. Also be prepared that once you start to do well, people will rip off your ideas. It is massively annoying, no matter how flattering people will tell you imitation is. You put in the time and effort and come up with the good idea, then you see it pop up on another blogger’s Instagram a few days later. Not cool. But there’s nothing much you can do about it and getting irritated is a waste of energy. Remember this: there’s no substitute for hard work and originality so just keep doing what you’re doing, let people copy. They won’t get the satisfaction of having had that great idea themselves! And when you see someone else’s great idea, of course it’s natural to be tempted to replicate it (it’s great to be inspired by other bloggers too), but try to at least put your own spin on it and imagine how you’d feel if someone did the same to you!
DITCH THE FREE EMAIL ADDRESS. While there’s nothing wrong with Gmail for example (I heart Gmail a lot), to be taken seriously as any kind of business, I think it really helps to have your own specific, paid-for email address. It just gives a professional impression from the get go. Seems crazy to me, as a website business, to be using a free email address that’s not attached to your URL.
JUST START! For some people, the hardest part about starting a blog is just that: starting. You can procrastinate until the cows come home about the perfect blog name, layout, theme, whether you’re good enough, if anyone will read it and if you’ll run out of things to say, but you really just have to start. It’s that simple. What’s the worst that can happen?
Having said that…
IF YOU’RE NOT TRULY PASSIONATE ABOUT IT, DON’T BOTHER. I blogged for 18 months without earning a cent and I spent hours and hours of my time on Interiors Addict because I just bloody loved it. It was a long time before people started telling me I could make a business out of it and even longer before I started to believe them. You pretty much have to really want to do it, even if you don’t get paid (which is why I never really advocate starting a blog with making money as a priority), to be able to keep going, day in, day out, week in, week out (and that’s as far as many people get because they simply don’t care enough). But if you love what you’re going to write about, the rest can come later. Go for it! Passion will get you a really long way.
You can come and hear me speak about making money from digital publishing at this Pozible event in Sydney as part of the Digital Writers’ Festival next month. You can also watch it online and it’s free.
One of the best things about taking part in Australia’s biggest ever social tourism campaign last month, when I went to Dubai with more than 20 other bloggers, was meeting and learning about other people who blog passionately like I do, whether about interiors or something else. It was a great opportunity to swap notes and find out how other people do things, from earning money to planning their content, managing their time and juggling their other commitments like family and, in some cases, jobs (I remember well the 18 months of juggling this blog alongside a full-time job, just for the love of it. It was BUSY!).
Being pregnant, it was great to meet so many ‘mummy bloggers’ and hear their tips, especially Samantha Jockel from School Mum who brought her adorable five-month-old baby Ellis with her. She is lucky I didn’t try and steal him…
Samantha Jockel, blogger at School Mum, and son Ellis
There were fellow interiors bloggers too: Anne-Maree Russell from The House That A-M Built and Dani Wales (ex of The Block) from Basic Habitat. We are all part of Nuffnang’s talent group of Australian bloggers called Bloggerati.
Before heading into the mosque with fellow interiors blogger Anne-Maree Russell from The House that A-M Built
In my opinion, there is almost always something to learn from other bloggers, whether you’re in the same niche or different, whether you’re bigger or smaller than they are. And that was part of the beauty of the trip; picking each other’s brains on things each other were weaker or stronger at. While blogging as a career is still a relatively new concept, and not everyone in Bloggerati falls into that category or aspires to, as someone who has been doing that for two years, it was a rare and useful chance to swap notes with so many other bloggers at one time. We all have large audiences and, although the synergies aren’t always immediately obvious, scratch below the surface and you’ll often find we have readers with interests in common and things we can help each other with.
It is fantastic that an organisation like Dubai Tourism saw the value in investing a significant amount of money and resources into taking more than 20 Australian bloggers to the UAE and saw the value of our influence in sharing all the variety Dubai has to offer with our readers (estimated to be in the millions between us). It’s a fine example of one of my favourite things: a win-win situation.
