MY TOP TEN PODCASTS

Ever since I got hooked on Serial last year (like everyone else in the world), podcasts have become a big part of my life! I listened to them LOADS when I was learning to run, I find them really soothing to listen to when I'm in bed if I can't quite be bothered to read a book, they make tidying the house so much more interesting, and they make boring plane and train journeys go by in a flash.

Here's a few of my current favourites...

1. Serial
If you didn't listen to Serial last year, what were you doing with your life? Last year Serial investigated the murder of Hae Min Lee, an American student who was killed in 1999. Her ex-boyfriend was charged with the crime and put away for life, but did he actually do it? They go through all of the evidence (which does not add up in many places), and it is fascinating. If you were hooking on Making a Murderer, you will be obsessed with this!

2. The Message
The Message is a science-fiction podcast and it is SO creepy. Each week you get an update from Nicky, a student who is working with a team of cryptologists as they attempt to decipher, decode and understand an alien message that was received over 70 years ago. Did I mention it is CREEPY? I loved it.

3. This American Life
This American Life is a weekly public radio show, produced by the team who also made Serial. Each week is focused on a different theme, from status updates to changing your mind to education inequality. It's always fascinating, and Ira Glass (the host) has the most soothing voice! I'd recommend you start by listening to their favourites page and take it from there.

4. Freakonomics
I really hate maths, so it's possibly a bit surprising that Freakonomics, an economics-based podcast, is one of my favourites, but it's so good! Each week the show uses the tools of economics to explore real-world behaviour, telling stories about cheating schoolteachers, self-dealing real-estate agents, the secrets of online dating, and crack-selling mama's boys.

5. The Mortified Podcast
The Mortified Podcastis a storytelling series where adults share the embarrassing things they created as kids - diaries, letters and lyrics - on stage in front of total strangers. It is hilarious, and strangely comforting to realise that we were all embarrassing nightmares as teenagers. I almost cried with laughter listening to this episode - a boy who, inspired by the Wu Tang Clan, wrote in his journals as if he were a hip hop star.

6. Limetown
Another science-fiction podcast, Limetown is what would happen if Serial met the X-Files. This seven-part podcast looks at an American mystery, when over three hundred men, women and children  disappeared from a small town in Tennessee, never to be heard from again. I couldn't stop listening to this, even though it absolutely terrified me at times!

7. Criminal
Criminal is a podcast (unsurprisingly) about crime. Stories of people who've done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Each episode is only about 20 minutes long, which makes it easy to dip in and out of, and gives you a fascinating glimpse into people's worlds.

8. Game of Owns
Do you want to listen to a group of pals talk for hours on end about Game of Thrones? This podcast is for you! Each week they dissect the show, try to make sense of what is actually going on, and guess what's going to come next.

9. Lore
I've included a couple of creepy podcasts on this list, but Lore beats them all. This podcast looks at true-life scary stories (waaah), picking a uniquely scary tale each week and covering the truth behind it. I have tried to listen to this at night but I actually can't - I always have to turn it off and watch some nonsense on youtube to shake the fear off. It's so good/terrifying!

10. You Must Remember This...
Last but not least, You Must Remember This is a storytelling podcast about the secret and forgotten histories of Hollywood's first century. I first started listening to tale of Charles Manson's Hollywood and I've been hooked ever since.

I hope that's given you some listening inspiration! If you are also a podcast fan, let me know what you're listening to at the moment too.

SUNDAY LINKS

Happy Sunday everyone! I've had a lovely, but very, very busy week. I went down to London for a few days of work, followed by a weekend of fun with my bestie (we went to the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour, and it was possibly the BEST DAY EVER. More on this soon!).

Now I'm sitting at a train station somewhere in Northern England, as my train home has been delayed by an incident in the Borders, and it doesn't look like we'll move any time soon. All I want is to get home and get in my pyjamas... cross your fingers for me please!

Donut bow shoe clips - Etsy

While I wait for my train to move (I've been sitting in this seat for over five hours now, so I am a bit broken!), here's a few of my favourite links from this week.

London Fashion Week started on Friday. I get a bit intimidated by fashion, but I love this Vice article from last year: I dressed like an idiot at London Fashion Week.

I love cheese, but I've never thought about roasting it before. Take a look at this roasted feta recipe, and prepare for your mouth to water.

