lifestyle Archives - Page 20 of 54

bloomzy / January 6, 2016

New Year, New You…?

I’ve always found the concept of “new year, new you” interesting. In some ways it’s quite a grand, romantic gesture. The idea that you will become a better person and achieve all of your goals; like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. On the other hand it’s really rather silly to think that you can change as a person at the wave of a hand. I’m forever stuck on the fence, fighting my inner optimist and pessimist.

So for me it’s a mixture of both. I don’t intend to create a “new me” or anything like that. But I do like the idea of resolutions, as you may have noticed. So instead I like to make realistic resolutions. This year, much like last, the new year had me thinking about my blog. It’s such a big part of my life. I’ve had some amazing experiences, and made some truly wonderful friends thanks to it. Therefore it seems only natural that I should want to concentrate on this part of my life.

So what are my plans for Bloomzy in 2016?

Well I had a good long think (you may have seen me tweeting my thoughts), and I have come to a conclusion. This year I plan to only post quality photography and written content on the blog – no “posting for the sake of it”. Generally I am pretty good at this. However sometimes I do feel pressured to get posts out quicker etc, and it bugs me. This may all sound silly, and honestly I’m my own worst enemy. I’m quite a perfectionist when it comes to photography/my blog. So this kind of resolution will help inspire me to better myself and my skills. At the same time it will remind me that I write this blog for fun, and I shouldn’t worry so much about it.

I’d like to say a big thank you to all of my readers, the brands I work with, and the friends and family who continue to support me. You all drive me to do my best, and without you, I don’t think this blog would be what it is today.

bloomzy / January 2, 2016

A Travel Resolution for 2016

Travel Highlights from 2015

Part of the reason I’m so excited about the New Year finally being here, is thanks to some pretty awesome moments in 2015. Last year I made a resolution to visit as many new countries (ones I had never been to before) as possible. Well I don’t think I did too bad; I visited Germany, The Netherlands and Italy. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had, and it has spurred me on to work even harder in 2016.

I will be returning to Japan in March. It’s been almost five years since I was there last, so naturally I am already planning all of the things I want to see/do. Of course I intend to reunite with all of my friends. I also hope to eat ALL of the delicious food, and take plenty of photos. My inner photography geek is pretty excited about this, because when I was living in Tokyo I only took snapshots on my mobile phone/digital camera. Oh hey there, my name is: the annoying tourist in the corner with the DSLR.

I’d also like to take more long weekends away from London, and discover more European countries I’ve yet to visit. On my travel wish list this year? Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. I wonder if I can best 2015 and manage to do those alongside Japan… I’ll certainly try my best.

You can check out my 2015 travel posts here.
Send me your travel recommendations in the comments below.

bloomzy / December 30, 2015

Blogs I’ll Still Be Reading in 2016

Old photo is old…but relevant

Looking back at my ‘Blogs I’ll Still Be Reading in 2015‘ I’m pretty darn proud of myself. My predications were spot on. Actually what I should be saying is, well done to my favourite bloggers for all the awesome content they brought out during 2015. Well I don’t expect next year to be much different, but my reading preferences have altered slightly; some of my old favourites are still in there, but there’s some new additions too.

Blogs I’ll Still Be Reading in 2016

Park and Cube – Inspirational photography and awesome lifestyle posts.
Joe Allam – Full of interesting content for lovers of photography.
The Bearded Bakery – Mike always posts the best recipes…and he uses a lot of matcha!
Worship Blues – Meaningful words and photos. A blog with a lot of soul.
Vasilieva – An image heavy blog, with a hauntingly beautiful photography style.
I Heart Alice – I love Alice’s photos, her style, and her personality. This lovely lady is a triple threat!
Chopstickpanorama – I had to include VA! She continues to help drive me to do my best. And I just love her photos!
Style and Wellbeing – It can be difficult to find a blog that fits your style exactly, but I fell in love as soon as I set eyes upon Brittany’s blog.

I hope to continue discovering more amazing blogs in 2016. Feel free to leave your own, or your favourite blogs in the comments below.

bloomzy / December 27, 2015

Christmas Day | Photo Diary

Christmas Day in Wales

Christmas Day, for me, has always been a family affair. From the beginning of December I look forward to spending a relaxing day, chatting and eating with all of my family members. This year I spent it in Wales, with my “in-laws”. My day started with a light breakfast and coffee, whilst others slaved away in the kitchen (much appreciated) preparing a Christmas feast. Trust me, you don’t want me anywhere near your Christmas dinner. Unless you count eating it, because I can do a pretty good job of that.

I think this time of year allows us all to be a slightly more eccentric version of ourselves (read: show our true colours). And that’s great! I mean, when else would it be acceptable to start drinking champagne at 11am? It’s also readily accepted that you will gorge yourself silly, on food you simply refuse to eat any other time of the year. Again, I’m all for this. I actually love brussel sprouts and stuffing. I’ll pass on the Christmas pudding though. However, dowsing it in brandy and setting it a flame does make for a good photo.

