tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2662746745725048752024-03-27T09:36:27.579+00:00Nicole ColtmanNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-197220193600875132020-07-05T18:52:00.000+01:002020-07-05T18:57:26.054+01:00At Home Afternoon Tea <div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp4Kssj6Qc5WegHLNuzsQAlOjZZuWU03XnRX6GQBemAvF6aIZHlQVk8yCJxQW5rO4TSUkaOtLtZu0oW03Tqauposh310lJbVEFqKHPw8tZ48EEgsbL4oYyXTul6ykgphaf11I3Sij65c/s1600/107014289_602053230428235_7796123899113315231_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp4Kssj6Qc5WegHLNuzsQAlOjZZuWU03XnRX6GQBemAvF6aIZHlQVk8yCJxQW5rO4TSUkaOtLtZu0oW03Tqauposh310lJbVEFqKHPw8tZ48EEgsbL4oYyXTul6ykgphaf11I3Sij65c/s1600/107014289_602053230428235_7796123899113315231_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6jNdP27mKJjKTWOPEwSUL_4t1TMlBpvN0GbSFwzjtUTZGT5WNqOewfQjza_M5cxFuT4-jWY1R23X8-qvhIUQXJmJdygC-mP8YMsKn5KJ7BPTmal4rw1Mp3nqqBYzYMAoZ5ePlTLgkwc/s1600/107099274_692214108023217_873057432909298243_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6jNdP27mKJjKTWOPEwSUL_4t1TMlBpvN0GbSFwzjtUTZGT5WNqOewfQjza_M5cxFuT4-jWY1R23X8-qvhIUQXJmJdygC-mP8YMsKn5KJ7BPTmal4rw1Mp3nqqBYzYMAoZ5ePlTLgkwc/s1600/107099274_692214108023217_873057432909298243_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxlHH8APS4z_D12sEeMIpa_pk8lQR1biF8a3pzNcFHgb54yWy9v1z39v3jtR83sB0KfG9YrWyKnzJs1Lf8_o8aSsZ-k2JlWQ614ZQ6FXxzfxhsAu0x-jJd-Mb4K2gV-a1obP0ISB35to/s1600/107089545_645265986076833_2960719179527551086_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxlHH8APS4z_D12sEeMIpa_pk8lQR1biF8a3pzNcFHgb54yWy9v1z39v3jtR83sB0KfG9YrWyKnzJs1Lf8_o8aSsZ-k2JlWQ614ZQ6FXxzfxhsAu0x-jJd-Mb4K2gV-a1obP0ISB35to/s1600/107089545_645265986076833_2960719179527551086_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNAAoqcrgdtXnxd5TKXiXJ15sIAYDlfLfWcfj0uTB8febRdn8oIl-OGHsdP0PBTX5ry3u9TAomTFxbafiq57TbQEbdVExa1Dr17Z1IgV3xfFNPUAhOEh5NbuZmxkWHo6ykQbABgyl1vk/s1600/106931921_321771088982272_3430872753336232085_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1461" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNAAoqcrgdtXnxd5TKXiXJ15sIAYDlfLfWcfj0uTB8febRdn8oIl-OGHsdP0PBTX5ry3u9TAomTFxbafiq57TbQEbdVExa1Dr17Z1IgV3xfFNPUAhOEh5NbuZmxkWHo6ykQbABgyl1vk/s1600/106931921_321771088982272_3430872753336232085_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8HM8008ProRmJ-F8wKnxuthyphenhyphena7TRbMmrlqFtn9d5jtX7ecvbIOBUHKsnAuTKLK9Ys-mJGZ2iFNbwCU-XSNaDQ0KG0ED3iNRHv3is5le5xu5wxaJAQCB-OzgjBgpidWHiIpefepgEeEw/s1600/106987300_2638428752925826_8471484637018156554_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8HM8008ProRmJ-F8wKnxuthyphenhyphena7TRbMmrlqFtn9d5jtX7ecvbIOBUHKsnAuTKLK9Ys-mJGZ2iFNbwCU-XSNaDQ0KG0ED3iNRHv3is5le5xu5wxaJAQCB-OzgjBgpidWHiIpefepgEeEw/s1600/106987300_2638428752925826_8471484637018156554_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsOoCtzVpobhxYX4pTqkLwrzkB7IU4tqurIqEuuSfGi-lvhML04HR-PeapN_GDc42gvnGFvIi-0endJVcX2RLExL4nQArTjkGWDEVl13LIAX-QXjG9NbAnq6nKKlPDkHT-dmMBfcGg44/s1600/107375525_3666528353364563_3977758452111113022_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsOoCtzVpobhxYX4pTqkLwrzkB7IU4tqurIqEuuSfGi-lvhML04HR-PeapN_GDc42gvnGFvIi-0endJVcX2RLExL4nQArTjkGWDEVl13LIAX-QXjG9NbAnq6nKKlPDkHT-dmMBfcGg44/s1600/107375525_3666528353364563_3977758452111113022_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1-XT1fPW4-kIsZ7fYyatcebdETIBA4HuEZYkZvujlS_Z5B_4KwhtV9FGsU4Ymz5ENotDDOgJ2oLbh1vgoKIWiVa2Nbv5w7L7ys43CbDEIea41Z9iNiEMCX2rKl5vfhvD48o5Gk18Gdc/s1600/107136155_224818508507050_1773822865564444225_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1-XT1fPW4-kIsZ7fYyatcebdETIBA4HuEZYkZvujlS_Z5B_4KwhtV9FGsU4Ymz5ENotDDOgJ2oLbh1vgoKIWiVa2Nbv5w7L7ys43CbDEIea41Z9iNiEMCX2rKl5vfhvD48o5Gk18Gdc/s1600/107136155_224818508507050_1773822865564444225_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I've been trying to think of lots of ways to do things at home to try and create new memories during this crazy time, you may have seen my Ibiza party post <a href="http://www.nicolecoltman.com/2020/06/5-ways-to-transform-your-garden-for.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Following on from that, I wanted to do little at home afternoon tea for my mum's birthday which was last weekend. Like with the Ibiza party I brought some decorations from <a href="https://www.gingerray.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ginger Ray</a>. (My new favourite website for party decorations.) I think when having an at home party it's really nice to decorate to give your home the right setting...especially when going out is limited at the moment. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If you know me well you will know how much I love cocktails, so I couldn't have an afternoon tea without some. At the moment I'm loving following small local businesses on Instagram, I've recently discovered <a href="https://dottymares.co.uk/home-dotty-mares-bespoke-mobile-horse-box-bar-london" target="_blank">Dotty Mares</a> which is a North-West London based cocktail horse box bar for special events. They have started doing cocktail at home deliveries on selected weekends, which is amazing! It feels like such a treat to have a cocktail made by someone else and delivered to your doorstep. I got some Expresso Martinis and Porn Star Martinis. They make the cocktails on the morning of delivery and put them in a jar, then they can be kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours. The cocktails were delicious and I will be ordering from them again. My friend and I were saying the other day how much we are enjoying just sitting in the garden having drinks instead of going out all the time to bars for drinks. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Instead of pre-ordering an afternoon tea from a company or supermarket (I've seen looks of places doing this) I decided to buy the individual products myself as this way it makes it more personal as you can buy all of your favourite things. This is also a much cheaper option as most of the afternoon tea's I've seen online are £40+. I picked up some unicorn cupcakes from ASDA, I just fell in love with the decorations on these. Sandwiches and scones from M&S. I also managed to pick up an afternoon tea stand from a local household store near me for £9 and I had seen a few of these online for a lot more money. So it's worth looking around before you make a purchase. And now I've got this I can make afternoon teas more of a habit at home! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Once life goes totally back to normal, I think I will still continue to do more things like this at home as I've really enjoyed it. I'd be posting any more at home parties I do in the future. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I hope you enjoyed this post</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Love</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Nicole </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xx</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-87870575860980513782020-06-24T15:06:00.000+01:002020-06-25T20:19:07.557+01:00Three Ways To Wear Tie-Dye<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQSjozRKEfaartcT0xNPHy78Tk2MSH34ORTuH6np6dlueg5QDgl5okWCBcf5qX1R9DQQkqVFf4EAj-8EuliDmLxvsJvs2t5d_Uxp_kWN5hRNKfLD4pmyPIpyafik7S3Dykoqs3y2ZmrM/s1600/105968747_3365402653510104_3138282376647494588_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQSjozRKEfaartcT0xNPHy78Tk2MSH34ORTuH6np6dlueg5QDgl5okWCBcf5qX1R9DQQkqVFf4EAj-8EuliDmLxvsJvs2t5d_Uxp_kWN5hRNKfLD4pmyPIpyafik7S3Dykoqs3y2ZmrM/s1600/105968747_3365402653510104_3138282376647494588_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
One of the biggest trends this Summer is Tie-Dye, whether you want to try out a DIY style or buy an item from a store. I'm seeing Tie-Dye all over social media at the moment. Today I'm sharing three ways to wear Tie-Dye to give you a little inspiration on how to style your own items or if you are planning on buying some for your wardrobe. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Co-ord Set <a href="https://www.facebook.com/adelekellyboutique/" target="_blank">Adele Kelly Boutique </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
First up and probably the most statement look is a Co-ord. Here I've gone for a top and matching cycling shorts. My favourite part of this look is the puff sleeves on the top, it just gives an extra edgy vibe. I didn't jump on board with the cycling shorts trend last year. And looking at these cycling shorts on the hanger in store I was really unsure on them. However upon trying on the whole look, I've fallen in love with them. Which just goes to show you should try items of clothing on which are outside of your comfort zone. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePDIGzDUY0MkbKdFK7fwJB3SGU8jO2RXhZNTnFtexijJqIKz-AqH3CFnbaY0Ju3SQJg6NCTg4BVwaSxUo3Ojx_f6sTSzcE20gyCehYEdZKQxTNLrzbKPw1JnZW_1X42cvR-lzqs65LCs/s1600/105901395_712058226282795_4755596971492610381_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePDIGzDUY0MkbKdFK7fwJB3SGU8jO2RXhZNTnFtexijJqIKz-AqH3CFnbaY0Ju3SQJg6NCTg4BVwaSxUo3Ojx_f6sTSzcE20gyCehYEdZKQxTNLrzbKPw1JnZW_1X42cvR-lzqs65LCs/s1600/105901395_712058226282795_4755596971492610381_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Denim shorts - Topshop </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Next up denim shorts, denim will pretty much go with any Tie-Dye item. And I'm sure all of you have some sort of denim item in your wardrobe. I like how these shorts have a ruffle effect at the top, to give them a slightly different finish. I'd wear this with some plain white trainers for an everyday look. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfNhHlgRrjsmDJJgVpjOVmkLDsFSJ4TGHqcqRQZd4uEl_E2d8tnE6aI2L7dNz_wORYTcraicolbLUKAmQDJmY7i6pA3Z1oNTxdI5bptSiE4Plh_o01KfzWUrIXSZoYU80_92i3WiPYh0/s1600/106124319_404382503780339_3127281579199936714_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfNhHlgRrjsmDJJgVpjOVmkLDsFSJ4TGHqcqRQZd4uEl_E2d8tnE6aI2L7dNz_wORYTcraicolbLUKAmQDJmY7i6pA3Z1oNTxdI5bptSiE4Plh_o01KfzWUrIXSZoYU80_92i3WiPYh0/s1600/106124319_404382503780339_3127281579199936714_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Denim skirt - New Look </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My last look is again with denim, but this time a denim skirt. I've also tucked in the top for this look too. But this time round I'd dress up this look by swapping the trainers with a pair of wedges so it can be more of an evening look.<br />
<br />
Below I've added some of my favourite Tie-Dye looks from the high street at the moment.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Affilate links </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
I hope you all enjoyed this post, let me know below in the comments what your favourite look is?<br />
<br />
Love<br />
Nicole<br />
xx</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div data-sc-widget-id="P-5ef35dda2b888218d3120797">
</div>
<script async="" src="//widgets.shopstyle.com/shopstyle-widget-snippet.js"></script>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-21660730841515831592020-06-18T17:30:00.000+01:002020-06-25T12:10:46.489+01:0012 Simple Ways To Practice Self-Care At Home <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhaQK6U6nop08RrwOjKs9cvAm_EIaOPRBCb66rZkMR66xh_GJPWzxxfhmxQQMmjMJo3zaLDdizQPSR_lDDUxyrErKYXoz1o-GFypsxI2B_lu5ZMMofVjm78f1-3U9l_FPpMpSy0cj4DE/s1600/P7120844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhaQK6U6nop08RrwOjKs9cvAm_EIaOPRBCb66rZkMR66xh_GJPWzxxfhmxQQMmjMJo3zaLDdizQPSR_lDDUxyrErKYXoz1o-GFypsxI2B_lu5ZMMofVjm78f1-3U9l_FPpMpSy0cj4DE/s1600/P7120844.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>'You can't pour from an empty cup, take care of yourself first.'</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Self care is such an important part of looking after our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. Life gets so busy and we are always on to the next thing whether that is going out to the fancy new cocktail bar or working super long hours to try and progress in our careers. It's so hard now to find the time to fit in self care yet it is something that is so important. Lockdown has made me realise that a slower pace of life is actually a good thing and it's really important to make some time for yourself. I've done this a lot over the last three months and I'm going to try my hardest to continue when life gets back to normal. So here are my 12 tips on ways to practice self care at home. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>1. Long Baths </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Make a little at home spa set up. Buy yourself some face/eye masks and your favourite lush bath bomb. Light some candles and completely relax. One thing I find really nice is to just sit in the bath and do nothing. Often I find myself setting up my laptop to watch something on Youtube or reading a book while in the bath. But there is a lot of joy in simply laying down and not putting pressure on yourself to do anything! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>2. At home nails </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For two years straight up until the beginning of this year I got gel nails done every couple of weeks. It's taken months but my nails are finally starting to look healthy again, and now I'm not looking back! I don't want to get gels again unless its a super special occasion. I've treated myself to some new nails inc polishes (<a href="https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/women/beauty/make-up+nails/c/01060300?st=&sort=publishedDate-desc&facets=stockLevelStatus:inStock&page=0" target="_blank">TKMax</a> have a good online sale at the moment!) and I've been enjoying switching up the colours of my nails every week. Top tip try to get good quality products that will last longer. Nails inc can last up to a week without chipping! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>3. Fitness</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Staying motivated with fitness is hard, but once I find a good routine I do tend to stick to it. I've been loving Zoe's zoom classes (she does them on a Tuesday and Friday morning for more info check out here instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zoe1louise/" target="_blank">here</a>.) You can also check out my blog post interview with her all about fitness <a href="http://www.nicolecoltman.com/2020/04/interview-with-zoe-louise-personal_26.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>4. Gratitude</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Writing down three things you are grateful for everyday. Doing this first thing in the morning or last thing at night before you go to bed. This will help you not to forget the important things that make you happy.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Treat yourself to a take away coffee </b><br />
<br />
Now that coffee shops are open for takeaways, treat yourself to your favourite drink and go for a walk or sit in your local park. I did this with my friend the other day and it makes your day feel a little bit more normal.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Baking</b><br />
<br />
I've turned into the baking queen since the beginning of lockdown and I'm loving it so far. I've got most of my recipes from Jane Patisserie <a href="https://www.janespatisserie.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. I've actually got the NYC cookies baking in the oven right now as I'm writing this.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Keep track of your accomplishments</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I was talking about this to someone the other day, we live in a world where we are always thinking about what we need to achieve next rather than be happy for what we have already achieved.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Edit your Social Media</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Go through your social media feeds and mute or unfollow any accounts that no longer bring you joy! I do this every 6 months or so and it means when I'm scrolling through my instagram feed I'm enjoying most of the content I am seeing rather than spending so long scrolling through things you don't want to see or don't make you happy.<br />
