My Hue Hating Tragedy

Yes, sadly I have a tragic past with some hues on the colour wheel….   The first one that comes to mind is the colour pink. 

When I was younger; probably around ten or an age close to ten, I decided I hated the colour pink because it was too girly.  Never mind that I am actually a girl, it was just too much.   Somewhere between ten and twelve I pretty much stopped wearing skirts and disassociated myself from anything feminine. 

Interestingly enough, I think this boyish streak came from the fact that a lot of my friends were boys before and around that time and I remember a particular group of boys that would be friends with me when it suited them, but ditch me when the other guys came along.

I can remember thinking that the boys get to do all the fun things ~ so why couldn’t I?   Anyway, this may seem like a side track, but it is perfectly related, I promise.    In a nutshell, because of this distain for girly things/being a girl I wore jeans/pants until I was about 20something ~ then somewhere along the line switched to skirts, then progressing to dresses.  I have not looked back ever since then.

One thing that has taken a lot longer to change is my distaste for the colour pink.  Yes, I know.  To some people it is a travesty to even mention the word ‘hate’ in the same sentence as ‘pink’ ~ to others, they are all “Huzzah!!  Burn all pink things!” and really, it may not seem like such a big deal.  

I wanted to write a post about it though, because this recent, strange {to me} attraction to the colour is, well, strange!   I used to stringently avoid the colour at all costs ~ red, black and white where the colours of choice {although blue was in for a long time before that} and even when I was buying random things like, say, tissue boxes, I would pick any other colour except pink.

And look at my tissue box now! 

But it is not just the tissue box, it is like a pink plague…..   

There is this:

And this:

Which, incidentally, I chose partly because it is pink and partly because it is shorter than other cans of hairspray which means it is easier to pack…  But mostly because it is pink!

And I want to buy this:

And something like this:

And I have to find something like this for my collection ~  Bows!!! On. A. TEApot!!!!!!!!    *dies*   X _ X

I am seriously itching to wear this if I can ever get my hands on it!: 

And to be perfectly honest, I would not mind wearing this either:

O__o

I do not know what has come over me, but I do declare:  I like the colour pink.  I am no longer ashamed to admit it.  I want pink things around me in my house.  And yes, if I find clothing that is my style in a baby pink or a pastel shade I will wear it.   But not hot pink.  I do not think the pink reformation has gotten that far yet…. 

So I have made friends with pink and I like it.  

I have to say it though ~ orange and I will never be friends.   Now there is a colour I really dislike.   ……..  Except on fast cars……    

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  I could not find the original shop sources for the mixer and teapot image; if anyone knows where they come from please let me know! 

Then I might be able to buy the tea set….     >   <

Quick Share ~ Growing Your Blogs Traffic

Another fantastic guide to better blogging from Fuyume.net ~ I particularly loved the first tip that suggests submitting your URL to search engines.  I think that this is a great tip because it is a really easy and quick thing to do but may generate quite a bit of traffic for your blog/website.

I also like the tip of joining the Independent Fashion Blogger’s community ~ this blogging community is a fantastic way to connect with other bloggers, and it is very worthwhile to sign up and check it out.

A Fashion Bloggers Guide to Growing Your Blogs Traffic

So I've been blogging for roughly 7 months now and I'm no expert but I have managed to grow my blog to 60,000+ page views a month so this is a little guide to what I've discovered about growing traffic in that time and what has worked for me.  This post was a labour of love so I hope you guys find it useful….

xox,

bonita

Vintage Impersonations ~ photo time!

I thought I would post some of the photographs I taken recently.  It has been quite sometime since I last did a photography post, so I think it is well over due!

“Vintage Impersonations; a self portrait”  by bonita

Ok, so in this photograph I am only pretending to be a 1940’s lady ~ but don’t you just love the juxtaposition of an “old fashioned” face and the DSLR?

My Mom recently gave me two of her old lipsticks that are in very vintage style shades ~ and I love them!   I have never really dared to try the red lip look, but I have wanted too.  It just looks so lovely and old fashioned.    DH gave a tick of authorization, so now I am good to paint the town red to my heart’s content.   ^ x ^  ~  Mwha!