This year, I’ve resolved to hang out more with other bloggers and form mutually beneficial partnerships and relationships. And hey, even friendships!
Who are your favourite bloggers (apart from Interiors Addict, of course!)?
If you’re a blogger, do you network, share with and learn from other bloggers?
2014 really was a big year, perhaps my biggest ever. I know for a fact I’ll look back when I’m old and grey and think that it was one to remember! Not only did my husband and I spend half of it travelling Europe and America (while juggling work and blogging in my case) but we also got pregnant with our first child. Considering it was to be our “get travel out of our system before we start a family” trip, that all worked out pretty well, eh? We feel ridiculously blessed and fortunate. Other highlights included helping interior designer Greg Natale, for whom I have huge respect, write his first book, and going to Dubai with 21 other bloggers last month as part of Australia’s largest ever social tourism campaign. 2014 also marked my second full year of blogging as a full-time job.
Baby’s first hotel bathroom bump selfie in Dubai!
The prospect of parenthood is probably equal parts exciting and terrifying from where I’m sitting. I mean, I’ve never done it before, so you can only be so prepared. All I know is that I will take this new job really seriously (while trying not to be one of those highly strung, control freak mums, as could so easily be my nature!) and in return, despite all the sleepless nights, I’m expecting it to be the most rewarding role I’ll ever have.
I’m really motivated to be the best parent I can be. I lost my mum when I was three years old, but I’m lucky to have many mum friends who I count as excellent role models and fonts of knowledge. As for my husband, I know he’ll be a fantastic dad.
Many people are obsessed with warning new parents how life will never be the same again and we have no IDEA how hard it’s going to be (it’s the smug, patronising tone that gets me!) and we will never have any time, or stuff, for ourselves ever again. I don’t think I need warning. I’m fully aware it will be hard, there will be lack of sleep, I will have to sacrifice and go without. But I wish more people would bang on about the benefits and the rewards, of which parenthood also brings many. I have enough friends with kids to know that much.
As for how juggling running a business and being a mum will go, it’s a little scary, yes, but something I will just have to experiment with and tweak as I go. There’s no year off work when you have your own business and while I intend to take some maternity leave, I’m conscious that the business I’ve worked so hard to build doesn’t suffer. So that means working smarter and more outsourcing among other things, to allow me to spend precious time with our bub. And then I’m sure there’ll be the inevitable mother guilt but I think I’ll worry about that later. One thing at a time, right?!
And did I mention I’m launching a second blog next month? No, it won’t be a mummy blog, but can you guess what it will be about? Go on, have a punt below in the comments!
Happy New Year to you all. May your 2015 be challenging, rewarding, happy and healthy!
We’ve been in Dubai for 48 hours and already we have seen so much. I knew this was a place of many contrasts but you really do have to see it for yourself. The weather is perfect mid-20s and not horridly humid and stormy like the Sydney I left behind! And it has been nice to put right some slightly skewed preconceptions I may have had.
Our first day started, appropriately, with a delicious lunch at the not-for-profit Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding where their motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. We sat round on floor cushions and shared a traditional meal, complete with deep-fried dough balls and date syrup, and Arabic coffee with cardamom. So far, Dubai food is not disappointing my love for spice! It was a chance to openly ask questions about Emirati and Muslim culture. Our host Sheik Nasif welcomed us to ask questions without fear of causing offence and was keen to highlight that Arabic men are not misogynists and a little about why women (not their husbands!) choose to wear abayas. Although I think it is a small minority of uneducated or ignorant Australians who might believe all Muslims are terrorists, I do feel for this religion and culture which sometimes suffers such misunderstanding, especially in the light of recent world events. If you’re visiting Dubai, I thoroughly recommend this informative and entertaining experience. It certainly made me feel Dubai is more forward-thinking than I had thought.
The top of the Burj Khalifa. It is pretty much impossible to fit it all in one shot!
