When I was first invited to be part of a blog hop I wasn't really sure what it meant, but I soon found out it's a great way to share some of the beautiful bloggers out there and spread creativity/inspiration, while giving a little insight into the people behind the blog. Effectively you are tagged by a blogger to answer a set of questions and then you tag bloggers to hop on to afterwards, and so it continues, pretty cool ay. I was tagged by the lovely lady Katy Orme over at Apartment Apothecary, where you can discover the delights of interior design, along with a good dose of Liberty prints and DIY projects. Katy's eye for detail is fab and I love her London home.
My Answers
1. What have been the doings/makings/scribblings at your desk/making table in the last week?
As the sun has been shining down, I've been taking advantage of the light and spent most of my waking hours outdoors, only to return as dusk settles in. But that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. At the moment I have been focusing on photography, taking my Nikon D90 Digital SLR, iPhone 5c and Lomo Diana F+ out with me wherever I go, in the hopes that something magical might happen. My desk is piled high with magazines, interior design books and scribbled notes for projects, alongside some freelance work I've been commissioned for. At the moment I have found this Pom Pom garland I want to and recreate, and thanks to my lovely friend I have plenty of wool to get me started.
2. Where are you currently finding your inspiration? (influences, heroes/who, sources of inspiration, paths exploring)?
My love of films and books are high on my inspiration list, not to mention freshly cut flowers and the hours lost to Pinterest. As I mentioned above I have magazines galore piled high on my desk and blogs bookmarked to read, I love to flick through the pages and drink it all in. Some of the things I'm reading at the moment are: Oh Comely, Frankie, Lionheart, Cereal, The Circle and my new Jane & Serge. A Family Album book. I am totally in love with this book and the photo's capturing their life together, it's all so dreamy – I feel a separate blog post coming on. Tonight I'll be settling down to watch The Great Beauty and all the wonder that it holds.
Another big change in the last month has been my diet and general well being. After a huge health scare and many tests and hospital visits, I have recently been given the all clear for cervical cancer after finding high grade pre-cancer cells had spread to the glands. I can't begin to express my relief, however this has given me the jolt I needed to look after myself in a way that I hadn't been before, so I have been trying to 'eat clean' which means to eat food as close to its natural state as possible, jacket potato yes, chips no. So all my cooking has been from scratch, creating my own sauces and I have avoided processed foods where possible. I have also given up wheat and have been eating a mixture of organic and vitamin rich foods to give my immune system a natural boost, as well as practising Yoga Nidra, exercising daily and seeing an amazing acupuncturist.
For me creativity, whether it's through words, images, crafts or even the music my feet moves too, is the essence of life. To see and discover new things, to create and imagine is to feel alive and always gives me a buzz. If I stay stagnant or stuck in a routine too long I start to get stir crazy, and due to this I try to be creative wherever I can in my day to day, be it taking photos on a walk, trying new recipes, playing new games with F and discussing topics that have captured my imagination. The small window of 'me time' is cherished beyond measure, where I can really let my hair down and get the creative juices flowing, but until then I am constantly juggling and looking for the extraordinary in every day life.
Now Meet My Hoppees
My first hoppee is the lovely Abigail from Abigail and the Future, a space filled with found treasures, Montessori crafts and wonderful photography documenting her adventures with Theo. I recently fell in love with her posts on Barcelona.
My second hoppee is Victoria from The Owl and the Accordian, I love her sweet and simple style of home, adorned with crotchet throws, plates, pots, prints and love. But mostly I love her Found series, which always introduces me to new reads and beautiful creative communities.
Both wonderful ladies will be posting their Blog Hop posts on Monday 7th July, so do stop by and enjoy. I'd love to hear what has been inspiring you recently?
i love the pictures and what a fabulous idea of blog hopping x
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, it's always nice to find new blogs. Wonderful photos as always x
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, I'm sure it will provide people with lots of inspiration x
ReplyDeleteooh, love this idea! always interesting to find out a bit more about people :)
ReplyDeleteThat pom pom garland looks AMAZING! Such a relief about you getting the all-clear too. I have really been trying to focus on eating well lately, exercise is still something I really need to work on though. I find it so hard to feel motivated to do any x
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how relieved you must have felt getting the all clear, I think summer is a great time to have a bit of cleanse in regards to food. I need to work on thinking a bit harder about planning meals rather than throwing (lots of carbs!) together when I'm starving x
ReplyDeleteI feel inspired just reading this - I am trying to eat more healthily too (although not prompted by anything as terrifying as a cancer scare) and I have piles of magazines on my desk, waiting to be read. Perhaps I'll read one a day for the next week :)
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures so cool .x
ReplyDeleteI didn't know anything about blog hops but they sound great. (Really want to start eating healthier too!)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love the picture of the flowers.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you got the all clear, that must of been so worrying.
It's lovely to find out a little more about you and what inspires you
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you got goos news. It is can be so hard to put yourself first when you are looking after others. I am off to check out your reads and I love both of the blogs you have tagged
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear that you got the all-clear health-wise. I'm impressed with all the books that you're reading at the moment. It's something that I don't find time for any more, but really should.
ReplyDeleteSuper idea - it is great to find new blogs and find out a bit more about the people behind them too.
ReplyDeleteYou must be so relieved to get the all clear with your health
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for this blog hop! It's a great way of finding new blogs to read
Gosh what a relief on the all-clear! Loved this post and found myself sharing lots of teh same interests and inspirations. Also love your choice of hopees so will look out for their posts too :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you had a scare, beyond relieved all is clear. Loving the look of that Pom Pom ! A friend recommend Cereal to me the other week - must check that out now whilst I think of it! x
ReplyDeletewhat a great idea! so glad you got the all-clear lovely xx
ReplyDeleteIm so glad you got the all clear - that must be a weight lifted off your shoulders!
ReplyDeleteFantastic idea! Glad you got the all clear xxx
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely hop - so pleased to hear you got the all clear as well :) x
ReplyDeletePinterest has a lot to answer for! I'm supposed to be doing tax returns but I keep putting them off to browse Pinterest!
ReplyDeleteLovely blog hop, it's nice to know a bit more about you :)
This is so lovely and a great way to get to know more about you - love your inspirations and that you are now eating better - I hope you are feeling full of energy now :)
ReplyDeleteLaura x
As it is summer lately I am thinking more and more about the sea and the beach... I think it is time to make something marine like :-)
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Lori, and so pleased for you on the all clear xx
ReplyDelete