Next on the film roll; Pictures from Perth.  I’ll keep these photos small so that they do not {hopefully!} take forever to load.   If you want to see the bigger version; just click on them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel like a total tourist taking photos out of my plane window; that or a hard-core photographer…. I can not quite make up my mind as to which it is!  Anyway, I took these on the flight over ~ sunsets are always stunning when you are so high in the air. 

 

 

 

 

 

Perth is a pretty amazing city ~ these are photos I have snapped quickly while I was in Harold Boa’s Garden.  I want to take some more shots of some amazing old architecture; I shall put those up when I get around to taking them.  There at least two buildings that I have my eye on.

   

The sunset from our hotel window ~ one thing I like abut being in the middle of the city is the night time lights.  They do look pretty fantastic; even to one who prefers the country and the stars in a night sky.

   

Lastly, I thought I would leave you with this cute snap from before I came over to Perth. 

Amabelle, our husky, was missing Caleb at this stage {this was back when he was in WA for work and I was still in Canberra} and she decided to crawl under my futon bed and sleep there.  It seriously did not look comfortable at all!  She’s a smallish medium dog, but seriously, the futon was only a bit over a foot above the ground…  It was so funny watching her wiggle on her tummy to get under there!   She looks so cute!!  

Wahh!  I miss her so much….   T ^ T  And Copper too.   Oh dear, probably best not to think about that too hard.    >   <

So that’s the photo round up for the last little while.   I can not wait to show you more of beautiful Perth; but even more than that I can not wait to show our house when we get home and all properly moved in!  I am so looking forwards to being able to do a ‘tour’ around my very own home!!  *squee*

xox,

bonita

Copyright ~ or a right to copy?

The debate between a knockoff, inspiration, and copyright is often discussed quite vigorously in blogland.  Just recently we have seen a whole host of bloggers addressing brand copyright infringements due to The Coveted scandal.  {See here, here and here for further information}

It is an interesting, ongoing debate because there are so many areas copyright can apply to ~ obviously, as you well know, pretty much anything produced by anyone can be under copyright protection.  Personally as an artist, I feel very strongly about copyright and issues of art theft, but somehow am left completely muddled as to how I feel about fashion theft.

This confusion is mainly because I adore some designer fashions such as Jimmy Choo shoes, but never in a million years could afford them.  Knockoffs are my saviour and yes, I am guilty of owning not one but two “Frada” handbags.  But when we release a work {whatever it may be} into the public eye, how much copyright control do we have?

When I was contemplating this, it struck me that there seems very much to be a public sentiment these days of the audience’s “Right to Copy” which for the most part tends to disregard the laws of copyright.
  

I do not want to do a “Technology is bad” rant, but it does seem that with the advent of the internet and the ease of access to so much original work, increasingly the general public ignores rules over taking images, sourcing information and even just giving credit where credit is due. 

Of course, as a bloggers, if we wish to keep our reputation and integrity we must give credit.  There are no two ways about it.  But what about protecting your own work? 

For myself, if people want to use content, {i.e. ideas, photographs, text} from my blog Depict This! I wouldn’t have a problem with that if they give me some credit; linking to my blog at the very least.  In my opinion the best way, however, is to be polite and ask before using ideas and images.  

I made the mistake once of not doing that, and was absolutely mortified when the owner of a blog I greatly admired contacted me and asked me to take down some images I had reposted even though I had credited the work to her and linked her blog in the post.   I immediately took down the images and wrote the owner a letter of apology as well as explaining things on the original post.
  
That experience taught me a valuable lesson that sometimes crediting work just isn’t good enough.   And I think that is true of designer fashion and knockoffs as well.  It’s all well and good for my Frada bags to pretend to credit Prada but what about the return for the original designer’s work?    

If an artist/designer is trying to sell their pictures or clothes and a copycat steals the work and tries to sell it to the same market, then that's not really fair on the original owners because they do not get the return for their work.  And giving the original artist/designer credit may gain them some exposure, but let’s face it, that market exposure probably will not be worth as much as the sale of their original piece.

And here’s a kicker; couture designers are selling to a particular market that would probably not go near a knockoff with a ten foot barge pole.  And the knockoffs are selling to a market that can not afford the original products.  So technically the markets, although in the same genre of fashion, are not actually aiming to sell at the same target audience.  

That being the case, both parties have a return and in the end I think that’s why I am okay with knockoffs, although other people may not agree with me because of deeper copyright issues.  
When it comes to blogging, in my mind it is not fair if content is stolen without credit because then the 'return' for the content {blog exposure or more readers} is not passed onto the original owners who worked on the content.  Naturally, this principle also applies to blog branding.