Did you know you can get Han Solo pop tarts?! Guttingly, you can't actually eat them, but they do look amazing.

However, you CAN eat and play with these chocolate LEGO bricks and they are possibly the most adorable thing I've seen!

Have you ever wondered what the deal with rose gold is? This article, about the semiotics of rose-gold is super fascinating.

I've got a lot of love for Lorde, and I really liked how she rocked her sore eye at New York Fashion Week (aka did not care, partied through it, continued to look amazing).

And finally, everyone loves pom poms, right? Checkout these 10 amazeballs pom pom projects to get your crafty fix!

SUNDAY LINKS

Currently, it's a very gloomy afternoon in Edinburgh. I've got candles burning, and I've cosied up under a blanket to blog, with netflix on in the background (I'm about to start watching Monsters University, and I am excited!). I've got a bit of a manic week ahead - I'm off to London for work and play, so I'm enjoying the chance to laze while I can.

I was reading through some of my favourite blogs, and I realised that I absolutely love reading posts like these - where people pick out their favourite things from the internet each week. I'm feeling truly back on blogging form after a very lazy summer, so I thought this could be a nice new feature...  so say hello to Sunday Links!

The Instant Comfort Pocket Box - Etsy

I've been amazed watching Patrick Ness' incredible fundraiser for Syrian refugees. He aimed for £10,000, and has now raised just under £600,000, with the help of loads of authors and publishers match-funding donations as they come in. It's been incredible to see the YA community come together, and the money is going to such a good cause. If you haven't donated yet, please consider doing so.

On that note, this reddit AMA is really fascinating. It's a Syrian refugee in Germany, talking about his journey, why he left, and what he's doing now.

I'm getting pretty obsessed with interiors and home decor blogs, as I'm starting to plan my new house, and I've really been enjoying Lily Melrose's moving vlogs. I don't watch many vlogs as they all seem pitched at kids, so it's nice to find someone in their 20's, chatting about the things I like!

I've been rewatching Parks & Recreation (which is pretty much the best show ever made), and I have been loving this collection of 100 Parks & Rec gifs, which means you'll never be stuck for a way to express yourself.

I'm a fan of crisp days and cosy nights in, so I like Miss West End Girl's 10 things to do in Autumn post. Lynsay is also one of my inspirations for starting a links post - you can check out her weekly round up here!

I love Kate's X-Files brooch (SO cute), and I also adore how she's styled a perfect pastel outfit around it.

Apparently, George R.R. Martin's new book is coming in 2016! I'm not sure if I actually believe that, but I'll cross my fingers.

And finally, this made me actually laugh out loud - men wearing a military helmet and nothing else in western art history. SHOES, Ajax? and deny the other Greeks the sight of these shapely ankles?

Ever So Juliet is three!

Oh goodness me, where does the time go? This week marked a whole three years since I first blogged, which seems all sorts of crazy.

I know I say this pretty much every time I write about blogging, but it honestly amazes me how many people read this. There's loads of you. Thousands (actually tens of thousands). Each bloody month! That is insane, you guys. And I've been rubbish at posting regularly, but you keep coming back, and that's really nice (but bonkers, obviously).

This has been a rollercoaster year for me. Lots of intense things have happened, and while I've tried to keep a cheery face on the surface, I opened up a bit and wrote a very honest blog post. I knew people would read it, but I absolutely hadn't expected the flurry of comments and emails and tweets and facebook messages I got after that. People I had never spoken to before sent me encouraging messages, or just told me about their own stories & how they got through it, and that was so ridiculously touching.

So yeah, I guess this is the year that I properly realised how brilliant blogging is, and how it really connects you to people from all sorts of places, with all sorts of things going on in their lives. It's like having a really cool gang.

Thank you to you if you've read from the very beginning (hi mum), or just started reading today. Thanks if you've sent me a message or tweet, or said hi if you've spotted me in person (that happens! & is often so unexpected that I forget how to speak like a real person!). Thanks for reading my rambles through the good times and the bad. I hope I've taught you something useful (or pointless), and I hope you continue to keep reading!

Bring on year four (where I promise to get back into the swing of things...)!

p.s. if you are thinking 'ooh, I'd quite like to write a blog' then you should DO IT! Here are some blogging tips... you won't regret it.

