The weather may still be really changeable (at least in my little corner of the world) but summer is most definitely on the way and what better way to enjoy it than with a huge bowl of strawberries? They truly are my favourite sweet treat, as not only are they [...]]]> Photo Credit

The weather may still be really changeable (at least in my little corner of the world) but summer is most definitely on the way and what better way to enjoy it than with a huge bowl of strawberries? They truly are my favourite sweet treat, as not only are they delicious but full of antioxidants, fibre, and all manner of other good things that means despite the strain on my wallet (particularly when I insist on buying them from Marks and Spencer as they always taste nicer from there), I never feel “bad” for eating them!

* I’ve been reading a lot about Lomography recently, and Masumi’s “How to Get Started With Lomography” looks like one of the best beginners guides I’ve seen. (I’ve actually changed my mind regarding trying Lomography myself, although I adore the aesthetic, as I’ve decided to buy a dslr instead – I can always achieve a similar effect through manual settings and editing and this way I have more flexibility).

* Ashe is writing a series of posts entitled “Finance and the Fashion Blogger” that I’ve been reading with keen interest. The link takes you to the first post and there are a second and third in the series so far.  

* Last but definitely not least, I’d like to introduce one of my new favourite bloggers, the marvellous Erica Lee. She only started the blog in April but already it’s a wealth of really great articles on all sorts of topics. This girl is definitely one to watch!

Have an amazing week!

Real posts coming soon, I promise – life is rather getting in the way at the moment!

If you call yourself a writer, you can read all you want and people think you are working.

 -Katherine Paterson

Something that always seems to come up in the Blogosphere, often from disgruntled commenters, “trolls” and the like, is this notion that bloggers can’t call themselves writers unless [...]]]> Photo Credit

If you call yourself a writer, you can read all you want and people think you are working.

 -Katherine Paterson

Something that always seems to come up in the Blogosphere, often from disgruntled commenters, “trolls” and the like, is this notion that bloggers can’t call themselves writers unless they have had something published / write with a certain level of sophistication that seems to be determined by the preferences of the person leaving the comment. This is something that never fails to irritate me.

In my opinion, if you love to write, and do so on a regular basis, then you are a writer. If you love to take photographs and actively seek out new things to photograph, then you are a photographer. In just the same way that someone who spends their spare time scrapbooking can be called a “scrapbooker”, or someone whose favourite activity on a Saturday night involves spending a portion of their wages at their local casino is a gambler, why should those who write, take photos and create art be scorned for declaring that these pass-times are a huge part of who they are?

It seems that certain pass-times, certain creative exploits have come to be defined by the money you can make from them, rather than the pursual of the craft itself. In the world of blogging this is predominantly represented by writing and photography, although I’m sure there are probably other hobbies and / or pass-times for which this occurs. I think that if what you do is a big enough part of who you are that you want to label yourself by it, that should be enough. If writing is one of the most important things in your life, you are a writer, whether you have five bestsellers under your belt or you come home from your day job and scribble well into the night without ever being published. You don’t have to have a shiny portfolio and regular commissions to be a photographer or an artist, just a passion for the art form in question.

Just because you don’t get paid for it doesn’t mean it isn’t a big part of your life.

Many bloggers dream of being professional writers, but being an amateur doesn’t necessarily make you any less of a writer, it just means you’re not getting paid for it yet.

What’s your passion? Are you lucky and talented enough to call yourself a professional? Are you an amateur who’s been criticised for calling yourself a writer / artist etc. when it’s not your profession?

Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t written a “Sparkle Roundup” post in quite some time. I realised that the concept was becoming a bit stale, with the same blogs appearing over and over again because I can only subscribe to a certain number of blogs before my RSS reader [...]]]> Photo Credit

Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t written a “Sparkle Roundup” post in quite some time. I realised that the concept was becoming a bit stale, with the same blogs appearing over and over again because I can only subscribe to a certain number of blogs before my RSS reader starts to control my life!

I decided therefore, to stop posting them for a while, fully intending to bring Sparkle Roundup back eventually in some capacity, but unsure exactly how. I toyed with the idea of themed posts, but realised that by the time I collected enough links, many of them would be rather old and would probably have been featured in many other, more widely-read blogs than mine, thus rendering the idea as stale as the original posts. I eventually decided to jump on the tumblr bandwagon, and “Scattered Glitter” was born!