But the fact of the matter is that once we put our work out there, there seems to be little we can do to control how it is used.  Disabling right click save on images doesn’t work all the time {my tech geek hubby popped that bubble pretty quickly!} and there doesn’t seem to be many ways of controlling your public content, although watermarking images does offer some protection.

We can deal with larger cases of copyright infringement, but even things like Anthropology ripping off smaller designers seems to be happening relatively frequently.  It seems to me that it’s no longer just the public audience exercising their right to copy, but also larger corporations.  

Sadly enough {and not everyone may agree} it seems that the moral to the story is:  Once your work is published, it’s free game.  So be prepared for it to be borrowed, copied, or worse, stolen altogether. 

Yes, it’s a bit of a doom and gloom~ish conclusion, but we can do something about it.  We can support our fellow bloggers by asking before using their content, and by never forgetting to credit, link and generally acknowledging the hard work that they do.   It might be a small step, but it can make a difference.   

xox,
bonita
 
 
Inspiration for this post  ~ Thanks to Britten from What She Should Have Worn for writing this post: Copy Cats and inspiring my thoughts on the topic of copyright.

P.S. ~ All images in this post are linked to the original source.  Please click on the pictures to follow through.

Hats Off To You ~ Outfit Twenty Five

 

Hi everyone ~ I’m baaaack!   Okay, sorry it took me so long to get on track with blog posts again.  Unfortunately with moving house and flying out to Perth life was more than a little topsy~turvey.  *sigh*

I hope life will settle down for the next two months and truth be told, it probably will, but to the other extreme {naturally!} because there is nothing much to do over here.  Currently my daily routine consists of getting up, watching t.v. whilst knitting the baby blanket I am trying to finish before May.

Then I am off to meet my sweetie for lunch {it’s so great that he is working five minutes up the road from where we are staying  : 3 } and then back home where the t.v. or computer keeps me occupied. 

Yeah.  Really.  No chores to do; I don’t have anything to clean with!  No one to see, no pets to take care of.  I think I am going to go stir fry crazy if I do not come up with something to do soon….  But DH and I are working on a few ideas that I might pursue;  a business plan for a venture we have thought out, or maybe seeking out some sponsors for my studio. 

I am not sure what I want to take on.  I am planning to study for my Equestrian Federation of Australian coaching certificate while I am over here and I am not sure if I can run a studio business and study and have a baby {okay, so the baby is a while off, but not that far!}.   It is a hard things to sort out, but I guess we will decide on something.

I hope that was not too much of a overshare ~ I guess things have been rather unsettling lately and that is affecting my state of mind at the moment.   : \  

Accessories  ~  Boater Hat  {SES ~ Yay!  I finally found one!}   

Red Heart Clip  {I can’t remember.…}

Silver Hoops  {Present: Christmas ‘08}    Heart Necklace  {Hong Kong}

Dress  {La Pearls}   White Petticoat  {Thrifted}   Sandals  {Big W}

This park, Harold Boa’s Garden, is in between our hotel and DH’s work ~ it is so lovely and beautifully kept.  The landscaping is gorgeous and it is so cool and shady even in the middle of the day.   I plan to do a few more outfit shoots there, but I also want to scout out more locations across the city.  There are some fantastic old doorways I am dying to loiter in!

So that is it from me for today, but I will be back; the hard thing will be restraining myself from posting everyday now!  : P

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Getting Sponsors for Your Blog

When I was reading this how to post by Ashley of Little Miss Momma, I thought it was really defined the starting points for anyone considering venturing into the world of "professional" blogging and finding sponsors for their blog.

Now personally, I do not think that you need to have sponsors to be a professional blogger; but I suppose the accepted definition of a professional is someone who gets paid for the work they do. It does seem that the only way a blogger can get paid for the work they do on their blog is with sponsors and advertisements, although I think that if the blog is bringing in other work or commissions to the blogger, {but there are no advertisements} the blogger is still a professional in my mind.

However, if you choose to go down the sponsorship path, I think this post is a helpful guide.

Little Miss Momma: How to Get Sponsors for Your Blog

I have received this question in my inbox a lot lately, and I have struggled to respond because there is no quick answer to this question-- and what works for me may be different then what will work for you. So this post will give you an overview of what has worked for me.

