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Tag: lifestyle

Breaking a Habit of a Lifetime | QueenBeady

”I’m too cold.”

”My head hurts.”

”God, this house is such a mess.”

I probably utter these words a thousand times a day. I’m a complainer. I have to face facts & accept it. Or should I? I’m never one for making New Years resolutions, simply because I know that I will break them. I’m not much of a rule breaker. I’m terribly boring. But I saw a little anecdote on Pinterest about complaining. It said, ”Go a full 24 hours without complaining and you’ll be amazed at how your life will improve.” I sighed when I read it because I knew this was me. I need to have a complaining ban. I need to be more positive. So no, I won’t just accept it, I’m going to make myself a better person by being more positive. When my head hurts I will go take a paracetomol and ride it out & no-one will ever know. When it’s cold I will put a heater on & warm myself up, no-one will ever know. When the house is a mess, I will get up (off my fat arse! That’s another NY resolution that needs work!) and do a bit of tidying, no-one will ever know I’m miffed.

You see a theme here? It’s all about doing & making those positive, tiny steps to get you out of that ”Negative Nelly” rut. I’ve gone in to 2015 knowing we had a fabulous year and it’s very hard to beat a year where you married the love of your life/soulmate but why can’t 2015 be even better.

This year is all about creating memories, being whimsical and spontaneous. Laughing till my sides hurts, sharing amazing days outs & travelling the world with the man I love. It’s all terribly soppy but I feel I’ve been terribly guarded this last year or so. It’s time to start living & enjoying the now.

I hope wherever you were saying goodbye to 2014 you were happy & that is all that will ever matter.

Rebecca xxx

January 2, 2015
What I have learned about blogging in 2014 | QueenBeady
As a reflection of 2014, the year that has seen my blog prosper & grow rapidly, I thought it would be great to share with you; my beloved readers, just exactly what I have learned along the way this year.
- Having a blog break is just fine. After taking an unexpected break these last few weeks to give myself time to enjoy spending time with my husband, family & friends it has made me realise that you don’t have to post everyday! I went through a stage where I was just banging out post after post just for the sake of it, sometimes putting together an outfit or two that really didn’t look right at all. I’d rather get my content perfect (or as near as damn to it!) or not post at all. What on earth is the point of forcing it, it not only reads terribly badly but it also would have an impact on any future collaborations with brands.
- I’m never going to be the next Zoella. So I should never try to be her. It’s easy to look at blogs and hope & wish that the next morning you will wake up & have the nicest, most read, photo pretty blog known to man (I’m looking at you Megan – why does your blog have to be so darned perfect!) Your blog takes time & boy, mine has taken some time but I sure as hell am so glad that it’s my little baby and it’s great to watch it grow. Even if they are slow & steady steps.
- I do not have a work space. I write whenever I feel something natural coming to me. I think if I sat down in front of a computer or Mac I would freeze. Being a ”creative” comes naturally and should never be forced (see point 1). You’ll find me slobbed out on the sofa, not in the most dashing PJ attire with a cup of tea blogging. That’s just the way I like it.
- Make friends. At 25, married & in a steady job I was never really going to meet new people, (however depressing that might sound let’s face it – it’s true!) but after submerging myself in to the blogging world this year and attending my first event, Blog Yorkshire, I have met some fabulous people (in real life I’ll have you know!) who I know if I need a lending ear/advice/general chit chat that I now have a select few people that I can turn to. It’s been super!
- Suddenly brands start contacting you. Panic sets in, they want you to write about their product for money or a product. How can this be? LAP IT UP. You earned it. They value what you say and think your blog will showcase it well enough! That is an awesome feeling. If you feel the brand isn’t right for your blog but do remember, you can say no – however, I’ve seen a lot of people saying ”SAY YES TO MORE IN 2015!” so you might start seeing all sorts on blogs now from battery operated kangaroo’s to chocolate fireguards!
- Have fun with it. Whether it’s your full time job or not, a blog is somewhere where people go to have a nice read of something. They want to feel happy & elated when reading your post, they want to get to know the editor/author/blogger/CEO (or whatever you want to call yourself!) behind the writing. Sometimes I find that if you aren’t seen to be enjoying it, your blog is pretty stale too. (Oops sorry!)
In 2015 I know this is where I can start to concentrate a little harder on my blog. This year has been one of those roller coaster rides with plenty of ups (but with any roller coaster you do have to come down!) I’m going to possibly invest in a new blog template and just go from there. I have no plan with my blog other than to keep enjoying it.

I hope 2014 has been kind to you all & I do hope that 2015 is even better! If you have any resolutions on your blogging journey I’d love to hear from you!

Take care & I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

Rebecca xxx

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December 29, 2014
Vote for me in the UK Blog Awards #UKBA15 | QueenBeady

Yes, before you start reading this it is a shameful plug for you to vote for me in the UK Blog Awards. Now, little this little old blog of mine has been around since before the dawn of time (or should I say, before blogging became cool!) but it’s this last year that it has really become a hobby of mine.

I’ve used this little platform to discuss my wedding (sob, I can’t believe it’s been nearly six months!), my love for fashion & finding a bargain and not to mention my days out and my love for food.