Blogs I love!

I bloody love blogging. No matter what you're into, if you like crafts, beautiful clothing, cooking, baking, pretty things or weirdo things, there's a blogger out there, writing about exactly what you want to read. I think it's really cool that there's so many people out there that dedicate time to writing, taking photos, and making things, just to share with strangers on the internet.

So here's a few of my favourite bloggers. They're all pretty cool guys. 

Conversation Pieces was one of the first blogs I started reading, and it's stayed firmly on my bookmark list for years. Zoe is a ridiculously stylish, crafty girl, with an amazing eye for vintage and quirky things. I have severe lifestyle jealousy! (She's also lovely in real life, damn her!).

Read Conversation Pieces  for: crafty ideas, adventure inspiration, thrifty finds, & love letters to Edinburgh and London.

The Dainty Squid is written by Kaylah, who has cat lady knuckle tattoos, rainbow-coloured hair, and amazing collections of all sorts of curiosities (think teeth, cuckoo clocks & finished paint by numbers pieces).

Read The Dainty Squid for: nail art ideas, beautiful tutorials, cats in hats & outfit inspiration.

What Katie Does is an unsurprisingly beautiful site, given that Katie is a web designer and illustrator. It is filled with beautiful photos of food, her home, and her travels.

Read What Katie Does for: recipes, interior design, typography & travel.

Little Blog of Horrors is like sitting down with a cup of tea and gossiping with a pal. Ayden writes about her life, and it's just lovely to get to go along on the ride with her.

Read Little Blog of Horrors for: Scottish adventures, refreshingly honest chat, tea appreciation & to give yourself hair envy.

Katie Cakes is one of my favourite baking blogs. Her food always looks AMAZING, and recipes are clear, easy to follow & always turn out well. What more do you want? (She also runs the brilliant-looking Pet Lamb Patisserie, so it's no wonder her bakes are so good!).

Read Katie Cakes for: recipes & beautiful photos that will make your mouth melt.

The London Lipgloss (soon to rebrand as Zoe London) is written by Zoe, a DJ with beautiful mermaidy hair. She really embraces life as a creative, fun, exciting place to be, and I love how her blog has evolved recently - there's not many other bloggers out there like her!

Read The London Lipgloss for: make up reviews, excellent hair, creative fashion, hipster music (that I've never heard of, cause I'm uncool) & London looking like the best place to party.

Bye 2013!

Okay, I know I'm a bit late to the party with 2013 round up posts, but I've got a pretty good excuse!

2013 was a mental year for me. On one hand, it feels like an absolute AGE since I wrote this post, and on the other, it feels like the year has flown by. Big things have happened. I left my job of almost six years (!) to work at a festival. My long term relationship ended, which obviously impacted pretty much every part of my life. I'm selling my home, and I'm learning that life sometimes goes in a direction that you aren't quite prepared for.

But, I've also learned that I'm actually pretty tough, and I can handle big changes. I was reminded what amazing people I have in my life (I knew that anyway, but there's nothing like a big dramatic moment to show you how brilliant people are). I learned new things, spent most of my time with excellent people, painted a lot, travelled a bit, and got marginally better at not looking SO AMAZINGLY AWKWARD in outfit posts (I still look awkward, I know. Just not as bad as before).

Once again, it kind of blew my mind that anyone actually reads my ramblings - and there's even more of you now! So thank you SO MUCH for reading and being interested in what I have to say. I know I'm rambly and a bit scruffy, but it is very nice to know I'm not just chatting to myself!

As before, I thought it would be fun to round up my most popular posts from each month in 2013. Here's what my year looked like in blogging form...

January - Benefit Fine One One

February - The Leather Satchel Co

March - Illustrated blogger: French for Cupcake

April - A catch up

May - Outfit: what I really wore

June - Happy thoughts

July - Sri Lanka!

August - Edinburgh festivals

September - Being happy

October - Halloween how to: skeleton make up

November - Happy thoughts

December - Outfit: boy's clothes

What a difference a year makes, huh? Let's see what 2014 has in store... 

Illustrated Blogger #4: Ella Masters

Here's the next installment in my newest feature - Illustrated Bloggers. Each month I introduce you to one of my favourite bloggers & tell you why they are brilliant. I love them so hopefully you will too!

