Post Comment Love and Blogger Showcase 16-18 December 2016

Hello there! Friday again? Yes, I don't know how it happens either.

If you're new here, hello and welcome, it's great to have you here. And if you were here last week, hello and welcome back and I'll be over soon, I promise. Life got in the way this week in all kinds of ways.

I'm also struggling to believe it's almost a year since Morgan and I took over the reins from Vicky, but I'll have to admit it's been a blast and I've read some fantastic blogs over the year, and met some of our amazing regular linkers in real life too. Today is our last #PoCoLo of the year, because well Christmas is just around the corner, even if the weather doesn't think it is!  Phew! I got a weather reference in there in the end!

So before we get onto our Blogger Showcase this week, I want to thank you for coming back each week and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  We'll be back for the first #PoCoLo of the year on Friday 6 January 2017 at 6am!

My photo this week is of the Christmas Tree mast on the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. It's probably the biggest tree I've seen this Christmas so far and I think it's pretty cool!

Blogger Showcase: Victoria from Lylia Rose

1. Who are you? 

My name is Victoria and I blog at Lylia Rose.  I’m a 31 year old mum of two, Reuben 21 months and Bella 4 years, and wife to Ben.  I work evenings, mummy in the day and blog whenever I can!

2. How did you discover blogs/blogging?

Accidently!  I actually wrote a blog post titled ‘How I Accidently Became a Lifestyle Blogger’ which explains it in detail.  But basically, I started to get traffic to my online shop, then fell in love with it and started to blog about all sorts of things instead of just my shop.

3. Why did you start blogging?

To increase traffic to my shop, but now my blog is totally different.

4. What do you find most challenging?

Finding the time to blog as my life is so hectic and busy all the time.  I need a day to myself to blog!  One day…

5. What is your favourite topic to write about?

Natural wholesome food brands – especially start-ups who have a really great product which I get excited about.

6. Are you blogging for fun or do you have goals?

It was for fun at first, but it has surprisingly turned into part of my income, so now I blog for both fun and business.

7. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

Finishing a blog post and being really proud of it.

8. Have you ever attended a blogging conference and if so, what did you think?

Not yet.

9. What are your 3 best posts?

Oh gosh, I have over 500 so can’t remember them all, but some of my faves are:

• White Mulberry, Cocoa and Chia Balls

• How I Became a Lifestyle Blogger

• Our First Time… at Thermae Bath Spa

10. Describe yourself in three words!

Daydreamer, hard-worker, healthy

11. Are you a tea and biscuits or coffee and cake person?

Tea and biscuits, but green tea with Organix kids gingerbread men!

12. What's your idea of a perfect night out?

A meal with my husband and an activity – the trampoline park or bowling perhaps!

13. Your perfect night in?

A takeaway and binge watching a series with snacks, with the husband of course.  Or blogging if I’m by myself!

14. What would your best friend/OH/mum or kids say is your best quality?

My husband says he likes how highly motivated and determined I am.  Aaw!

Thanks Victoria, it's lovely to hear more about you. If you're not already connected with Victoria, here's her social links:  Twitter - Pinterest - Instagram

An InLinkz Link-up

A fleece-covered greenhouse

When I packed up the garden about a month ago that included the greenhouse. But I had a dilemma as I still had plants growing in there. The chillies were still fruiting, and I'd followed dad's example of planting some aloes into the greenhouse bed, but I knew that in our north facing garden they'd be unlikely to thrive, or possibly survive, without some extra help.

When we cleared out the shed and greenhouse in the summer I'd found some horticultural fleece and I wondered if it would help here. So with a nothing ventured, nothing gained approach I set about tucking them in.

And this weekend watering the greenhouse was one of the chores that got me out into the garden. Even though plants will slow down over winter, they still need some water and I was keen to see what was going on under that fleece.

The amaryllis has recovered well, it was in the conservatory and not looking so well. I brought it out into the greenhouse as it seems to like it there, and it's rewarded me by reviving itself.  The aloes were doing well too, but the real find was to discover that my bargain hyacinth bulbs from last year are starting to grow again.

The chillies were doing well and there were some new fruits on the plant, so that has to be a good thing. 

And yes that is a geranium. It's a relative of the ginormous one dad has in his greenhouse, and looking back I can't believe it's two years ago that I first shared the hugest of geraniums here.  The red stemmed plant on the right is a blueberry plant, that's shed its leaves but I'm hoping that's normal.

The succulents were also doing well. The one above - a Pachyphytum, or grey silvery one - has been under the fleece. The ones I propagated from leaves are coming on leaps and bounds and really are looking like proper plants now.  You'd never know how they started off now, would you?

So with everything checked and lightly watered, I tucked it all back up again and edged out of the greenhouse amused by the ghostly shape. But if it works and helps the plants keep going then I'm all for it. Checking the thermometer it's already reached -4 in the greenhouse which seems chilly to me.

