Make It So

Behold... My new greeting card designs. 

I'm posting this with a skip in my step and a smile on my face. This past month or so, since I started the Blog Everyday in May challenge I've learned a lot about me and about being more positive and kinder to myself. Today when I was planning this post I looked at my cards and felt something I've not felt in a while - pride and confidence in myself, my skills and my ideas.

I've been on a bit of a downer since Christmas due to the loss of a job that I thought could really go somewhere. By January I was telling myself all sorts of rubbish; you weren't good enough, they probably never even liked you and all the usual nonsense that comes with that kind of situation. However it was all mixed with happy feelings as Peter and I had finally made the big grown up move of buying ourselves a flat and starting on the next phase of our lives together. I don't know whether that made things more confusing for me, but my head was all over the place. 

Jump to late April when I vowed to make a proper go of blogging and really push it in order to start some work that could really go somewhere if I, in the words of Jean Luc Picard "make it so". I tried my best in the challenge and am really happy with all the writing I did. I'm now beginning to feel more comfortable and like I'm on my way to finding my voice in the blogging community. I've met lovely folk and found loads of information, writing and creativity to be inspired by. Not to mention the endless amounts of encouragement I get from you, the folk that read my blog. As a previous life-long self doubter you have no idea what that means to me.

It's made me look back at all the other things in my life I have achieved and think positively about them. The easiest to think of is the image above. Just over two years ago I never thought I'd be able to use Illustrator, and look at me now - working the pen tool like a boss! I taught myself Photoshop in Uni, I've taught myself the basics of HTML and CSS, I became a dress making tutor after only 10 weeks of lessons when all I'd done before was break my Mum's sewing machine. How had I been missing these accomplishments?! Negativity that's how. Now I'm on my journey of positivity and mindfulness things are looking better and I'm recognising these things for what they are, my drive to learn and learn until nothing else fits in my brain.

So the point of this post? To tell you to go find your ideas, dreams, whatever you want to do and do whatever it takes to...

 

I also wanted to share something exciting that's going on over at The Nectar Collective. The Snail Mail Collective is a new idea from Melyssa at TNC and Chelsea over on Lost in Travels that involves bloggers from around the world getting to know one another and after a couple of weeks we send each other a wee prezzie native to our homeland. I'm super excited to be part of it and can't wait for all the fun to kick off.

Rules & Information

In order to participate in the Snail Mail Collective this July, please fill out this form. Filling out the form means you commit to actively participating and following the rules below. 

1. You will be paired with one new person. We will do our best to make sure this person is from a different country, or at the very least, a different area of your country. We will strive for you to make international friends, but it’s also nice to get to know the different parts of our own homeland.

2. Each month’s gifts will have a theme. The first theme (for July) is to introduce where you live – what’s special about it? 

3. Each month, we will be taking sign-ups until the 7th day of the month. After that, the pairings will be posted on our blogs on the 9th or 10th of the month. Please check Lost in Travels or The Nectar Collective to find out who you’re paired with.

4. You will have 72 hours to contact your partner (both partners must communicate together). If your partner does not respond within 72 hours, please e-mail Melyssa or Chelsea.

5. You will have about two weeks to get to know your partner. After that time, your gifts must be sent by the 22nd of the month.

6. Gifts: Your present(s) should not total more than $5. We want this project to be affordable for you, so think small, but meaningful. Also, all packages must include a postcard (preferable) or a letter to your partner. Motivate them, tell them all the beautiful things you learned about them this month, and make them feel special! We could all use a little encouragement, especially from our new friends.

7. Once you receive your gifts, we highly encourage you to write a blog post about your experience. Share what you gave, received, and learned through participating in the Snail Mail Collective and meeting your new buddy.

8. At the beginning of each month, we will hold a link-up on our blogs (The Nectar Collective & Lost in Travels) where you can share and link-up your SMC blog posts. This way, you can see how people around the world interpreted the theme, learn about other cultures, and meet even more new friends.

