Favourite Blog Posts | January

Hello and apologies for the lack of blog posts last week! I have been feeling a bit under the weather so having not prepared blog posts in advance (as per) and with snuggling up watching series and sleeping taking priority, there has been a bit of a radio silence - we are all allowed a week off sick though right?

Anyway, I am here to tell the tale and today I am kicking off a new monthly series where I'll be dolling out the blogger love by sharing with you some of my favourite blog posts from the past month and writing my thoughts/responses to the post in question. I think this will be a great way to communicate on a deeper level with some of my favourite bloggers and posts - rather than just leaving a comment - and bring to attention to rather special posts and perhaps new blogs I have discovered! So let's get cracking with January!

© SHOT FROM THE STREET

Lizzy Hadfield from Shot From The Street always writes bloody amazing blog posts. Many of them just talk about outfits but occasionally she writes these very meaningful posts that really get me thinking. There were actually two posts from Shot From The Street that I especially loved in January but this one about being uninspired just took the top spot.

With this outfit post, Lizzy takes us back to the street in Leeds she used to shoot on when she first started blogging, which at the time she felt held back her content and was not as inspiring as other bloggers' shoot locations in Paris or London. She shares links to some of her first outfit shoots and I love that she is able to not only laugh at herself but also recognise how far she has come. She also proves with this outfit shoot with interesting shots of her sitting on the pavement or shot from angles other than just straight on rather than just in the middle of the street, that it is how you use your location - and your resources in general - to your advantage.

This post really spoke to me because I am always blaming things outside my control for why I am struggling to produce content that I am truly happy with. I am currently very frustrated with the snow/ice/grit ridden pavements of Montreal that mean I am basically stuck in my Dr Martens boots (which are burgundy therefore restricting the colour palette) for the next few months and dreaming of a mild winter where I could where some statement ankle boots that I do not own. That's another thing - I am always worrying about my lack of income so I am unable to just impulse buy a cute shirt because it costs the same amount as my electricity bill. I know that is due to the travelling lifestyle I have chosen over the past few years, working minimum wage jobs and not staying in a place long enough to climb any career ladder. I know that if I had stayed in England it is likely that I would be earning a lot more money but then I would probably be frustrated about my lack of travel experience.

The moral of Lizzy's post and my response to it is that as humans we are always going to find things to be frustrated about but we need to try and make the best of our situation. I am going to try and find places to shoot indoors while the weather is terrible for the next few months and I am excited by this challenge and the new element it will bring to the blog. I am also going to fully utilise being able to borrow clothes from the vintage shop I work in - I know this will be frustrating for you readers not being able to just click on a link to a new product but that's the way things have got to go, this girl ain't got no money! So let's get creative and I am sure we can all produce content we are extremely proud of!

© THE GOODOWL

I discovered Charlotte Goodowl's blog just this month through someone I follow on Bloglovin' liking one of her posts that really caught my eye - Why It's Okay To Be Shit...Sometimes. Charlotte uses this post to tell herself off and explain to her readers why she has not blogged since August, which is basically due to a huge case of comparison to others - surprise surprise - and procrastination, both of which are things I can definitely relate to.

Initially it was the title that totally spoke to me because sometimes I consider myself to be a rather shit blogger. I am not saying that I think that the content I produce is shit - oh no - because similarly to Charlotte, I will never publish anything that I am not totally happy. No, I sometimes feel a bit shit that my content is inconsistent, especially on social media. I complain that my Instagram following is stagnant but is that such a surprise when I have a few days of posting consistently, perhaps twice a day, and then I can go into a few days of hibernation because either I don’t have content or the damned comparing myself to others mindset has made me believe that my content is just not good enough.

However, I decided at the beginning of the year that I was not going to let this blog - and social media - stress me out as much as it has done in the past because where is the fun in that? So for now I am taking things slowly for a reason as I want to be fully confident with everything that I publish. Of course, we are only human and it is so natural to compare ourselves to others but instead of it getting us down let's make it an inspiration! As Charlotte says "you do you" and I guarantee there will be people out there who will find you and I an inspiration next!

© PAGES BY MEGAN

Self confessed Mancunian weirdo Megan Ellaby's style blog Pages By Megan absolutely never fails to keep me inspired with her mix of effortless casual outfits and more eclectic sartorial choices. The post in question today is entitled There's No Such Thing As OTT where Megan shows just one way she would wear the maximalism trend with clashing leopard and stripe prints and a mix of textures of a PVC skirt and faux fur coat to mention just two of the things going on in this outfit.

