Wow, another month has whizzed by! This year is going ridiculously fast. Since my last A Month of Lovely post, the fab Sara of Me and Orla included the hashtag in her newsletter round up of hashtags you should be using, which has given the tag a massive boost on the number of people using it. Thank you Sara! Hashtags are a funny old thing though, people using them don't necessarily know where they originated from, so if you do use it, feel free to tag me in too, so others might pop along here and find out more about the idea behind it. :)
Anyway, onto my own Month of Lovely....
Recording my first ever podcast interview - I started getting really into podcasts about 2-3 months ago. There are lots of amazing creative business ones popping up, and I've found they are particularly great to listen to while you are decorating - you can totally focus on the conversation while painting a wall! I've listened to Sara's Hashtag Authentic episodes, lots of A Playful Day's old ones and I had recently started listening to Style Matters by stateside bloggers Zandra and Karen. So I was thrilled (yet scared!) when the ladies emailed me and asked if I wanted to be one of their guests to chat about 91 Magazine, Patchwork Harmony and my book. It is now available to listen to here, or just look them up on your podcast app.
The latest issue of 91 Magazine - It's always a nerve-wracking week for me when the magazine goes to print and I await the delivery. This time was our biggest print run to date, so it feels even more worrying - what if something goes wrong?! But thankfully, this time we don't seem to have any major problems, and I'm really happy with the issue. This issue is due to be stocked in 50 WH Smith stores which is a big step for us, so do look out for it in the major train stations and airport shops! If you haven't got your copy yet, you can order direct from our site and I urge you to take a look at the beautiful screen prints by Karolin Schnoor (pictured above) that we are selling with the magazine as a bundle. They are so beautiful, which may be tricky to appreciate from photos, but the paper and the metallic ink they are printed with is just stunning. Pop over to the shop, I promise you won't be disappointed! :)
Peony season - YES! It's here! I'm yet to tire of these beautiful flowers yet, although I often struggle to justify a purchase as they aren't the cheapest. The other day my lovely mum bought me a bunch of my faves - the coral variety which I had in my wedding bouquet. I love watching them go from closed up spheres, to gradually revealing their yellow interior, to finally fading to palest pink...
The business of Instagram - It really is unbelievable how much Instagram has changed how people promote their business, gain work and generally live their life. When we have a family outing these days, both me and the hubby are trying to get great shots of Ruby or of wherever we are - to post on our Instagram. I don't think it's a bad thing - we both enjoy taking photos, so why not have an incentive to get better shots? I find the use of the app intriguing, particularly in terms of how some people make a living solely from it. I don't expect to be doing that any time soon, but I did buy this book Capture your Style to start looking more closely at how I use it for business. 91 deputy editor Laura reviewed it over on the 91 blog recently if you fancy a peek.
Magazines I'm reading - I don't get a lot of time to put my feet up and read other magazines, but I've recently stocked up on some others I enjoy, with the plan to catch up on them soon! Lionheart, Frankie and a new one to me, Project Calm are all piled up next to the bed, ready for a perusal. What mags are you reading at the moment?
So that's lots of goodness from my past few weeks. What about you? Tag your pics with #amonthoflovely or why not join in with your own blog post too? Find me on Instagram at @patchworkhrmy