Who is she? Ella from Ella Masters

What's her site about? A UK lifestyle & art blog

Why is she brilliant?

• Ella's an amazing artist and discovering her blog was part of the reason I got back into painting - it made me realise how much I missed it.
• She's one of those lucky people who has a wild mane of hair that looks awesome not brushed (and was so much fun to paint). 
• Ella has a series of paintings of beardy tattooed men, which I love! There's loads on sale in her etsy shop - I have this guy & I love him!
• Her posts are always really honest, which is very refreshing in the often-sugar-coated world of lifestyle blogging.
• She's always painting or being crafty in some way & it's just SO inspiring! 

Previous illustrated bloggers:

#1 A Rosie Outlook

#2 French for Cupcake

#3 Nerd Burger

Illustrated Blogger #3: Nerd Burger

Here's the next installment in my newest feature - Illustrated Bloggers. Each month I introduce you to one of my favourite bloggers & tell you why they are brilliant. I love them so hopefully you will too!

Who is she? Cazz from Nerd Burger

What's her site about? A super colourful site that covers crafts, nerdy things, geeky fashion & her jewellery company

Why is she brilliant?

• In a world of identikit bloggers, Nerd Burger stands out by a MILE. Cazz isn't afraid to be a bit geeky and have fun with what she wears, which I love!
• Nerd Burger jewellery (her shop) is full of kitsch, quirky jewellery, which is perfect if you love comics, superheroes, or have 90s nostalgia (Sabrina hair band, anyone?).
• She has the world's best hair. I want pink and purple hair!
• She writes a lot of hilarious posts, but her montage of Chuck Bass fashion made me laugh SO much.
• Every post is so cheery and positive, and she's such a smiley person (much more than my portrait would suggest!). I always look forward to seeing a new post from her, it's guaranteed to be colourful & fun & cheer me up! 

 Previous illustrated bloggers: 

#1 A Rosie Outlook

#2 French for Cupcake

Ever So Juliet is two!

This post is a little behind schedule (blame working at a festival - lots of fun, but no time for anything else!), but I wanted to mark the occasion with a rambly post.

Last month marked two years since I decided to be a bit brave, start a blog, and write a very awkward first post. Happy blog anniversary to me!

I didn't realise back then how much "being a blogger" would become such a big part of my identity. I also didn't realise how much time or effort blogging would actually take... if I had I wonder if I would have been as keen to dive in? Blogging has become a ridiculously important part of my life. I feel like I'm always working away on it, either through writing posts, researching, taking photos, tinkering with images and design, or trying out DIYs (which leads to random Monday evenings in full-face zombie make up).

There's lots of very good things that come with a blog. I feel so much more motivated to do things... whether that's baking, doing nice things to my hair, exploring my very favourite city, wearing nice clothes, or just trying to be a cheery person. Having a platform to chat on & regularly update has definitely been really helpful in keeping me on track with my new year's resolution and I definitely take more photos than I ever did before! 

The last year has been a bit of a learning curve for me, as I've appeared on various PR & brand radars, who've wanted to work with me. At first it was all very exciting and I said yes to EVERYTHING, but now I'm trying to be a little more strict regarding who I work with & what I cover (there's nothing like being ridiculously busy to make you realise what emails are important to you!).

But as much as free things and being paid to write is nice (obviously it is), it's not what keeps bringing me back, updating even if I'm knackered or would really prefer to just watch the new Game of Thrones episode thank-you-very-much. I blog because I love it. I love that I have this super fun site that is all about me and my pals and the things I am doing. & people actually read it! Not just my pals and my mum and my sisters, but thousands and thousands of you each month. It properly blows my mind.

So thank you for reading my very rambly, slightly scruffy posts. I hope you keep reading, and that I can be entertaining or helpful or cheer you up in some way. Here's to year three.

Illustrated Blogger #2: French for Cupcake

Here's the next installment in my newest feature - Illustrated Bloggers. Each month I introduce you to one of my favourite bloggers & tell you why they are brilliant. I love them so hopefully you will too!

Who is she? Claire from French for Cupcake

What's her site about? A fashion & baking blog. She also runs an amazing cupcake company, called the Lily Pink Bakery.

Why is she brilliant?