When I started my blog on February 22, 2010, not an advertiser in the world would take a chance with me. I was new. I hardly had any content on my blog and I only received hits from my Mom, Nina and Brittany. There was nothing in it for them.

So I started small. I started with giveaways. Of my own products, at first. Then I convinced some of my friends to give me product for a giveaway. And once I got to a point where people were actually reading my blog, I went in search of real advertisers....

xox,

bonita

LINKS À LA MODE: THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP

"I have confidence that spring will come again, Besides which you see I have confidence in me"

Edited by Florrie Clarke of Intrinsically Florrie

Within this week's links I kept noticing a resounding honestly in the heartfelt posts. When we blog or choose an outfit we are putting ourselves out there for all to judge, and it's not surprising that doing the activity can have an affect on our confidence for better or for worse, especially when feedback starts coming in.

There's also been a sense of rebellion in the air: from the emergence of the punk style to controversy over Vogue, and in the week that saw the spectacle which is the Golden Globes rises a questioning of what the red carpet is all about.

Links à la Mode: January 20th

• A la Modest Drawing inspiration from Kabukis, Rainbow Brite, Ladytron, and Padmé Amidala while on Tatooine
• Antares: Alfa Scorpii Fashion without mercy: do I have to choose between fashion and my beliefs?
• By Anika Who gets to label me and my worth? I do! An honest account from this curvy fashionista who fiercely supports all of our rights to label, embrace and love our fashionable selves, what ever our size.
• City of Glitter To Cover-up or Not To Cover-up? A post exploring foundation and its role in our self-esteem.
• Crimson Rosella Blogging: A Self-confidence booster?
• Depict This The challenge of wearing vintage clothing in the real world
• Elle Enchanted My take on what bloggers need to consider before accepting a sponsor.
• Fashezine Inspired by Jennine Jacob's post on how fashion blogs will evolve in 2011, I thought I'd try my hand at a video.
• Fashion Limbo Online Christmas Shopping, the Aftermath - on lost packages, refunds and independent retailers.
• Fuyume The demise of the kimono industry.
• Fish Monkey's Writing Stuff Why I don't think that red carpets have any relevance to fashion.
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: 5 Tips for Taking Better Photos of Yourself
• Intrinsically Florrie The fashion show that's made me impatient for summer.
• Karma-Style Blog Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj have 'FoF' - Fearlessness of Fashion. Do you?
• My Heart Blogged Falling head over flats. My flats collections, and why you don't see me wearing heels.
• Scarlet Letter Style Why is the fashion world so critical? I have an idea on how to fix it
• The Column of Samantha Tyler Of Punks and their influence on Fashion
• The Fashion Pawn The fourth part of The B.O.B Series discusses all "About You:" Tips for your About You Page.
• The-Loud Mouth Sometimes, garbage piles up: Fashion blogging isn't just a hobby. For some, it can be an emotional release.
• The Taxonomy Of My Wardrobe Three Strikes Vogue - You're Out! Three examples of how the fashion bible is inexcusably out of touch with readers and losing relevance in today's world
• The Simply Luxorious Life Why Not . . . Create Your Own Signature Style?

SPONSOR:
New@Shopbop: Bassike, Shakuhachi, Nissa, Minnetonkas, FreePeople,Tibi, AIKO, Bird, Myne, Black Halo, Kova&T, Hanii Y

~ * ♥ * ~ * ♥ * ~ * ♥ * ~

Call me oblivious, but I had no idea my post had been selected for this week’s IFB Links a la Mode roundup!   *kiya!*   > o < !  I am so excited, it’s such a privilege to be selected. 

Thank you to everyone who has read my post and visited my blog ~ it is great to have you stop by. 

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ J boys doin' their thing

Okay, so this Quick Share is not really highlighting another blogger's work this week but I found this YouTube video super awesome. I love hiphop and break dancing and these boys have some serious poplockin' skills. So please enjoy the mad dancing.

I want to give a shout out to Hime~chan from kawaii and lolita because I found the video on her blog and thought it was so cool that I had to share it too.

xox,

bonita

How to ~ Cleaning Vintage Tapestry Tutorial

So I bought these vintage tapestry purses a while ago, and as you can see the larger one is quite yellowed compared to the makeup case.  I think that it’s just dust and dirt from being so old, so I wanted to try and clean it.