<br />
<b>9. Spend quality time with people who make you happy </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Make sure you make time to spend with and see people who make you feel happy. Now that lockdown is being eased you can plan after work walks with your friends or going for a picnic. I always love it when you spend time with people and you leave with a smile on your face.<br />
<br />
<b>10. Listen to a podcasts</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I love podcasts and may do a future post about my favourite ones. I enjoy listening to them when I'm cleaning or going for a walk by myself. Lily and Anna have just re-launched their podcast and I'm really enjoying it at the moment you can check it out <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/at-home-with/id1228706016" target="_blank">here</a>. It's just like listening to myself and my friends chatting.<br />
<br />
<b>11. Read a self help book </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
My favourite is Good Vibes, Good Life by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vexking/" target="_blank">Vex King</a>. I would also recommend following him on instagram. This book talks all about how to look at the positives in your life. And really makes you think about how you can easily change your mindset to have a happier life.<br />
<br />
<b>12. Make yourself breakfast and then have it in bed </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I love breakfast in bed...but who said you need to wait for someone to do it for you! Make yourself some yummy breakfast then get back into bed watch something on your laptop/TV and have a chilled start to your day.<br />
<br />
I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know if you have any other self care ideas.<br />
<br />
Love<br />
Nicole<br />
xx</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-7656068675143475122020-06-11T11:36:00.001+01:002020-06-18T22:35:20.293+01:005 Ways to transform your garden for an ibiza party <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx-P8JaqxyTP8Efisnu4wNJaQzCptXZuCDjBbhrX-nDXx9JgeyJfjpGTLz87v6IK0YIbwbcrHVgxBCy88yFrc5JZU4wdoeef9OdzC-NfPIz81SWKf6pmqajqvbq07IVCQRaJUsmQpZxE/s1600/103775276_302548550896645_1540491536682454680_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx-P8JaqxyTP8Efisnu4wNJaQzCptXZuCDjBbhrX-nDXx9JgeyJfjpGTLz87v6IK0YIbwbcrHVgxBCy88yFrc5JZU4wdoeef9OdzC-NfPIz81SWKf6pmqajqvbq07IVCQRaJUsmQpZxE/s1600/103775276_302548550896645_1540491536682454680_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sMWAT2cnSuSjHUffR_2HnSwfS0rfU-j3dh47cRpZ-fVWWt92uGkYAl0IHMbcTMzuNz53MOjGi6pILIExNQIJ2-3gjk6vplzaxMijpFZEEUbdzNL-WVyiTsZZRZFxgKyYsCpnm-MDlEE/s1600/104074448_1551991541642080_1549353554739317373_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sMWAT2cnSuSjHUffR_2HnSwfS0rfU-j3dh47cRpZ-fVWWt92uGkYAl0IHMbcTMzuNz53MOjGi6pILIExNQIJ2-3gjk6vplzaxMijpFZEEUbdzNL-WVyiTsZZRZFxgKyYsCpnm-MDlEE/s1600/104074448_1551991541642080_1549353554739317373_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4_cKhDAHEMcDjOraPE3Ere5IPybYMrNNyGMRzVHPgTVNUouu12ZQlvc-2TDt7qX8iFfoSbyd6q9FcD2TZGgYA8nMJ_Ib5__t47UDc6UezsNZLfXWkbz3KBeGvjKRXxoC19R3KmjxifQ/s1600/104105836_202452514215751_180297910066960409_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4_cKhDAHEMcDjOraPE3Ere5IPybYMrNNyGMRzVHPgTVNUouu12ZQlvc-2TDt7qX8iFfoSbyd6q9FcD2TZGgYA8nMJ_Ib5__t47UDc6UezsNZLfXWkbz3KBeGvjKRXxoC19R3KmjxifQ/s1600/104105836_202452514215751_180297910066960409_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPtZG4Inidr_luNqgYIbrrx_UmW-8JtnnBbKjy5mnLNNOlMEf8-tzHAzFc2TvhP-Qg2RgaAgCdsZMAQhdXqPuiLy4h-DKaYOXE82gfribJ9LeEtCBzjSp_u6xMfJPpaRRQWDAUEHDMaU/s1600/104238091_199701407865203_8148944984121257845_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPtZG4Inidr_luNqgYIbrrx_UmW-8JtnnBbKjy5mnLNNOlMEf8-tzHAzFc2TvhP-Qg2RgaAgCdsZMAQhdXqPuiLy4h-DKaYOXE82gfribJ9LeEtCBzjSp_u6xMfJPpaRRQWDAUEHDMaU/s1600/104238091_199701407865203_8148944984121257845_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyU2pACn8qSajlusI3P6_iWgVu22xh4LkC4-VXUsVcUL28LZ27lbAtMJQELFtZIXNlNXIWXwinO1ZZ30Y5jvYG4GA7y7m158wT36NuWD-FHDbutOHnb6AUz1BS7zzS8fncdF3KTRZT2Sc/s1600/104077001_295439788148662_2362850436114842162_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyU2pACn8qSajlusI3P6_iWgVu22xh4LkC4-VXUsVcUL28LZ27lbAtMJQELFtZIXNlNXIWXwinO1ZZ30Y5jvYG4GA7y7m158wT36NuWD-FHDbutOHnb6AUz1BS7zzS8fncdF3KTRZT2Sc/s1600/104077001_295439788148662_2362850436114842162_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_F_zGgecbwn00H_1dYzBp9bmBZiaE1aJBFn1Rv3fIi6C3wo723jEqDCnLOam8OSRoqNuD1m4uqPWyLlejpvmR4zhyvtqUpAZNuHLsGYdiYOgomDzjFwl9ya90Mg8Ed8P5dzdX0ZRw6Y/s1600/103673037_260771935170673_3556966325117778026_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_F_zGgecbwn00H_1dYzBp9bmBZiaE1aJBFn1Rv3fIi6C3wo723jEqDCnLOam8OSRoqNuD1m4uqPWyLlejpvmR4zhyvtqUpAZNuHLsGYdiYOgomDzjFwl9ya90Mg8Ed8P5dzdX0ZRw6Y/s1600/103673037_260771935170673_3556966325117778026_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>'Make the most out of every situation'</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I think it's so important to make the most out of every situation that life throws at you. This week I should be in Ibiza living my best life, but for obvious reasons that isn't happening. I wanted to do something to make a new memory for what should have been a full on party week. As we are allowed up to 6 people in our gardens now I decided to create a little at home garden party (Ibiza style of course) from myself and my best friend Charlotte.<br />
<br />
If you know me well when it comes to planning things I always put 110% effort in. If I didn't work in fashion I think I'd love to be in events planning.<br />
<br />
Here are 5 ways you can transform your garden for an Ibiza party<br />
<br />
1. Decide on an area in your garden you want to focus on. For me I wanted this to be our decking area. I moved some of our garden furniture from the decking to other areas of the garden so I could create a little dance floor. (The space needed to be large enough for dancing 2 metres apart of course!) I then set up a little drinks table and had two chairs for us to sit down on at the end of the decking.<br />
<br />
2. Pick your colour theme. For me this had to be pink and silver, this was pretty easy to pick as those are my favourite colours! Once you have picked your colour theme you can then look for decorations to fit in with your theme.<br />
<br />
3. Set yourself a budget of how much you want to spend on decorations. I think this is super important because it's otherwise really easy to just add loads of stuff to your basket that looks pretty but the total ends up being £££s. I set myself a £50 budget.<br />
<br />
4. I searched online for a good website to buy some decorations, I can across <a href="https://www.gingerray.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqtvfxMf56QIVBuztCh3CgQhhEAAYASAAEgKvwfD_BwE" target="_blank">Ginger Ray</a> (Which I have fallen in love with and have since made another online order for my mum's birthday at the end of the month) I wanted some ballon's to give an 'instagram' affect. I loved the PARTY ballon...this was the first thing I found on the website which I added to my basket. Then from there I found the other little touches like the straws, napkins and cups.<br />
<br />
I love adding personal touches to things so wanted a banner with a photograph added. I got this from <a href="https://partypieces.co.uk/" target="_blank">Party Pieces</a>. And again I made sure this fitted in with my colour scheme and Ibiza vibes.<br />
<br />
5. Get yourself ready! I sent Charlotte a text telling her what time and date to come to my house and told her to get dressed up as if we are going on an Ibiza night out. It was so much fun getting dressed up! I had brought some new clothes for this holiday so it was nice to be able to wear them and feel as if I was going out somewhere.<br />
<br />
This day was so much fun and made me realise even in tough times we can think outside of the box and still make happy memories to look back on.<br />
<br />
I hope you all enjoyed this post.<br />
Love<br />
Nicole<br />
xx<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-19976881610236513432020-05-27T19:34:00.001+01:002020-05-28T14:59:17.641+01:00Five Outfits To Wear At Home (Which will make you feel fabulous) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKyrI9NhV2cZbhJBi4q1TCs0u2uMHQXRzn-bHz4r8o97sruVIyMmWDxTnvn2K0fPX7NDr7tGw39qAudIVil_Y9U1mU6qaOUync0hg4-Yzx_CVZ3uV_0t-5X8QulOXkAitQk1hPF3uEWU/s1600/100903158_250846662856383_2595652060724592640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="902" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKyrI9NhV2cZbhJBi4q1TCs0u2uMHQXRzn-bHz4r8o97sruVIyMmWDxTnvn2K0fPX7NDr7tGw39qAudIVil_Y9U1mU6qaOUync0hg4-Yzx_CVZ3uV_0t-5X8QulOXkAitQk1hPF3uEWU/s1600/100903158_250846662856383_2595652060724592640_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNEGUPmEWWzMKygIV64lNk6X_E2cutnydpRvgJI4dtqArOxmZEjE6t7jDDphRCfK-io7xsELE1iSadT8YA0-tSTI7hjZY_-Dp2ln-lJT1cwvqr2SJCjVIH_mUwIvdQ3HRe0HSqvQpEBk/s1600/101657753_2892165170897812_6983781286183698432_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNEGUPmEWWzMKygIV64lNk6X_E2cutnydpRvgJI4dtqArOxmZEjE6t7jDDphRCfK-io7xsELE1iSadT8YA0-tSTI7hjZY_-Dp2ln-lJT1cwvqr2SJCjVIH_mUwIvdQ3HRe0HSqvQpEBk/s1600/101657753_2892165170897812_6983781286183698432_n+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohMZ6azWYy-3kuTrmvCwKAjcaKegoiF-mPLnoOM4I_oZz5DauWO5cvdbIKHIfUZ4Wv_qmtF1WfInfP-8sr9kV5tiDKzqkR39wzeONqvhSkkShTzrStwl3aoJv30KICVI4lT7mqSpY28o/s1600/100776517_277575543377537_3994247399764656128_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohMZ6azWYy-3kuTrmvCwKAjcaKegoiF-mPLnoOM4I_oZz5DauWO5cvdbIKHIfUZ4Wv_qmtF1WfInfP-8sr9kV5tiDKzqkR39wzeONqvhSkkShTzrStwl3aoJv30KICVI4lT7mqSpY28o/s1600/100776517_277575543377537_3994247399764656128_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVlo8ASmzPQJrnxRJA9T9c5bCdB0xnM3otOpLzIAtTkEIXLZVsm48KfvVKFiK-hZ68TMvPanGIqQuq3CsfznRt7Sp8DXmaBjBRY8uKfRjW5A8wI1VPC3L-dgk7xKuD2VLDhPRHASKRYw/s1600/101505764_1122725924729092_6849907056783130624_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVlo8ASmzPQJrnxRJA9T9c5bCdB0xnM3otOpLzIAtTkEIXLZVsm48KfvVKFiK-hZ68TMvPanGIqQuq3CsfznRt7Sp8DXmaBjBRY8uKfRjW5A8wI1VPC3L-dgk7xKuD2VLDhPRHASKRYw/s1600/101505764_1122725924729092_6849907056783130624_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvdlm5JcfdIN-SjfylOtu3D9ul9ZXusLkGC6nzjVGHWIPrJRBsvz1mkg1HcvKW62nRe-vtunZHvKrIjHHlRooLtTo8inRUcecOGBiv-bnqDlrnxy14z73nPvjolE40UIcX4YkGnkWoo8/s1600/101683689_689230181903444_264342219022925824_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvdlm5JcfdIN-SjfylOtu3D9ul9ZXusLkGC6nzjVGHWIPrJRBsvz1mkg1HcvKW62nRe-vtunZHvKrIjHHlRooLtTo8inRUcecOGBiv-bnqDlrnxy14z73nPvjolE40UIcX4YkGnkWoo8/s1600/101683689_689230181903444_264342219022925824_n+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've tried wearing loungewear all day long and I've also spent time putting together a nice outfit in the morning and doing my hair and make up. And really it's whatever works best for you but for me the latter is better. I just feel a bit more myself and I'm 100% more productive on the days I make an effort. I've actually brought zero clothes during lockdown, so if you need some inspiration of what to wear making the most of what you already own than this post is for you! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For me the key is wearing clothes that are comfortable enough to wear in the house all day long, but stylish enough to bump into someone I know on my daily walk. Or at least just having a really put together top half for zoom calls and catch up with friends. Lockdown is a great way to re-fall back in love with some items in your wardrobe. (You might want to read my post here which gives you tips for <a href="http://www.nicolecoltman.com/2020/04/5-tips-for-spring-cleaning-your-wardobe.html" target="_blank">Spring Cleaning Your Wardrobe</a>.) What I love about getting dressed up in the morning is, in the evening when I get into my pjs or other comfy clothes I feel like the day is broken up rather than all rolled into a blur. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Outfit 1</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm someone who is very much drawn to colours, wearing certain clothes makes me feel really good. My favourite colour if you can't tell already is pink. If I wake up feeling a bit rubbish adding some pink to my outfit will always make me feel a little bit better. The skirt is from Topshop and is velvet which I love as this tends to just be a trend during autumn/winter. That being said I could team this with black tights during the colder months. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Outfit 2</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've always been a lover off tee's but especially now as they are so effortless and need very simple styling. I always team tee's with shorts or jeans. My flamingo one is years old from Oasis and it comes on every Summer holiday with me. And this year I'm wearing it in my back garden to feel like I'm on holiday! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Outfit 3</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Can you tell by now that I love Flamingos?! Again another old item...but one I love. This playsuit is from Rebecca Rhoades. I love this print and it screams summer vibes. Dress up Friday has become my new favourite thing to take part in. So I wore this a few weeks ago for virtual drinks! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Outfit 4</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blue is another one of my 'feel good colours' I got this playsuit from Zara a few years ago. And I've had a few from them over the years and they are super comfortable which is one of the most important things for me when wearing outfits at home. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Outfit 5</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