• French for Cupcake was one of the first blogs I started reading. Before discovering the huge world of lifestyle bloggers, I used to think most bloggers were just super posey fashion models in daft clothes! It was really refreshing and encouraging to find a nice, normal blogger with the motto "Eat cake, wear nice things and be comfortable in your own skin!". 
• Claire's a HUGE Game of Thrones fan girl, and I am very jealous that she's been on set, & met the cast members. 
• Her cakes look amazing, and it's been really inspiring seeing her business take off & become so successful! She sells cakes at a market every week in Belfast - Craig & I have been chatting about a trip to Ireland for ages (I've never been!), and I'm seriously tempted to plan the holiday around a visit to her stall! 
• She owns the most adorable sausage dog puppy called Lola. ADORABLE. 
• We have a really similar sense of style & whenever she posts about a dress or shoes (especially glittery shoes!) I have to hide my debit card to try and resist spending! 

Previous illustrated bloggers:

#1 A Rosie Outlook

Illustrated Blogger #1: A Rosie Outlook

Welcome to a brand new feature - Illustrated Bloggers! Each month I'll be introducing you to one of my favourite bloggers & telling you why they are brilliant. I'm also going to (gulp!) paint their portrait... fingers crossed you know who it's meant to be!

First up, it's this lovely lady...

Who is she?  Rosie from A Rosie Outlook

What's her site about? A UK lifestyle & fashion blog

Why is she brilliant? 

• Rosie's blog is a snapshot into her life - full of adventures, photos of the seaside & good advice.
• I absolutely adore the way she writes, it's just like reading letters from an old friend. 
• A Rosie Outlook covers a huge range of topics: DIYs, recipes, wishlists, outfit posts & lovely photos. Perfect for reading with a big cup of tea!
• Rosie has the most adorable schnoodle dog called Bodhi, who makes regular appearances on her blog.  I'm a total sucker for a cute pup face. 
• Her hair is the perfect shade of just-lilac, I have proper hair envy!

Bye 2012!

I can't quite believe that is 2012 over - it doesn't feel like a whole year has passed since I wrote this post! In the last year so much has happened... I learned how to cook (which was my new year's resolution); we bought a house (!!!) & I love it so much I want to hug it sometimes; we went to the olympics (awesome awesome awesome); and I had loads and loads of fun with my very brilliant friends & family (who are very brilliant indeed).

It was also the year that blogging took over my life. I'm so pleased that I decided to start a blog all those months ago... it's been such a brilliant way to document my life, it's inspired me to try new things & do more DIYs & I've met so many nice people & had awesome opportunities because of it! If you are swithering over starting one yourself, I highly, highly recommend it - you won't look back!

To round up my year, I thought it would be fun to look back at my most popular posts from each month. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who reads this blog... I really appreciate it so much! 

January - How to: make a vegetable pie

February - Valentines cupcakes

March - Topshop make up

April - Home owners

May - How to: rolled hair updo

June - Pixar 'Brave' nail art

July - How to: do the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

August - A trip to the Olympics

September - How to: apply liquid eyeliner

October - Halloween how to: zombie make up

November - Christmas shopping: gifts for gals

December - Synaesthesia at Lush Spa, Edinburgh

For Hogmanay Craig & I are going to be super lazy and stay in, but it's pretty much my perfect evening. We'll have good food, good wine, champagne & a mega pop playlist. Perfect! 

Have a lovely New Year whatever you do, and I'll speak to you in 2013.

Jess Buckley illustration

I feel like I am always tinkering with my blog in one way or another, and my recent mission has been updating my blog pages (the about ever so juliet, how to, blog roll, contact & sponsor links above) to make them a little more interesting. 

For my about me page I really fancied using an illustration (I figure there are enough photos on here of me already!) so I asked Jess to put something together for me and she came up with this! 

I love it! I think my favourite bit is Riley just casually lounging in my hair, how cute!

Jess put together a post on how she came up with the drawing (which you can read here) & you can order a custom illustration here if you fancy.

Party people: Scottish bloggers & The List Hot 100

Ooooh it has been a fun week!

On Monday I went to the Scottish Bloggers Christmas Party, which had been organised by Roisin, Gillian & Claire. I headed through with Lianne beforehand and was super nervous - this was my first proper blogger meet up & I wasn't sure what to expect! Luckily (and obviously) it was totally ace - everyone was lovely and chatty, the drinks were plenty (thanks Monkey Bar!), it was brilliant meeting people in the proper real world AND we raised £190 for Glasgow Women's Aid in the charity raffle (I won goodies from CuriouScope & a Barratts voucher - lucky me!).