After our lunch, we discovered the Old Town, not that there’s a huge amount of it, but it was charming nonetheless. Of course I got lost in the maze of side streets in the historic district of Bastakiya, which all looked alarmingly similar (that’s my excuse anyway!). We crowded around the windows at the gold souk and checked out colourful beaded textiles and silks and sacks upon sacks of aromatic spices (if only Australian Customs would let us bring those home!). To get home, we had to take an abra (water taxi) to cross the water. This is a normal form of public transport, not just something for tourists like us. In the evening, we had dinner at the super swish new China Grill restaurant at the impressive Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi. I’ve eaten at my fair share of fabulous Sydney restaurants and this gave them a run for their money in décor, food and service. Delicious!
Day two was all about the flash, new and modern! We started with a trip to the top of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. It’s kinda tall. As in so tall you can’t really get your head around it and it’s best not to over think it as you take the 60-second elevator ride to the 142nd floor, ears popping! Great view from the top, but I personally prefer this impressive piece of architecture from the outside. It really is quite something and you can see it from everywhere it seems! Wowsers.
At the top of the Burj Khalifa with Sonia from Life Love and Hiccups blog
We spent hours (and really you could spend days) checking out The Dubai Mall (world’s largest, of course, this is Dubai!). There’s not just shops but the aquarium, indoor zoo (complete with Aussie croc), KidZania and SegaRepublic.
My experience of Dubai so far has been great, the people friendly and my hotel (more on that in a future post) amazing. I’m having a ball!
Anyway, plenty more great experiences coming up which I’ll be sharing with you soon, including a food tour, desert safari, afternoon tea, the Jumeirah Mosque and the pearl museum. What an adventure I’m having with the baby bump!
With a week to go until I head to Dubai with 20 other bloggers, I’m getting pretty damn excited but I’m also as woefully unprepared as ever. You’d think, after spending six months traveling earlier in the year, I’d be a whizz at packing but no, I have something approaching a phobia when it comes to deciding what to take and fitting it all in the suitcase. I think it stems from the fear of making the wrong choices and arriving only to find I am under/over/impractically dressed for every occasion. This is, of course, a little easier in Dubai, where I believe it is important to be sensitive to the ways and customs of a largely Muslim country and dress respectfully and accordingly. No, not everyone does, but I really think you should. So for me, this means many a maxi dress to keep cool with a light shawl to cover my shoulders. And of course, plenty of statement jewels. Done! And while I know flat sandals would be sensible, I prefer a wedge heel…
Enough of my wardrobe choices! Here’s what I’m looking forward to most. While Dubai is known, more recently, for its amazing, super modern, super tall, super expensive architecture, I’m much more intrigued by The Old Town, the gold souks and the traditional food and crafts. I love spicy food so bring on the Emirati cuisine! I’m dreaming of dishes packed with saffron, turmeric and cardamon and sweets drizzled with date syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds! On our itinerary is a meal at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding.
Of course, my first love being interiors, checking out local examples of these will be top of my list, from the impressive accommodation at the five-star JW Marriott Marquis where I’m very excited to be staying, to the more traditional Arabian and Persian-inspired homes. There’s nothing like getting a little off the tourist track and seeing how locals really live. This fascinates me most about travel so it is always nice to meet and talk with residents, not just fellow tourists. I’ll be meeting up with an old school friend from England who has now lived in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for many years.
Much of this year’s travels with my husband were spent in Europe and the USA and although I loved every minute, I’m ready for a culture shock in Dubai! It’s a place where you really can experience so many different things. We just got our itinerary and it is so varied and exciting, including a Sundown Desert Safari (squeal!), shopping at The Dubai Mall, penguin encounters at Ski Dubai and the Underwater Zoo & Aquarium!
I’m really looking forward to spending so much time with some of Australia’s finest bloggers too. What a unique opportunity to swap ideas, learn from each other and even just discuss the weird and wonderful world (for many of us) of blogging as an actual job! I’m sure to come home full of inspiration from Dubai and my new travel buddies!