One of my favourite prints that never goes out of style is florals. I'm pretty sure most of you will have some sort of floral print in your wardrobe. It's one of those prints where you will probably end with a few items of clothing that are all similar. My favourite is by far black against coloured florals because I think it stands out more and I love statement pieces. Again this outfit is super comfy, loose dresses have to be one of the most comfortable fits especially when wearing them all day at home. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I hope you like these outfits and it gives you some inspiration of what to wear! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Love</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Nicole </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xx </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-9336646951553849592020-05-06T16:19:00.001+01:002020-05-28T15:00:18.510+01:00FIVE things to do during lockdown if you want/have a creative career <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopTa7N3cXTlk-1jBtV8jyu__S-vlQJYGt96L5NOhC_h5Buauiq4A4cu469CMh2FzhofLMrw-fryhyphenhyphenHtfsCEiNlOqIbQG4Hgz4HjQDNDMGMyBD48T7-T_Au3QqHs6yD3FHWjj_aXEuOQ0/s1600/H2I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopTa7N3cXTlk-1jBtV8jyu__S-vlQJYGt96L5NOhC_h5Buauiq4A4cu469CMh2FzhofLMrw-fryhyphenhyphenHtfsCEiNlOqIbQG4Hgz4HjQDNDMGMyBD48T7-T_Au3QqHs6yD3FHWjj_aXEuOQ0/s1600/H2I.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Before I start this post I just want to say YOU DO YOU! I've seen so many things across social media telling people what they should/shouldn't be doing during this time. People are being put down for being super productive and those who are watching Netflix all day and just using this time to relax are also being put down. Turns out you can never really win. However if you do want to use some of your time being productive and you want/have a creative career this post is for you! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I decided at the beginning of lockdown that I want days to fully relax but I also really enjoy learning and want to add more to my CV. I feel after doing quite a few different creative learning related things over thee past few weeks I'm now in a position to share my experiences and give advice on the good things I've found. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1. Create a vision board, this is a really fun and creative way to look at how you would like your future to be in terms of work. You can do this by printing images from the internet or using newspaper cuttings and gluing them onto card. Or like me you can do this on Pinterest. (Also remember with Pinterest you can create secret boards so no one else has to see them) When you have day's you're not feeling so inspired go back over and look at your vision board to get that boost of motivation again. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2. Four weeks ago I joined Grow and Glow, which is a platform to help bloggers/small businesses grow their online channels. (Check the website out <a href="https://growglow.co/" target="_blank">here</a>.) I can honestly say without Grow and Glow I wouldn't have been about to do 1/4 of the things I've now done for my blog over the last month. Grow and Glow have different bundles/courses you can work your way through. So far I've upped my Pinterest game, really narrowed down my niche, worked on my SEO the thing we all love to hate and put off doing for ages yet it's so important. You pay a monthly fee of £15 which is 100% worth it. Think of it as one less London priced cocktail a week once things go back to normal. Once you join you also have access to their Facebook group where you can ask other members questions and advice. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My blog/instagram channels have always come up in interviews and it's something that employees are so interested in when you apply for a creative job. Creativity is something that you are so passion about outside of your work life so it's good to show extra dedication and things you do on the side. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
3. <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/" target="_blank">BoF</a>, I had access to some amazing websites during my university days at London College of Fashion. But once I left and no longer had access myself through university I didn't join any membership programs. However after a recommendation from my friend at work about BoF. I decided to join. It's free for the first month then £33 a month after that and you can cancel at any point. You can check the website out <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. Monday-Friday BoF have live talks via Zoom with industry experts which has been really interesting. I think it's super important not just now but all the time to keep up to date with industry news again something that will make you stand out at an interview as you will have more to talk about. They also have so many articles and reports on what's going on right now and changes within the beauty/fashion industry. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
4. Do an online course, I'm currently doing a course on BoF called build your dream career. They have 6 courses on BoF the others include styling, merchandising/buying, marketing, history of fashion and building a brand. If you are not sure if you would like a career in fashion and haven't yet been to university or want to change you career path this would be ideal for you to get a taster as to what some jobs would be like. Also I think it's so important to remember that whatever your job title is, it would look so good to have some knowledge on other key areas in your industry. As all departments have to work together and you will do a better job working with the marketing department for example if you're a stylist if you have a good understanding of marketing. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
5. Download skills share, (the first two months are free at the moment then it is £7 a month after that check the website out <a href="https://www.skillshare.com/home?via=header" target="_blank">here</a>.) This is something that I have only just discovered and think everyone should be apart of a the moment. Skill share has 100s of online lessons about a whole range of different creative topics. I've completed the lesson with Emma Gannon called unlocking your potential. Emma talks through 5 exercises to build creative confidence. The thing I found most helpful was identifying your patterns looking at a 24 hour period and what makes you feel motivated and what doesn't. It is particularly important when working in the creative industry or any in fact to take a step back from time to time and look at how you're working and if this is benefitting you. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I hope you enjoyed this post, and please leave a comment if you have any other tips/advice! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thanks, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Nicole</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xx</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-56626418042819887092020-05-06T15:27:00.001+01:002020-05-06T16:03:16.260+01:00Five Reasons You Should Shop At Independent Brands<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRypqObunbdLw3rAeGjHHUmyi4d6EyzyL6TtC5ag6JIiA2SsucFIyex1W5u_UXMN8RRW-yK2dOOJiVCj_BtfjNCx_7tUZZE69KHKlCN5sY2dxrJOb8MSPFW6w1phv8TzYmPqfVUUhfVk/s1600/DARLA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Five reasons you should shop at independent brands fashion bloggers" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRypqObunbdLw3rAeGjHHUmyi4d6EyzyL6TtC5ag6JIiA2SsucFIyex1W5u_UXMN8RRW-yK2dOOJiVCj_BtfjNCx_7tUZZE69KHKlCN5sY2dxrJOb8MSPFW6w1phv8TzYmPqfVUUhfVk/s1600/DARLA.jpg" title="Five reasons you should shop at independent brands " /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I love independent fashion brands, one of my favourites being <a href="https://www.instagram.com/studio.darla/" target="_blank">Darla</a>. Run by my close friend <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amyblooms/" target="_blank">Amy</a>. Independent brands offer some unique differences that separates them from big high street names. So for today's post I'm talking about 5 reasons you should shop with Independent brands. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1. You get a real personal shopping experience, you get to know the person behind the brand and they get to know you. I think this all comes down to most independent brands having a real niche with their products that most of their customers will love. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2. Leading on from this you get to build a relationship with the owner, they are likely to be the one who writes the newsletters and publish posts on social media. So if you have question you are likely to get a response from the owner themselves. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
3. You will find a lot of independent brands ask their customers what they would like to see more of and what trends/designs you are loving at the moment. As their target audience is smaller than the big high street brands your ideas are more than likely to be taken on board when putting together new collections. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
4. Designs have more originality and individuality. The downfall of big high street brands is that so many products look similar across multiple stores, however independents tend to have a different offering. Meaning that you don't have to worry about turning up to an event wearing the same/similar outfit to everyone else. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
5. They can focus on being more environmentally friendly, because they are producing their products on a much smaller scale than high street stores. You will tend to find that most independents try to work with recycled material or if not they will just buy enough material for the amount of products being made. This reduces the amount of waste. Also brands can be a lot more transparence about the history and making behind the clothes. Information that big high street brands either won't or can't offer their customers. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As I've said before Darla is one of my favourite brands and I've had the opportunity to work with Darla on a number of occasions over the years. Including styling for their latest photoshoot (all of the images included in this post.) </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHWe5HNaTdc-BZ_PK2JoQ29Y_ABKxp4BWAZohFssR1zG5C_UmT76dX2zslI1XwczGI6EvAxJT4j1HFLd3WIUaDG8Or_OqV4SsLBaFpzRwLrObN19EAne2AKM_0fOm5CSzYdObgw-3hL0/s1600/DARLA2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Five reasons you should shop at independent brands fashion bloggers" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHWe5HNaTdc-BZ_PK2JoQ29Y_ABKxp4BWAZohFssR1zG5C_UmT76dX2zslI1XwczGI6EvAxJT4j1HFLd3WIUaDG8Or_OqV4SsLBaFpzRwLrObN19EAne2AKM_0fOm5CSzYdObgw-3hL0/s1600/DARLA2.jpg" title="Five reasons you should shop at independent brands " /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #272727; letter-spacing: 1px; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">'Darla is a lifestyle and womenswear label. Combining timeless silhouettes with modern fabrics and thoughtful details, our brand was made for creative everyday styling</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #272727; letter-spacing: 1px; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Darla offers a playful and free-spirited range of clothing taking inspiration from around the globe while also promoting ethical and sustainable practises throughout our making process.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #272727; letter-spacing: 1px; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Designed for muses, romantics and starry-eyed daydreamers; at Darla you can shop our namesake collection along with independent brands, accessories, vintage and reworked clothing.'</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px;">
I love how all of the Darla items are so versatile and you can style them all year round. Most of the designs are made in house and Amy is always asking her customers what they would like to see next, meaning they can get involved in the brand. All pictures from this post are from Darla and you can check out the website <a href="https://www.studiodarla.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBCdZdx8dvgo6vn6tDMijQ5Q_5BPbBnBA0NmpCC9V5nlqHA3gZ9TzxBRW7VXRijcY5Vq8iawHezRJUK42rD_nEKb64T_by5263RZu457d_kDvcS4vkwGRFYwBbprbVRod84yPWc9P6p4/s1600/DARLA4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Five reasons you should shop at independent brands fashion bloggers" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBCdZdx8dvgo6vn6tDMijQ5Q_5BPbBnBA0NmpCC9V5nlqHA3gZ9TzxBRW7VXRijcY5Vq8iawHezRJUK42rD_nEKb64T_by5263RZu457d_kDvcS4vkwGRFYwBbprbVRod84yPWc9P6p4/s1600/DARLA4.jpg" title="Five reasons you should shop at independent brands " /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoyed this post, I would love to know who your favourite independent brands are?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px;">
Thanks, </div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px;">
Nicole </div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px;">
xx</div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-5023995006310910272020-05-03T07:00:00.000+01:002020-05-07T16:10:58.507+01:0020 Positive Quotes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1s9raZ-TeFjYxGOzb0rbzkOsFdX1E46vY1QkTwoY7ZkGshhWRPtHlG7j3-wR9JFQ8WLx28aGau81mo1XzYykvzuAG7mFlDEhBxwCyi_nz27DvxsjtObf5L_5ObN89afXXOLqcyZhGVs/s1600/POSTITIVE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1s9raZ-TeFjYxGOzb0rbzkOsFdX1E46vY1QkTwoY7ZkGshhWRPtHlG7j3-wR9JFQ8WLx28aGau81mo1XzYykvzuAG7mFlDEhBxwCyi_nz27DvxsjtObf5L_5ObN89afXXOLqcyZhGVs/s1600/POSTITIVE.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I love positive quotes it's amazing how a few words can really lift your mood and change your whole mindset. After I published my interview blog post with Mary-Anne <a href="http://www.nicolecoltman.com/2020/04/interview-with-mary-anne.html" target="_blank">here</a>, (all about HeartyNotes) I decided to ask my followers over on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nicolecoltman/" target="_blank">instagram</a> what their favourite quotes are. So here they are along with some of my favourites added to the mix. This could be a good post to screenshoot on your phone and look back over every now and again when you need to see some positive words.<br />
<br />
1. It's impossible to feel bad if you think good thoughts<br />
2. I am in charge of how I feel today and today I choose happiness<br />
3. Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud<br />
4. Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire<br />
5. Strive for progress not perfection<br />
6. Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations<br />
7. Your mind is your only limit<br />
8. Happiness often sneaks through doors you didn't know you left open<br />
9. Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change<br />
10. Don't compare yourself to others. There is no comparison between the Sun and Moon they shine when it is their own time<br />
11. Today I will not stress over things I can not control<br />
12. Be a pineapple; stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside<br />
13. She needed a hero, so a hero is what she became<br />
14. Be yourself, everyone else is taken<br />
15. Real Queen's fix each others crowns<br />
16. It's ok if the only thing you did today was breath<br />
17. You are so much stronger than you think<br />
18. There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy<br />
19. Somewhere there is a past you looking over with so much pride at how far you have come<br />
20. Spread love and kindness<br />
<br />
Hope you are all having a lovely weekend! I'd love to know what your favourite quote is, let me know in the comments below. You can also check out my positive words board on Pinterest <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/nicolecoltmanblog/wise-words/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Love<br />
Nicole<br />
xxNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-86318266799531072092020-04-29T07:00:00.000+01:002020-04-29T09:41:38.018+01:00Four Friends Tell Me Their Favourite Places To Shop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsIoafm1YAAIa9mZMQFf_y5FFGt3gv76PUUDg12sAveIz9Z4WGUaBykSt5y9sxNyeAgoyI3h-Ch6j-NpDctGdtuUC-o6ND_fqNfcmVuvMaNBpaPDXo9RS91BuNa5YxCDEOM1MZoBKwsY/s1600/ACS_0045.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsIoafm1YAAIa9mZMQFf_y5FFGt3gv76PUUDg12sAveIz9Z4WGUaBykSt5y9sxNyeAgoyI3h-Ch6j-NpDctGdtuUC-o6ND_fqNfcmVuvMaNBpaPDXo9RS91BuNa5YxCDEOM1MZoBKwsY/s1600/ACS_0045.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nicole</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For today's post I've got 4 of my girlfriends involved. I thought it would be fun to hear from them where their favourite places are to go shopping! To start off I'll chat a little bit about mine then scroll down to see some of my lovely friends. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'I love Topshop, I think it was one of the first places I shopped in when I could finally fit into <i>adult </i>clothes. Topshop offer an amazing range of fashion focused pieces but also some more classic pieces that will last in your wardrobe for a really long time. Last year they had some fab prints on offer and I brought quite a few of them...but they are all such good quality that I will continue to wear them this year. My favourite classic piece has to be my leather look jacket. I've had a couple now but both have lasted a super long time.' </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUGm2xDR1XJBnUZHp4XmBgpIpeYj8LwPLURK7oDXXfJ1d0QixwqgBLfAnenQlqGFqEp1TP6VwVjvUBBxdNxQLKMzhwBIkFO47Zjurwzjl_VR7X9USjYX7WBYdyQff2Gs2R3TIo7JF-cg/s1600/VIC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUGm2xDR1XJBnUZHp4XmBgpIpeYj8LwPLURK7oDXXfJ1d0QixwqgBLfAnenQlqGFqEp1TP6VwVjvUBBxdNxQLKMzhwBIkFO47Zjurwzjl_VR7X9USjYX7WBYdyQff2Gs2R3TIo7JF-cg/s1600/VIC.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Victoria</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