I couldn't help but notice the difference in the mind your own business. Inside the greenhouse it was thriving and clearly happy. It put itself there and well it's good to have some spare incase the weather wipes out the rest of this plant. It's a plant I love - partly because of its name, but also because it's a great filler and softens the edges. It has to be used carefully, I'd never plant it in a flowerbed, but along paving and walls it's brilliant. And next time you visit a National Trust or similar garden, look out for it, it's more widespread than you first think.

But outside I think the weather could be starting to get to it. I'm not sure if its the cold or the wet. We'll see how it goes, but at least I know I've got some backup.

Outside the greenhouse I checked my 'spare' brassicas and they're still doing ok. I'm sure they'd do much better in the ground, so remember my allotment to do list, yes these are the ones I need to find space for. There's some curly kale, purple sprouting broccoli and a few more red cabbages, because I don't think you can have too many. And I still can't throw out plants that are growing!

A little sun makes all the difference doesn't it? Especially if you've got a lovely warming fleece on!

The adult colouring trend to reduce stress: Does it work?

Recently Staedtler, who incidentally are celebraring 50 years in the UK, invited me to a Creative Christmas Colouring evening with Johanna Basford OBE to celebrate the launch of her new book, Johanna's Christmas. It was also the perfect opportunity to find out for real, if colouring really can help reduce stress.

Image credit: Staedtler

And typically, but completely unplanned, I really did put that to the test. The event was at the Hospital Club in Covent Garden, a really cool venue I'd been to before, so after work I jumped on the DLR and headed towards Bank. Where we sat for longer than I'd have liked. Then as usual, there were the queues to leave the platforms and move around the station. Eventually I made it onto a Central Line train and as time was getting on decided to change at Holborn and take the Piccadilly line straight to Covent Garden for a shorter walk.

Sensible plan on paper. But when I got to the Piccadilly line platform, I heard the announcement of doom "severe delays are operating on the Piccadilly line" - whoop! But I was there and hoped I'd be able to squeeze on the next train.

And luckily I could, but even so I arrived at the venue later than I'd wanted to be and more stressed than I needed to be too. This was going to be a good test for the colouring.  I soon found a place, was given a copy of Johanna's new book and decided which design I was going to colour - you'll not be surprised to see it was a tree.

A glass of red wine also found its way to me and as I started to colour, and talk to my fellow colour-ers either side of me, I started to relax. And enjoy myself.  But just look at the concentration on my face, and you'll see the focus isn't the wine...

Image credit: Staedtler

And despite it being an industrious evening, with each of us intent on our creations, it was a friendly and fun evening. There was plenty of chat, and I think the ladies either side of me had had a much more relaxing journey, as their colouring was much more refined than mine. I'd opted for pens with a fibre tip to flood colour into my design, and my colours were bold and somehow, without too much planning, I ended up with a rainbow effect.

Image credit: Staedtler

The swirls and curls and flowing design made this the perfect design for me, and following the curves completely distracted me from the journey there. I think I needed to see results quickly, and the pens and this design helped with that. And yes, you may have spotted that my wine glass is empty, but I was so into what I was doing that I didn't get up to fill it up, nor did I check out the food. I did manage to tear myself away though to try the gorgeous canapes that the waiting staff brought round.

Johanna shared a couple of tips, which were helpful, they were:

• To remove the design from the book when you start to colour, that way you can easily move the paper around so that it's comfortable to colour, and you'll be confident that your pens or watercolours won't affect the rest of the book.
• It doesn't matter if you go over the lines - yay! I think staying in the lines is completely overrated, so I was pleased to hear this. And it's true, only you know if you've gone over the lines, so who's to know? And if anyone notices, just call it artistic flair!

It was lovely to meet Johanna, who has sold a staggering twenty million plus colouring books worldwide, in over forty countries, and discover that she's still as passionate about creating new designs. In fact she said she had so many ideas for her books, that the problem is always which ones should be left out rather than which should go in. 

JOHANNA BASFORD DEMONSTRATING HER FRONT COVER LETTERING

Johanna talked us through how she creates the detailed lettering on the front of her books, and I tried a Christmas card using the same approach. That's to draw your design - in my case Joy - lightly in pencil, and then to add Christmassy motifs and designs, such as holly, Christmas trees, presents, candy canes and so over following the pencil line. Then when you're happy with that to go over the pencil shapes with a fine line pen. 

It was fascinating to watch her in action, and fun to try out, but I had a tree to finish colouring in and I was determined to complete as much as I could that evening. So in answer to my question at the top of this post - can colouring reduce stress, well it's a resounding yes from me.

It's something I'll be remembering to do more often too, so if you see me and I'm stressed, remind me. If you're still not convinced that it's a stress-buster, why not give it a go yourself? Staedtler have some tips for getting started with adult colouring with tips for the basic and advanced techniques, as well as a colouring sheet to download. And there's still time to add a colouring book and some pens or pencils to your Christmas list, trust me you won't regret it!

Thanks Staedtler and Johanna for a lovely and inspiring evening. Thanks too to my colouring companions for the conversation throughout the evening and their kind words about my less than delicate colour combinations!

* This is a collaborative post with Staedtler, but all views and opinions - and colour combinations in my design - are my own.