The biggest problem I faced when thinking about how to clean the purse is that I did not want it to get wet.   I was worried that if it gets wet the dyes will run and ruin the bag, so I needed to figure out some way to dry clean it as I do not think that any professional dry cleaners would do it ~ and even if they did, the chemicals might be too harsh for the threads.

Thankfully, there are other methods of cleaning available to me, so I tried one of these.  I borrowed a book called “Spotless” by Shannon Lush & Jennifer Fleming which has a lot of handy tips and hints for getting rid of stains using household products and not chemicals.

They even had a section specific for tapestry, and this is the advice they give for cleaning a tapestry piece.

“The best way to clean tapestry is with dry {flaked} bran.  Put a handful into a muslin cloth bag, heat it in the microwave for half a minute, then rub it over the tapestry.  The bran will absorb the dirt. 

You can also apply the bran directly.  Firstly, slightly moisten it with vinegar.  Add one drop at a time until it forms clumps like couscous, but not a ball.  Sprinkle this across the stain, rub backwards and forwards with a cloth or soft brush, then vacuum it off.”

I used the first method on my handbag:

Note:  I didn’t have any muslin cloth to put the bran into so I used a loose weave cleaning cloth.  Muslin is a very porous material so you just need anything with ‘holes’ in it.

Before:

After:

I do not think that you can really see the difference between the before and after photos, because although there was a slight difference to the colours of the tapestry I think that mostly the dust lifted from the fabric so it feels cleaner now.   It seems that the yellowing is not reversible, but I rather like the worn look of the bag.  It makes look loved!

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of “Spotless”  it’s available online through the ABC website and retails for $19.99 AUD. 

Link:  http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/product.asp?productid=162165

I hope you found this tutorial helpful.  ^ w ^

xox,

bonita

ONE DAY AND ONE SLEEP UNTIL MY SWEETIE IS HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  > U < *eeeeeeeeeee*

P. S. ~

Three days and four sleeps until my sweetie is home! YYYYAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!

Wearing Vintage ~ Real world vs. Blog land

I feel like a princess ~ I have donned my petticoat, pretty 50s style dress, kitten heels and softly gleaming pearl jewellery.   Then I step out the door and all of that changes….  I walk with my head high, conscious of the stares and double takes.  Yes, I know I am dressed differently from the average young person, but is it really that strange?

I have heard other vintage bloggers talk about their fashion choices and the effect it has on public when they walk out the door in head to toe, era perfect wear.   To be honest, I thought I knew what they were talking about.  I’ve had my fair share of odd looks ~ I haven’t really dressed in ‘normal’ clothing for sometime, but then again I have never gone the full head to toe of any style in particular ~ i.e. Goth, punk, Lolita, vintage etc.

Apparently outfits that are slightly off magazine trendy are unique and edgy, but a completely non~fashionable style such as vintage is peculiar.  I say this because the general public response to my vintage outfits and to my ‘interesting’ arty outfits is not the same and this surprises me for some reason!  Therefore, I am wondering if my expectations of people’s reactions is slightly warped perhaps?

You see, what I see on my computer and what I experience in the real world are two very different things.   You might say there are almost two separate worlds that I wear vintage in, one is the internet in vintage~friendly blog land and the other is my life; amongst real strangers with real judgements and preconceived ideas.

If you are wondering what I mean by saying that, let me say that this is how I see it:

In internet~blog land we read and visit blogs that we are interested in; so if you are into food you will read food blogs, and if you are into IT development you will read developer’s blogs.  It’s much the same with fashion blogs ~ if you are obsessed with runway fashion, you will read blogs that focus on that, and if perchance, you happen to like vintage fashion, those are the blogs you will focus on and immerse yourself in.

So everyday in your feed reader you will see gorgeous ladies dressed in 50s tea length dresses, 20s flapper outfits, 30s, 40s, 60s ~ you name it.  Every era, every style, every part of history is represented online.  And the thing about that is, you not only see bloggers themselves excited to wear these gorgeous clothes, but their readers eager to see them wear those clothes too ~ to me, these blogs are communities built around expressing yourself through your clothes. 

Therefore, in the online world vintage clothing is an acceptable mode of dress; and not just vintage, but pretty much any style of fashion distinct from main stream is okay.  I think that this acceptance creates an idea that dressing in vintage is a part of normal life.