As someone who has always experimented with fashion - from attempting to be a goth aged 11 to my phase of wearing skirt over jeans in my teens (which is actually pretty fash these days!), haha - I have certainly learnt to let people stare at my outfit if they want. Either they will be loving it and if they are not, well, as Megan says - it's not them wearing it so who cares! I guess my response to this post is a little less intense and personal as the previous two but I just wanted to give credit where it's due - this girl is always inspiring me to up my wardrobe game and is giving the confidence to all fashion-curious ladies out there that we should just wear what the hell we want when we want! 

I hope you have enjoyed this post! I am sure a lot of you will know these bloggers already and may have even read these posts but I have really enjoyed opening up and sharing my response to each one - hopefully you will feel like you know me a little better. I know it has been a hefty post so do let me know if you prefer that I choose just one post per month to respond to (although I imagine that would be bloody difficult!).


Izzie x

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YouTube: Behind The Scenes Of Blogger Outfit Shoots

Hello there huns! After a mini YouTube hiatus, today I'm back with a video that is a little different - a behind the scenes look at fashion blogger outfit shoots. Recently, ANNA one of my best friends was visiting from Paris and as she is also a blogger, we decided to take a whole day to shoot a few looks each and I vlogged it. I really like this video because it is a mix of a haul, a lookbook and a general vlog all in a short and sweet video of 4 minutes and 19 seconds. I absolutely loved creating this video with ANNA and I hope you like it too!
Happy Sunday!
Izzie x
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My Fashion Photography And Blogger Love

Today's post is all about introducing you to two things - my fashion photography and my best friend and blogger, ANNA. You will all be used to seeing me in front of the camera, not behind it, so what's going on? 

I have always been passionate about photography and I even studied it at A level for which I did projects such as fashion and live music photography. The imagery on this blog is just as important for me as what I actually write so when posing for outfit photographs, I am quite a hands on and talkative model because I often already have an image in my head of how I want the photos to look. 

When Anna started her fabulous blog PRETTY GIRLS MAKES GRAVES about a year ago now, we started taking photos of each other on our lunch break (we worked together in Paris). It is super fun to collaborate with a fellow blogger, understand their vision and produce some amazing content together. So, when Anna came to visit recently, we took a whole day to shoot loads of outfits and I realised that I had really missed being the photographer. Anna's style is really quirky and fun so it important to get that across in the photos, which I hope I have.

So here are just some of the photos that I took of gorgeous Anna - I hope you like them! I miss girly photoshoot days so if you are interested in collaborating (for free!), please get in touch. FYI, there'll be a blogger behind the scenes video of our photoshoot day up on my YOUTUBE CHANNEL on Sunday!

All styling by Anna Rundberg

All photography by Isabelle Hardy

Izzie x
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Blogging Block & Life Update

Over the past few weeks I feel that I have lost my blogging mojo. Even though I have still been posting my weekly Monday morning outfits and weekly Sunday videos, I have been experiencing a blogging block about my content inbetween.

I guess this is all very normal as life is pretty hectic right now...

At the end of May, we moved out of our beloved flat that we had called home for the past six months in Barcelona. That alone was distressing enough but when the couple we were renting from tried to swindle us (and our massive deposit) for as much cleaning and repairs as they dared, shit really did hit the fan and last week was one of the most anxiety-filled weeks I have had in a long time. (Luckily we sorted some of it out but still ended up with a huge cleaning bill.)

That aside, I have been feeling in limbo because we are temporarily staying in a (albeit lovely) room in a flat share (albeit with an adorable German lady and her grumpy cat) for our last three weeks of Barcelona - yep, I'm moving back to Bristol, hopefully for just a few weeks, on Monday. It is pretty hard to stay motivated and on schedule when you are neither in your normal setting nor surrounded by all of your things.

So, yep, I arrive back in Bristol late on Monday night and then I have just Tuesday to unpack, shop and repack to go to Glastonbury on Wednesday! I am trying my best to post regular content but of late I am struggling to think of new post ideas. That, combined with these upcoming manic couple of weeks, may mean that there may be less posts but just know that I am trying to get my mojo back as I want this blog to be an exciting and diverse place where you can come to find inspiration.