The dress code was christmas party dresses/awful christmas jumpers & I found this BEAUT in the charity shop across from my work for £3.50. It has animals on it (dogs? llamas? who knows?), is grey & brown striped & has TASSELS. Oh yes.

There's chat of another meetup being organised in the new year in Edinburgh & I can't wait - bring it on!

The next night (my poor head) I went to The List's Hot 100 party. If you don't know The List (shock, horror, etc) it's basically a Scottish version of Time Out & also where I spend most of my time, Monday to Friday. We're putting on more and more events these days and it is FUN, and it was ace getting the opportunity to invite my fellow Scottish blogger pals along.

I drank ginger grouse (yum!), tried to dance to music that was a bit too cool for me, and could not resist the photobooth (I'm addicted). FUN!

Today is the List staff lunch, then I have a quietish weekend, and then the countdown to my birthday starts. Tis the season to have parties!

Blogging tips (& an exciting milestone!)

So this week was a bit exciting, in terms of this wee blog, as I hit a milestone I've been building up to for a quite a while. I've been using google analytics to keep track of how many readers I have and where you all come from (which sounds shifty, ha!), and this month I hit 5,000 unique users per month! Yay!

It's a weird one - it feels like there's a bit of an unwritten rule amongst bloggers not to mention numbers or stats, for fear of sounding like you are showing off (or getting too caught up in numbers rather than content). But I work in advertising where we talk about readership ALL the time.. so I'm pretty pleased with this one. I know this is a drop in the ocean compared to other bloggers, but I'm just so chuffed that you lovely lot are out there! Blogging is bloody brilliant, but it's tough work & it's nice to see that I'm not just rambling to myself (although I did have a happy few months at the start where it was just me!).

So I thought it might be fun to put together a list of ten bits of blogging advice I've learned so far. I know a lot of this is common sense, and I am faaaar from being an expert, but I love it when people do features like this.. hopefully it'll be useful!

1. Mix up your content
This tip (which I originally read on Gem's blog) is probably the most helpful bit of blog advice I've read. Mix up what you write about so that when someone visits your blog for the first time they'll get a snapshot of what they can expect. I write about nail art, beauty, baking, cat, tutorials, home/lifestyle stuff & shopping, so I try and stagger these subjects. That way if a potential reader is into lifestyle posts and baking, but hates nail art, they'll still want to stick around as they know I'm not a one trick pony.

It also works wonders for inspiration too - if I'm stuck on what to post next I just look at what subject I haven't covered in a while and write about that!

2. Post regularly
I didn't start to see a growth in readers until I started posting three times a week (I post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Posting regularly is good because it encourages readers to come back to see your new content. I love a deadline, so it helps keep me on track too.

If you've got a really busy week coming up then don't stress - take advantage of the schedule button so you can write posts when you've got some free time, then set them to go live when you want.

Don't take things too seriously: have fun & be a bit daft. Super serious faces are for robots, blogs are for real people.

3. Be friendly & stress-free!
It's easy to compare yourself to others, especially when you are just starting out & you have a blank page that's refusing to cooperative. But don't worry about it! There will ALWAYS be someone who has a prettier blog/takes better photos/gets cool free things/has better hair (grr!) than you, but that's cool. There's space for them and there's space for you. Nothing good comes from feeling insecure or beating yourself up pointlessly!

4. Use labels
I label every post with the category it falls into, so if a reader liked that type of post they could just click one of the words at the bottom to see more of the same - e.g. Edinburgh, how to, shopping, & home sweet home. It makes it much easier to navigate and read the things you like, and helps me too when I want to see what my last post in that category was.

5. You have to love it!
Blogging is fun but it is HARD work. Some days I just want to flop on the sofa after a mental day at work, but then remember that I'd planned to take photos/write a post/blog an event/do a nail art design. I put a ridiculous amount of time into writing, researching, taking photos, thinking of ideas & doing basic bloggy stuff.. for barely any material rewards. But it doesn't matter cause I LOVE IT. I love writing and I feel so much more inspired to try new things, as I know I have a platform to share them on.