I really just love the feeling and general joyfulness during this holiday. I’m very lucky to have some wonderful family and friends. And whereas I do appreciate them all year round, it is nice to spread a little extra love. After all, tis the season.

bloomzy / November 24, 2015

Christmas Gift Guide | The Interior Lover

Bloomzy’s Christmas Gift Guide, for The Interior Lover

It’s that time of the year again when we all start wracking our brains as to what we should buy our loved ones. And whereas they will always tell us “oh you don’t have to worry about getting me anything”, we all know we’re going to anyway. So to try and make it a little bit easier for you, I have put together a few gift guides. Each Christmas gift guide has been carefully curated by yours truly, to showcase what I believe are affordable, quality gifts that will appeal to all (well, pretty much anyone). So grab a cup of tea, sit back, and let me do all the hard work for you.

A Gift Guide for The Interior Lover:

Robin & Holly Oven Glove – Thornback and Peel*
Stag & Mistletoe Tea Towel – Thornback and Peel*
Stackable Copper & Gold Containers – Tiger
Inissia Black Coffee Machine & Aeroccino – Nespresso
Nespresso Machine Coffee Capsules*

You may be thinking to yourself right now, but I don’t see a Nespresso machine in the photos. Well I’m not gonna sugar coat it, it’s a bit of a b*tch to include in a flat lay. But I’m sure you can get the idea. Anyway, I wanted to include an interior gift guide this year as I have become a bit of an interior geek as of late – I blame my new apartment. Plus, interior is so hot right now. Am I right?

Don’t forget to check out the rest of my Christmas Gift Guide series.

bloomzy / November 16, 2015

A Blogger Adventure | Italy Travel Diary

#SeeWhatYouWearTour with Expool Consortium & EmilCar

I can’t believe it’s been a month since my whirlwind blogger adventure (on the See What You Wear Tour) in Italy with Andy (Andy Sparkles) & Elena (Vasilieva) – alongside some of Italy’s top Instagrammers. I was shown the amazing world of luxury, handmade Italian shoes. The delights of the local food. The beauty of Marche. But most importantly, I discovered a whole new country that I’d never been to before. I took far too many photos to count, which has probably given me enough content for the next month. However I believe that you should end things on a high (read: don’t drag them out). So this will be my final Italy Travel Diary post. A small photo round-up, highlighting all of the things I fell in love with during my visit. You can also see my Instagram adventures via #BloomzyItalia, and check out the people who joined me on my journey. I hope you’ll enjoy.

Check out the rest of my Italy Travel Diaries.
Thank you to Elena (Vasilieva) for the photo of me.

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I was invited on the #SeeWhatYouWearTour by Expool Consortium. However all images, words and opinions are my own.

bloomzy / November 15, 2015

Screen printing with Daniel Heath

Daniel Heath Studio | Blackhorse Workshop, Walthamstow

I don’t have an artistic bone in my body – unless you count photography, which for some reason I don’t. So I’ve always had a lot of respect for those who create art on a daily basis. And if it’s your job, well then, I take my hat off to you. This is exactly the case for Daniel Heath, who screen prints wallpaper and makes wood-etched furniture from his studio in East London. And thanks to In The Window, I was promised a look into his creative process, design story, and most excitingly, the chance to get arty myself. It could either go amazingly, or I could end up ruining everything. But as all good click bait titles do, I’m going to make you read on to find out which one it was.

It was a typical dark Winters evening when I found myself outside Blackhorse Workshop. Illuminated by fairy lights, it looked so inviting. Stepping inside I was greeted by warm smiles, and a bright venue. The Wood Street Coffee shop was adorable. The tables were littered with equally adorable – and delicious – snacks (thanks to Propercorn, Dinah’s Desserts, Nix & Kix, and Moreish Cheesecake). After some mingling and nibbling, we all headed upstairs to Daniel’s studio…

Daniel Heath is a British award winning independent wallpaper, textile and surface designer renowned for his illustrative and engaging designs. His intricate designs make for stunning interior features – my favourites are his new Art Deco architecture-inspired pieces. Each lovingly designed by Daniel himself, and hand painted using silk screens. Having such inspirational art at hand, I was eager to dive in myself. With Daniel beside me, I was shown how to screen print one of his current designs. I was actually pretty impressed with myself – there were no paint disasters, and I didn’t set accidentally fire to anything…so I’d say the evening went pretty well. Jokes aside, screen printing with Daniel Heath was such a joy. His designs are beautiful, and I love the bespoke, handmade aspect to his pieces. Aside from that, Daniel is just an awesome guy, which made the whole experience one I certainly won’t forget. So thank you to Daniel and the team behind In The Window, for allowing me to be part of something very special.

I also want to give a little shout-out to Addison Lee for taking me home that evening. I really appreciated having a warm car whisk me away after the event (especially when there’s free wi-fi).

Check out my curation of Daniel’s work at In The Window.