I would love to hear from you about what like and dislike about my current content; what you would like to see more of; and if you have any ideas for new posts or features that I could do! Also if you have any tips for re-finding inspiration, I would love to hear them. I read and reply to every one of your comments so please do let me know below!

Izzie x
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Circus Freak

Pleated skirt - vintage, SIMILAR, T-shirt - H&M (steal ya boyfriend's), Leather jacket - ASOS (v. old), Belt - vintage, SIMILAR, Boots - ASOS, Hat - secondhand, SIMILAR/SIMILAR

Location: Circo Reluy, Passeig de Colom, Barcelona

I have been a big fan of the pleated skirt for a while now. In the vintage shop where I worked in Paris, we would get pleated skirts in on the reg so this one has been part of my collection for a while. Now they are a big 'must-have' for SS16 so I thought I would show you one of my favourites ways I style my pleated midi skirt.

Pleats can be quite girly so here I am toughening up my midi with black leather boots and jacket and finishing the look off with my favourite western belt and fedora hat. I thought it was the perfect outfit - having quite boho and WESTERN VIBES  - to shoot next to these super cute circus trucks that I have been eyeing up for ages as a shoot location! 

How are you wearing your pleated skirt this season?

Ça fait longtemps que je suis fan des jupes plissées. La friperie dans laquelle j'ai travaillé à Paris recevait des jupes plissées souvent du coup celle-ci fait partie de ma collection depuis longtemps. Elle est un must-have pour printemps/été 16 alors je voulais vous montrer comment je porte une jupe plissée.

Des plis peuvent être super féminins du coup je change cela en mettant ma jupe avec des bottes en cuir et un perfecto noir et je finis ce look avec ma ceinture préférée et un chapeau. J'ai pensé qu'il est le outfit parfait pour shooter devant ces caravanes super mignonnes - vu que ce look a des vibes bohème et western. 

Comment portez-vous votre jupe plissée?

Izzie x

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New Video: 10 (not 50) Facts About Me!

Hello huns and happy Sunday! So I have finalllllly gotten round to doing my next YouTube video! As I explain at the beginning of the video - I actually filmed the classic '50 Facts About Me' video but thought it was a bit too long for my second video so I have done a condensed '10 Facts About Me' version - enjoy! Coucou mes choux et bon dimanche! Alors ENFIN j'ai fini mon deuxième video pour YouTube! Comme j'explique au début du video - j'avais filmé le video classique '50 Faits Sur Moi' mais je pense qu'il est trop long pour être mon deuxième video. Du coup, je vous présente une version condensée - '10 Faits Sur Moi' - j'espère que vous l'aimez! Bisous Izzie x

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I've Started A YouTube Channel!

Hello! So I thought it was about time that I jumped on the vlogging bandwagon and started a YouTube channel! I am pretty excited about this new challenge and hope it will bring more energy to the blog. Check out my first YouTube video below to hear more reasons why, now, I have decided to start YouTubing and also what you can expect on the channel. I am also a bit nervous about this so please be gentle to me, subscribe to the channel if you like what you see and give the video a thumbs up!

Thanks huns! <3

Salut! Alors, je pense que c'est le temps de rejoindre YouTube! J'ai hâte de créer des vidéos pour vous, d'accepter ce nouveau challenge et j'espère que cette chaîne amènera plus d'énergie au blog. Je vous demande de regarder ma première video ci-dessus et si vous l'aimez, priez la donner un signe ok et vous inscrivez à la chaîne! Je suis un peu nerveuse alors soya gentil avec moi! Je suis en train de m'apprendre!

Bisous mes poules.

Izzie x

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My 2015 Achievements & 2016 Goals

Happy New Year! Bonne Année! Feliz Año Nuevo!

I hope you had a fabulous New Year's Eve - whether it was a quiet night in, a wild night sending you to bed at the wee hours of this morning or a little bougie after a few too many glasses of Prosecco, it is all a good way to enter 2016. I had a lovely dinner at home with Lewis, joined some friends for drinks at their apartment, watched the fireworks at the beach and then was in bed by 2am after wandering through Barcelona's buzzing streets. Perfect.

I am not generally one for setting new year's resolutions but I have found it really useful to look back on the past year - which has had some extreme highs and extreme lows - and recognise my own achievements and set some realistic (and big dreamer) goals for 2016.