'I have always been a lover of Zara and enjoy browsing the new in section of their website and in store. I think their clothes can look expensive and effortless whilst still being affordable. I have a lot of key pieces from Zara that don't date and are staples for my wardrobe. Smart black dresses, winter coats, lightweight summer dresses and blouses are just a few of the bits that I've had in my wardrobe for a while. I also love their more fashionable clothing and love looking through Instagram and Pinterest to see how people have styled them!'</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnw59vLi4YAAhlD4WVKbk4euRfFe5E4CTC-ANzRsY9vctbx1rYiBi3rMWih5N70rYapX605ZJ-Qze_QDLSmOx1dKJEFGkfWYEslCjD9j5Oh_w1e1u35CgEI7fApW7-uyZSciIgE8WS5g/s1600/MADDI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnw59vLi4YAAhlD4WVKbk4euRfFe5E4CTC-ANzRsY9vctbx1rYiBi3rMWih5N70rYapX605ZJ-Qze_QDLSmOx1dKJEFGkfWYEslCjD9j5Oh_w1e1u35CgEI7fApW7-uyZSciIgE8WS5g/s1600/MADDI.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maddi</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;">'I LOVE to do my shopping at H&M. Mainly because I love how sustainable their clothing is and how quirky their clothing can be whilst staying in-line with trends. I’m a sucker for a unique pattern and I think H&M nail this, whilst not breaking my bank account, bonus!'</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcBkDYBg4P7G82ClraGlPfs5QrZlM8NBPzJxdU4msagRpXrndQTp80GlNnNg6YKPE6yGB6Xhjy04PbpqbASELYFoSFFjQVXtkLXSJqiekP74aeama1GNyz8ZTAi5Z_UOTJQ6eNA3eYW0/s1600/CHAR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcBkDYBg4P7G82ClraGlPfs5QrZlM8NBPzJxdU4msagRpXrndQTp80GlNnNg6YKPE6yGB6Xhjy04PbpqbASELYFoSFFjQVXtkLXSJqiekP74aeama1GNyz8ZTAi5Z_UOTJQ6eNA3eYW0/s1600/CHAR.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Charlotte </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white;">I wouldn't necessarily say I have a favourite shop overall but rather a favourite go-to for particular pieces. For example, I love the wide selection of jeans that brands such as Topshop and River Island offer all body types as being pretty tall (5'9"), it's hard to find the perfect outfit staple in the right length for me. If I want to add a little edge to my style but still want to keep it casual, Zara have some cute options that really make an outfit stand out. I love how quick they are to keep up with the current trends and you can pay a lot less for something that looks a lot more expensive. For casual sweatshirts and jersey pieces, I like to shop in Urban Outfitters. Although I find that they are on the pricier side, when I have a little more money to spend on the basics it's a nice </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">treat. And I'm all about treating yourself. </span><br />
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLmwNh6-ntlKkX10Au8V5AB7PAwcMa7BsM10anyqd3ltFISgMODrSWIa-i1ajTqQ4UdWiW1jP4PrAU90YxKt_Dm1phWis88vJB5YZPWnb7_AU9OdPiO41aFnxFo1NnsdMhFrE8e2pzVo/s1600/LANA2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLmwNh6-ntlKkX10Au8V5AB7PAwcMa7BsM10anyqd3ltFISgMODrSWIa-i1ajTqQ4UdWiW1jP4PrAU90YxKt_Dm1phWis88vJB5YZPWnb7_AU9OdPiO41aFnxFo1NnsdMhFrE8e2pzVo/s1600/LANA2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Lana </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'At the moment I'm loving online boutiques like Never Fully Dressed and NastyGal, to find items at great prices. I've shopped with NFD for may years now and still love the pieces I bought from them years ago - they're definitely worth investing in, but have great sales too! I also enjoy shops like Mint Velvet and White company for quality key pieces which will last a long time; and Anthropologie for unique and quirky dresses! A mix of high street and high end goes a long way - I try to be sustainable with fashion; if I need to purchase items which I know will only last a season I do so from more budget friendly chains and once they have served their purpose the clothes either get sold at our local car boot sales or go to charity shops.'</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I had a lot of fun putting together this post, thanks to my lovely girlfriends for their help! I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Let me know in the comments you're favourite places to shop. You can read all my latest fashion posts <a href="http://www.nicolecoltman.com/search/label/fashion" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Love</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Nicole</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">xx</span></span>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-63534992155516917672020-04-26T14:17:00.003+01:002020-04-29T09:41:30.320+01:00Interview with Zoe Louise - Personal Trainer <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpREOohJHYgw2lT4qMPJTb0FBHthHd-F5XUPQ-LXL60SH5ZNJ5nTPpoBTyFbi4-Ki6rByuzJ3bewUQvcfL9B2yB47cPnxSeM1WiVm-P3jEX5nv1PpKGZNYgznV0UCON5yXkGABI1J5wBg/s1600/ZOE2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpREOohJHYgw2lT4qMPJTb0FBHthHd-F5XUPQ-LXL60SH5ZNJ5nTPpoBTyFbi4-Ki6rByuzJ3bewUQvcfL9B2yB47cPnxSeM1WiVm-P3jEX5nv1PpKGZNYgznV0UCON5yXkGABI1J5wBg/s1600/ZOE2.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_60-1d6ZEe2Wevq_au3G_UaPgHuZbebSim95jIPNUBuHRlqkS9VbPvBuQaZGcqKC1KvXJ1owxZzmfDsS7yOqiD1_OlOHOesjij3NBSxF1LmyUoU0BIaEFlnqFo40c1GR6IZVJrsYAuvY/s1600/ZOE3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1426" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_60-1d6ZEe2Wevq_au3G_UaPgHuZbebSim95jIPNUBuHRlqkS9VbPvBuQaZGcqKC1KvXJ1owxZzmfDsS7yOqiD1_OlOHOesjij3NBSxF1LmyUoU0BIaEFlnqFo40c1GR6IZVJrsYAuvY/s1600/ZOE3.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-size-adjust: auto;">Zoe is a personal trainer and dancer who brings so much energy to life! I met her back in October when I first started going to Kobox classes. After a long time of not doing any fitness, I really got into boxing classes. I think the main thing that keeps me going when I really want to stop is the positive vibes and great music. I know that Zoe is the perfect person to interview about fitness as she has made me love it. And it's so true what they say you never regret doing a workout. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><b>1. Hey Zoe, can you tell us a little bit about your fitness journey and how you got into it?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">I've been into sports since I was a kid growing up I had lots of hobbies but my two passions were horses and dancing which took over my life!! At 18 I went off to dance college so originally started my career as dancer! I've been dancing professionally for 14 years, then about 4 years ago I really got into fitness and decided I wanted to go down the fitness trainer route. I also found a love of boxing and 10 months ago I became a Kobox instructor. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<br />
<div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Do you have a structure to your day now we are in isolation, if so what is it?</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes I need structure! So the night before I write down or make a schedule of all the things I want to achieve the next day it really helps to keep me on track, also I get dressed every morning I find sitting in my pjs doesn't motivate me to get the ball rolling! I try to workout early so I'm ready for the day and it makes me feel better. Afternoons are more for learning something new or doing something I've wanted to do and not got round to! </span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-size-adjust: auto;"><b>3. How do you keep motivated on the days you don't feel like working out? Although we all have so much time at the moment, I know it can sometimes still be a struggle for people to workout.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-size-adjust: auto;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I try to be as motivated as I can, having set days to workout can help as you then have your workout days and your rest days also every workout counts if it's not as long as you would have liked it to be it still makes a difference, don't beat yourself up if you're not feeling it just do what you can. There are days I just don't feel like it and rather than force myself I just have a down day. We all have them and it's ok to not be motivated all of the time!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-size-adjust: auto;"><b>4. What are your top tips for beginners who are wanting to get into exercise? </b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-size-adjust: auto;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So for people just getting into exercise it can be intimidating I think the key is to choose something you enjoy whether it be yoga, dance, boxing, cycling, skipping or HIIT, if you enjoy it you're more likely to want to do it!! Also start small even it it's just 5 minutes it will change the way you feel and your mindset. Start off with one press-up or one squat or 5 minutes of your favourite exercise then add on every day before you know it you'll be at 20 minute. Lastly finding a trainer that you like and that inspires and motivates you during your workout can really help you to achieve way more than you thought was possible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Where can we find your fitness videos?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can find my workouts on my </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zoe1louise/" target="_blank">@zoe1louise</a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-size-adjust: auto;"></span>
<br />
<div class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Youtube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/zoe1louise" target="_blank">user/zoe1louise</a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"></span>
<br />
<div class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And real-time videos and live workouts on Move Home Studio <a href="https://www.movehomestudio.com/" target="_blank">here</a> on here you can rent my videos for 72 hours or buy them so you have them for life or pay a monthly subscription and then you will get all videos and live workouts included. </span></span><br />
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>6. I'll be asking everyone this question. What one piece of advice would you give to remain positive?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Write down all the things you're grateful for or that are good at the moment it'll make you smile and remember nothing lasts forever it may seem like this is a dark cloud but it will pass and when we come out of it it's going to be amazing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><br /></span>I hope you love this interview as much as I do! You can read my last interview with Hayley all about The Kindness Foundation <a href="http://www.nicolecoltman.com/2020/04/interview-with-hayley-kindness.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a lovely day </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nicole</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">xx</span></div>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-43049337364785542872020-04-22T16:26:00.000+01:002020-04-23T15:44:30.873+01:00Five ways to add colour to your outfit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTy6TZdLLoTuGxZ4tCSnZjcR_qW4hEVI41UdiVVR1UjxKPbg4qosZRs39DjWUcZhkeCvmFpv2MZothnIEkQIlbdHu7FJwN4z1eC_LxkoY_gw2BBaXwWOmO50Naj1-fklDzq3tngcWqfg/s1600/67402333_523296868489058_4526885080328568832_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTy6TZdLLoTuGxZ4tCSnZjcR_qW4hEVI41UdiVVR1UjxKPbg4qosZRs39DjWUcZhkeCvmFpv2MZothnIEkQIlbdHu7FJwN4z1eC_LxkoY_gw2BBaXwWOmO50Naj1-fklDzq3tngcWqfg/s1600/67402333_523296868489058_4526885080328568832_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl_kUY4tedocg59ixPMKF-qrkjQKJZaFMKPVIZ9AIT3Pt6LQwj5dlm_z0gxYrEivWg1ZEk-folaXzBCCyDfs0zg442_nZxhwzU51yZsPNYSvxEU1qmEe6jaRDC24fW1oj_vtAQ1NLGns/s1600/Nicole-0819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl_kUY4tedocg59ixPMKF-qrkjQKJZaFMKPVIZ9AIT3Pt6LQwj5dlm_z0gxYrEivWg1ZEk-folaXzBCCyDfs0zg442_nZxhwzU51yZsPNYSvxEU1qmEe6jaRDC24fW1oj_vtAQ1NLGns/s1600/Nicole-0819.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqpHCSHOE3K0uuZAYc6lrbm5IWSHuXcME6ZTT3_GRD3gpG-BfW5STPYY8lBi26WNzkunld1tRGpw7Ni1aRcCLZT06i-55iwxrXK4_UtkrGqbdTxEFsKZ3BGxHYT-RmFh3ckufU7sx5hM/s1600/67741837_425133598211973_3524369357582893056_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqpHCSHOE3K0uuZAYc6lrbm5IWSHuXcME6ZTT3_GRD3gpG-BfW5STPYY8lBi26WNzkunld1tRGpw7Ni1aRcCLZT06i-55iwxrXK4_UtkrGqbdTxEFsKZ3BGxHYT-RmFh3ckufU7sx5hM/s1600/67741837_425133598211973_3524369357582893056_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzE6DGt1Dkgn91JiuwqrwjlHa-XAxlBLmxbGsfMW9tYVcTe_VnxbJ9UGvNl_964wnKbYtnuJdHvgbvGysRXN5EgycHVkEkMozFRo1b9VPB8t9iELZP5-saMrp3n7zxPBYMyhHoBVd_hEo/s1600/93875338_247518379630985_281801179476787200_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzE6DGt1Dkgn91JiuwqrwjlHa-XAxlBLmxbGsfMW9tYVcTe_VnxbJ9UGvNl_964wnKbYtnuJdHvgbvGysRXN5EgycHVkEkMozFRo1b9VPB8t9iELZP5-saMrp3n7zxPBYMyhHoBVd_hEo/s1600/93875338_247518379630985_281801179476787200_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>'The best colour in the whole world is one that looks good on you.'- CoCo Channel</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you know me well you will know I love wearing colour. Colour brings me joy and happiness if I wake up in a bad mood adding colour to my outfit makes me feel so much better. Here are my 5 top tips on how to add colour to your outfit. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>1. Bags </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Bags are probably the easiest thing to start with if you do not normally add much colour to your outfits. I have <i>many </i>bright coloured bags and it's surprising how many outfits they go with. If your buying your first coloured bag I'd opt for something like blue (the one above is from Aspinal of London) this will go with denim which most people have in their wardrobe. And you will find something like blue will also go with most other colours so you will get loads of wear out of it. I think people shy away from bright coloured bags and stick with more neutral tones because they are worried they will not get much wear out of them. So before you buy a bright coloured bag think about what you already have you in wardrobe that will go with it. You will probably be surprised just how many things you can wear it with. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>2. Use Monochrome colours as a base </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
