Well, hello there. Remember me? That’s right, this Bristol blogger is back after a 3-year hiatus.

If you’re anything like me (super nosy), you’re probably wondering why I stopped blogging, and why the heck I’ve suddenly started again on a new website.

So let me fill you in.

Where I was at with blogging

Some of you may know me from my previous blog, Being Little, where I blogged about all things lifestyle, fashion, food and travel for just over 10 years.

When I created Being Little in 2010, blogging was really starting to take off. I managed to catch it early enough to really find a community of like-minded people – something I desperately needed, having just dropped out of uni, feeling isolated, and learning how to deal with chronic illness.

Being Little and the blogging community became my world – on days that I couldn’t get out of bed, I had new friends I could talk to, and when I did have the energy to go somewhere, dress up or create something, I could share that on my blog and get real engagement from people who cared about what I had to say. The best part about being a blogger was that those like-minded people online became real-life connections too.

After a year or two, blogging also became my job. It started with a few press samples here and there, but then brands started paying me money to write about their products, I was being sent on trips, getting free hot air balloon rides! It was amazing to me that something which started as an outlet for my creativity and loneliness became something I could make a living from.

I really loved it, and I was so proud of what I’d built for myself, all by myself.

Where I’ve been for the past few years

A lot has shifted for me over the last few years (both personally and professionally) and Being Little just didn’t feel right anymore. I almost felt embarrassed to mention my blog, let alone show it to anyone – it didn’t look like me. I felt like I needed something more grown up and streamlined; less DIY and twee.

Then, as we all know, a lot happened in 2020… blogging for myself petered off as the world was changing, and I started blogging for Studio Cotton and our clients instead.

Working alongside founder Aime and the Studio Cotton team has been wonderful in so many ways – Aime has imparted so much knowledge about SEO (search engine optimisation) and writing for small businesses, lots of which you can find on the Studio Cotton blog and over on the Studio Cotton Instagram too.

So, you see, I never stopped blogging, I was just doing it for other people, and writing about different things. After a day of writing blogs for clients, I didn’t have the beans left to write much for myself, especially along with all the changes happening in my personal life. But oh, how I missed having my own blog to write about anything I wanted…

Aime generously offered to use her expertise to build me a new website, which has been in the works for an embarrassingly long time – totally my fault. I kept pushing it to the back-burner and needed some significant hand-holding to get it over the finish line.

But here we are, finally. Look at this shiny, fresh new website for me to blog my heart out on! And it’s all mine. If Instagram, Substack, Medium and the like suddenly disappear, I’ll still have this space do with whatever I please, with no restrictions.

Coming soon on my new UK lifestyle blog

Well, it’ll come as no surprise that there’ll be a whole lotta words and pictures. I’ll still be writing about all the things I’ve always loved – clothes (especially pre-loved and sustainably-made), art, food, travel, as well as a healthy dose of real life, musings and creative writing.

There’ll also be lots of blog posts about my favourite places in Bristol, from cafés to galleries, restaurants to music venues, and anything else that tickles my fancy.

If you want to delve into the archives, I’ve added some of my best blog posts from Being Little for you to peruse (please excuse the poor quality of the images, though…), and there are a few new ones too – head to my blog to get started.

Alongside those helpful and heartfelt blog posts, you’ll also find a more in-depth about page so that you can get to know me and my ethos, and a very useful page all about how to work with me – if you’re a business or brand wanting to collaborate on some blog content, head over there to find out all the ways it can happen. I’m really excited and eager to take on some new projects!

Hopefully that has filled in a few gaps for you, but if you have any burning questions or things you’d really like me to write about, head to my contact page or send me a DM on Instagram – I’d love to chat.

I’ll be back with a new post soon, and you’re not going to want to miss this one – it’s going to contain lots of cute dogs…