Mixing Styles

I love mixing styles, because it makes a room look more interesting. I decided to create idea boards of different styles making love :)

I've used stuff from Chairish (online shop where you can sell and buy pre-loved decor. I noticed that you can even upload a smartphone app! Cool!).

Scandinavia meets Navajo culture:

Scandinavian decor can be quite "colorless", because we prefer neutral colors inspired by the nature around us. That's why those Navajo (can by used on the wall, as well) rugs would bring an interesting twist to a room. I would still keep the walls white so the color would pop out nicely.

Playful vintage meets industrial

My dream is to live in a house with old white brick walls. If I get to be that lucky, I'll use neutral colors with a bit of turquoise. But it would be super fun to try more playful decor ideas too! Like huge vintage letters and rusty steel cabinets.

French country meets modern

I love these delicate colors! This style is a bit too sophisticated for me, but I still think it's very stylish. 

India meets cottage

There's something magical about indian decor. I love the idea of mixing this magic with cozy cottage decor. 

Have you used Chairish? Which of these idea boards is your favorite?

My blog mentor

Beauty and the Beast - Movie Buff Sisterhood

Tale as old as time

This time Movie Buff Sisterhood watched Disney's Beauty and the Beast. (Happy Bday, Ashley!)

I love Disney movies, because they are so innocent and the music is amazing. I hadn't watch Beauty and the Beast in 15 years so it was lovely to go back to my childhood memories. 

Why this story is special?

It was fun watching this movie, because so many things spoke to me now that I'm an adult. I got little emotional watching Belle save her father by becoming Beast's prisoner. Also when the Beast let her go because he loved her was pretty nice. He realized that if you love a woman, you're not suppose to control and dominate her. 

On the other hand it felt like a film adaptation of a romantic chic lit novel: a girl feels she doesn't belong, she ends up being a prisoner of a dangerous and bad tempered beast, she makes him fall in love with her, they almost loose each other but in the end love wins aka she fixes him. But I don't want to be cynical. I choose to believe this is a story of courage and learning the meaning of love.

What about you guys, my Movie Buff Sisterhood sisters, why is this story special? 

Ashley: It tells us a multi-fold story. A story on friendship, love, trust, being an outcast, & coming together. Beauty & the Beast is an all time favorite. 

Claudia: There are so many themes that this story explores, but two that really stand out to me are

a. Overcoming your worst fears

b. Finding the treasure others fail to see in others 

c. Sacrifice! She willingly placed herself in the hands of a "savage" beast in order to rescue her father! Wow! To me, there is no greater love than to lay down your life for someone else. I only hope I brave up the courage to not love my life, even unto death!

Belle 

Disney princesses are often little girls' role models. How would you describe Belle as a woman?

Claudia: To me, Belle is a woman who embraces adventure and simplicity. I love this so much! She is not focused on her status quo or the approval of the men and women in her town; she is confident and sure about who she is and what she believes in. She is one who cares about the well-being of her family and household, giving very little attention to herself; this to me is selfless love. Also, she is a dreamer and an avid reader, something I can greatly identify with.

Ashley: I would describe Belle as a strong yet yielded character. She had love for all of her friends & not one was left out. She was willing to overlook the Beast appearance & not too many people are willing to do so in real life. It takes a very strong person to be able to handle challenges thrown at them but still come out fine! 

You might say, Belle is a great role model. 