There’s not much there yet, and I still need to make it prettier, but that’s where I’ll be posting the bits and pieces I find on the web that inspire and intrigue me from now on! So please click through to:

Scattered Glitter

Do you use Tumblr? Let me know so I can follow your posts!

Image by rouwkema

This week’s Sparkle Roundup covers two weeks, and the result is a selection of really amazing posts I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading!

* Gem‘s post regarding monogamous vs. polygamous relationships, “One Love?“ is really interesting to read, particularly the debate that it inspired in the comments.

* Basil Farrow is a super [...]]]>

Image by rouwkema

This week’s Sparkle Roundup covers two weeks, and the result is a selection of really amazing posts I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading!

* Gem‘s post regarding monogamous vs. polygamous relationships, “One Love?“ is really interesting to read, particularly the debate that it inspired in the comments.

* Basil Farrow is a super cute kittycat who has his own blog!

* “Newsflash: You are the only one in charge of your life” is a fabulous post on Tiny Coop, worth emailing to everyone you know!

* Tres Lola‘s advice to “Overhaul Your Life with a Social Detox” is a very interesting perspective that really made me think a lot.

* The Next Web present the “30 Top Female Internet Entrepreneurs“, there’s some inspiring people on this list!

Image by rouwkema

* Some inspiration from an older source, The Positivity Blog presents “The Wisdom of the Old Greeks: 7 Timeless Fundamentals” which is a great read.

* Nubby‘s “Thoughts on Blogging” post is one that’s definitely done the rounds on the roundup posts, but is such a brilliant read I’m linking to it as well!

* “Five Steps to Make Yourself Great” is a really inspiring post by Penelope Trunk, another blogger I’ve only started reading recently.

* Skelliewag‘s brilliant post “30 Days to Become A Freelancer” is great advice even if you’re only dabbling in a bit of freelance work.

* I love Positively Present and have found it very hard to pick out a single post amongst the fabulous offerings over the last couple of weeks. “When life gives you lemons…” however, stood out as a really great post on making the best of a bad situation.

Have a great week ahead!

xx

Image by fofurasfelinas

I appear to have given up trying to find relevant photos for these posts! The above is cute, but bears very little relation to the content, however cute is always good!

I hope you’re all having a relaxing weekend which for those of us in [...]]]>

Image by fofurasfelinas

I appear to have given up trying to find relevant photos for these posts! The above is cute, but bears very little relation to the content, however cute is always good!

I hope you’re all having a relaxing weekend which for those of us in the UK is a 3-day break. I know I’m enjoying it!

* Speaking of cuteness, this story about a library cat made me smile, so although it’s not a blog post I couldn’t resist including it in this week’s Sparkle Roundup!

* This article by The Demoiselles definitely expresses my attitude to clothing – “Accentuate The Positive“. For me it’s my legs, short skirts and skinny jeans are my wardrobe staples!

* Positively Present (probably one of my favourite blogs now!) contains a great article entitled “let’s go! 5 steps for getting on the road to your goal” – it’s a really great approach to achieving things!

* “Life Planning“ by Liv is also a rather awesome post along similar lines but with a broader perspective.

* The Positivity Blog has an article that sadly is probably relevant for quite a lot of people right now – “Staying Positive Through a Layoff” with some great advice.

* “From a Place of Love” by Already Pretty poses some great questions about body image etc.

* Copyblogger shares a simple list of tips on “How to Be a Better Writer in the Next 10 Minutes“. For me, point four was the most relevant – I think sometimes I concentrate far too much on trying to write “well” as opposed to just writing.

* Here’s a post I’m going to have a lot of use for over the next month or so! “Revision Busting Tips” by Harriet is really worth reading by anyone with exams coming up!

* Finally, Sarah Von‘s “A Five Point Plan” is well worth printing and sticking somewhere you’ll see it every day!

Sorry it’s a little late this week, I had a much-needed exceedingly lazy day yesterday!

xx

Amongst all the admin this week I’ve read some brilliant posts by some amazing bloggers. I’ve definitely found some inspiring stuff, and added loads more blogs to my Google reader!