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DaisyBisley in the Wild - Tattoo Design

Designing tattoos for folk means the world to me. I get to translate their feelings, ideas and sometimes memories in to a single design that they can have forever inked on their skin. It's a big responsibility and I don't take it lightly. I've been responsible for designs that symbolise a loved one lost, the birth of kids, friendship, life loves and so many others and I am so moved by some of the stories that clients tell me when they're sharing the reasons behind their ink. It's so rewarding and humbling to be a part of that process and I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have asked me to design for you.

So with all this in mind I like you all to meet Marty, drummer for the Australian band The Eternal, who are awesome by the way {their new single is embedded below}. Marty asked me to design a tattoo that was special to him and his family. This is the second time I've designed a tattoo that is now permanently on Marty's skin. A while ago his brother Dan asked me to design a triskele for them both and I had a lot of fun doing it. I won't be sharing any of the reasons behind the guy's tattoos as they're all very personal to them and I like to keep that a designer/client secret. But I will say I put extra pressure on myself to get that first design perfect and I'm so glad Dan and Marty were happy with it.

This time around Marty asked me to design this one - a symbol that represents a very traditional idea, but wouldn't be too obvious to figure out. I had loads of fun experimenting with this one as it was totally different to the triskeles I usually get asked to do and let me go nuts with the pencil lines.

The design was inked by Melbourne artist Brittany Kilsby whose work is fantastic and I'm so ridiculously over the moon with the work she did on it. You can see more of Brittany's work on her Facebook page.

I'll maybe post in the future about some of my tattoos that have been inked before, but for now you can have a look at some of my previous inked designs on the website. If you'd like a custom tattoo or design for your business, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Also, take the time to have a listen to The Eternal's new track Beneath These Waves, now available over on their Bandcamp page, it's pretty awesome!

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To The Batcave

Way back in December last year Peter and I took our first MAJOR step in our lifetime commitment to each other and bought a hoose. Well a flat more than a hoose, a lovely flat, in fact a perfect flat that we couldn't have been more lucky/happier with. As it was empty at the time we thought it would be best to stay where we were, still at home with his parents, and work hard decorating it before we made the big move.

This worked out great as we go to plan everything we wanted to do and really make it ours - to the point where Peter {the Animator} made 3D renders so we could see what colours worked and what style we could agree on. Being the big nerds that we are, Bat freaks specifically, things were purposely influenced by our favourite vigilante and other movies/art that we love. The living room has a Tron/Matrix theme to it and the bedroom is Bat-themed. 

Peter's quick 3D mock up of our own Batcave

We don't have Batsigns all over the place as we wanted everything to be subtle. Our favourite comic book artist is Jim Lee and we both love his artwork so much, with Batman especially, that we had to try and work it in to our bedroom. Plus I'd been in love with grey and yellow bedrooms for months thanks to Pinterest. So we looked to Jim Lee's work for colour inspiration - this poster in particular.

We did pretty well I think with the bedroom colour wise. We found the perfect grey/blue for the feature wall and the perfect shades of yellow for the accents. The only thing we couldn't do was the white bedside cabinet/black lamp combo as we didn't have the space due to the odd shape of the room. Again thanks to Pinterest I found the square shelf idea and though it was pretty sweet.

There had to be some elephants somewhere - I love them

The only thing missing was the jewellery dish that I for some reason had become obsessed with finding. I never did find it, but once again Pinterest was at hand for inspiration. All Hail Pinterest! This tutorial instantly struck me and I had to try it last Friday. Here's the outcome.

I love my new jewellery dish and feel like the room is really taking shape, plus I have a neat little place to keep my Bat jewels. We're just lacking some wall art so will eventually get some of our favourite Bat art and photos printed out, framed and hung on the walls.

We aren't completely finished the flat yet as we've only been here for five months. The hall still needs decorated, the spare room needs organised and little bits here and there need done, but we will have our nerd palace geeked up to the nines eventually and one day I'll explain the Tron/Matrix living room!

Do you have any nerdy themes in your home? I'd love to hear them. Share in the comments.

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Weekly Wishes #2

No, my weekly wish isn't to smooch the face of Batman, although if the Animator and I could recreate this as our wedding photo that would be all kinds of awesome! My weekly Wish last week was to write a review for the Batman comic series Hush. Well I failed. Not completely, I have started it and written my intro, but as for the complete review - nopers!

