So I ended up skipping out on my Something for the Weekend for December because I took a break between Christmas and New Year and I was planning on posting this last Friday but I was recovering from a bug on my sofa so that didn’t happen! But hey, better late than never, right? Every month, I do a little review of news and things that have been happening in my world that doesn’t warrant a post in and of itself but it just kind of keeps you up on what’s going on around here!

I also like to use these posts to just say thanks to websites that have featured me and it’s also an opportunity for me to share some of the blog posts I’ve been writing for my clients around the web too so if you are looking for inspiration, tips or advice, you can always find those in this monthly series too.

NEWS

January was really a transitional month for me, moving out of the slowdown of Christmas and getting back into the routine of a brand new year. I did want to mention that I was featured in the December edition of Reloved Magazine which was so so lovely but I missed out on buying the magazine when it was in the shops! Ack! However, I was able to download a copy of the magazine! It was my second time appearing in Reloved in 2017 (I was also in the September issue!) and it’s always such a thrill to see my home in the pages of a print magazine!

I was also asked to contribute to a segment on BBC Radio Scotland talking about displaying books! Alas, the segment was cut really short and so I literally only got to talk for a very very short time but well, that’s how live radio goes sometimes! But still, it was rather exciting to be asked!

TRAVEL

Again, I didn’t really travel much in the course of the month. Part of that was because of the whole move situation but we did get to visit our new house again and we loved it just as much as when we saw it the first time. We have so many plans for the house and so seeing it again gave us the opportunity to just take some measurements and pictures so we can start the planning even before we move. I’m going to share more about why we decided to live in Shrewsbury in an upcoming post so stay tuned for that!

Image via Tattu Manchester

While it’s not really ‘travel’ per se, it was also my birthday at the end of January and so we finally ventured to Tattu in Manchester, an amazing and beautiful Chinese restaurant in the heart of Spinningfields. It was absolutely beautiful and the food was gorgeous (although very expensive!). It’s a lovely place, however, if you are looking for somewhere special to eat – order the Dragon’s Egg for dessert – it was sensational!

FEATURES

I was thrilled to have been interviewed by Vuelio for a feature last month as well. As you may recall from my November post, I was so privileged to win the Best DIY & Interior Design Blog in the 2017 Vuelio Blog Awards and so I had a chance to chat to them and talk a little bit about the blog, working as a full-time freelancer and what winning meant to me.
I also contributed to Rug Trader’s roundup of Interior Design Trends that we’ll be looking forward to in 2018. You can see all of the predictions from all of the experts in their post so do check that out!
Industville also kindly included Swoon Worthy in their roundup of 7 Inspiring Interior Design Blogs to Follow in 2018 which was such an honour. I’m in great company there so do check that out if you are looking for some new blogs for inspiration!
Decorating Your Small Space shared my DIY Glam Coaster tutorial along with a whole bunch of others in their roundup post – if you are looking for some inexpensive DIY coaster ideas, do have a look!
And finally, Novus Homes included my blog in their list of Top 100 Interior Design Bloggers – thank you for the inclusion!

WHAT ELSE I’VE BEEN WRITING

So this is the part of the post when I share where I’ve been chatting about interiors for various websites over the past month! I’m rounding them up to make it easy for you to have a look when you get some time this weekend and fancy a bit of light reading! Of course, I wouldn’t expect anyone to read ALL of these but if something catches your eye, then I’d love for you to have a little look. Each link opens in a new window so you can just click the ones you like the look of and go back to it later!

WHAT’S COMING UP IN FEBRUARY

A very tiny sneaky peek of the new house – Not for everyone I know but I love the anaglypta on the ceiling!

Okay, so technically we are already a quarter of the way through February and I’ve been hoping against all hope that we’ll be moving this month! Whether that will still happen remains to be seen. I’ve been trying to keep my schedule quite open so that just in case we do finally get a move date, we can act quickly so that means I’m saying no to a lot of invitations at the moment sadly! I reckon we will start packing up the house properly, however, over the next month!

I’ve got some lovely collaborations that I’m looking forward to so I’m looking forward to sharing those with you and I’m hoping to do a little fun DIY as well. Stay tuned for that!

What are you excited about for February? Let me know!

6 Comments

Julia on February 9, 2018 at 1:13 pm

I’ll have a read of some of those links over the weekend.

One tip I’ve read about moving house, is not to choose a Friday as the day of completion. This is in case there are any problems on the day. Some people have been caught out by that and because it’s the start of the weekend, they can’t get in touch with their solicitor until Monday morning, and they end up having to pay storage fees and for a hotel stay over the weekend, because they haven’t been able to move in on the day.
Of course, this isn’t a regular occurrence, but something to bear in mind when agreeing on a date for completion.
Hope you’re able to exchange and complete soon.
- Kimberly Duran on February 9, 2018 at 1:16 pm
  
  Julia – that is SUCH GOOD ADVICE! Honestly, I wouldn’t have even thought of that but it makes perfect sense. Thank you for the tip!! Fingers crossed we can get a date sorted soon! xxx
  - Julia on February 9, 2018 at 6:17 pm
    
    It’s one of those things that sounds obvious when you hear it, but hadn’t thought of before! Most people think that moving on Friday is best, as you then have the weekend to start unpacking.
    I picked up that tip on a housing forum, when occasionally there’d be a frantic post from someone who hadn’t got the keys yet/money hadn’t been released and the solicitor had already gone home for the weekend!
Abi on February 9, 2018 at 2:59 pm

Ooh what a tease for the new house! Really excited to see it and hear all your plans!
Mandy on February 9, 2018 at 8:56 pm

I’m so excited to see where in Shrewsbury you’ve chosen to be (my office used be just down the road from the street in the left hand photo you’ve posted)! I used anaglypta in a previous house as it really does hide the imperfections of the wonky walls you get in an old house! I’ve also taken it off walls in an old house too and most of the plaster came off with it!
Clare on February 11, 2018 at 8:56 pm

Wow! So excited that you’re moving to Shropshire – I’m sure you’ll love it and I live just down the road so give me a shout if you need any tips or even to meet up for a chat once you’ve settled in! Xx