People tend to overthink things when when trying out new styles, which is totally normal. If you get the <i>base </i>of your outfit sorted then you can work around that. Pretty much any colour will go with a white or black base. And if you don't already have much colour in your wardrobe you are bound to have a plain white or black tee. Add a basic tee with a pair of denim jeans (again another item most of us have in our wardrobes.) Then try mixing things up with a blazer, you do not have to go as bright as the pink one in my photo above, you can start off with a lighter colour that isn't so bold. But this style is super easy to put together and a blazer can completely transform your whole outfit. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>3. Patterns </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I <i>love </i>patterns and one of the best is florals, simply because they will always be on trend season after season. And they are available in most shops, I actually got the one above in a local charity shop. (I can do another post on second hand shopping if anyone is interested?) You can also find patterns that have the base of monochrome colours which can be easier to wear if you don't normally wear many patterns. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>4. Layering </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I love layering and a light weight jacket is the perfect way to add layers to your outfit during Spring/Summer. I got the above denim jacket from Ebay but it was originally from Topshop, but again it is another item that is sold in most high street stores. Adding a layer which is a more neutral colour against a brighter one will help to introduce more colour into your wardrobe if you do not feel very confident wearing colours as it adds a balance between the two. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>5. Make-Up</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I couldn't write this post without talking about make-up. Something I've always loved to wear is bright lipstick. I hear so many people say that they are worried that bright lipstick will not suit them. I think the perfect way to become more confident wearing bright lipstick is to simply buy one. (Maybe from a high street brand to start off with so you're not spending too much money if you do not like it.) Then wear it at home first so you get used to wearing it, then maybe style a bright lip with a really simple outfit when you feel more confident to wear it out of the house. A bold lip will completely brighten up your whole face. I love the Sephora liquid lipsticks because you do not need to top it up too often and you can go all day without worrying about it smudging. (I've tested them out a millions times after eating food etc so you can trust me!) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But most importantly have fun with it and do not worry about what other people think. That's the most important thing with clothes. And if someone doesn't like your outfit who cares as there will be many people who will love it! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hope you enjoyed this post. You may enjoy post about 5 tips for Spring Cleaning Your Wardrobe <a href="http://www.nicolecoltman.com/2020/04/5-tips-for-spring-cleaning-your-wardobe.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Love</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nicole </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
xx </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div data-sc-widget-id="EL-5e9740823731d80c9f7b833e">
</div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-15727731162463274272020-04-19T09:48:00.000+01:002020-04-19T09:48:12.696+01:00Interview with Hayley - The Kindness Foundation<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNxge61eVk-oOSlFHHl2TGGrLnHbfMvyl6TcbHaqFT33QNEIQYXjj_MQjCDIAJX-TuhjsyMCoCcQzklUbaCve6bXacf4ANs_DgR-6mXjo-HrGdkmSdNmPPsjZXySqmKLI1JVMzgaFadc/s1600/BLOG1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNxge61eVk-oOSlFHHl2TGGrLnHbfMvyl6TcbHaqFT33QNEIQYXjj_MQjCDIAJX-TuhjsyMCoCcQzklUbaCve6bXacf4ANs_DgR-6mXjo-HrGdkmSdNmPPsjZXySqmKLI1JVMzgaFadc/s1600/BLOG1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvaqboa7nXcD8wTwTWECF4XR7oXeXE5kvqQZf4wsxdhVHzzc5hdWF-ZtkTEtoHbn9i5Z9ngxrsN9Z23gnxatWMsC0XSb-5gW4teke6ka9aaA7icr-dxmrqlgLjNdPzBBu4oTurRJHmg0/s1600/BLOG2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvaqboa7nXcD8wTwTWECF4XR7oXeXE5kvqQZf4wsxdhVHzzc5hdWF-ZtkTEtoHbn9i5Z9ngxrsN9Z23gnxatWMsC0XSb-5gW4teke6ka9aaA7icr-dxmrqlgLjNdPzBBu4oTurRJHmg0/s1600/BLOG2.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnv6XvntVjJsFvV9dQnP2zmyuoJzIZfvP3F3z89FGp9FE_HcWEULRRHrTJ8Ma_9rh9sN_17LnTaoxGnUn_axqtNIsL3f2qIBSQolkWVcyuzenyfbMjcWiLjK8_yqFl3zC8dqFgokYoPY/s1600/BLOG3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnv6XvntVjJsFvV9dQnP2zmyuoJzIZfvP3F3z89FGp9FE_HcWEULRRHrTJ8Ma_9rh9sN_17LnTaoxGnUn_axqtNIsL3f2qIBSQolkWVcyuzenyfbMjcWiLjK8_yqFl3zC8dqFgokYoPY/s1600/BLOG3.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/frockmeimfamous/" target="_blank">Hayley</a> is a travel and style blogger behind <a href="http://www.frockmeimfamous.com/" target="_blank">Frock Me I'm Famous</a> and has set up a non-profit charity, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thekindnessfoundation/" target="_blank">The Kindness Foundation</a> to donate clothes and products from herself, bloggers to those in need. With the aim to spread more kindness! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b><span style="background-color: white;">1. </span>Firstly thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. Can you tell us a little bit about The Kindness Foundation and how it all started? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I set up #ShareThisChristmas nearly five years ago, a campaign to help people in need. As a blogger I've seen first hand the amount of samples and lovely products we receive, I also knew that I didn't need them, so I started to put items to one side and build up a collection to donate. I then decided to reach out to PR's that I had built a relationship with over the last 6 years, to see if they had any spare products they could donate, I didn't really have any expectations but was absolutely blown away when boxes of products started arriving (safe to say my mum wasn't overly thrilled haha). I bagged everything up into Christmas sacks and donated them to my local Women's refuges, Age UK, Little Havens and homeless shelter. This Christmas just gone, I was thinking about how I'd like to develop my #ShareThisChristmas campaign, the main way being that I didn't want to only help people at Christmas, but year round too - which led me to set up The Kindness Foundation!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>2. What can readers do if they would like to get involved in the charity? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">There are a couple of ways that I'd love readers support with The Kindness Foundation! The first being to follow us on social media (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thekindnessfoundation/" target="_blank">@TheKindnessFoundation</a>), the more people I can reach, the more people in turn I can help! If anyone knows of any PR's that are in the position to donate products that would be wonderful; or of any charities / causes that they'd like to put forward for donations then I'd love to hear! I've mostly helped people in the surrounding areas to where I live, but I'd love to branch out and help more! :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>3. Do you have any exciting future plans for The Kindness Foundation? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The one goal I really have is just to help as many people as I can, so I'd love to continue to raise awareness, and grow to help more people in need!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>4. I'm sure most people reading my blog love fashion/beauty products and we all are guilty of over indulging in it at times. I know I own more things that I need. What tip would you give for being able to enjoy these things but also having the right balance and not buying too much? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I think it's about knowing what you need / will use! I've kindly been gifted fashion and beauty products in the past that I couldn't keep due to storage or knowing I'd never get through them, so I started passing them onto friends and family members once I'd written about them. That's where the idea for #ShareThisChristmas came from! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>5. What's the been the best thing about running your Christmas campaigns over the last four years?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Knowing that I'm helping people is the best gift at Christmas! I know that giving people presents won't change someone's life, but if it puts a smile on their faces or let them know that people care for them, then that's what I do it for, to help those in need - you really can't put a price on that feeling!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>6. I'll be asking everyone this question. What piece of advice would you give to remain positive? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Trying to keep my days as normal as possible! Get up, shower, get dressed and pop some makeup on (it makes me feel like I'm ready for the day!). I'm using this time to work on myself, read more, do some yoga, learn the piano - I really want to look back on this time and say that I've learnt something / done something productive, so I'm setting myself one task a day, something that will make me happy and just focusing on that. Take each day at a time and don't put too much pressure on yourself - if you're having a bad day, just feel it and know that tomorrow is a new day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefIIeLk9OG8XorlQ-5M1EjeJEqSaIX-tbO6mK_34WpCKO7e7fSxXxs2Cn_Fak8BhcqIGYDVo_afFshLCaqao2YNOlr8Tr2CIf3QE5JEbvPTob9Jk2F5TN91J9qM7eDDEvPlTYhQvBvNI/s1600/BLOG4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="828" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefIIeLk9OG8XorlQ-5M1EjeJEqSaIX-tbO6mK_34WpCKO7e7fSxXxs2Cn_Fak8BhcqIGYDVo_afFshLCaqao2YNOlr8Tr2CIf3QE5JEbvPTob9Jk2F5TN91J9qM7eDDEvPlTYhQvBvNI/s320/BLOG4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I hope you love this interview as much as I do! Come back next Sunday for the next one and you can read my last interview with Mary-Anne creator of HeartyNotes <a href="http://www.nicolecoltman.com/2020/04/interview-with-mary-anne.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a lovely day </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nicole</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">xx</span>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-54887648322438877902020-04-15T14:31:00.000+01:002020-04-23T15:45:02.016+01:00Five Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Wardobe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIh067RP8GMWVqS_3aVzcc1rQEjbaFz8XSN4-RXNmWl0cWos7Nv3aY4j_IQK26KHKjx0o3lRkFt_or0i6x4VnvYNJxkaCZJoJx6OXLR3ZlhZonboY-m22P0pXGQ0pJQ3b-1dHUdeF8rg/s1600/67268213_855386841521163_1087320839847673856_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="5 blogger tips on spring cleaning your wardrobe" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIh067RP8GMWVqS_3aVzcc1rQEjbaFz8XSN4-RXNmWl0cWos7Nv3aY4j_IQK26KHKjx0o3lRkFt_or0i6x4VnvYNJxkaCZJoJx6OXLR3ZlhZonboY-m22P0pXGQ0pJQ3b-1dHUdeF8rg/s1600/67268213_855386841521163_1087320839847673856_n.jpg" title="Tips for Spring cleaning your wardrobe " /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Opening up your wardrobe should be like arriving at a really good party where everyone you see is someone you like. - Amy Collins</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I don't know about you but I always feel a million times better about my life after a good wardrobe clear out. I tend to do this twice a year at the start of Spring and the start of Autumn. I've got pretty good at it now so wanted to share my 5 top tips. So put aside a couple of hours, listen to some of your favourite music and get ready to spring clean your wardrobe!<br />
<br />
<b>1. Take Everything Out And Lay It All On Your Bed</b><br />
<br />
This makes you go through every item in your wardrobe and just makes the whole process generally a lot easier.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>2. 'Does This Bring Me Joy.'</b><br />
<br />
I love Marie Kondo's advice, to look at each item of clothing and ask yourself 'does this bring me joy' and if the answer is no then don't keep it! You could also ask yourself another question if you saw that item in the shops now would you buy it? Again if the answer is no then don't keep it. Then with these unwanted clothes make a pile to go to the charity shop or give to friends because what you may no longer love someone else will.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>3. What Is Your Wardrobe Now Missing</b><br />
<br />
This is the perfect time to take note of what you're missing in your wardrobe. I'm sure you have all purchased clothes before that are very similar/nearly identical to those that you already own. To avoid this wastefulness (both money and environmental wise) look at what it is you need/would like that will enhance the wardrobe you already have. This will help you going forwards when shopping to ensure you are making the right purchases.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Put Away Last Seasons Clothes </b><br />
<br />
To create more space in your wardrobe and to stop it from being over crowded take out all of your clothes from the pervious season. So for now take out any Autumn/Winter clothes and store these somewhere else. I've never used vacuum bags before but I've heard they are pretty good. At the moment I store my clothes in suitcases<br />
<br />
<b>5. Organise Into Colour or Item Category </b><br />
<br />
When putting clothes back into your wardrobe make sure they go back in some sort of order. I find the best way to do this is by colour. I find this is the easiest way to find the clothes I want to wear in the mornings. I'm very much drawn to colours when it comes to clothes so this is perfect for me. However you could also organise your clothes by item category so putting all of your t-shirts, dresses and jeans together etc.<br />
<br />
I hope you enjoyed this post!<br />
<br />
Love<br />
Nicole<br />
xx<br />
<br />
SHOP THIS LOOK<br />
<br />
<div data-sc-widget-id="EL-5e988773c09dd0108e613ef7">
</div>
<script async="" src="//widgets.shopstyle.com/shopstyle-widget-snippet.js"></script>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-24356584682936200672020-04-12T09:00:00.000+01:002020-04-17T14:22:58.597+01:00Interview With Mary-Anne - HeartyNotes<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3uWveu99RFgQCXchp8HJOjybH537f7wmmx6U0Zelqnj4JaWvS3FDS48BPeZTJzH2KkVBpqpW_-wI1AMe8PcWAYGXP6s1M49_LBsLw6MO5mugFI-CeJWu-33xXrF0ozOcWhnrxeNXFwI/s1600/92552347_1908339359299948_3773051159476961280_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="827" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3uWveu99RFgQCXchp8HJOjybH537f7wmmx6U0Zelqnj4JaWvS3FDS48BPeZTJzH2KkVBpqpW_-wI1AMe8PcWAYGXP6s1M49_LBsLw6MO5mugFI-CeJWu-33xXrF0ozOcWhnrxeNXFwI/s1600/92552347_1908339359299948_3773051159476961280_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQiUor1W2Hsmp-KtwUDHfnujyx0zX4OxIX6RtAU_UPWN5baMCCF-dDWmYZ1LudDd-jqO3zefQQpQgGZIAgAXoNbRNR97IiAwEVcSFk0v2_JOpBBz2BGj4Xo1r7KUAweodmyQ3OSLkgME/s1600/92550849_672709616872864_5739060275873579008_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQiUor1W2Hsmp-KtwUDHfnujyx0zX4OxIX6RtAU_UPWN5baMCCF-dDWmYZ1LudDd-jqO3zefQQpQgGZIAgAXoNbRNR97IiAwEVcSFk0v2_JOpBBz2BGj4Xo1r7KUAweodmyQ3OSLkgME/s1600/92550849_672709616872864_5739060275873579008_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5Xa_Qc3khILcx6FIapQ4X-M5VkomeFb7bPybQMYzv7f7POSw9hdJ3_HfM4x8uHt2csXi0qKabHM3IpBzQeO18l0hXVkxrDX9O1gORIadx6wTNggy8wblWJzUj_N24-cdBpYgy_fuVS8/s1600/92543856_1078831429139480_3680531731355533312_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="821" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5Xa_Qc3khILcx6FIapQ4X-M5VkomeFb7bPybQMYzv7f7POSw9hdJ3_HfM4x8uHt2csXi0qKabHM3IpBzQeO18l0hXVkxrDX9O1gORIadx6wTNggy8wblWJzUj_N24-cdBpYgy_fuVS8/s1600/92543856_1078831429139480_3680531731355533312_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/maryannedamarzo/" target="_blank">Mary-Anne</a> is one of my favourite people to connect with on Instagram. I discovered her as she is the creator of<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #262626;"> HeartyNotes.</span> Mary-Anne puts little heart notes around central London with inspirational quotes on them. I started to see them at the beginning of this year during my commute to my new job, I always take pictures and send them to people I feel need to see them. There has been many days when I've needed words of inspiration myself and this has really helped me! (Take a look at her website <a href="https://www.heartynotes.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Firstly Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions. You know I love HeartyNotes can you tell us how you started this and why?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started HeartyNotes in September 2019 after returning from Burning Man Festival in Nevada. If you are not aware of Burning Man, it is a spiritual and art-focused week-long festival in the middle of the desert. It is always a very creative and grounding experience for me. There is so much creative expression in one place, whether that’s outfits, music or the incredible art projects. </span></span></div>