But the thing is, in reality, that’s not the case.  Sure, anyone that wears vintage, or other subversive styles of dress, are really just ordinary people with different ways of expressing themselves.   However acceptable and ‘normal’ this is in the online world, it’s pretty unusual to see someone in everyday life wearing unordinary, un~everyday clothing!

I forget that.   I walk out in vintage clothing {my preferred style} and I forget that the majority of people around me may think that queer, bizarre or even odd. 

Because of that I find it easier to post pictures of my vintage outfits than actually wearing them, because in one world uncommon fashions are admired, but in the other, they are just plain weird.

Does anyone else have this problem when they make daring fashion choices?

xox,

bonita

Review ~ Sassy’n’Punk + Cute Magnet Craft!

Remember a while ago when I did a post about Sassy’n’Punk’s online shop and all the cute things they had for sale?

Well, they sent me a little thank you gift for writing the post and I got in the mail just the other week.  When I opened my package this is what I found all safely nestled in bubble wrap!

~ * ♥ * ~  Sassy’n’Punk Item Review  ~ * ♥ * ~

     Review:

It’s a pretty heart pendant as far as I can tell…  > . >   I don’t actually know what it is because it’s actually quite large ~ about 2 inches high and about the same across, so is it a large pendant or a keychain charm?   I am not really sure…. 

It is really well made and I can tell that Leyla {she’s the owner, but I am not sure if it’s just her making the items or if she has help} takes care with making sure the Sassy’n’Punk products look really good.

 

I love the colours of the little hearts too ~ they are really cute.   But there are a couple of things that I do have to mention because I do feel that they affect the my overall review.

The major thing was that it took a very long time for the item to arrive from the UK ~ I did expect that because Leyla warned me that it took a long time to ship to Australia.  I was surprised that it took over a month though; that was really unexpected.

The other point is more personal; I was under the impression that Sassy'n'Punk were offering to send me an item from their store in exchange for the post I did about their products.  However,  I searched their website and they are not selling this item.  I really wanted to be able to review an actual Sassy’n’Punk product, so that was really quite disappointing to me. 

Still I was able to see the quality of the handmade items that they do produce and I think that it is good quality.  

Conclusion:

I think Sassy’n’Punk craft really cute, well made, handmade items.  The shipping is slow though, at least for Australians, so be prepared to wait if you order. 

Would I buy it?

I would buy from Sassy’n’Punk ~ but I’d order the things I want all at once I don’t have to wait forever for the shipping.

Rating:

7/10  ~  over a month for shipping is a little bit much, but other than that the service and product is really good. 

I am not counting my personal disappointment, because I don’t feel that it’s a reflection of a customer’s over all experience of Sassy’n’Punk.  : )

Cute Magnets inspired by Melanie of Beauty meets Kawaii

Melanie wrote a tutorial on Pretty~fying Your Ugly Fridge Magnets ~ it was such a simple, easy idea that I thought I’d give it a go myself.

It was also a great way to use the cute Sanrio packaging {the Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Hamster pictures} that I carted all the way from Switzerland back to Australia…  >  <

The other two magnets are from the puffy sticker sheets I bought from Modes4u ~ I LOVE the bunny and veggies in box; it’s soooo cute!  > w <

So I don’t have a fridge yet, but I do have cute magnets to start my collection of cute kitchenware!   I can not wait to set up house ~ it’s going to be some much fun.   ^ U ^

xox,

bonita

Only six days and seven sleeps until my darling comes home and all the fun begins!   ♥ ♥ ♥

Quick Share ~ 10 tips to a Better Blog

There are a TON of “How to be a better blogger” posts out there, but this one stands out for me because it's sort of a guideline of how I like to blog too.  My favourite tip is to read outside of your genre of blogging. 

For example, if you are interested in other subjects but feel as a fashion/art/music blogger you should only read fashion/art/music blogs you might be missing out on worlds of inspiration that you can use to help you write more comprehensive posts!   This is just one of the ten tips from Victoria Suzanne, so if you are interested check her post out.

 

Lolita Charm: 10 Tips to a Better Blog

I read recently that some girls perhaps 'aren't writing blogs for the right reasons' or 'who should and shouldn't write blogs'. Bullshit. ANYONE can write a successful blog! A blog, first and foremost, is for you. It's not for anyone else to tell you that you're not good enough to write a blog, or that you're note 'experienced' enough.