Our first Disney memories

My first Disney memory is me watching Peter Pan from our tiny TV screen. This happened when I was 4 and we lived in Thailand. I accidentally recorded Thai programs on that VHS and it ruined my life. My heart was broken. I could feel my world collapse when dad told me it was impossible to fix it. I am still traumatized! :D 

Ashley: My first Disney memory is watching "Bambi". As a young child it was quite interesting to watch & of course I can still watch it to this day! Those "older" Disney movies are timeless & something I would want my future children to be able to watch

Claudia: My family would visit Disneyland often, but only when distant family members would come to stay with us. One distinct memory that I have, was when I was around six years old, my whole family took a trip together; there must've been 26 of us all together! It was the happiest of times, because there weren't any quarrels or tensions, everyone was enjoying each other's company; it was a taste of paradise for me. Another sweet memory I can recall, was when my husband and I took our oldest daughter (who was two at the time) to Disneyland for her birthday; we dressed her up in her favorite Cinderella dress. It was very strenuous to get on any rides, because a.she was too small and b. the park was insanely crowded.  Still and all, our little girl had the honor of meeting Cinderella, this to her was unthinkable, so to see her tiny face light up, made the entire trip worth it.

What is your first Disney memory? What do you think, are Disney princesses great role models?

(Next Movie Buff Sisterhood movie: To Kill a Mockingbird 11/3, host: Ashley)

My blog mentor:

5 Random Things

1. Oh Disney!

This weekend I watch Beauty and the Beast because of the Movie Buff Sisterhood. It was lovely to go back to my childhood memories! It was also great to watch it in English because I've only seen the Finnish version. Both are amazing! Tomorrow I'll tell you what my we thought about the movie with my Movie Buff Sisterhood sisters Ashley and Claudia.

2. Little kids are precious and funny

I was teaching my sunday school class today and I asked the kids did they remember what happened in the Old Testament. One of them said: "You were there!" I'm not that old yet :)

3. Love these! 

4 Principles to Help You Forgive Others

10 Reasons To Give Scrapbooking A Chance

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie Muffins

4. I can't wait! 

So many wonderful bloggers have already become part of the Strong & Influential Sisterhood. Cool! 

5.  I want this jacket

I love Roxy clothes and this jacket would be perfect for me. That pattern is so cool! I just sold my old winter jacket in a flee market (I can't believe someone bought it! It was so old), and now I desperately need a new one. It's already really cold here in Finland. 

Source

My blog mentor: 

Chocolate Sisterhood - Chocolate from the US

(This is a Blog Challenge post)

I am part of the Chocolate Sisterhood. That means I've sent some Finnish chocolate to a blogger who lives in another country and she has sent me back some chocolate treats from her country. A Yummy swap!

Yesterday I received delicious chocolate from the US. Thank you so much Ashley, everything was so yummy. I just had to taste everything right away. KitKat and Hershey's are my favorites, because I used to eat them when I was a kid and in Thailand. It was such a treat to buy American chocolate from 7 Eleven. These really brought back some lovely memories.

Read what she thought about the chocolate I sent her!

Would you like to become part of the Chocolate Sisterhood round 2? Go HERE.

My blog mentor

How to advertise your blog 1/2

Payed ads (Passionfruit, Adproval, Adlet, etc.) 

1. If you have money, buy the in-post ad instead of the sidebar ad. They'll bring you more traffic and you'll be the "VIP sponsor". (Buy sidebar ads only if there are only couple spots on the blog.)

2. Make sure you know exactly what is included in your sponsor month and make sure you get what you were promised. (Social media love, guest post, giveaway etc.)

3. Before buying the ad, email the blogger. How many times will she/he post during your sponsor month? Is there something you could do? This email will motivate the blogger. Also if there're concerns on your mind, email during your sponsor month. You are the customer.

4. If possible, change your ad image during your sponsor month.

5. If the blogger offers you a chance to be part of a giveaway, don't hesitate! 

Swaps

1. These might break your heart. Just kidding. But it is true that swapped ads are usually tiny and under everything else. Your ad gets lost among other tiny ads. So don't expect tons of traffic. Be happy of small victories :)

2. If possible, change your ad image during your swap month.

3. Remember to be a good swap partner. 

About the ad

1. Find out what kind of ads will be around yours and design one that will stand out.

2. Make it the right size so Passionfruit (etc.) doesn't make it look weird.

What have you learned about advertising your blog?