<div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="color: #0e101a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In a vastly digital world, it can be challenging to feel a sense of “self-worth or self-love” as there are so many ways we can compare ourselves to others and wish a change in our own lives. As an Instagram lover, I have always spent a lot of time on the platform. What I began to recognise is that in this digital world, we often forget to connect with people in the “real” world. We sit on our sofas browsing the lives of others and wishing things could be different, offering a “like” here and there but without any real human connection. We also forget that some of what we see online is a “highlight” reel of people’s lives, 10% of who they are and what they have been through. We all have different experiences in life that offer us different perspectives and no two journeys are the same. For me, this journey has brought with it so many lessons in self-love. I have learnt more in the last three months than I ever did before. As much as you can discuss challenges you're facing with friends and family, the real work has to be done by you, and you alone. I recognise that words, affirmations and quotes have an incredible impact on my state of mind. So I have focused on only following those types of accounts on social media, reading those types of books and listening to those kinds of podcasts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="color: #0e101a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="color: #0e101a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In shifting my environment to one filled with more positive words, an idea formulated in my head. Out of my attempt to amalgamate the two things I was very passionate about (human connection and self-love), #HeartyNotes was born. I write down things that come into my head, things that have inspired me in the hope that they will inspire others too. When I have built a little pile of inspirational hearts, I stick them around Central London. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. </span>Can you explain your journey and progress on self-love? I feel like this terms is used a lot, yet many people still struggle with it. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have always used inspirational words or quotes to get me through difficult times. I just love how a few words can change the focus of your entire day. In 2015 I was 21 and had just started working as an admin girl for a mobile accessories manufacturer and distributor in Coventry. The business I had joined was only eight months old, and the owner had huge ambitions about creating a brand bigger than Apple for mobile accessories in the UK market. I accepted that job as a way of paying my way through a law degree with the Open University. As this was my first office job, I realised that I had a lot to learn so I knuckled down and focused on watching, listening and learning from this incredibly talented owner. Over 5 years I had watched and mirrored his every move and what began as an admin job turned into so much more for me. Working to improve my communication, sales and presentation skills in an intense, non-stop, hands-on training environment I began pitching and presenting to top tier retailers, and succeeded in securing some of the biggest deals the company had ever achieved. In 2018 I was invited to become the Sales Director of a business that had grown from £0 sales to £14million in revenue in 2019. To say those five years were intense would be a HUGE understatement and naturally, I was so incredibly proud of all I had achieved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2018, I had decided that if I was to progress quickly in the Company I would need to adopt a “fake it till you make it” mindset – it worked! I shadowed the owner, watched his every move heard every conversation and made meticulous notes. I practised pitching in my bedroom mirror and made pretend sales calls in the car on the way to the office each day. I had completely and utterly evolved into a mini version of the owner. I could sell like him, talk like him and act like him. In May 2019 I decided it was time for me to move on and use all the skills I had learnt to start my own business. What I quickly learnt was that my strategy of “fake it until you make it” had given me so very much, so many incredible business skills, but, what I hadn’t learnt was one extremely important thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was in a yoga practice at Burning Man festival in Nevada, when the yoga teacher Donovan told us all to stand up, wrap our arms around ourselves and say the words out loud “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you” - I couldn’t do it! With tears streaming down my face, I didn’t know how or why I felt like that. I had no self-love! What I began to understand was that I had spent so many years feeding on the gratification of others that I actually didn’t know how to give that to myself. I had spent so long “faking it until I made it”, that I had allowed my self-belief, my self-worth and my self-love to be reliant on what others thought of me rather than what I thought of myself. It was at that moment that I wondered if anyone else had experienced that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Learning to love yourself is not surface level stuff, it’s deep. Through meditation (Sarah Blondin ‘Self-love’ meditations) yoga and reading I have learnt more and more about the way I treat myself. That inner voice, the inner critic we all have. Loving yourself is not about being self-obsessed or egotistical it is about treating yourself with the same affection and respect that you would treat anyone else. When you start to notice the words you use towards yourself it becomes easier to change those habits. What once was “oh you are useless” can become “it’s a great start but you need to learn X or Y” . Our minds fascinate me, they really do, they can be our best friend or our worst enemy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. </span>I'd love to know more about journaling and feel like now is the bet time to start a new routine, which can then continue when life gets back to normal. What are your top three tips?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've got to be honest. I don't think I could recommend one habit enough. Morning pages or morning journaling have dramatically changed the way I start my day and ultimately live my life. My 3 top tips would be.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-size-adjust: auto;" type="1">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Start with morning pages – which simply is writing 3 pages of whatever falls out of your head as soon as you wake up<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Make a promise with yourself and stick to it! Every morning, the first thing you do is pick up that book. (leaving it by your bed on top of your alarm/phone makes it so obvious you can’t forget!)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have no judgement – just write whatever comes out of your mind and when you're done, shut the book. Sometimes your notes won’t tell you anything at all and that’s absolutely fine.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. </span>Do you have any new plans for<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"> HeartyNotes</span></span> in the future?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">LOTS of plans! I have a lot more art at the tips of my fingers at the moment so I’m going to focus on that for now. I have ideas falling out of my head in the middle of the night haha my notebook is full of them! Who knows where it will go! For now, I’m enjoying the ride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>5. What's your favourite HeartyNote so far?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">HARD question. It would have to be ‘you can choose happiness even on the darkest days’ this was my most shared heart. I had so many messages from people thanking me for changing their mindset. It was so incredible I cried! Haha<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. </span>I'll be asking everyone this question. What one piece of advice would you give to people to remain positive? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take a step back and observe the way you are consuming information. Where /Who is it from? Would they be in your life if we were not going through a crisis? Do they impact you in a positive or negative way? Once you have answered, you know what to do. Step away from the NO’s and move gracefully into the YES’s.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope you love this interview as much as I do! Come back next Sunday for the next one and you can read my last interview with blogger Nicole Sage <a href="http://www.nicolecoltman.com/2020/04/interview-with-nicole-sage.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nicole</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">xx</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-49093161421180399782020-04-08T11:30:00.000+01:002020-04-08T11:30:13.619+01:005 Positive Things To Do during Lockdown <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMvkIt6mjsUdG8hX_NFhgGdc0okVHGMDF6fbXb2RX9WOCX1TBTcPqNlBG2-4WT3Phfoo7fSp5STO9CQBwp4TIyN07UBWMQM0hc34reHxnviMwXn10J0JTZc-eW2Xo6tN2Qg0ET1JbQzw/s1600/92144634_2639294046342103_9178223740071182336_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Blogger tips on this to do during isolation" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMvkIt6mjsUdG8hX_NFhgGdc0okVHGMDF6fbXb2RX9WOCX1TBTcPqNlBG2-4WT3Phfoo7fSp5STO9CQBwp4TIyN07UBWMQM0hc34reHxnviMwXn10J0JTZc-eW2Xo6tN2Qg0ET1JbQzw/s1600/92144634_2639294046342103_9178223740071182336_n.jpg" title="5 Positive Things To Do During Isolation" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Train your mind to see the good in every situation</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
We are living in a time with much uncertainty and negativity. However one thing I've learnt recently is that you need to see the good in every situation. Last week I got told that I will be going on furlough. And you know what, thats ok! I'm healthy so I'm lucky right now. In order to turn this negative situation into a positive one, I've come up with a list of 5 positive things to do during lockdown.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Have A Project To Work On </b><br />
<br />
After a phone call with my God Mother who gave me some really good advice it got me thinking about all the things I an do with my time now I'm not working. (Remember we probably will never have time like this again.) She said to me in future interviews they will want to know what you did during this time when in isolation, so set yourself some projects to work on. This can be big things or super small things but something to give yourself purpose during this time.<br />
<br />
For me my main project is my blog, I <i>love </i>blogging but have put it to one side over the years because my mind has been focused on other things. But now I'm ready to spend more time on it and get creative again. To help me to do I've joined <a href="https://growglow.co/" target="_blank">Grow & Glow.</a> I've done this as I want to learn more about social media and blogging in order to improve my own channels and bring you the best content I can.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Check In On Yourself</b><br />
<br />
This morning before writing this post, I was watching Alfie Deyes Vlog <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4300D0oxfD4" target="_blank">here</a>. (I'm loving his videos at the moment!) he was talking about something I found really interesting and that is checking in on yourself. He explained that it's good to every 6 months/year take a couple of days out to check in on yourself. To do this take time to stop and look at your life and what you're doing both inside and outside of work making sure you are on the right track to your main goals. Also making sure you're spending your time with the <b>right </b>people who are good in your life. Most of us have the time to do this right now. And I think it's important before life goes back to normal to reassess your normal and what parts of your normal life you want to carry on with and what parts you <b>need </b>to change.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>3. Spend More Time Reading</b><br />
<br />
One thing I always put to one side is reading, however when I do read I love self-help books. Recently I finished reading Vex King's book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1788171829/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=bovi-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1788171829&linkId=9e56efe33a478a896c1c64ae2f219066" target="_blank">Good Vibes, Good Life</a>. Here is one of my favourite quotes from his book, 'Being thankful is one of the simplest, and yet most powerful, habits you can cultivate. By counting your blessings daily, you can begin to condition your mind to look for the good in everything around you.' Vex talks about how to turn your negative thoughts into more positive ones by talking about different life experiences most of us go through. When reading this book I also felt so much more grateful for things I normally take for granted. This week I'm going to go back over this book and highlight key quotes I love so when I need to I can flick through the book and easily see the main quotes that inspire me.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Do Some At Home Workouts</b><br />
<br />
I'm loving seeing so many people do at home workouts at the moment! I think it's amazing and something that I'm trying to do as much as I can. If you're a friend of mine you will know I <b>LOVE </b><a href="https://www.koboxboxingclub.com/" target="_blank">Kobox</a>, as the boxing club is closed a the moment they have been posting live workouts on their instagram page <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kobox/" target="_blank">here</a>. I love doing live workouts because it's the next best thing to going to a class, it's great to get involved in the comments and most classes follow a playlist on Spotify that you can download.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Take Part In Online Workshops</b><br />
<br />