There's nothing standing in the way of you and your own .blogspot.com! I promise. I know it looks like a big job - and it is - but there's nothing that says you can't do it. It takes practice, maybe, and dedication, but if you really want to, you'll get it. Here's what I've discovered so far in my years as blogger...

xox,

bonita

The Swan Maiden ~ Outfit Twenty Four

What I wore yesterday when I went out and had coffee with my sister.  Actually, it was a fruit smoothie for me ~ I abhor coffee.  Nasty stuff and it gives me migraines.  Strangely enough, however, I love the scent of freshly ground coffee beans. 

I have heard that it is not that uncommon for non~coffee drinkers to like the smell of ground coffee and apparently I fit the bill.   Random.

   

I bought the feathered hairband and rose bracelet while I was out rambling around with my sister, {Shopping malls ~ they are my weakness…  >  <    Actually, shopping full stop is my weakness!!} but couldn’t resist including them for the outfit shoot because I felt they added such a lovely touch.

The cool thing about the this outfit shoot is that I took most of the pictures myself!  DH bought me a tripod for my birthday last year, but I haven’t had the opportunity to use it until now because he’s been around to take the photos for me.

So I finally worked out my camera’s self timer and happily snapped away.   It’s fun to be in complete control of the shoots and how the background looks.  I was also really excited to find that my tripod has a little platform that unclips from the main stand.  As this platform is the part you screw your camera to, you can unclip the camera really easily if you want to take a shot and then put it back on the tripod without having to undo the screw from every time!  Yay for awesome tripods!!  ^ U ^

Accessories  ~  Headband  {Equip}    Earrings  {Sportsgirl}  Bracelet  {Equip}

Top  ~  Tempt        Cardigan  ~  Kmart       Skirt  ~  Can’t remember; it was too long ago!

Shoes  ~  Some random store in Czech Republic

This is one of the photos that my sister took for me {she took the last two and the one of my bracelet} ~ sorry it’s out of focus, but I thought it was cute.    > w <  ~ ♥    She was all “I want to take photos of the bump!” then I was all “Baby love!”  and did the peace sign although it looks like some other weird thing as I apparently stuck out my pinky…  = o =’

You know what else was funny?  I was on Skype with my husband and I told him that because I was all in white I was going to title this outfit post “The Swan Maiden”.   Then he said “But you’re not a maiden because you’re pretty obviously knocked up!” 

O _______ O   …..     Thanks dear!

 

Ah well, at least it makes for a funny blog story!   

xox,

bonita

 

Only nine days and ten sleeps until my sweetie comes home!

Cute Wallpaper Madness ~

I have noticed that I am changing my desktop wallpaper a lot these days.  I see a really cute picture and I want to have that instead of the one I’ve got!

I thought I would post up a few of my favourite wallpapers that I’ve had, and also a couple I have done myself.  > w <

Just right click to see the original images in a new tab and click save image to download it to your computer.   Then you can go to your computer’s theme settings and change your wallpaper to whatever cute picture you want.  ^ U ^

Modes4u Free Wallpapers ~

These wallpapers are free in the Modes4u Facebook album FREE cute wallpaper.  If you don’t follow Modes4u on Facebook, you might like too as they are constantly putting up new cute wallpapers you can download and they have a lot more than just these available to use.

Takochou Wallpaper ~

I don’t have the original link to this one ~ I downloaded it from the Takochou website which was in Japanese and I can not even remember how I got there or how I managed to download it…  >  <

Blueberry Chuu~Chan Wallpaper by b dot depictions

    800 x 568  ~  Small version

    1000 x 710  ~  Large version

OC Cute Characters Wallpaper by b dot depictions

    800 x 568  ~  Small version

     1610 x 1173  ~  Large version

~* ♥ * ~ * ♥ *~ * ♥ * ~ * ♥ * ~

Gah!  I can’t believe the last time I did a wallpaper was in 2oo7!  Oh well, it’s ok because I have started to colour another wallpaper line art that I drew the other day, but it’ll be a while before the colouring is all done I think…. 

I hope you found something cute to put up as your desktop wallpaper.  I have had all of these myself in the last few months alone!

Do you have a favourite picture to use for your desktop?

xox,

bonita

Eleven days and twelve sleeps until my Darling comes home!!!