Post Comment Love & Blogger Showcase 11-13 May

Hello there and welcome to this week's #PoCoLo - if you were here last week it was great to see you, if you're new here this week then it's great to see you, but either way I know you're very welcome.

The four day week has got me - I'm well and truly confused over what day it is, and I'm never quite sure how that happens. I know that I'm always grateful for an extra day at home, and a sunny Bank Holiday was a real treat. 

As well as everything else there was time for some gardening too, and my photo this week is of a variegated ivy at the end of our garden. I was struck by how it looked as if it had been painted, isn't nature wonderful?

This week we've even made it over to the allotment for a couple of hours easy weeding, leaving just as it got dark.  Somehow though I've been bitten again and have three bad bites on my foot. They're painful but I'm hoping they'll calm down and heal well, I can't believe that once again I've a reaction to insect bites.

Blogger Showcase: Carmen from Wellington World Travels

1. Who are you?

I am Carmen and I blog over at wellingtonworldtravels.com. I am from the Philippines, but currently live in Doha, Qatar. I am a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful kids: 3-year old son and 3-month old baby girl.

2. Why did you start blogging?

My blog started out as a place to document my travels and experiences. Now, it has become a platform on which I can voice my thoughts, opinions, knowledge and ideas.

3. What do you find most challenging?

The most challenging part is driving traffic to my website. It takes a lot of time. It means I have to be in front of the computer or on my phone all day - being active on social media, joining Facebook groups, creating post consistently. It takes a lot of my time.

4. What is your favourite topic to write about?

I started writing travel guides, tips and musings. But I realised I enjoyed more writing family travels, parenting and perspective posts. I just started my blog, so I am still figuring out my niche.

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

I think, I am blogging 80% for fun. I blog for pleasure and leisure. Since I have become a stay-at-home mom, I wanted to do something aside from taking care of kids and doing household chores. It is one way of making my time productive. But I didn't expect it to take up a lot of my time.

I also set goals on my blog, but not being too hard on myself. At the end of the day, I don't want to blog aimlessly. I have goals when it comes to number of visitors and followers a day, and posts per month. Of course, ultimately I want to monetise my blog so that I can help my husband and the family financially.

6. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

My favourite thing about blogging is knowing you have a little space in the big World Wide Web where you can be ‘you’ and share knowledge, feelings, and opinions.

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

I am new to the blogging world, so this is my first time hearing about a blogging conference. I would love to attend someday.

8. What are your 3 best posts?

• How Travel Changed My Life

• Why Traveling with Young Children is Worthwhile  

• Tips for Traveling with an Infant Alone

9. Describe yourself in three words...

Sweet, Shy. Simple.

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

I don’t drink coffee, so that will be tea and biscuits. I love to eat cake once in a while.

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

Nowadays, we rarely have a night out. As much as possible, I want to be home by sunset. I guess, a perfect night out is a good meal with my husband and kids in a restaurant or by the beach.

12. Your perfect night in?

My perfect night means snuggled in my bed, watching a movie or two then an UNinterrupted sleep. That is too perfect for my world. But a girl can dream! 

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

• Mom: reliable and good daughter

• In-laws: shy but thoughtful

• Husband: kind, supportive and loving

• Son: “I want Mommy.” I guess I am ‘want-able’...!

Connect with Carmen on her social channels here: Facebook  -  Instagram  -  Twitter  -  Pinterest - Thanks for taking part Carmen, it's great to find new blogs to read.  

If you'd like to be a future Blogger Showcase, then please get in touch with either Morgan or I.

An InLinkz Link-up

Light and dark

Today's post comes from the Ideal Home Show and as you can see from a quick look at the photos, there's a lot of lights, and mostly set against dark backgrounds - hence the title "light and dark"  - and that got me thinking about how exhibitors show off their items on their stands. And of course, there's a chance to admire the lights, the setting and the pure extravagance that seeps from the photos. Or I think it does anyway.

I think the lanterns above are super stylish and a classic whatever their finish. I've a wooden lantern of the same shape, and while that's good and equally timeless, these are more lust-worthy.  I know though that it'd be the more industrial looking light that MOH would be swooning over, and if I'm honest that's ok as I'd happily find space for something like this.

The setting has a hint of sitting room, or house about it doesn't it?  But one that's decorated in most likely a more modern style that many of us no doubt have.  And they do look good, but how do you choose just one?

The one thing that wasn't dark on this stand was another of those statement armchairs, this one a gorgeous orange velvet. And it really was, and I'm not sure I ever thought I'd be admiring an orange velvet chair, but I am and I was.

Even the drinks trolley fits in with the decadence, and it could be on this stand that my "need" or perhaps acceptance might be a better word, for this opinion-dividing piece of furniture started. I do quite like the one below, and think if you're going for a drinks trolley then you might as well go bold.

Initial research also shows that you also need some kind of retaining guard to stop your bottles whizzing off the end when you stop suddenly, which at some point I'm sure you're going to need to do.  Many trolleys also have built in bottle holders - it remains to be seen if the one I will opt for has what I've already determined to be necessary features, or if I'll see one I love so much that they will just go out the window!

What I learnt about the stands, apart from the black background, is that repetition often works well.  For me it's best demonstrated with the photo above, and with the photo below.  Although I've included that, not only for the yellow chair, but also for the lightbulb shadows on the wall, they're just as good as the oversized bulbs I think.

I've no idea though whose idea it was to put that yellow chair out of my "stroking" reach!

Post Comment Love 4-7 May

Hello there and welcome to #PoCoLo and yet another Friday, but this time with a difference. It's a long weekend, and even better is that the weather forecast for the Bank Holiday weekend is good. Of course, I don't believe it, do you?  But I'm very happy to be proved wrong!

As it's a Bank Holiday weekend we're keeping the linky open until Monday evening so do pop along and link up.  If you were here last week it was great to see you, if you're new here this week then welcome. 

All being well - and I'm crossing my fingers as I type this - today is the day we should have builders in the house.  I'm not sure what they're starting on, but we have a delivery slot for our new bifold doors and new window for the week after next, so I'm glad they'll be here and starting work. Of course that meant a bout of last minute activity, but that's to be expected...

My photo this week is one that's gone a bit bonkers on Instagram, and typically I snapped it as I walked home one night, rather than being a photo that took ages to set up - who'm I trying to kid, my photos are all snaps it's just some are given more thought than others.  This wasn't one of them though!  But even so, it turned out pretty well.

BLOSSOM-TASTIC

Blogger Showcase: Anneli from Pigletish

This week you can read Anneli's full answers over on Morgan's blog - but before you go, let me give you an intro to this week's Blogger Showcase.  Anneli is a mental health advocate, blogger and podcast host based in Sheffield, whose post about Stephen Fry was shared by QI on Twitter, which is pretty cool, and we learn that she loves her striped t-shirt collection.  

An InLinkz Link-up