The problem is that I forgot how long the series is and Peter has the giant hardcover version which is soooo beautiful that it makes me paranoid to handle it. I've also been working a lot in the theatre and wasn't able to take it with me. Look at me making excuses! I will have it done by next week though, promise.


This week's wishes:

Obviously finish my review, but I'd also like to add this cool little addition to my repertoire of skills » RC car shell design. A while ago a friend of ours asked me to draw out some body work for an RC car he was going to paint for his Dad. I had never done anything like this before so was willing to give it a go. It was so much fun and I came up with a pretty bad ass tribal design for it if I do say so myself. I never saw the finished paint job as it was a gift, but I'm getting to relive the fun this week. Yesterday I was asked for a duplicate of the design so I'm drawing it all out again to get it finished for Saturday. Here's a peek. 

This time I'm going to ask for a couple of pics of the finished paint job. Our RC mad friend Iain has mad skills with an airbrush, turning out some incredible paint jobs on these cars so I'm really hoping to see this one all finished. We are also hoping *ahem* for an invite to an RC race to see these bad boys in action. 

My other non-design realted wish is to practice mindfulness for at least five minutes every day before I work on my review or the tattoo commission I'm working on at the moment to try and boost my creativity. Okay so that's almost non-design related.

This week's highlights :

In order to continue on the positive track that Melyssa over at Nectar Collective has started me on it would be a cool idea to share three of my highlights from the week. A way to keep the happy and positive things in mind when it comes to dealing with Monday morning. Here goes; 

1.  On Friday I had a race with a plane. I was driving alongside the airport when I saw a plane lining up for takeoff. I watched with the excitement of a five year old as it sped up, over took me and lifted those lucky folk off on their holidays. 

2.  An exciting project is in the works with my best bud Anna over at Am Bothan, hoping to get stuck in to that by the end of this week.

3.  I found two new shoots on my peace lily - this confirms I am not killing it! *celebratory air punch*

What are your Weekly Wishes and highlights? Join the link up over at The Nectar Collective.

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Chillaxing with my Herd

As much as I hate that word, that's exactly what I'm up to this evening. Well if you count working out a new colour scheme for your whole online presence chillaxing. I've been wanting to change the colours of DaisyBisley for a while now, but didn't know what way to go. The blue/pink combo has always worked well together I think, but the shades have been wearing on me.

I love my little heard of elephantes

I have the new colours all picked out... they're blue and pink. A shockingly, progressive step forward in the evolution of my blog design I know. While wandering around my local craft shop this morning I spotted a beautiful shade of blue/green that just jumped out and screamed "pick me". Colour experts will probably argue it's more of a teal, but it goes fabulously with the new pink I've picked out. Will have the update done soon, probably over the next two weeks depending on work etc. Keep an eye out for the big "revamp".

{EDIT} I may actually get it all done tonight as I feel like staying up now I'm in the mood!

My chillaxing tunes to update colour schemes to: (I'll stop saying chillax now I promise)  

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Weekly Wishes

 

Today I'm linking up with The Nectar Collective's Weekly Wishes series to where we share our goals, challenges and wishes for the week.

I'm on a mission to improve my writing skills and last week an opportunity raised its lovely little head that couldn't be allowed to get away. Movie review site Mike and Rusty's Reviews placed an ad on Gumtree asking for designers to help voluntarily with web graphics, this was a great opportunity in itself so I emailed asking for more info and if I could offer my help.

A fantastic reply from Mike arrived a couple of days later saying that they would love my help, but also included the question: "would you like to write for us too?"

My initial reaction was no as I have little experience writing for my own blog never mind a review website, then my gut and heart kicked in!

My on-going challenge this year is to write, write and write some more, gaining experience along the way. Here it was, in my inbox, the perfect opportunity to write for others. Could I really say no?

No! I'm throwing myself in at the deep end - time to swim.

This weeks challenge to myself is to get that first review written and get the ball rolling.
Wish me luck.

