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How can I go back to work after having a baby?

We all know the hardships of looking for a job. Going back to work after a baby is no different – you’re currently working a full-time job and trying to find the time to look for another, let alone applying and finding the time to interview. For those of us who have been privileged enough to take maternity leave, like myself, the prospect of going back to work can be both exciting and daunting.

How can I go back to work after having a baby?

Sadly, there is still a stigma around mums returning to the workplace. I was reminded of this after having a conversation with my partner about when and how I would return to work after being made redundant just before giving birth (yes, that’s legal). He affectionately said “Don’t worry, it will be easy”, but deep down I knew otherwise.

Questions dart around my head on a daily basis, such as:

  • Have I forgotten how to interview/work after extended maternity?
  • Will future employers worry I’m going to leave to have more children?
  • That I won’t be as dedicated to my job?

Of course, the answer to all of these on my part, and hopefully my future employers, is no.

As wonderful as my maternity leave has been, I still can’t help but feel anxious about the time I’ve had away from work — the pause I willingly placed on my career.

Read more of my pregnancy and parenthood related posts.

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How Bloggers Can Work with Brands – A Guide

How Bloggers Can Work with Brands

I’ve been working with brands for over 8 years on my blog and social networks. I’m not a ‘big influencer’ (I’d be classed as a micro influencer) but I’m contacted on a daily basis by brands; I’ve been gifted products, experiences and even holidays – all because of my content. Lately I’ve seen certain brands calling bloggers out for contacting them about potential collaborations. Not only is it unprofessional and just downright petty, it makes no sense. Influencer-brand partnerships can be rewarding for both the company and the content creator.

I don’t want to get started on the politics of small or big bloggers being paid, marketing strategies etc. Those are rants for another post. But I do want to give some advice for bloggers who want to work with brands, but maybe feel they can’t reach out to them.

 How Bloggers Can Work with Brands

  • Contact PRs
    • Ask to be put on their mailing lists. This is a great way to get an insight into the brand/industry and how they work. It helps to build a relationship with the PR, and can lead to potential gifting or partnerships.
  • Follow brands on social and interact with them
    • @ them when you include them in your organic content.
    • Be genuine, let them know why you love their brand.
  • Blog/Instagram quality content regularly
    • Brands want to work with creators who are consistent in both timing and quality.
    • Uploading quality content on a regular basis will help grow engagement and following, which is exactly what brands want to see.
  • Show brands what you got!
    • Pitch them your ideas for content (e.g. ‘Valentines gifts for foodies’).
    • Show them stats and link to previous work you’ve done.
    • Tell them why you’d be a good fit for each other.
  • Don’t expect something for nothing
    • Be realistic. If you are brand new to the game it’s unlikely you’re going to be gifted the latest iPhone or be paid big bucks.
    • You need to tell the brand what they will get in return. Let them know how you can both help each other out, and what you will bring to their marketing campaign.

Reaching out isn’t a bad thing!

Pitching has been a part of marketing for a long time. This is no different. Don’t be afraid to contact brands. After all, you don’t lose anything by contacting them and the worst thing that can happen is they say no. I’ve been turned down before, and it just inspired me to work harder and do better (“that’ll show ’em!”). That said, most of the time I get a positive response, and so can you!

I hope this has helped any budding bloggers, or the more seasoned ones who are maybe still unsure about how to reach out to brands. If you enjoyed my ‘How Bloggers Can Work with Brands – A Guide’, let me know if you like to see more posts, such as email templates etc.

Read more of my How-to guides.
Source: 1, 2

How Bloggers Can Work with Brands

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5 Independent Wedding Stationery Designers You Should Know

Independent Wedding Stationery Designers5 Independent Wedding Stationery Designers You Should Know

When choosing the wedding stationery we would use as part of our celebrations, we knew the exact kind of style we wanted – minimalistic, with ties to nature. In some cases this was more prevalent than others, such as our place cards by Peach Wolfe Paper Co which feature flower and leaf motifs. And in others there was a looser connection, such as the Lilac and White menu cards, which we chose in a subdued natural tone to match the decorations. With there being so many options out there, it quite literally took us weeks to find something that suited our personal style, and matched the theme of the wedding.

5 Independent Wedding Stationery Designers

Part of what made the task so difficult was that we wanted to choose independent wedding stationery designers. I have to say that the sheer amount of talent out there is astonishing. On top of that, we didn’t quite realise just how important wedding stationery actually is. We knew that we would need Save the Dates and invites…but place cards, menus, ‘will you be my…’ cards?! We really weren’t expecting, or even considering, all of those.