If you’ve been to Dubai, I’d love to hear your tips and recommendations. Please share them in the comments below. Thanks!
Well I’ve made it: a second full year of blogging as a proper job! I’m so delighted! It’s been a particular achievement this year because for half of it, I was out of the country. And for that, thanks must go to my editorial assistant Olivia Shead for being a fantastic righthand woman!
There’s plenty more to thank too: those people who sell my ads, buy my ads, look after the techy stuff that goes right over my head, look after my books and do my graphics. So a big thanks to my advertisers, Emma and the team at HS3, Bloggerati by Nuffnang, David, Chantelle, Janna, and to Kathryn for stepping in as Block correspondent while Olivia and I were both overseas. It may seem like blogging is a solo pursuit, but when it becomes a business, you definitely can’t do it all and I’m really lucky to work with some absolute legends! Thanks also to Mr Francis and my supportive friends and family. Not to mention the many wonderful people in the interiors industry who champion the blog.
And you didn’t think I was going to forget you guys, did you? The readers! Without you reading I’d have none of this. A huge thanks. I am truly grateful.
Here’s to many more years! I’ll be using the Christmas break to work on new features for Interiors Addict and I would really value your input. If you have any feedback or ideas, please comment below. Thanks!
Today’s coffee table belongs to Tash Sefton, one half of the hugely succesful Sydney fashion blog, TheyAllHateUs.
“Our house is full of books, of mainly fashion and interiors, that I have collected from all my travels,” says the full-time blogger. “I love piling them up on hand to read. I currently have a pile at the base of my coffee table.
“I always have the latest magazines from overseas – my fave Vanity Fair, Vogue Paris and British Vogue. And I love having my personal items around me. Here are a few Chanel bags. They make me happy! I always have fresh flowers and candles from my friend Kirsten (Walker) who makes Palm Beach Collection.”
Tash was formerly a buyer and head of womenswear for a leading Australian fashion retailer. More often pictured looking effortlessly stylish in her signature ripped denim, she says the coffee table is the central part of her living room, often piled with toys when her sons use it as a play station! “We also use it as a dining table — we love sitting on the floor around it. Oh, and it’s my husband foot stool when he watches the TV!” We love a multi-functional piece!
Her tips for styling a coffee table? “Change it daily.”
Our almost six-month travel adventure around Europe and America is over and we arrived back in Sydney yesterday (the less said about the jet lag, the better!). We have been to so many places (in no particular order): Tuscany, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, London, Oxford, Bath, Geneva, Nice, Monaco, Marrakech, Edinburgh, Skye, Berlin, New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Vancouver and Singapore. I know we will talk about and share stories from this trip for the rest of our lives. It has been amazing, but we were more than ready to come home to reality, routine and our friends and family in Australia.
Damian and I on the Brookyln Bridge in New York
As with most travels and holidays, they give you the opportunity to take stock and put everything in perspective, so I thought I’d share a few of my key learnings from six months on the road, seeing the world while running my business!
1. I am a massive homebody. I already knew this but nothing could have prepared me for how much I would miss normality and routine and the simple pleasures of home. Top of my list now (as we move in with my excellent in-laws) is finding us a new nest. I can’t wait to have all our things around me again, to not live out of a suitcase and to only have to consider one timezone. I feel like I don’t want to travel or see an airport again for years (although I’m sure my travel bug will be back before then!). But it has made me realise that I am a simple soul, easily pleased by a lot of the little things in life. Just being in my home, with my stuff and my husband, will be amazing! Yay!