Brands/Influencers have been getting so creative over the last few weeks. I'd highly recommend checking out your favourites to see what they have been doing to see if you can get any inspiration of things to do. On Sunday I watched a live workshop on Marguerite London's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/margueritelondon/" target="_blank">page</a> with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/heartzeena/" target="_blank">Zeena Shah</a>. The workshop was called mindful marbling, all about how to use Nail polishes and paints to create a marble effect on paper/other items of your choice. This was such a simple thing to do with items that I already had in my house yet was so therapeutic and I ended up making a really pretty heart painting that I will buy a frame for and hang up in my bedroom.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYmEnXkPVE8T7eCh3DWOnp6v1wRF342XZEd-GOTsY6eYR2T6GBVI6loso2FuRsT-N0Yt0lY8Pe6Q8ZMLLwXvbZq8IosBHPmzmneti6xgjQldsJ6b4WPddd44v2n7Dog1z86yJYtuh6aI/s1600/91995454_2849612678455091_8070374064650190848_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="684" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYmEnXkPVE8T7eCh3DWOnp6v1wRF342XZEd-GOTsY6eYR2T6GBVI6loso2FuRsT-N0Yt0lY8Pe6Q8ZMLLwXvbZq8IosBHPmzmneti6xgjQldsJ6b4WPddd44v2n7Dog1z86yJYtuh6aI/s320/91995454_2849612678455091_8070374064650190848_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Picture from Pintereset</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Let me know any positive things you have been doing in the comments, I hope you are all staying safe and well.<br />
<br />
Love<br />
Nicole<br />
xxNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-56356473100609224872020-04-05T07:30:00.000+01:002020-04-17T14:23:16.085+01:00Interview With Nicole Sage - Blogger <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKchFg2C9RFj2hF3DnoMpZWkd2xBYTCDfaEcjkphbkZWFy_KDAXy3e8eQDVOxEAyhMNYCmntAFO9r1B3VhP3S2Tr1envOFL3re14_dZd-mPSRp514LQ70o9Y5upRJYkkIE0Ow3aOM-KqM/s1600/fullsizeoutput_2ba.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Interview with lifestyle blogger Nicole Sage" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKchFg2C9RFj2hF3DnoMpZWkd2xBYTCDfaEcjkphbkZWFy_KDAXy3e8eQDVOxEAyhMNYCmntAFO9r1B3VhP3S2Tr1envOFL3re14_dZd-mPSRp514LQ70o9Y5upRJYkkIE0Ow3aOM-KqM/s1600/fullsizeoutput_2ba.jpeg" title="Interview with Nicole Sage" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTIh0insMEuh3g1WA23qvGmKxEl4YWxIQ3yJyN1h7pu290KqV4HUGYvd-m4ZuF2DQIL8bY6P62y0J5S5uR-rSVtqNTbfUfbGaWzvLJhRQ8vQ-EK-w-QKEFS6HEuItwQTH4G87E4Y4Nbw/s1600/IMG_7940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Interview with lifestyle blogger Nicole Sage" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTIh0insMEuh3g1WA23qvGmKxEl4YWxIQ3yJyN1h7pu290KqV4HUGYvd-m4ZuF2DQIL8bY6P62y0J5S5uR-rSVtqNTbfUfbGaWzvLJhRQ8vQ-EK-w-QKEFS6HEuItwQTH4G87E4Y4Nbw/s1600/IMG_7940.JPG" title="Interview with Nicole Sage" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey Guys, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope you are all keeping well. I'm back with my blogging game in full swing, I've been thinking for a little while now about what sort of direction I want to take my blog. And as much as I love sharing my latest outfits, London life and travel. I also want to share people who inspire me! So I've decided to start a new little Sunday series for April where I interview women who inspire me. First up is Nicole Sage who blogs over at <a href="https://www.sleek-chic.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sleek-Chic</a>. I've been following Nicole since she started blogging. I feel like I know her although we have never met! I adore her style and her eye for detail in her photographs. </span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Hey Nicole, thank you for taking part in this interview. How long have you been blogging for and what made you want to start a blog?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started blogging in the summer of 2013, I'm now approaching 7 years of blogging which is crazy. When I started blogging it was purely something to keep me occupied during the summer before I returned to university. I never imagined I would still be blogging 7 years later alongside heavy work commitments. I read blogs for such a long period of time before starting and I just thought 'why can't I do that?', I guess they say the rest is history. </span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">2</b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">. What sparks your creativity and new ideas for blog posts?</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A lot of my posts these days are centred around my personal life, these are the posts that just flow out of me and I love to write as I'm not forcing anything. Navigating the struggles of adult life generally sparks a lot of ideas for my blog posts! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I still write a lot of other lifestyle content in general though and a lot of inspiration for this comes through Pinterest, what topics are currently trending, is there anything I can tap into? I look at google trends a lot to see what people are searching for and if so, can I write a better post than the ones ranking on page one of google? I have a strong background in SEO so always write blog posts and think of ideas with my SEO hat on! </span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">3. What do you love most about blogging/blogging community?</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The blogging community makes me feel like I'm truly part of something. I have made so many genuine friends online in the last 7 years that I've never met, but I know if I needed to speak to someone they would always be there for me. I love the positivity and creativity that I sponge off other bloggers and it's amazing to be connected with so many like minded individuals at the click of a few buttons. The community has definitely changed as the blogging sphere has grown, but the OG's will remember what it was like back in the day! </span></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">4. In what way has social media affected your life? This can be both good and bad. And how do you think people can use social media in a better way to be more positive?</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">There have been periods of time where social media has had a really negative impact on my life. This has mostly been when I've been going through a hard time in my personal life and I don't want to be bombarded with happy people and ultimately comparing myself to other people. Whenever I've fallen into a negative head space I have to come off social media for a while until I'm mentally feeling better. I did this for 3 months before Christmas and it was the best thing I ever did. I was then in a position where I was starting to miss it as I feel so much more connected with people when I'm on social media. </span></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the current situation with Coronavirus, social media is the one thing that is allowing us to stick together, and I love it, It's making people feel less isolated, we're seeing more authentic pictures on peoples feeds and it feels like the old blogging days are back! </span></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">To keep a healthy balance with social media I think it's super important to have periods of time off the apps such as an evening a week or allowing yourself to check at only certain periods of the day. Curating your feed to follow only people that make YOU feel good about yourself is something I can't recommend enough. </span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Do you have any future plans for your blog/media channels?</b><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">I seem to go through waves of inspiration with my blog and social media, there is so much I want to do but it can often be delegated to the back when work commitments take over and some weekends I just want to switch off completely. </span></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm still trying to think where I want to take my blog in the future, I want to continue with lifestyle content but fashion has always been a huge part of my life, this is why I think the content I put on social media and my blog should differ slightly. I want my Instagram account to be focused on 9-5 workwear, flatlays and interiors. But I'm also wanting to have one specific niche so when people land on my Instagram page thy know what they are going to find. Hopefully the time during lockdown will help me to nail these details down! </span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">6. I'll be asking everyone this question. What piece of advice would you give to remain positive?</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Surround yourself with positivity. Turn the news off, mute accounts on social media and focus on the good things. I do this by way of reading my favourite books, turning my favourite radio station on in the morning and dancing in my living room and eating a packet of mini eggs each night because it makes me happy. Do the little things that make you happy during this time and remember that better times are coming. </span></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></b></b>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></b></b>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">I hope you all enjoyed reading this post! I will be back next Sunday with another interview with creator of HeartyNotes <a href="https://www.instagram.com/maryannedamarzo/" target="_blank">Mary-Anne</a>. </span></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></b></b>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Love</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Nicole</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">xx</span></span></div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-441413266341681692019-07-28T16:43:00.000+01:002019-07-30T06:39:12.272+01:00Med Sailors - Croatia Discovery Route <div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAP1oyYU8bNZQ4KFNAD2HQqDfRt_E2XiIJycQu-isp71pcOCbhDgVus4WWw8xV5nz8-IJD0Xv2PMSNH091YO8fPKRf0fOlFCVSkCeuwOnU8a-JUIeE3L75Cf1Lp0AWUPcCR1ShWrHWBg/s1600/67347086_826163411110597_8465660250161152000_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAP1oyYU8bNZQ4KFNAD2HQqDfRt_E2XiIJycQu-isp71pcOCbhDgVus4WWw8xV5nz8-IJD0Xv2PMSNH091YO8fPKRf0fOlFCVSkCeuwOnU8a-JUIeE3L75Cf1Lp0AWUPcCR1ShWrHWBg/s1600/67347086_826163411110597_8465660250161152000_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-QzcVMf5r76XjtsckKEfA-XRCw7wNmPP9rZCKhcOTcW6lZzJvG3_YIxONgWMoJTrPxNqTRagByvQnYpeNuE1Sd2YZRJ4xYfaWWXfY5RC8TpAfbPJM542qTje8kNd1nTnpNZB-rs9vCM/s1600/67204701_439463116912061_453839075225370624_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-QzcVMf5r76XjtsckKEfA-XRCw7wNmPP9rZCKhcOTcW6lZzJvG3_YIxONgWMoJTrPxNqTRagByvQnYpeNuE1Sd2YZRJ4xYfaWWXfY5RC8TpAfbPJM542qTje8kNd1nTnpNZB-rs9vCM/s1600/67204701_439463116912061_453839075225370624_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAyNA34Qf3ykg9ukN-5Uvas9hYsg9crrl2wgYasNgSoZG6xbQIJY_S0iohL3t5tJogYcsLofNsQFAPULb0sM9Yo5PA-DQVly94xO3A9bpZ3MM3D-CIx8Q0hcstHYic8TF4iIqjMJl9ng/s1600/67260534_1259197590907126_4151327015342964736_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAyNA34Qf3ykg9ukN-5Uvas9hYsg9crrl2wgYasNgSoZG6xbQIJY_S0iohL3t5tJogYcsLofNsQFAPULb0sM9Yo5PA-DQVly94xO3A9bpZ3MM3D-CIx8Q0hcstHYic8TF4iIqjMJl9ng/s1600/67260534_1259197590907126_4151327015342964736_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKiAKqTKFazmEFFv8DbMuNC1ZYjF7nK4COZYUwQ3fuXkTrwYn8zvRF-FRkau2zi3o2J_ByAukST9vsYo7GrQ2SlGwfc3UrSQBzY76sVWVz2KffoLV9ahmNahqCUWst0SK58y-wOJc0eE/s1600/67488599_388960921824183_7396910127346876416_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKiAKqTKFazmEFFv8DbMuNC1ZYjF7nK4COZYUwQ3fuXkTrwYn8zvRF-FRkau2zi3o2J_ByAukST9vsYo7GrQ2SlGwfc3UrSQBzY76sVWVz2KffoLV9ahmNahqCUWst0SK58y-wOJc0eE/s1600/67488599_388960921824183_7396910127346876416_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVU9PXptbt91IZ_M-tnpMSHqbUZHGz7i23cnEy5Y3erFE-sEzKOd2jnyBD0O7tekYSGqqdlTENxR26oNvDs7mw294FGk7SJeFC9w9G8CIMegeowrybrDRXDWcSIqPjoHzNmm6oWOt3wq4/s1600/67797592_2306012259714322_6166870509255393280_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1248" data-original-width="936" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVU9PXptbt91IZ_M-tnpMSHqbUZHGz7i23cnEy5Y3erFE-sEzKOd2jnyBD0O7tekYSGqqdlTENxR26oNvDs7mw294FGk7SJeFC9w9G8CIMegeowrybrDRXDWcSIqPjoHzNmm6oWOt3wq4/s1600/67797592_2306012259714322_6166870509255393280_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-q7ILgQEvFpY-h_eyBJEoB8zmZNqNuSz6ydhP9DFcAhZ9ZhYypi9-WfbXy9dYIoNITt9n5fIW2iW5fwchu3reJ2dK2rdHDKv7m3tvOiVgfqgZ74OR9m33h2VCMHAibgMkGnvMWZItk8/s1600/67354010_2756947414315661_7730984748192890880_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-q7ILgQEvFpY-h_eyBJEoB8zmZNqNuSz6ydhP9DFcAhZ9ZhYypi9-WfbXy9dYIoNITt9n5fIW2iW5fwchu3reJ2dK2rdHDKv7m3tvOiVgfqgZ74OR9m33h2VCMHAibgMkGnvMWZItk8/s1600/67354010_2756947414315661_7730984748192890880_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoo0Nw7lAII26ExTD_zWXbLgwj0Pqb54cI0xRtQlCHOxchZv9To0DF6XE8xYjbYJwd80i56MUniPMBhTNOT3nd06ZXSRgehBmBCXEjyoj61C9snEEpwdOmy74U_DCg7qlXLtrQUhLjb0/s1600/67471980_394316994526653_1245587597271498752_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoo0Nw7lAII26ExTD_zWXbLgwj0Pqb54cI0xRtQlCHOxchZv9To0DF6XE8xYjbYJwd80i56MUniPMBhTNOT3nd06ZXSRgehBmBCXEjyoj61C9snEEpwdOmy74U_DCg7qlXLtrQUhLjb0/s1600/67471980_394316994526653_1245587597271498752_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SHcgeMjC34mQ7g23K5QN7YSu4_yb6ejgkotpNXvSckgHxixyhd_0TGuT65wFleEAJX-dZv7fbSpYQpjypKxX4iEiPg7McWbPLpNWgCefVJRJZsQThHLrQXuVMKt5PVyMSJcAlhidArw/s1600/67349135_421162845160287_6916985422220361728_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SHcgeMjC34mQ7g23K5QN7YSu4_yb6ejgkotpNXvSckgHxixyhd_0TGuT65wFleEAJX-dZv7fbSpYQpjypKxX4iEiPg7McWbPLpNWgCefVJRJZsQThHLrQXuVMKt5PVyMSJcAlhidArw/s1600/67349135_421162845160287_6916985422220361728_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hey Guys, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So a week ago last Friday I got back from my very first sailing holiday with Med Sailors, writing this post and collecting all of my photos together is bringing such joy as it really was an amazing holiday and a great experience! I've never travelled solo before but after my trip I found this quote on Pinterest and it is 100% true! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>'Travelling alone will be the most scariest, most liberating, life changing experience. Try it at least once!' </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If you have never had a solo trip and in a position where you can....I highly recommend you do. I can't explain enough what an amazing experience it was. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I decided to book my trip thought a company because I wanted my route and accommodation planned for me to take the stress out of things. Also for safety reasons, I've never travelled solo before so I wanted to make sure I would feel safe. I have seen a few Bloggers and Youtubers post about MedSailors and heard many good things about them. MedSailors have a few different routes and countries you can go too. The main reason I decided to go to Croatia was because I had been a few years ago to Dubrovnik and loved it. After that I really wanted to explore more of Croatia. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There are two different routes for Croatia and I opted for the Discovery route. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The route is as followed:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Day 1 </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You start off in Split, this is where check in is and to be honest I can not give my opinion on Split because I literally got a taxi from the airport to the marina and thats all I saw! We got to the boat about 3pm and I was so nervous meeting everyone for the first time. But I had nothing to be nervous about as everyone was so easy going and there were nine of us on my boat. Some people came together and others where solo travellers. But as a whole group we got on so so well and ended up spending all of our time together as a big group when we got to land. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The first stop on day one is Solta which is a tiny island with just one restaurant and one bar. And you get to see the most amazing sunset here. I soon realised when arriving to Solta that sailing life is not luxury! I shared a tiny cabin bunk bed room, had little space to get ready...showers on the back of the boat and quickly learnt that I would be dealing with bad hair for a week! But a couple of hours in I was totally cool with this and enjoyed the sailing life. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Day 2 </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Day 2, started off with very rough waves (I did think at this point what the hell am I doing here...this isn't for me. Luckily this was the only day we had rough waves and the rest of the week was completely fine.) We spotted for a swim stop half way to our destination and then ended up in Vis Town, we had the afternoon free to do as we wished. Our group found a beautiful bar with the most amazing view called Fort George. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That night we had a punch party with all of the Med Sailors boats before heading off for dinner. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Day 3 </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Day 3, we went to a town called Komiza. We got to swim in the blue caves before arriving to Komiza and then spent the evening exploring the beautiful little town for dinner. This was probably one of the most chilled days we had and spent most of the day swimming/sun bathing. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Day 4</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Day 4, we went to an island called Vrboska other wise known as little Venice. This place really did remind me of Venice with the beautiful old looking buildings and bridges. Our evening activity was Wine tasting at a farm called Hora. I had a traditional Croatian meal (which was lamb and vegetables.) This was a really relaxed evening with beautiful views during sunset. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Day 5</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Day 5, we went to Hvar now this was my favourite location and I've already told my friend Charlotte that we <i>need </i>to go on holiday here for a week next Summer. Hvar is such a beautiful place, with so many great beach bars and restaurants. We got a coach from the boat to a beautiful view point, then walk down to Hvar. What I loved about Hvar is that is a great party location, however the have so many more chilled bars and spots to sunbath too so you get the best of both worlds. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Day 6 </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Day 6, now this day was for recovering after a night out in Hvar! We went to Supertar another beautiful little island. Med Sailors organised drinks at a beach bar and this was the first sandy beach we had come across in Croatia. We had a super chilled evening with dinner and the great sunset again! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Day 7</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Day 7, was spent travelling back to Split and saying goodbye to all the new friends I had made. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I really enjoyed my experience with Med Sailors it was great just to spend a week by myself making loads of new friends and meeting people from all across the world. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I really want to do the Greece route next year. The only thing I would say is staying on a boat for a week isn't the most relaxing accommodation, if I was to do something like this again I would next time add one a couple of days at the end of my trip and stay in a nice hotel to relax! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I hope you enjoyed this post...have you ever been on a Med Sailors trip?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lots of Love</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Nicole</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xx</div>
<h3 class="mk-fancy-title align-left simple-style color-single" id="fancy-title-45" style="background-color: white; font-family: serifalight; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 1.1px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 8px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 10px; text-align: center;">
</h3>
<br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-4679330114643010992019-07-10T06:00:00.000+01:002019-07-10T06:00:00.513+01:00Rome Travel Dairy <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJ079dFmgNlW7vq0LIOOcaq8RoC6vUHOU1RP7y3OyT12YBdnJmpz7CQjK0OL6sVnVM0ERQ4lWY-43OSKUPQQIKa7Ag_I5Vqa8pDVfnnPIUYvKGBWATP3Pgk0H_-Esk3ZOQFkuJObGdV0/s1600/65535642_456059451844028_9067540732046213120_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJ079dFmgNlW7vq0LIOOcaq8RoC6vUHOU1RP7y3OyT12YBdnJmpz7CQjK0OL6sVnVM0ERQ4lWY-43OSKUPQQIKa7Ag_I5Vqa8pDVfnnPIUYvKGBWATP3Pgk0H_-Esk3ZOQFkuJObGdV0/s1600/65535642_456059451844028_9067540732046213120_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70ORd3vro_E8A0KkEnW1wv8gTA4i6v0gEg-ThivLRUoInmgPJKUac2CA6zvRGvFxXMKA1pwIIxNbNfcZ7dWaSMm0sBTWBfk1GfFQ3YyPk5qimhc0UEwo28xLDNe381LxnstmDqrfdMOM/s1600/65601493_2330185577269549_1806187254394126336_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70ORd3vro_E8A0KkEnW1wv8gTA4i6v0gEg-ThivLRUoInmgPJKUac2CA6zvRGvFxXMKA1pwIIxNbNfcZ7dWaSMm0sBTWBfk1GfFQ3YyPk5qimhc0UEwo28xLDNe381LxnstmDqrfdMOM/s1600/65601493_2330185577269549_1806187254394126336_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0BcdkqKTJcbrQSkJwUuGSQugw-XtGRasSJJrQ-OBN12bzEyFXz-UTs4v1hYzctaVLmMEj_CeGPKlWSQkQCsXiCNcdZMwXPeB_vVU2R-50GpB8R46faoOECueSfkU46Sz3ZKznjbTpjs/s1600/65657534_2376836639300118_6350229002493362176_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0BcdkqKTJcbrQSkJwUuGSQugw-XtGRasSJJrQ-OBN12bzEyFXz-UTs4v1hYzctaVLmMEj_CeGPKlWSQkQCsXiCNcdZMwXPeB_vVU2R-50GpB8R46faoOECueSfkU46Sz3ZKznjbTpjs/s1600/65657534_2376836639300118_6350229002493362176_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-5-tNI_0d8BaaIkfqL0rXE-eE9Bi6Jkn9zeWy6qq0cZ7bWA0mSxTKeJyoXngH-E8cQY_YJClImFYsEdEaNubTJTYp8ypBst8XK4pM3XEphjpc99h7WoCJ7XRd6XoR3Haa4_GCiaFVP8/s1600/66131791_2380786168856880_2952417260083347456_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-5-tNI_0d8BaaIkfqL0rXE-eE9Bi6Jkn9zeWy6qq0cZ7bWA0mSxTKeJyoXngH-E8cQY_YJClImFYsEdEaNubTJTYp8ypBst8XK4pM3XEphjpc99h7WoCJ7XRd6XoR3Haa4_GCiaFVP8/s1600/66131791_2380786168856880_2952417260083347456_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSeTjoE9CFqx9SQXLxkYG_wtdrRmcQRLGkZmYvZzvpKnxZofaiBdIw-5tj0kMzfVbw_hmpA2AV6zS0YYEvpPh5slYFSSVOhx5fkdtQV_GCn85tEvfo3HkHup8QUXNVPjQrAOB0dVUapU/s1600/66195718_407616439840555_4164509472565231616_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSeTjoE9CFqx9SQXLxkYG_wtdrRmcQRLGkZmYvZzvpKnxZofaiBdIw-5tj0kMzfVbw_hmpA2AV6zS0YYEvpPh5slYFSSVOhx5fkdtQV_GCn85tEvfo3HkHup8QUXNVPjQrAOB0dVUapU/s1600/66195718_407616439840555_4164509472565231616_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Back in the beginning of May. Myself and my friend Alex took a trip to Rome for 3 nights for her birthday. If you have been reading my blog this year you will know that Italy has quickly become one of my favourite places to travel recently. We had a great time in Rome and I would highly recommend a trip if you have not been yet. The weather was super hot too...which meant we did need the odd chill out break during the day for ice cream and aspiral spritzer because we did a <i>lot </i>of walking! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Rome has many big sites that are <i>must see's. </i> I've been to a fair few different cities in Europe and I would say that Rome is one of the busiest especially in touristy areas so I would bear that in mind if you are planning a trip. The best way to get around Rome is the Metro we got a three day pass which I believe was 18 euros! Much cheaper than travelling around London. It was so easy to get around which is always a good thing when you are in a new city. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In a way Rome gave me a similar feeling to New York on my first visit, I know they are completely different cities but I've seen all the sites so often in photographs and on TV, so it felt really exciting to finally get to see them in person. The Colosseum and Roman Forum are two must sees. A good tip is to book guided tours for these, we booked ours on the day outside the Colosseum you will see lots of people walking around offering you different deals. I can't remember now what company we booked ours with, but it was a great tour and you can barter them down with the price too.<br />
<br />
One of the best things about Italy is the food...I mean that's the main reason I visit Italy. We went to an amazing food market called Mercato Testaccio. (Their website is <a href="http://www.mercatoditestaccio.it/">here</a>.) They have 100s of fresh food stalls. I had pasta and a beer for about 6 euros, and I have to say I think it was one of the best pasta's I've ever had! I brought some pasta and pasta sauce home with me, I'm actually really gutted I didn't buy more as it was so tasty. The best way to get over those holiday blues is by bringing food back home with you!<br />
<br />
Just like Milan we found an area just outside of the centre of Rome for food and drinks. (I'm so bad as I didn't write the name down, however just make sure you always go just outside of the city centre to discover some cute bars and quieter areas, which are much more affordable for food and drinks!)<br />
<br />
<b>I now really want to plan another trip to Italy next year...any recommendations would be great! </b><br />
<br />
Love<br />
Nicole<br />
xx</div>
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266274674572504875.post-61186226190875401592019-06-12T06:00:00.000+01:002019-07-04T20:11:56.500+01:00Travel Dairy: Milan <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0t1yUiQfiBKx_98QRdURSLarKBEzP_4g9jdlM_32Kkg3J3DlN14fzxHHpEQMQ7rsYv_Y-S5QanaQ0YrrCpgo8Tyu5PijGkg_Z4BgJF578E0F1bWia2wq2x6sxFKdQFT6PYtuKDzZR2E/s1600/5B6ECF3C-8AE9-43FF-B729-248B6A21E70F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0t1yUiQfiBKx_98QRdURSLarKBEzP_4g9jdlM_32Kkg3J3DlN14fzxHHpEQMQ7rsYv_Y-S5QanaQ0YrrCpgo8Tyu5PijGkg_Z4BgJF578E0F1bWia2wq2x6sxFKdQFT6PYtuKDzZR2E/s1600/5B6ECF3C-8AE9-43FF-B729-248B6A21E70F.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Top Asos | Skirt Topshop | Trainers Dune | Sunglasses Quay |Bag Aspinal of London</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKzV8svD1BMM6iDxALhmjc6LbD-EoLDo8zpCbqoOJdkibDPhm3IFTofILq8cigl5N80eb35XAAvxqPRfn3Z5BAFjOoa2cPrb1AoVYZuX5aEF_M800fXSSMb5xjvQPyuHMdCsLO_yjjig/s1600/61BBA2BD-433F-4F8C-AB7F-0D5FBB84CC3C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKzV8svD1BMM6iDxALhmjc6LbD-EoLDo8zpCbqoOJdkibDPhm3IFTofILq8cigl5N80eb35XAAvxqPRfn3Z5BAFjOoa2cPrb1AoVYZuX5aEF_M800fXSSMb5xjvQPyuHMdCsLO_yjjig/s1600/61BBA2BD-433F-4F8C-AB7F-0D5FBB84CC3C.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjksr7nGAIK12U_WL6DbaUQfkS4DJ2iESjWbK0Pmw7eSnHQVU0x7v28ex_DC39opgn7bkCSEUyvOh8AlRyKhDDxVBxkSUrH6sdbsy8KvI6iF65G4ot1AOxS6dJvzHhyWvJrbGkK4G2Y0w/s1600/ACS_0045.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjksr7nGAIK12U_WL6DbaUQfkS4DJ2iESjWbK0Pmw7eSnHQVU0x7v28ex_DC39opgn7bkCSEUyvOh8AlRyKhDDxVBxkSUrH6sdbsy8KvI6iF65G4ot1AOxS6dJvzHhyWvJrbGkK4G2Y0w/s1600/ACS_0045.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dress Topshop</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJQ4lQZeM7qDy_q8ZJwl__PNofrtEFDz5im1Upzi_XrEpFhQyM-DTt6gH6rlUCgH5uxZHP5u7YoOLLWSPLTWA7YF4coxP6Qpog1hn9qjVfvSI85BcAeWlrR7JxEnMkQDR5c0_HQGdVqY/s1600/ACS_0048.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJQ4lQZeM7qDy_q8ZJwl__PNofrtEFDz5im1Upzi_XrEpFhQyM-DTt6gH6rlUCgH5uxZHP5u7YoOLLWSPLTWA7YF4coxP6Qpog1hn9qjVfvSI85BcAeWlrR7JxEnMkQDR5c0_HQGdVqY/s1600/ACS_0048.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJfbABwuFCnT1L0fTsgdeXhr8Oi1EKrldgoVVmW8eBYLXG0vAnpTAVYiebngVPdo7EsLazhLjssrDW3oHBrTvV6OnhpFmGRP8U5TIM38SP6om1q2AlWB4MQYlFi87y1tP6ZeOjilWkUg/s1600/AfterlightImage.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJfbABwuFCnT1L0fTsgdeXhr8Oi1EKrldgoVVmW8eBYLXG0vAnpTAVYiebngVPdo7EsLazhLjssrDW3oHBrTvV6OnhpFmGRP8U5TIM38SP6om1q2AlWB4MQYlFi87y1tP6ZeOjilWkUg/s1600/AfterlightImage.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcYHKor_zS07e8eOT6NNOBLMg5ETnRwtnBZejd5gfbhFTg3yMPOS-siv-Q9LlQ045R6JUoW72olzyuZdHuP-PnOSpY2MZ__7vPXgrV7aUykrKkx1nVOf3602HxHdCGN-SfsxucE0EoEQ/s1600/e4f18933-5245-4c3f-b760-cb1917261f02.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcYHKor_zS07e8eOT6NNOBLMg5ETnRwtnBZejd5gfbhFTg3yMPOS-siv-Q9LlQ045R6JUoW72olzyuZdHuP-PnOSpY2MZ__7vPXgrV7aUykrKkx1nVOf3602HxHdCGN-SfsxucE0EoEQ/s1600/e4f18933-5245-4c3f-b760-cb1917261f02.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dress Primark | Trainers Dune | Bag Aspinal of London | Jacket Topshop</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hello guys, I hope you are well. Now I think one of the best things about being a blogger is being about to document your travels. Writing travel posts is like re-living your trip. Back in April myself and my best friend Charlotte went to Milan for a city break. We found a really good deal on BA with a fabulous looking hotel.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Unfortunately (but it all turned out good in the end) Charlotte got a call to say our hotel had been cancelled due to unexpected refurbishment. We were slightly worried our new hotel would not be as nice as the one we had booked and it was in a different local too. However upon arrive we were amazed! You can view my Instagram stories highlights to see why. Our room was like a big flat, we both said we wanted to move it! The bathroom area was huge with a double sink which I always like. It had a TV which spins round so you could watch it in bed and while sitting on the sofa! It was pure luxury. The hotel was called Magna Pars suites. And I’d highly recommended to anyone looking to visit Milan.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The located was also great, about 10 mins just outside of the city centre. But we go Uber’s everywhere as it was so cheap to do so.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A short walk from our hotel was an area called Milano Navigli, a little canal with loads of cute bars and restaurants. Much cheaper and less touristy that the city centre. We actually ended up here every night. Cocktails costed about €7 which is much cheaper than London and the city centre in Milan.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">As well as exploring the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>city and eating all the good food we also wanted to have a really chilled and relaxed trip. We had a spa morning at QC Termemilano which was just so lovely, it was about €50 to use the spa facilities and 100% worth it. The spa had both an indoor and outdoor area. They also had lots of space for sunbathing which would be ideal for the summer months. We didn’t have any treatments but I’m sure they are good too.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">If I can I’ll always try and find a roof top bar when in a new city, as I just<span class="Apple-converted-space"> l</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ove the views, we went to a bar called Terrazza Duomo21. The drinks where pricey however your paying for the view and atmosphere, it's definitely worth going even just for one drink. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> I'd love to go to Milan again, the buzz of the city was great! But it was also a really chilled trip. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hope you enjoyed this post keep your eyes peeled for a Rome city break travel dairy soon. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Love</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Nicole </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">xx</span></div>
<br /></div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179673778711738474noreply@blogger.com2