Never the less, with the help of Not on The High Street, we were able to find the perfect wedding stationery for us:

As you can see, we ended up with a lot more than we had bargained for. Once you begin looking at wedding stationery, it becomes a bit of a slippery slope. One major problem of finding so many amazing independent wedding stationery designers is that even now – with less than a month to go until our wedding – I find myself wanting to buy more. I think it’s time to go on a wedding stationery detox…

Check out the rest of my Wedding Series now!

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This post is in collaboration with Not on The High Street, however all views, photos and words are my own.

Independent Wedding Stationery Designers Independent Wedding Stationery Designers Independent Wedding Stationery Designers


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Creating Wedding Memories That Will Last

wedding memoriesCreating wedding memories that will last

“All of that effort, and the day goes by in a flash” – words of wisdom from about anyone and everyone I’ve met who has been married. It’s a horrible thought though, isn’t it? Spending months (read: over a year) planning your wedding, for only a few hours of actual memories. And as much as I would love for it to to be an exaggeration, deep down I know that I’ll be so caught up in the moment that the day will fly by.

It’s not easy coming up with innovative ways to create lasting memories. Of course there are the tried and tested favourites, such as photographs and videos. But I want something more.  All of this got thinking, how do I create wedding memories that will last?

Wedding Memories That Will Last

One particular item I had on my to-buy list was a wedding guest book. It didn’t take long before I found the perfect one on Not on the High Street. All I had to do was come up with something unique. A light bulb went off in my head – I had the idea that instead of dedicating it to just people’s messages, it could become a wedding scrapbook, of sorts. So over the last year, amongst all the planning, I’ve been saving keepsakes. Things such as our save the dates, customised bits from our favours, menus, ‘advice for the bride’ cards from my hen party etc. And once the big day is finally over, we plan to combine everything. It’s only something small, but it means we’ll have something physical we can look at whenever we want a hit of nostalgia. Something that will eventually combine all of our hard work, the emotions of the day, and the beauty of our wedding.

In this post:
Wedding Sign by Mee & Es Designs*
Wedding Guestbook by Tillyanna*

How did/would you create your own wedding memories?
Read more of my Wedding advice and tips.

wedding memories wedding memories

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Planning a Wedding is Bad for Your Health

Wedding is Bad for Your HealthPlanning a Wedding is Bad for Your Health

Yes I said it, and I refuse to take it back. Planning a wedding is seriously bad for your physical and mental health. I have personally been planning my own wedding for just over a year – and there’s still 3 months to go! It might sound like I’m overreacting but it definitely ranks in the top 3 most stressful tasks I have ever willingly taken on.

You spend your spare time stressing over gigantic issues and teeny tiny ones alike. And I haven’t even mentioned the cold sweats you get as you watch your bank account depreciate, invoice by invoice. It makes sense that you’d feel a bit sick, right?

Planning a Wedding is Bad for Your Health

Not only does wedding planning affect your mental health, but it also affects your physical health – with the latter most often being linked to the former. Whereas I usually catch a couple of colds a year, I’ve found myself coming down with a ton of them; not to mention the various other illnesses…and stress! And I know I’m not alone. Unfortunately I have quite a few friends who have been/are going through the same thing.

But I don’t want to leave a nasty taste in your mouth with this post. I want to try and offer up a few solutions for those who may be in a similar situation, or know someone who is going through it. Here are a few tips for making sure you stay healthy both mentally and physically, whilst planning your wedding.

5 Tips for staying healthy whilst wedding planning

  • Ask for help
    • Where possible, ask your friends and family for help. They will love knowing they’ve contributed towards your big day, and it will ease off the pressure on you.
  • Get your vitamins
    • Stress can really mess with your eating habits, which can leave your body feeling a bit off. Something as simple as making sure you eat well can help keep nasty illnesses at bay.
  • Take some ‘me time’
    • Taking some time for yourself is so important, whether you’re planning a wedding or not. For me it’s the little moments such as sitting in a cafe with a good book, or popping on a sheet mask whilst watching Netflix.
  • Followed by some ‘us time’
    • Your wedding is a celebration of the love between you and your partner, which is easy to forget when you’re arguing about seating plans and chair covers. So make sure you take some time just for the two of you in the lead up to it.
  • Follow my 5 key wedding planning tips

So what do you think, is planning a wedding bad for your health?
Read more of my Wedding tips (and rants).