Because my blog is a bit diverse & covers a wide range of topics I have entered both the ”Fashion” & ”Lifestyle” catergories. So for whatever reason you love my blog please do click on these links and vote for me please!

Click here to vote for me in the Fashion Category

Click here to vote for me in the Lifestyle Category

I’ll be forever grateful & it might actually mean that some of you do actually, really like my blog!

Rebecca xxx

November 27, 2014
TimeHop: Is it a good idea to delve in to the past? | QueenBeady

It’s one of those days where I’m feeling really philosophical. I’ve just had my morning notification that my TimeHop is ready. Not heard of it? Okay, so it’s a little application you can download which scans your social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram & Twitter and manages to source all your exact photos, tweets and statuses from that exact day from years gone by.

Whilst I am all for it, the photo’s make me smile because hey, when do you ever upload a bad photo? But it’s the grim statuses that make me cringe. Most of mine are pretty light hearted. I for one cannot stand soppy or hate-filled statuses so will not abide to doing it myself but this time last year was when my Grandad was taken pretty ill. I’m not quite sure I want to relive anything that reminds me of that time?

I’m sure the aim of the game is to reminisce about some of the fantastic memories that I’ve had with my husband, family and dear friends over the years and most days it does make me chuckle to myself. But what does happen when something pops up that you don’t want to be reminded of. An ex who broke it off with you? The day your car blew up? This can’t be good for us to be reminded of that.

For example today’s offerings were a status from 3 years ago & I cringed when I read it. A preacher of none whining statuses (as I so freely admit here) I went and broke my golden rule! I have absolutely no idea what on earth I’m referring to, but whatever it was at the time clearly made me feel pretty crap.

However, fast forward to a year ago, I’m looking Happy as Larry at our local Christmas Light switch on. (And noticeably skinnier too!) Now whilst this is a happy memory, at the same time I’m looking at myself thinking ”Gosh, I wish I was that thin again!” – so it’s had a catch 22 effect on. BOOO.

TimeHop was recently in the middle of a scandal when on the anniversary of September the 11th our little TimeHop dinosaur was pretty jolly to say the least. In fact on my feed he was telling me ”Don’t Panic” which was pretty ironic.

Whilst there was a sullen image of respect below it just became distasteful. I just hope come the next anniversary they are a little more on the ball with their little captions.

For me, I do love this app & I feel myself checking it every morning to remind myself of plenty of good times. Do you have this app? Do love the fact that it brings up old memories or hate it because it brings up your past?

Rebecca xxx

November 22, 2014
A Pin-worthy Dream House with Rodgers of York* | QueenBeady

Are you one of those people that just scrolls and scrolls and scrolls through Pinterest on an evening? I can see you nodding your head. I am also a self-confessed Pinterest Addict and I will gladly hold my hand up and admit that. Whilst the excitement of pinning for our wedding this year has faded now the momentous occasion has passed us by in a heart beat I can’t help move on to my next ”project.” Yes, you guessed it. My dream home. Gone are the days I would spend ogling my Style Crushes I’m now endlessly re-pinning those log burning stoves & ”hearting” different images of roll top baths. My desire to own the perfect home has peaked and has now headed online to where you can actually buy these beautiful things.

Rodgers of York is situated at Monks Cross industrial park and boasts many collections of home ware from classic and traditional pieces to the more modern, eclectic styles. They are sure to have something for nearly every room in the house.

I picked out some of my firm favourites that whilst I’m dreaming of the perfect home, surely I can pick up the perfect furniture in the mean time. Right?

I dream of the day where I can own a lovely little countryside cottage so when I saw this beautiful set of furniture of a dining kitchen my eyes went all ”heart eyed emoji” – I love the white painted furniture with oak tops. Nothing screams French château quite like it? This is from the Bentley Hampstead collection, from the gorgeous dressers to large dining tables I could definitely see myself and Mr C having something like this in our forever home.

Who doesn’t love a lavish sofa? This is reminiscent of a French chaise langue & I love that style. The chintzy pattern screams ”feature piece” for any living room and doesn’t the fabric look oh-so nice? I think I’d end up stroking it continuously. This sofa is from the Alston’s Courtney range and there are plenty more to choose from.

You can see a pattern emerging here, right? Yes, you better believe it. It’s another white framed set of furniture with oak tops. I just think it looks so elegant and timeless. I love the style of the drawers on all the side tables and chest of drawers, it simply reminds me of the shaker style kitchens (which is of course how I would love my kitchen to be!) I dream of the day where I have a large enough bedroom to attain a blanket box at the end of the bed too. I can almost dream of being in a bedroom like this right now. Is it bedtime yet? This is from the Oklahoma range and is firmly on my dream home checklist.

It’s not just furniture that Rodgers of York does either? They have a fabulous range of soft furnishings, wallpaper and blinds too. It would seem that Rodgers definitley has everything covered! So if you are looking for a bit of ”Home Inspiration” then head to Rodgers of York, situated at Monks Cross Retail Park there is plenty of free parking to indulge in a bit of a home ware splurge! I for one will be heading there soon.

What were your favourite pieces from the website?

Rebecca xxx

*Collaborative post.

November 21, 2014