I’m not going to advise people to go out and enjoy the sunshine this week, since I’ve spent most of it [...]]]> Image by .craig

Amongst all the admin this week I’ve read some brilliant posts by some amazing bloggers. I’ve definitely found some inspiring stuff, and added loads more blogs to my Google reader!

I’m not going to advise people to go out and enjoy the sunshine this week, since I’ve spent most of it in front of my computer, albeit with the window open!

* First up I’m going to break the mould a little and say that if you add one blog to your regular reads this week, make it Positively Present! I can’t choose one article to recommend to you, so I’m recommending the whole blog instead. Give it a read, it’s truly brilliant!

* Part of the Writing Tips series on TwentySomething Writers is this very interesting article on Creating a Character complete with a suggested profile to fill in with all your character’s essential information.

* Chris Guillebeau has written a list entitled “26 People I Highly Respect” which is exacly what the title says it is. He has selected some truly inspiring and fascinating people, and you’re sure to find someone new to read the blog of or follow on Twitter.

* Positive Living has an article that I hope will be very useful for me sometime soon, “How to Perform Well at a Job Interview“. A lot of bloggers have written articles of this type at some point, but this one is particularly good and I’d feel completely confident in following the tips given here.

* “30 Fun Things To Do For Cheap or Free” is a great list on Code For Something with some really good ideas to pass the time when you’re broke, saving or just don’t want to part with any cash.

* Empty Purse also has some excellent ideas for “Free Things to do Alone“.

* Steve Pavlinas “Productivity 101” has probably been featured on most peoples’ link posts by now, but is definitely worth repeating because it’s an exceedingly helpful read.

* Despite the occasional bout of Mac envy, I’m a PC user through and through, and a Windows user at least until my course ends (I’d probably be running Linux on my laptop if the College of Law’s online tutorials didn’t require Internet Explorer). I found Probloggers list of “Seven Essential Applications for Bloggers Using Windows” to be a great resource and I’ve already installed a couple of them. Blogging Tools 3 may well consist partially of my opinions on them!

* A very interesting perspective, “Blogs Aren’t Dead, They’re Maturing“.

I hope you’re enjoying the weekend, I know I am!

x

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This  week is turning into a bit of a “blog admin” week I’m afraid, and this post is no exception. This is merely an announcement of one of the new features that I hope will show that there is plenty going on behind the [...]]]>

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This  week is turning into a bit of a “blog admin” week I’m afraid, and this post is no exception. This is merely an announcement of one of the new features that I hope will show that there is plenty going on behind the scenes, even if there’s not all that much creative content appearing on the blog at the moment. I do most of my writing at the weekend, but it turns out I have to wait in for someone to look at our boiler on Thursday, so there may well be a “proper” post up on Friday.

So, on to the new feature.

I have been told throughout my life that I have a bit of an obsessive personality. I am always adding different topics, subjects or items to my repertoire of obsessions, by which in this case I mean topics that I simply have to learn everything I can about, products I need to own the whole range of, etc.  From the mundane to the totally childish to the completely and utterly tragically geeky, I never really seem to let go of an obsession, I just set it to one side temporarily whilst I obsess over something else. It’s probably quite the character flaw, but it’s one that frequently keeps me entertained! I have decided therefore, to put this trait to good use. In the interests of injecting a bit more of me into this blog, I am going to write a series of posts each based on one of my obsessions roughly taking the following form:

• Why it appeals to me and how I became obsessed (if I can remember)
• Some “fascinating” facts and background information about it
• How you can find out more / where you can buy it, etc. should you wish to

Obviously some of these posts will be more interesting to people than others, but I’m sure I’m going to enjoy writing them! There’s nothing I like better than talking about one of my “pet subjects”. No shame or embarrassment here, I’ll write about all of them, even the really nerdy ones, and I’ll try to include my own photos where possible!

Do you have any terribly geeky obsessions?

Image by Lyubov

Once again it’s far too glorious a weekend to be stuck indoors on the Internet, so before reading these, please consider going out into the sunshine and saving them for later!

If it’s not as fabulous where you are and you haven’t filled it [...]]]>

Image by Lyubov

Once again it’s far too glorious a weekend to be stuck indoors on the Internet, so before reading these, please consider going out into the sunshine and saving them for later!