 

- See more at: http://thenectarcollective.com/#sthash.Pxme8hmQ.dpuf

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- See more at: http://thenectarcollective.com/#sthash.RFUbCviI.dpuf

 

New Directions and Being Positive

Lately I've been thinking of the directions I'd like DaisyBisley to take. I've been doing tattoos for so long now that it was beginning to feel like a different kind of commission would never appear. Luckily the lovely Katherine at Meltemi Dive came along and asked for two t-shirt designs, a fantastic change of scene that pushed me right outside my comfort zone.

Now, hungry for more and looking for new ground to cover, I have finally put a ten year old idea in to action - greetings cards. It seems more and more folk are getting in to this area, making me wish I had just got my ass in gear all those years ago and done it. Alas I was just finishing high school and was more interested in the year off I was about to take before uni. 

Flash forward to a few weeks ago when words started to appear in my sketchbook and it hit me - You really should put these words on cards, someone might just like them.

What do you think? Are these the kind of card ideas you'd be interested in? I'll post more designs posted in the coming weeks as things get rolling. I'm feeling positive about this, even more so thanks to a fantastic post found in my feed yesterday morning over on The Nectar Collective.

Sometimes positivity is a little hard to come by. It's not that I'm a pessimist or depressed, I just get a little blue sometimes due to the pressure I put myself under to be awesome at art and life. I was always told as an artist you'll never be 100% satisfied with your work, but sometimes it just takes over and all my work will go in the bin - ridiculous and a terrible habit that needs to be broken. Needless to say I will be looking through Melyssa's post every morning from now on to give myself a good boot up the ar*e!!

How do you stay positive? Read 15 Tips for Being Positive here.

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Newest Obsession: Red Ink

I've got a couple of tattoo commissions on the go at the moment and as usual I've been doing research for ideas. During my rounds on the interweb I came a cross some red ink tattoos and I have to say I'm in love! I've always wanted some white ink , but now I'm thinking red might be the way to go. It's eye catching and elegant and these designs just look beautiful.

What do you think? Do you have any favourite tattoo styles or colour ideas?

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Tee Tuesday

I have an obsession and that obsession is geeky tees. I enjoy a good T shirt and have a wardrobe full of them, each one proudly displaying my nerd love for something fantastic. My tees feature both subtle and not so subtle tributes to varying levels of geekery. Firefly, The IT Crowd, Count Duckula, Jaws, Lord of the Rings, Ghostbusters and not to mention my favourite vigilante Batman. That's just naming a few of them!

Today I thought I'd share a few of my favourite designers along with links to their work and Twitter profiles so you can have a good ole nosey through each of their work. I just know that you'll find a tee you love!

Perdita

Perdita @Perdita00
Perdita on Redbubble
Perdita on Etsy

Amanda Flagg

Amanda Flagg @AmandaFlagg Amanda on Redbubble
Amanda on NeatoShop

Geekchic Tees

 Geekchic Tees @Geekchic_tees Geekchic on Redbubble Geekchic on Society6    

Smyth Designs

Smyth Designs @SmythDesigns Smyth Designs on Redbubble  

Last Exit to Nowhere

Last Exit to Nowhere  @LastExitShirts  Last Exit Website     

If you're a collector of tees like me then check all the links for some amazing inspiration. Also keep an eye on sites like Qwertee, Tee Tee, OtherTees and ShirtPunch for daily bargains on these artists's work and more!

 
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6 Top Tips: Dealing with Sunburn

Fellow weegies will confirm that we've had some amazing weather in Glasgow recently, temperatures over 20 degrees were recorded! Here in Scotland we do try to make the most of good weather as it doesn't happen all that often throughout the year.

Sunny days in Glasgow are (un) affectionately known as "taps aff" days as it's generally regarded necessary for men to remove their tops. I know what you're thinking - handsome, burly Scotsmen walking around shirtless - I guarantee this is not the case. "Taps aff" is reserved for those that shouldn't really partake in the past time and should be covered up as most of them are as pale as me!

As a fair skinned lass with auburn hair I have a love/hate relationship with that great big ball-o-flame in the sky and spent my childhood holidays covered in giant white t shirts. Sometimes no amount of suncreen sunblock will stop my skin from sizzling.

So in honour of what is likely to be our week long summer and in celebration of the Taps Aff tradition, I'm writing my first ever "Top Tips" post and sharing some handy tips for dealing with the heat and dreaded sunburn.