How to find things to write about

1. Read a book

Books are a great source of inspiration. You can not only write reviews but also discuss thousands of topics that rise from reading a book. 

Ideas:

- a review

- why this book speaks to me

- best ways to read and study a book

- discuss a theme from the book (love, disappointment, grief etc)

- book covers

- best book stores

- a book that should be turned into a movie

2. Create mood boards

Beautiful mood boards have helped me a lot to get ideas what to write about. You can create them out of magazines etc or make them on your computer. Post you mood board(s) or write about thoughts and ideas that rise from your mood board(s). 

One of my October Blog Challenge topics was a mood board and a lovely Finnish blogger linked up her mood boards HERE.

3. Recycle 

Take your old post and write it again. Make it better: funnier, more informative, deeper, etc. Or write a response to your old post. You might have learned something new after publishing it or grown as a person. 

4. React to news

Read newspapers or watch news and take notes. 

Ideas:

- how does it affect my life?

- what's behind this?

- your solution

- the other side of the story

- how does it make me feel

5. Other bloggers' posts

Read other blogs. Write responses or your own versions of their post. Remember, though, do not plagiarize. 

6. Look around you

Sometimes you just have to take a break and look around. See the the people around you. Try to understand how things work. Your home is also a great source of information.

Ideas:

- what does my home tell about me

- things I need to fix

- how the people around me have shaped me

- what I love about my neighborhood

- my cleaning tips

7. If you would die tomorrow

What would you like to tell your readers if you would die tomorrow? Or what would you do?

8. Find your old diary

Every time I read my old diaries (especially the ones I wrote when I was a teenager) I laugh so hard. My life was so simple. My thoughts were so funny. And my feelings - SIGH - were so ridiculous. But I learn so much about myself reading them. I realize what a long way I've come and how much I've learned about everything.

9. Photos and paintings

You could talk about an artist. I like to try to figure out what's behind the painting. What's the story and how it makes me think and feel. 

I've pinned paintings and photos that inspire me to write. 

Follow Mrs K's board Art on Pinterest.

10. Things you would never write about

Sometimes you have to have boundaries. But sometimes those boundaries should be broken. Stepping out of your comfort zone can be scary or uncomfortable, but often it's worth it. 

Sometimes boundaries are a good thing and you should respect them. Why? You tell me.

How do you find inspiration?

Linking up with:

Anything Goes Mondays, Inspire Me Mondays, Let's Be Friends Blog Hop

5 Random Things

1. Flee market

Today we sold our old stuff in a flee market. We had such a great time with my sister. Now I feel strangely liberated owning just little less.

Ladataan

Näytä Instagramissa

2. Legally Blonde

When I was a teenager, one of my favorite movies was Legally Blonde.  

Couple years ago there was a Legally Blonde musical on Broadway and MTV filmed it. It's on Youtube! HERE.

The license HERE. Yum Ang

3. I lost my Twitter virginity

Couple posts ago I wrote about Twitter. I found a perfect page for me. HERE. 

4. Pinterest Party

I found a fun Pinterest link up. Do you want more pins? If yes, go HERE.


5. Fun color search engine!

Have you tried TinEye Labs' MulticolorEngine already? I love to play with my blog colors or my home decor colors :)

My blog mentor:

Blog Memories - This time last year

Here are my 3 favorite October posts from 2013. Also, happy birthday  birth month to my Blog Challenge!

1. ABC of my life

2. The Other Sister - A story of a girl with weak eyes

By Ansel Edwards 

 From flickr.com and used under THIS LICENSE.

3. My wish list to Santa: A Girl Can Dream

My blog mentor:

Reminder

Don't forget to link up with us! Choose a topic (or many) and share your link(s). 

Read more here:

An InLinkz Link-up

I'm a Twitter Virgin

Seems like every blogger uses Twitter. I've never really understood what's so amazing about it, but for some reason (I have no idea what that is) I started to learn how to use Twitter. 