Source: 1, 2

Wedding is Bad for Your Health

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How to get the Instagram Lifestyle, and is it Worth it?

Instagram LifestyleHow to get the Instagram Lifestyle, and is it Worth it?

Instagram is hardly instant anymore, so it comes as no surprise that people’s feeds are heavily curated. I think it’s fair to say that most of the people dedicating their time to it have distanced themselves from the original ‘meaning’ behind the platform. And why not? It’s almost become a portfolio of sorts for budding photographers, influencers and socialites alike. My own Instagram is littered with photos from my travels, right down to my daily activities. My friends look at my Instagram and the reactions range from positives such as ‘wow your apartment is so stylish’ to the more negative ‘you only care about trendy, pretty things’. Neither could be further from the truth, but who better than a friend to keep you grounded, am I right?

Is the Instagram lifestyle worth it?

Curating an instagram feed isn’t easy. There are so many things to consider, from colour palettes to posting times, using the correct hashtags…the list goes on. For some it’s their job, which in some ways can make things a little bit easier. However when you’re working a full-time job and just do blogging on the side, well that’s when things begin to get a bit more stressful. I’m lucky enough that my career is in marketing, so I get to read articles on the latest algorithms (yay) for a living. That said, after a long day curating someone else’s Instagram feed, I don’t necessarily feel like coming home and working on my own. In fact most evenings I turn my phone off entirely, purely to avoid stress.

How to get the Instagram lifestyle

My advice for people who want to start an instagram, or take their own more seriously, is to relax and take it easy. Don’t look at it as a full-time job (unless it is your job), and take it step-by-step. You’ll enjoy the whole experience a lot more if you don’t associate it with numbers and anxiety. That doesn’t mean you can’t be ambitious though. It’s about finding a happy medium where you can put some time aside to do your research, and work on it. In a world overflowing with social media content, genuine TLC is more noticeable than ever.

Read more of my blogging guides.
Follow me on Instagram. Instagram Lifestyle

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Choosing a Wedding Dress: The Stress of Buying ‘The Dress’

Choosing a Wedding DressThe Stress of Buying ‘The Dress’ – Choosing a Wedding Dress

The time had come for the most memorable, and supposedly fun, part of wedding planning. It was time to buy my wedding dress. I had already decided that I didn’t want a “conventional” wedding dress. That meant no bridalwear shops, and definitely no sticking to tradition. I thought this would make things a lot less stressful, boy was I wrong.

Where do you even begin looking for a wedding dress, if not in a wedding dress store?! Well I had some ideas, but I also had one big hurdle to get over before I would be able to put them into action.

The Stress of Buying ‘The Dress’

When I told my mum that I didn’t want a big, white ‘traditional’ dress, and that I’d probably just go out and buy it by myself, she was visibly upset. Although she reassured me that she just wanted me to be happy, I knew how much being a part of the decision meant to her. The fact that she wanted me to have a dress that was for me, and me alone, meant a lot to me. So I booked in for one bridalwear shop, and invited her – and my soon-to-be mother-in-law – to come along. And what did I do? I paraded around in some fancy dresses (see below) that cost way too much money, and made ‘the mums’ (their collective name) well up.

I’m honestly glad I did it, because everyone was so happy, and I had a lot of fun. It also brought some clarity; as I was trying the dresses on, I knew I’d made the right decision. They were beautiful gowns, and I looked damn good in all of them, but they just weren’t me.

Choosing a Wedding Dress

In the end I went to Liberty with ‘the mums’, VA, and my sister-in-law. I was worried I’d end up walking around for hours and not find anything. Again I proved myself wrong. I made a beeline for one of my favourite designers, and there it was. The dress. That’s all I’m going to say for now, but I truly can’t wait to wear it and show everyone later this year.

I think ‘the dress’ should be a reflection of you. Weddings are stressful enough without being stuck in an outfit that you’re not comfortable in. I don’t think you should be held to a social construct that says it has to be big and grand, or that you can’t wear anything other than white. Unless of course that’s what you want, in which case, you do you! After all it is supposed to be the happiest day of your life.

Need more advice than just choosing a wedding dress? Check out my Wedding Series.
Header image: Charisse KenionChoosing a Wedding Dress