2. Although I always try to pick the ones with great design, the things I actually value most in a hotel are good WiFi, a bath and tea and coffee-making facilities! You would not believe the number of top hotels we stayed in (I know, shut up!) that didn’t have a kettle or a coffee maker in the room. This would make my blood pressure rise, even if everything else was perfect. Is it just me that can’t do anything before the first coffee of the day (therefore going out of a hotel to get it is not an option!) and needs a nice cup of tea or herbal tea last thing at night (you don’t need to know how many hot drinks happen in between but suffice to say I am English!)? And tubs! Again, largely influenced by growing up in England, I am a huge bath lover and it upsets me that so many hotels rip them out these days in favour of shower cubicles big enough for about six people! When we came across a hotel with a bath I’d be in my element, especially after the huge amount of exploring we’d do on foot each day. And I have vowed not to move into a new place unless it has a bath. Our last home didn’t have one and even though it was perfect in almost every other way, the lack of bath still pained me. Taking baths is key to my mental health!
In one of my new favourite cities: Amsterdam
3. Technology is brilliant! Despite the fact that for most of the 5.5-month trip I’ve been running this blog with a massive nine-hour time difference and from various hotel rooms and my aunt’s coffee table, it has all gone remarkably well. Some people didn’t even realise I’d gone! Thanks to hotel WiFi, Skype, my trusty (and now quite battered MacBook Pro) and WordPress’ scheduling function, I have been able to do almost everything I needed to on the go, juggling work with sightseeing and family and friend time. I couldn’t have done it without my trusty editorial assistant Olivia back at home on the ground in Sydney (as well as the people I outsource my ad sales and tech support to and trust implicitly). She has been a lifesaver, attending events I obviously couldn’t, writing and being an all round organised superstar. You know what though? I can’t wait to work full-time again and to not have to consider time zones! Being at my own desk is going to make me feel so much more organised and calm! The blog has continued to grow while I’ve been traveling and this is more than I could have hoped for.
With Mr Francis in Barcelona
4. The people in your life are the most important thing. Of course, I already knew this, but this trip just reinforced that. I feel so incredibly lucky to have friends and family who love me on both sides of the world, in the UK (where I lived until I was 26) and here in Sydney. It really is overwhelming. I left England last week with such mixed feelings of sadness to leave and happiness to be coming back to my Australian friends and in-laws, knowing I’ll return before too long. You couldn’t really ask for more. An absolute highlight was getting my “little” sister (who is not a fan of flying) on a plane for the first time in years for a family trip to Berlin.
5. I have so much more to see in my own home country. We planned to see loads of the UK but ran out of time after spending a month in the States and taking countless side trips to Europe. Our last trip was to Scotland, where we visited Edinburgh, Inverness, Loch Ness, the Isle of Skye and a few other places in between. Exotic it was not. Sunny, it was not either! But it was beautiful and rugged and vast and I loved it! I really want to see more of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and share that with my Aussie husband, so on future trips “home” we intend to do just that. You know what they say about not appreciating what’s on your doorstep!
6. My marriage is pretty great. Spending 5.5 months 24/7 with any one person is never going to be easy, but we managed not to kill each other. In fact, we did much better than that. What a great first year of marriage we are having. Before you know it, it will be October and our first wedding anniversary!
Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest in our trip for your kind words on Instagram in particular. I hope you have enjoyed sharing our once-in-a-lifetime adventure!
Damian and I in the middle of nowhere in Scotland. A rare moment without rain!
It is great to be back. I’d love to see some of you at the events I’m taking part in with Jason Grant at the new West Elm Chatswood this Saturday and West Elm Chapel Street in Melbourne, next Saturday 6 September. Please RSVP on the stores’ Facebook pages (Chatswood and Chapel Street) if you’d like to attend. Hope to see you there!
It’s the question everyone wants answered, so I thought I’d share an interview on the topic I did with Secret Bloggers’ Business last week. SBB is run by Kate McKibbin, the very successful ex journalist and blogger behind Drop Dead Gorgeous Daily.
Photo by Helen Coetzee, hair and makeup by Jessica Berg
I have nothing to hide and I’d love even more people to be able to make money from blogging so I hope it inspires people. At the end of the day, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication and there are no shortcuts to that. But it can be done! You can learn more from Kate in her respected blogging e-course.