1. Wear Sunscreen

Don't be a numpty and wear sunscreen in the first place. If you're fair like me, try some 30+. If that doesn't work, which it usually doesn't for me, try some good ole' sunblock (50+) - and don't forget to reapply!

Thanks to the Photoshop genius that is Peter I look less red in many of the nice pics of us in the sun

 

2. Instant Cool Down

Sunburn can be particularly stingy if you've caught it on your neck and shoulders, making you wish an ice bath was at hand. Here's a quick idea that has helped many times for me.
Fill your sink with cold water and add a few drops of lavender oil. Soak a face cloth in the water for a few minutes and then squeeze it gently, keeping some moisture in. Put the cloth in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes, (don't let it freeze solid just cold enough to cool you down) and then place on your skin. You may find yourself screaming profanities as it touches your skin, but if you brace yourself it's not so bad.

3. Aftersun is your Friend

You can get all types of aftersun that are ridiculously expensive, especially ones that claim to make your tan last longer. Milk bottles such as I have no requirement for this as there are only two colours I'll ever be - white or red and all the shades of pink in between.
Get yourself an aloe vera gel. They can be stickier than creams, but once you put that bottle of green slime on after being in the fridge for a while, it's magic! Cools you right down and takes away the prickly feeling. You can also pretend you've been attacked by Slimer.

4. Take a Shower

If you're really bad and just can't cool down a cold shower is the way to go. This happens often to me, it just sucks the fun out of any sunny day and leaves you feeling miserable and exhausted. Just remember to make sure the shower is set to a cooler temp before you jump in. Hot water on sunburnt skin... Ouch!
I was in Rome once when this happened and I was getting cranky and exhausted. Then we hit the Pantheon. It's made of marble so it's always cool in there, I threw etiquette and caution to the wind and just lay down in a quiet space.

5. Hydrate

It's an obvious one, but drink plenty of water to stay hydrated otherwise headaches, drowsiness and crankiness will take over. Oh and treat yourself to some ice cream!

6. Seek Shade!

There's a reason siestas exist - It's just too damn hot to do anything. 

After uni I spent a month in Italy on a strict diet of beach, swimming and eating amazing homemade Italian food. Each morning would just wipe me out and the 3-4 hour siesta was essential to keeping the holiday a happy one. Every day we were refuelled by Peter's Aunts insanely good cooking and an hour's nap. We also found filled the time with the odd Pixar movie and a whole season of Justice League on Peter's tiny mp4 player.
So take an hour or so out between 12 and 2 at least to recharge and if you're in Italy mangia big time!!

***

These are some of my tips on dealing with the heat and sunburn as a self confessed milk bottle. I have long said that as a Scot with probable Scandinavian ancestry, I'm built for the cold. And as lovely as it might seem, sitting inside on a cold day, living somewhere warm is something I'm not sure I could handle in the long term. Although a month long trip to Disney World wouldn't go amiss!

How do you deal with the heat? Or if you live in a hotter climate, how do you deal with the cold? Share in the comments.

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Favourtie Tweeters

Yesterday I shared five of my favourite blogs and I thought I'd continue sharing with some of my favourite tweeters. I've been in love with Twitter for a few years now and use it to catch up on what's happening in the world of geekery, design, TV, movies and the world in general. These are a few of my favourite tweeters and they're all fabulous so I suggest you follow them.

@leemac85

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I am a copywriter, blogger, and creative with BIG ideas! I work in digital, and love to tweet. Working on my first novel series, The Perfect Fit

Leanne is a copywriter, blogger and author working on her first novel. I first met Leanne online when I was looking for guidance on a social media job I'd started. Leanne has been a constant source of knowledge and inspiration when it comes to all things social and digital related.

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@GiseleNMendez

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 Bass player, MMA fan and proud owner of a cute (and crazy) Boston Terrier. SEO & social media doer + Natural born networker = Outreach Manager at @WeAreUpstream

Gisele is another fantastic digital, social and SEO guru to look out for online. Along with Leanne, Gisele was essential in helping me find my feet in social media and is always sharing fantastic info and content. Gisele has been an amazing source of support throughout my journey in social and blogging and I can't thank her enough.