I still have no idea, why it's such a big thing... I'd love to hear your thoughts. Why do you use Twitter? What's so special about it?

Image: 

Wikipedia

My blog mentor:

Are you one of us?

I am really happy and excited that so many amazing female bloggers have already become part of the Strong & Influential Sisterhood! I can't wait to start to impact the blogging world with these ladies.

If you'd like to learn more and become part of the Strong & Influential Sisterhood, sign up HERE. 

My blog mentor: 

I love inspirational quotes. Couple days ago I found one that really spoke to me:

Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters

Sometimes you have to start this conversation with yourself. Last weekend I did just that. I learned something significant - something that has been affecting my life quite a lot. 

I'm going to write about this more soon, but now I really want to encourage you to start those conversations, with someone or with yourself, that matter.

My blog mentor:

5 Random Things

1.  Top 3 link-ups traffic wise 

I've noticed that after being part of couple link-ups, I've received tons of traffic. Here are the 3 best link-ups traffic wise:

1. The Modest Mom blog link-up

Topics: Topics include: modesty, being a wife, mother, homeschooler, homemaker, cooking, sewing, etc.

2. Lets Be Friends Blog Hop

Topics: Your favorite post from last week.

3. Faith And Fellowship Blog Hop

Topics: What Lord's been doing in your life this week.

I am also extremely happy, that bloggers who have participated in my monthly link-up are telling me that they've got new readers and lots of traffic after linking up. Yay!


2. MindMeister

I love mind mapping! If you do too, MindMeister is just the thing for you

3. The Song

After watching the trailer of a new movie, The Song, I've been dying to see it!


4. Strong & Influential

I am super duper excited about the Strong & Influential Sisterhood! Cant't wait for the next year. 

5. Carrie's new song

Have you already heard Carrie Underwood's new song Something in the Water? 

My blog mentor:

Are you wasting your life on being busy?

In May I wrote a guest post on Blogs by Christian Women. I'd love you to check it out, because I've been thinking about priorities a lot lately - even from the blogging aspect. Also, write your thoughts there on the comment section; I'd love to hear from you.

My blog mentor:

Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway

Here's another wonderful giveaway. I'm lucky to be co-hosting with Laura from The Everyday Joys. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My blog mentor:

Blog Challenge Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog a Difference

When this blog was just a dream, I fell in love with an idea: blog a difference. Lately I've been wanting to go back to that. You might have noticed my posts about the Strong and Influential Sisterhood. I'd love to to tell you a bit more how this idea came be.

Make Blog a difference

After reading several blogs, I felt troubled and anxious. Then I ended up back to my own blog. This feeling doesn't go away. 

Why do I feel this way? What's going on? I love blogging. I love reading blogs. I love meeting new people behind the blogs. But now this whole thing, for some reason, makes me feel uneasy. 

I started to reflect. Here's a part from my notes. (Don't mind the spelling errrrrrors)

I realized what has been bothering me.


1. Propaganda

We bloggers write propaganda. We aim to make people think in a certain way. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but what if the thing we try to make people think is not good - or is meaningless.

In the worst scenario, this is what the blogger tries to make the reader think:

- Have yourself a merry little Christmas life. And you can do that with my tips.
- Think less. Look good.
- You should believe me and think my thoughts are significant, because I am a "big blogger".  


2. The time spent blogging

It takes a lot of time if you want to have a "good" blog. We create content and try to make it pretty. But is the content really worth the effort? Is the time well spent?


3. Was I meant for this?

I believe, I was created for a reason. Is that reason to write about  _____ (ad your own word) stuff on my blog. 



After this reflection I decided, I want to go back to my original idea: blog a difference. That's how the idea of the Strong & Influential Sisterhood started to form in my mind.

My blog mentor:

Linking up with: Let Your Light Shine Link UP Party