This is a surreal post for me to write. I’m usually the person watching and cheering on her friends and co-workers from the side as they collect awards, give presentations and speeches or get invited to PR events. Generally, be the person of support as they live their best life. It has always been great and I’ve always been proud of them for what they achieve as I can see just how hard each of them work.
Evin from Evinok.com and Myself from the Blog Awards Ireland at Tramline, Dublin Oct ’18. Photo courtesy of Blog Awards Ireland.
In the last 2 years, this blog has changed my life. I’ve done things I never thought I would like written for magazines, work on photoshoots and content plans. I’ve been published and written the introduction to a book with designers that I wholeheartedly admire and to top it off I get to work on Woollinn, Ireland’s Festival of Yarn with some pretty awesome people. If anyone was to ask me if running a blog was worth it, my answer would depend very much on how stressful my week was but in all honesty, when you look at it as a whole, this little piece of the internet has made some wonderful things happen.
Best Arts & Crafts Blog 2018
On Thursday, October 25th I picked up not one but two awards in this year’s Blog Awards Ireland. To tell you the truth I had discounted myself from winning and I didn’t count myself as a lifestyle contender at all. I guess I suffer a lot from comparison and because I work on my blog almost daily, I know my own weaknesses and I think that as female bloggers we also tend to downplay or discount what we do far too readily. If anything this win has added some confidence to what I do which is almost priceless.
I never expected to win the Arts & Crafts category, at most I had wanted to keep my medal from last year. When they called my name my fellow bloggers who were there will tell you that I had a very confused look on my face. I really am delighted but I wanted to thank all of you because without you reading, sharing and liking my posts and what I create, there really isn’t a blog. As for what the win means? I have no idea. There are so many wonderful Arts and Crafts blogs out there, Just have a look at the winner’s list for the top three.
Best Lifestyle Blog – Silver
This is such a shock for me but I am so grateful to all the judges and the readers for this one. I wanted to share more lifestyle posts and this is the encouragement I need to do just that. As I work in the fibre industry, sometimes I get a little burned out writing about craft. About two weeks prior to the awards I vowed to remove craft from my blog. I didn’t want to write about it because what I was seeing online was a lot of anger, hate and arguments in comments like those from the Campaign for Wool and Hedgehog Fibers latest yarn release to name the top two that come to mind. I’ve seen fellow bloggers and dare I say it, influencers, in the industry, have to explain why they are posting images of things other than yarn (I mean really? It’s their online space!) I’ve seen them have to remind people in their Insta stories for people to calm down and think before they post. This is an area that is supposed to be a hobby (apart from those who work within it) and I can’t quite fathom it. At the moment it is just too much for me to navigate.
Sometimes, I like to leave work where it is and play within my own blog. So in the future, you will be seeing lots of different crafts and other interests from me, Interviews from some Indies that I had planned prior to the awards and a shift for me to share all of my crafts with you. I do hope that you like them. If there are particular types of posts that you would like to see from me then please do hit reply and let me know! I will be continuing the Lifestyle posts on my handmade wardrobe and how I built it along with how I make it work within my day and if you are really interested in my day, I am just adding A Day in the Life to my Insta Stories. It’s rather a busy day so I hope you don’t laugh too much.
Blog Awards Outfit & Make Up
I’ve had a few DM’s and rather a lot of questions on the night but my skirt is from Coast and was purchased in August 2018. It is actually a top (lace from Penneys with a white vest) and skirt with a shrug from Warehouse. The theme for the night was Day of the Dead so I think it was kinda fun and I like black anyway 🙂
My make up was applied by the wonderful Debbie of Boots in Grafton Street. Myself and Evin OK had some fun and took the Masterclass in Makeup there on the afternoon of the Awards. The foundation is the No7 Lift and Luminate which is beautiful to wear and I was very surprised at the number of things I learned during the session. I recommend the class because it’s free and there is no obligation on you to purchase anything. I think I bought almost everything I am wearing bar the mascara and the lipstick.
For me, my face and skin have changed a lot since having my children and now that I am in my late 30’s, I wanted to find a new look that was minimal and comfortable for me ao that I could look after my skin. I never really did in my teens or twenties so I felt I really should now and it’s never too late to start, right? I’m very picky about how products feel on my skin as I have spent a few years as a Quality Control Chemist in the cosmetics industry, so I do shy away from a lot of them but being in front of the camera more I wanted to have a base that worked that could transition from day to night without feeling sticky and completely “made up”.
Finally, from me, a really HUGE thank you for joining me on my creative journey and reading what I create. I hope you enjoy the journey to come in both life, craft and gardening though it might be at a slower pace than you are used to. If you want to start a blog, do it’s fantastic but it isn’t easy and it isn’t all PR events and shiny bright lights, well at least for me it isn’t’ lol. It’s work and dedication on being there for all of your readers, following an editorial calendar and writing about what you love and most of all it’s about having fun and if you aren’t it’s time to change what you write about.
I’ll be back tomorrow with a Knitting and Stitching show post so keep an eye out for that!
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