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@DavidCousens
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One half of Cool Surface illustration. We draw stuff for money!

David and Sarah Cousens are the amazing artist behind Cool Surface and you may have seen their work in mags such as Digital Arts, Photoshop Creative and Imagine FX. I've been a fan of their work for years and have worked through quite a few of their tutorials in the many magazines I've bought just for their work.

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@tinybuddha

//Blog//Website//   Simple wisdom for complex lives. Quotes, tips & stories to help us help ourselves and each other.   

Tiny Buddha is a fantastic source of positivity and inspiration especially when you're feeling a bit blue. They share inspirational quotes and their own posts that are written by a whole load of contributing authors. It's a fantastic intro for beginners in to the world of mindfulness too.

 

Thanks for checking out my favourite Tweeters, now go follow them too! Soon I'll post a favourite tee designers post featuring all the wonderful artists that I've fell in love with over the last year - so stay tuned!

If you're on Twitter feel free to leave your link in the comments so I can follow.

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Five Favourite Blogs

One of the Everyday in May topics that I missed was to post a list of my favourite blogs and I thought that it was a good time to catch up. My list is a mix of friends, blogging idols and blogs I visit regularly for inspiration and motivation. If you’re up for discovering some new bloggy friends then click through the list.

Tomorrow I'll share my favourite Tweeters, so be sure to check back.

Am Bothan is written by my best bud Anna and is where she shares her adventures on the isle of Islay and other treks around Scotland.  Anna has a love of Scotland's Gaelic culture and heritage and you can't help but feel a wee twinge of healthy patriotism when you read her posts. Plus there is always a beautiful pic involved showcasing just what a beautiful country we live in. Tapadh leibh Anna!

"I have personal and professional interests in the field of culture-heritage and like nothing more than discussing and sharing ideas on both culture and heritage with others. Further interests you might come across here include: archaeology, handcrafts, music and landscapes."

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Another talented friend of mine, Kirsty is the author of new blog Bake Good. For years Kirsty has been treating the world to her baked goods and in high school we all got fantastically designed birthday cakes {two of mine were Lord of the Rings and Linkin Park; nom, nom nom} that tasted equally amazing. In Bake Good Kirsty shares some of her favourite recipes from her many cook books, some of which have been altered by her own expertise and know-how. I'll definitely be trying one of her recipes soon.

"I hope to share some of my favourite recipes, whilst also pushing myself to try out bakes I have never attempted before (mostly bread) as well as working my way through the backlog of cookbooks I have piling up on my shelves that I haven’t baked nearly enough from!"

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Julie Ann Art is a wonderful blog that I found while trying to find an anniversary card for Peter. I fell in love with Julie Ann's cards instantly and check the blog daily for news and new designs. Julie Ann has also played a massive role in inspiring me in my plans for taking DaisyBisley to the next level, so if you're reading this Julie Ann, thank you.

"Julie Ann Art is a lifestyle blog with a focus on self employment, indie business tips, and DIY tutorials. Here, Julie discusses the challenges and successes she faces while pursuing her small business full-time. She takes great pride in the content of my blog and hope readers are left feeling creative and inspired. Her blog has become her creative outlet, where she can not only document all of her ideas, inspirations, and handmade projects, but share them with other crafty nerds like herself!"

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Melyssa at The Nectar Collective is my newest blogging idol. I love her posts on positivity and creativity and I do hope to one day have a blog as awesome and inspiring as hers. Melyssa has such a unique voice that keeps you reading and coming back for more. Nectar Collective is full of laughs and a variety of posts. Personal favourites are "Musings by Monja" - Posts by Melyssa's cute corgi and "Japan: the Good; the Bad and the Bizarre" - a collection of good, bad and strange things about living in Japan. Now that I'm venturing out in to self employment, Nectar Collective has become a daily stop for me to find positivity and inspiration when I need it most.

"I will share anything I can that makes me come alive, and that I think might help you, too – DIY projects to get your hands moving, advice to help you become your best self, recipes to reconnect you with the wonderful creativity in cooking, photos and stories from adventures all over the world, and anything else to help you learn, grow, experience, and create."