If it’s not as fabulous where you are and you haven’t filled it in already, please take a moment to take the Sparkle and Glitter Survey by clicking here.  Sorry about that, onwards with the posts!

* First of all, if you haven’t downloaded it already, I suggest you take a few moments do download Chris Guillebeau‘s free e-book “279 Days to Overnight Success“. I’ve only read part of it, but so far it has some really useful information for getting the most out of the blogging platform and reaching a wider audience. I didn’t start this blog with the intention of going “pro” but all the fabulous tips on engaging with your audience etc. have been exceedingly insightful and useful to me so far, and I’m sure most bloggers will be able to get something out of this.

* The brilliant Mademoiselle Robot has been receiving some negative comments recently, and in response has made a video post on “Dealing With Negative Comments” in which she demonstrates a really clear and well-thought out point of view in a totally cute way!

* “Embracing Your Age” is a marvellous post about accepting the person you are right now, by the fabulous Lace and Stars.

* Attraction Mind Map features a very insightful post entitled “The Masquerade Play of Life“, regarding the masks we wear as we go about our everyday lives and when and how to removed those masks.

Image by josef.stuefer

* Most of you will have probably already read Nubby‘s excellent post entitled “What is Your Definite Major Purpose?” but a good thing is always worth promoting just in case. Definitely well worth a read if you haven’t already.

* Bakery is a great site for bloggers and business-owners. “Do You Know Your Stats?” stresses the importance of analysing your blog statistics if you’re seeking the growth of your blog.

* Another awesome travel post comes in the form of “Avoiding Jet Lag and Other Long Haul Tips” by Amber. These tips are really great, and given me a few books to add to the “to read” list as well!

* “25 Ways to Live a Fairytale Life” is a really sweet list of ideas to make your life a bit more magical, from The Princess Portal.

* CMYKaboom! (I love the name) has a regular feature entitled “Inspiration Machine” and this week’s contains some great ideas!

* I loved parts one and two of Aimee Marie‘s Photo Coach series so I was really happy when “Part 3: Composition” was posted this week!

I hope the rest of the weekend is wonderful!

A belated Happy Easter and a belated Sparkle Roundup! I hope you’re all having a good break from work, school, or just the stresses of everyday life in general and are enjoying being able to indulge in whatever you gave up for Lent (if you did)!

Just [...]]]> Image by mawel

A belated Happy Easter and a belated Sparkle Roundup! I hope you’re all having a good break from work, school, or just the stresses of everyday life in general and are enjoying being able to indulge in whatever you gave up for Lent (if you did)!

Just a quick Sparkle Roundup this week, but be assured that there will be more new and better content soon! In the meantime, enjoy these fabulous posts from this week in the blogosphere!

* There’s an excellent article by The Princess Portal on “Authenticity” this week. This is something I feel really strongly about – that there is no point in being the person you think people want you to be, as you can’t be truly happy unless you’re being yourself.

* “Establish Sustainable Positivity through Perspective and Appreciation” is the lengthly title of a really amazing post by one of my favourite and most-featured bloggers, the wonderful Tres Lola. I think this post is capable of giving anyone something to think about!

* Nubby‘s fabulously detailled reply to a reader’s question, “Digital vs. Print Design & Magazine Submissions” is essential reading for anyone hoping to make a career in graphic design (or those who just find it interesting, like me!)

* La Couturier give some brilliant advice on “what to wear: at the airport“, something I always seem to get wrong no matter what! Usually I end up freezing on the plane then boiling when I get to my destination – wearing steel-heeled boots through the metal detectors is also something I’ve managed to do on several different occasions!

* The lovely Tash challenges us with the question “Are you niche enough?” For once however, this is not applied to blogs, but rather to our careers, and is a very interesting read. Definitely one to think about if, like me, you’re job-hunting right now.

* Expand Yourself is another great personal development blog I’ve recently discovered. “Craving for energy?” is a great post that highlights four different types of energy that may be lacking in our lives, and what to do to boost that energy and use it.

* Nicole Ioma‘s advice on how to “Break a Creative Block” is really great, and includes a couple of ideas I really wouldn’t have thought of if she hadn’t pointed out the benefits. Well worth a read.

I hope you enjoy reading these and that you’re still enjoying a relaxing Easter break! If you’re back at work already, I hope you’re well-rested!

xx