MY 2015 ACHIEVEMENTS

1. I changed my blog look and bought my own domain name.
This is something that I had wanted to do for a long time but, typical me, I put it off. Finally in September I got round to it and I feel that this has given my blog and I a new confidence boost!

2. I moved from Paris to Barcelona and started learning Spanish.
This was a pretty big deal for me. I had been putting off and putting off leaving Paris for over a year because it really is just my favourite place in the world. I am glad I made the change and I am proud of settling into a new city and picking up Spanish so quickly. My heart still does lie in Paris and with French though!

3. I worked with some amazing bloggers and brands.
The big one for me this year was continuing my relationship with Motel Rocks and being able to represent them at Paris Fashion Week twice this year.

4. I travelled a lot as well as spending the year living abroad.
After years of wanting to go, I finally went to Sweden this year and loved it! So my kind of place and gave me the Scandi-bug! I also explored France more including Brittany and Lyon, which was lovely.

5. My relationship is still going strong after nearly eight years together.
He is my rock and the one thing that makes me truly happy.

MY 2016 GOALS

1. Continue to work hard on my blog content and social media channels.
I want to improve my quality and quantity of content, including having some (but not exclusively) regular set times of posting so you guys know when to check back here for new posts. I hope to improve my photography to have cleaner and brighter imagery.

2. Increase my blog readership and work towards the goal of full time blogging.
I know that blogging is not all about numbers but when you are working so hard on content, you want it to get seen! Blogging full time is a BIG goal but a girl has got to dream eh?

3. Get a job in an industry I am passionate about.
I am done with working shitty customer service jobs and I want to find my calling this year. Wish me luck!

4. Get to a decent level in Spanish.
I love learning languages so I need to knuckle down and do some serious self-study. I am not being just another Brit living in Spain who cannot speak the language!

5. T R A V E L! And also move to Canada/Berlin/London/back to Bristol.
Travel is my big passion (other than fashion) and I want to see new places this year. I am actually going to do a 2016 Travel Bucketlist next week so look out for that. As for moving, Barcelona is great but we are not staying long. A couple of months ago we managed to get Canadian visas so moving to Canada is a real once-in-a-lifetime possibility! Otherwise I would love to live in Berlin or settle back in the UK in London and Bristol and finally get a cat. We will see!

6. Live more in the moment, stop worrying and take some god damn risks.
I have not spoken a lot about this but I am the world's biggest worrier and have the occasional severe anxiety episodes. I want to live for the now, not worry about the future and push myself in 2016.

7. Go on a yoga retreat.
I love yoga. It is my therapy from all my worries and I had already started working extremely hard on my practice towards the end of 2015. I want to keep learning and I would love to go on a yoga retreat away from technology and worries.

8. Start a YouTube channel?
Having dabbled in YouTube for my job in Paris, I think this year might be the year that I take the plunge and start my own channel. Hell, I may even shoot my first video today! I feel that YouTube is a lot more personal and I would like to connect more with you guys!

So there you have it! My 2015 achievements and 2016 goals! What do you think of them and are any of yours similar!

Izzie x

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Blogging Outtakes 2015

Because it is good not to take yourself too seriously. Because it is good to be able to laugh at yourself. Because it good to share the unglamorous side of blogging and the amount of terrible photos there are behind the ones that make the selection. Here are my blogging outtakes 2015 - the good, the bad and the downright weird. 

Wind - the bane of my life. 

Sports Tailoring

When you don't realise you're shooting in front of a pigeon carcass…

A Long Ribbed Dress

Doing a funny dance…

Layers Of Black And Blue

Struggling to remove sunglasses that are tucked into my blouse...

Oh the struggles.

That Frilly Seventies Blouse

The unfortunate moment the captures my possessed side. 

Tapestry Coat With Faux Fur

I look like I'm having fun but it's pretty weird. 

Modern Grandma

The catwoman in me takes over...

Just totally distracted by the best photo-bomber EVER.

Three Trends In One

Parce que c'est bien de ne pas prendre soi-même au sérieux. Parce que c'est génial de pouvoir rigoler à soi-même. Parce que c'est bien de vous montrer la côté non-glamour de la vie d'une bloggeuse et les photos qui ne sont pas prises pour la vraie poste. Voilà mes chutes préférées de 2015 - les beaux, les moches et les super bizarres.

Izzie x

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