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 Now that we're talking about inspirational blogs, I feel I have to share Story of my Life. Those of you that took part in the Blog Everyday in May challenge already know Jenni and her beautiful blog. Those of you that don't I urge you to head over for a nosey. Jenni writes about life, fashion, blogging and her photography. If it wasn't for Jenni and her blogging challenge I wouldn't be here finally getting stuck in to my blogging dreams of world domination! Thank you Jenni.

"I run this blog and my photography business for a living in Austin, TX. I love what I do and where I live, and I'm grateful I can say that. Writing and photography and social media truly are my passion in life."

 

Thanks to all on the list for inspiring me to be a better blogger and setting me on the right track to achieving my goals. Oh and please check back tomorrow when I'll share my favourite Tweeters.

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Random Fact Fridays

One my quest for blogging greatness I've been reading through loads of blogs for inspiration and have noticed folk sharing little bits of information about themselves in order to connect with readers on a more personal level. With this in mind I thought it would be a good idea to share some fun facts about me too. 

So behold - Random Fact Fridays.  In no way is that title original, but the content will be as we're all different. Once a month I'll share 5 facts, no matter how daft or odd. 

Here goes...

Wishful Thinking      .      Another Death

1. I'm a dog person. It's not that I don't like cats, they hate me. Scratch that, it's mutual - we just don't get along. Dogs are more friendly to me and I don't feel snubbed when I talk to them... other dog folk will know what I mean and it's perfectly normal to talk to dogs.

 2. I'm a movie geek and have a vast collection. I wouldn't say cinefile as from my experience they tend to take things too seriously and don't appreciate the works of Jason Statham and the action genre as a whole. Speaking of The Stath....

3. I have Jason Statham crush. I don't know where it came from, it just happened. The Expendables anyone?

 4. The first novel I ever read was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and it's still one of my favourites. I still have the copy I was given for my tenth birthday.

5. DaisyBisley isn't my real name, it's just the name I work under and is a result of my love for the TV show Spaced. I can't remember the first time I used it, but it's stuck now. My real name is Claire Glasgow which is also where I'm from. I used to find it really annoying as most folk would crack a joke and find it hilarious, but now that I'm older I'm proud of my semi-unusual name.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

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High Speed Training Course Review

Back in March the lovely Gisele over at In Social We Trust put me in touch with High Speed Training who asked me to review a couple of their courses. I was more than happy to do this as I love learning new things and developing my skills.

High Speed Training offer a wide range of courses covering topics from food hygiene, health and safety to business and customer service skills. They are split in to different modules that you can work through at your own pace, making them great for those with limited time.

As I was starting up the blog again and wanted to start fulfilling one of goals, to get better at writing, I chose Business Writing Skills first followed by the Time Management course.

Business Writing Skills

Business Writing is split in to four modules, each having both audio and written slides and are easy to work through and understand. At the end of each module there is a multiple choice exercise to help you review the content.

Once all the modules are complete there is then a final assessment to work through. Again this is made up of 15 multiple choice questions and if you don't pass it can be taken again at no extra cost. You also receive a personalised certificate upon completion and passing the course.

I found the course to be suitable for anyone wanting to understand techniques used to improve their writing and covers punctuation, grammar, spelling as well as different types of business writing. It was a great way to review my language skills, not just for business, but for all aspects of writing.

Time Management

I chose the Time Management course in order to improve my skills and better prioritise my workload. It follows the same structure as the Business Writing course and has the same exercises and assessment at the end.

The topics covered include the importance of time management, evaluating how time is used, managing meetings, setting objectives and taking decisive action. I did feel that this course was aimed at small to large businesses and would have liked more information about management for the individual. However the course was interesting and full of useful information and tips.

I would recommend High Speed Training as a great resource for learning new skills. The site is very user friendly and easy to navigate. The courses are also good value, both being £25 + vat and are CPD accredited. If you fancy learning something new the site is well worth a look.

Highlights of using High Speed Training:

• The courses are well laid out and easy to follow
• You can start the course at any time and work through it at our own pace
• A personalised certificate is sent to you on completion of your course

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