So write about what you love and make blogging easy for yourself.

Old Ever So Juliet designs: it can take a while to get your image right. 

6. Comment
Everyone says this, but reading & commenting on other blogs is such an important  part of blogging & a good way to reach new people! Getting comments on a post is brilliant, and I always check out whoever leaves me a comment, it's a nice way to interact with readers.

Resist the temptation to just promote yourself - that just comes across as spam. Instead just be a pal, say what you like about the post/blog/whatever & get a conversation going.

7. Include yourself
You don't need to constantly post photos of yourself, but help your readers get to know you. Set up an "about me" section so people can learn a little more about you, use twitter & instagram to share thoughts & photos from your life & be chatty.

8. Take big clear photos
Everyone loves photos. A visual post is a pretty post, and you don't need a fancy camera to do this. I use my iphone a lot (here and here for example) - just make sure you are taking photos in natural light where possible for clear photos.

I love blogs with big photos - no point in making them tiny and having to squint to make out the details!

Blogger clichés: Scones | Starbucks | Top knot

9. Write unique content

Make your blog stand out by writing things that are interesting and unique to you. Share your favourite recipe, make up a tutorial, write about what you've been up to, try a new make up brand, invent a weekly feature, whatever you like!

Obviously you're going to cover some things that are pretty common (I think every blogger in the world has a leopard nail art tutorial!) but it pays off if you do something new. Ages ago I wrote a tutorial on how to use a hair doughnut cause I couldn't find a clear one when I wanted to try it, and it is my best performing post by far. It's had over 28,000 views and ranks really highly in google, which is brilliant for bringing new visitors to my blog!

10. Don't be shy
I know it can be quite strange promoting yourself, but put it out there! A blog is there to be read, and getting your friends and family to share it is a great way to start. I promote every post on my personal facebook (as well as the ESJ facebook & twitter) and loads of people click through.

But just remember that once you've put something out there ANYONE can see it. That means your parents, potential employers, old school pals, anyone. If there's something you'd rather only your friends knew then don't blog about it. Also it's polite to ask your friends/partner/family if you are going to put up photos of them.


Obviously all of these tips are things I find helpful, so if you don't agree then don't worry! The best thing about blogging is that it's YOUR space to do exactly what you want with. Aw, isn't blogging nice.

Carly Watts illustration

The other evening I received the most LOVELY email from Carly, an illustrator whose blog I've been following for a couple of months now. I was totally over the moon to see that she drew me - how cool is this?!

I wish I had an outfit like that in real life!

You should definitely take a look at her blog, she's been doing a series of blogger portraits and does commissions if anyone is looking for a custom header/business cards or the like. Thanks Carly!

Sponsor ever so juliet for FREE

Hiya! So, I've been blogging happily for just over a year now, and it's incredible how quickly it's become such an important part of my life. I may just be a small fish in a massive pond of bloggers (who are all much more glamorous than I am), but I'm really happy with the little space I've carved out for myself. There's cake and cats and normal life things. It's nice.

So, in an attempt to grow ever so juliet I'm going to start taking sponsors for the site (I've got to pay for nail polish somehow!). & while I get everything set up and going I would like to offer like-minded blogs (aka nice people) FREE advertising for a month. All I'd like in return is a link or a button on your site, to help me reach a few more people.

Here are my blog stats!
As of July 2012, ever so juliet is averaging 12,800 impressions per month (and growing pretty steadily!). This is made up by 2,900 unique users a month – 598 subscribers via GFC, email subscriptions, bloglovin and hello cotton. I also reach 357 people through twitter and facebook, and regularly promote this site. Phew!

Sponsor info
The adverts will be 180 x 250 pixels, and will sit in the (newly created) righthand sidebar of the blog. They can click through to anything you want (e.g. your blog, etsy shop, pictures of pandas), and will run for 30 days.

I'm interested, what do I do?
Ace! Thanks for being part of the ever so juliet community! If you'd like to take out a free sponsor advert then all you have to do is:

• visit my brand new sponsor page and click to buy a medium ad.
• add your details and upload an ad that measures 180 pixels wide x 250 pixels high.
• pop in the promo code EVERSOFREE!
• let me know if you've linked to me, or if you'd like to run a button on your site (and I'll send it straight over).

p.s. my amazing new design is by elevatormusik - more on this soon!
  
