#IMAGEblogawards nomination!

Sorry for the no-show this past week. I woke up on Monday morning with a head cold that reduced me to living in a nest on my couch up until this morning. There’s nothing quite like a gargantuan dose of mucus to make you appreciate not being sick the other 360 days of the year. 
ANYWAYS, as I’ve gingerly shared online a couple of times over the last few weeks, Hydrangea Girl has been nominated for an Image Blog Award [WOAH], and as much as much as I hate asking people to vote, if you wouldn’t mind shooting a click my way this Friday afternoon, I’d be forever grateful and I will craft a stylish centre-piece using my own hair and send it to you if you vote for me. If that temptation is right up your alley, you can … 

>>>>>> V O T E   H E R E <<<<<<

… and I’ve had just above the legal limit of throat lozenges to ask you to vote using all of your email addresses if you have more than one. Yep. Please. I’m desperate and currently sound like a 78-year-old smoker. 

I / Hydrangea Girl can be found at the verrry bottom of the list. One could say they saved the best ’til last? Nope. That’s more of my excessive use of throat lozenges talking. Apologies again. Happy Friday! 

xx A

Blogiversary – Hydrangea Girl turns 4!

This day four years ago I sat on our couch, wanting to create one of those blogs I had heard so much about and seen so many neat and inspiring things on. At the time I was working as an assistant in a finance department by day and studying for my BA in Interior Design at night. I was looking for an outlet for all of my creative ideas and musings so a blog seemed to fit the bill. I wish I could tell you what was going through my head when I chose the name for my blog because nothing conjures thoughts of interior design quite like the words ‘Hydrangea’ and ‘Girl’ … Massive fail on my behalf. But oh well, I suppose it’s too late to change it now. 

I casually mentioned to husband last week, “so my blogiversary is coming up and I may need like a little cake or something to you know, photograph. For my blog of course“. That message was recieved loud and clear. Husband came home the next day with a black forest gateau that would feed a medium to large family. Unfortunately, we got so carried away that I forgot to take blogiversary pictures with it and WE ATE THE WHOLE THING IN ONE DAY. Round two – four tiered mini pavlova with four cherries on top. I thought it best to snap this picture with Mozart doing what he does best because if I take one. more. picture. of the shelf above our TV, I wouldn’t blame you if you unfollowed me.
So happy birthday, Hydrangea Girl. You’ve opened a lot of doors for me and took me well and truly out of my comfort zone. xx A

p.s. If you’re particularly bored this Tuesday afternoon, you can check out my nerdy collection of images on evolution of the design of my blog. It’s equal parts cringe and what exactly was she thinking

Blog hop

I was asked by the deeply lovely Maria of Dinki Dots to partake in a blog hop, as the young people like to call it these days. I’ve never taken part in one before, so I figured why not. It sounds like a good opportunity for a chillaxed blog post and something a little less ordinary to write about. You can check out Maria’s post here [I’m afraid mine will be nowhere as colourful or interesting]. So here goes … 

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?

At the moment things aren’t as hectic as they were before our holidays, so I’m finding it weird to actually be able to work on stuff around our apartment again. It seems like forever since I had a project to work on at home. For the moment I’m hoping to work on … 
  • A number of DIYs that I have in mind for around our home, but the majority of them are in the beginning limbo stages where aspects of my ideas are still a bit shit. But I’m getting there.
  • Our bedroom is in a serious need of shzushzing. Which is probably why you don’t see many pictures of it. The lighting will play a key part and I have a pretty schnazzy DIY in store, so keep your eyes peeled.
  • A couple of weeks ago I picked up a BEKVAM step stool in IKEA [below]. As it happens, it pairs quite well with our salvaged bar stool so I’m thinking they might make quite the kick-ass statement duo. I just have to think of how to co-ordinate and fancy them up … Any ideas? UPDATE: you can check out their mini makeover here
  • There are a couple of small things still to do for #PicadoMexican, but I’m not complaining [totally not yet ready to cut the cord]. 

HOW DOES YOUR WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?

I actually resorted to asking my husband this question because I don’t think my work differs from others at all. So I asked him the above, and he replied with – 

Your website is sassy“, he said. “It’s got balls.” 

WHY DO YOU CREATE WHAT YOU DO?

For the most part, I create things out of necessity. I know, groundbreaking stuff. A huge amount of my projects stem from me needing something, so I decide to create my own version of it or just upcycle something to fit what I need. An example would be my fancy footstool; I have quite short legs and I’ve noticed in recent years that because my legs don’t touch the ground when I sit on regular chairs, I get quite bad pains in my legs. I needed a stool for when I work at home so I kept my eyes [and my options] open, and I found an old, unloved stool in a charity shop and made it my own.

HOW DOES YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS WORK?

My creative process can be unpredictable which is something I really enjoy. I’ve been inspired by the most random of things – cheeseboards, leaves on a sidewalk, my husband snoring, putting away laundry, an episode of Murder She Wrote – you name it, it will trigger an idea. After that I’ll make note of my idea, usually just on a post-it in my agenda, I’ll think about it for a couple of days and after that if I’m still smitten with it, I’ll start a project. 

So that’s enough about me. Onto my nominated blogettes! …

Pat of In My Wheele House

I actually can’t remember how Pat and I crossed digital paths, but it was about 3 years ago. She’s Canadian, creative, not afraid to call it as it is and has a penchant for upcycling therefore we got along like a house on fire. Pat has a keen eye for design and is currently on her way to motherhood for the first time and I personally cannot wait to [vicariously live through her and] see what baby designs she has up her sleeve …

Janine of Steeped in Beautea 

I remember the first time Janine commented on my blog. She was the first person to have heard of me before from an IKEA hack I had blogged about years before, and for me that was a surreal experience considering she was on the other side of the world. Janine and I had a lot in common [dainty stuff + crazy cat ladies]. She was such a thoughtful person from the start. Even sending me messages full of tips and tricks on getting through the pain when I got my wisdom teeth out …  
Pat posted her blog hop blog post here! And Janine will be sharing her blog hop soon so be sure to check back laters  xx