Thank you to everyone for your interest! Sponsor positions are now FULL (although you are of course welcome to purchase a small or large ad if you'd like!). I'll do more sponsor offers in the future, so please keep an eye out for these. x

Short short short fringe!

I've been battling against my horrible overgrown fringe for far too long, so made a much-needed appointment to get my hair cut this week (on reflection it has been two months since I last went - good grief!).

I got my badger stripe put back in (as I love it so), as well as the world's SHORTEST FRINGE. Eep.

I know it's better to get it a little bit too short when it is first cut so it grows into a nice shape, but I am a bit nervous about how much of my forehead is suddenly on show! I also need to get my eyebrows sorted out - the girl who normally does mine has moved to Glasgow (sob), and I'm not quite sure where's best in Edinburgh for threading. Somebody point me in the right direction please!

ALSO, here's a bit of a cheeky request. I don't normally put myself forward for blog things, but I love Cosmo so I thought I'd give it a go. Cosmopolitan are now taking nominations for their annual blog awards... and if you fancy you can put Ever So Juliet forward!

All you have to do is fill out this form (which will only take a minute or so) and put forward eversojuliet.com in the "Best Lifestyle Blog" category. Obviously only do it if you like my daft witterings! You can nominate as many blogs as you'd like... so spread the blogging love.

Have a lovely (long) weekend all!

One year!

Doesn't time fly by? One year ago today I thought "oh why not" and wrote my very first blog post on Ever So Juliet. Happy blog birthday to me!

I took this photo at my desk, with a hastily scribbled post-it and a bit of clip art. I feel so professional.

I'd been thinking about blogging (and reading loads of them) for years, so I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to get started. I guess it's easy to view the blogging world as big and scary and judgemental - and then it's even easier to get disheartened when absolutely no one reads it!

But once I stopped worrying about what people did or didn't think about me, it all got a lot easier. And fun! I love this little space I've got on the internet - I love that I've got somewhere to show off the cakes I've made, or the daft things I paint on my nails. Even Riley gets a lot of love! I don't fit your typical skinny/stylish/stunning fashion or make up blogger, but I don't really care. I like rambling away in here (and if nothing else, it has finally taught me how to control my mane!).

So hiya to all of my lovely, lovely readers who have appeared along the way (and somehow there's now over 2,000 of you a month? Crazy. Hello!). Hi to the bloggers who are inspiring, lovely and very funny to read. Here's to another year!

Happy thoughts

Hooray for February, holidays this week, boyfriends who go on special trips for chocolate mousse on Sunday nights, two months until new house, rubbish films and all of this.

1. New blog design

This weekend I gave my blog a brand new look to fit in with my AMAZING new header, designed by my pal Lucy. I gave her a really rubbish brief (which basically could be condensed into 'I like pastels') so she's done an amazing job. It's my face! Ha. I was also able to try out a few of the html tricks I've been learning - check out my recent comments box at the very bottom of the blog, it's ace!

Lucy's currently working on opening up an etsy shop that'll be filled with jewellery & prints - I shall post about it when it's up!

2. Valentines Day

Tattoo-style cookies made (by me) in 2010

I'm a sucker for Valentine's Day. I know that it's not to everyone's taste and there's always a bit of moaning about how commercial it is, but I'm a big romantic and love that it's a day about being in love! (plus it's easy and very thoughtful to make presents rather than buy them - have a look at these heart cupcakes for inspiration).

This year Craig & I are going through to see Glasgow to see the loves of my life, Brand New. I'm so excited! It's funny, I've listened to Brand New since I was sixteen (mental) and I still love them. That's ten years! Woah. Anyway, I'm looking forward to dancing and singing and cocktails. Lovely.

3. Pinterest

If you've not started using Pinterest yet, prepare to be addicted! I joined a wee while ago, then had weird login-issues, but I'm back and making up for lost time! It's absolutely perfect for future-house planning, as well as keeping track of things I'd like to make and buy. Everything you pin is linked to the original source (so helpful) so I've started keeping a board of prints I'd like to buy from etsy (easier than trying to sort through loads of favourites).

My pinterest name is eversojuliet - if you'd like an invite to the site then please comment with your email address and I'll see what I can do!

Lovely stuff.

p.s. there's one more week to enter my Models Own giveaway!