Thanks to everyone who entered, I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Watch out for more giveaways on here in the future – after all, I’m going to have to think of something to do with the jewellery I make!

There’s no mistaking these in their brightly coloured box

Unwrapping the mangos

Six beauties

Indian mangos on an Indian carpet

As for eating the Alphonsos, as far as I’m concerned, there’s only one way to do so: messily. Cut into pieces and suck from the skin, or cut a hole in one end and squeeze the flesh directly into your mouth. A word of warning – this is often best done outside or in close range of a sink!

I just wanted to share a link that I discovered through lovely Lorna on Facebook. It’s a link to an article on Gala Darling’s blog, called In Praise Of Calling It Quits: What To Do When You’re Burned Out, & How To Get Your Spark Back.

Reading the article came at an interesting point for me. Two months back I took a large leap of faith. And luckily for me (I do, as I have mentioned before, believe that I lead a charmed life) it turned out to be exactly the right thing to do. It gave me a chance to take stock of life, really consider what my priorities and values were, and make a better plan for the future. And I feel a lot better because of it.

Many of my friends are going through the same thing. Perhaps it’s an age thing (we’re all in or approaching our mid-twenties, and the time left for decision-making doesn’t seem quite so infinite any more). Or perhaps it’s the current political and economic climate. Either way, a number of friends have reached turning points in their careers, studies or personal lives, and are having to take the same big leap of faith that I did. Which is scary, but also extremely liberating.

I had dinner with some school friends on Friday, who I’ve known since we were all just 11 years old. We got to talking about trial and error, and how much of life is based on it. And whilst the tone of the conversation did verge on despair at times, I’ve taken away something positive from it. Each time that you try something which isn’t right for you, you get closer to the thing that is. Whether that’s a job, relationship, hobby or friendship. And, something which I am a big believer in, each experience that isn’t right helps you appreciate even more how good you’ve got it when you finally discover what is right for you.

So, I would recommend that anyone who is going through change has a read of Gala Darling’s inspirational post, and remembers that it always possible to move on, to fix things that aren’t right and to learn by trial and error. As Gala says:

‘Sometimes we have to go to the other side of the world to find our spark again; sometimes, we simply have to cross the street. The point is this: you won’t discover your magic, your truth, by chaining yourself to your computer & stubbornly working away. You will only find it when you seek it.’

Since last June, the lemon balm (which is a cousin of mint) has spread like wild fire. We now have a huge crop of it, and although it’s really a weed, I’m quite happy to let it stay for use in cooking.

Eager to make the most of the plant, I got to work googling recipes. Then, after a day of doing lots of chores and generally being productive, I treated myself to a cooking session. Here’s what I made:

Lemon Balm Schnapps

It’s actually more accurate to say that I started making this, as it takes a few days for the lemon balm to infuse the vodka. I’m also planning to add in some sugar syrup to weaken it at some point, as my taste buds just can’t handle neat alcohol. I might try the neat stuff with some lemonade or tonic first though, to see what it’s like.

If you want to make some lemon balm schnapps (or in fact any form of schnapps), then take a look at this great schnapps website, pointed out to me by my friend Emily.

Lemon balm and vodka, doing their thing in a Kilner jar

Apricot and Lemon Balm Chutney

It had been a while since I last made chutney, and I’d forgotten how much I like doing it (and eating the results!). I’m really pleased with this apricot and lemon balm recipe, which I found whilst googling. The end result is a colourful chutney, in which the lemon balm comes through suprisingly well, giving the apricot a real lift. I can’t wait to have some with my lunch.

Apricot and lemon balm chutney – the recipe made two jars

Mint and Lemon Balm Potatoes

I decided to use the remaining leaves from the bunch that I’d picked to pep up some simple new potatoes. I boiled the potatoes before draining them and returning to the pan with a knob of butter, a handful of chopped mint and a handful of chopped lemon balm. I served this as a side to some salt and pepper coated chicken thighs and drumsticks (steamed for 15 minutes, oven cooked for a further 15) and this pretty tasty tomato and onion salad.

Salt and pepper chicken with mint and lemon balm potatoes and tomato and onion salad

I’m trying out quite a lot of new recipes at the moment, and most of the ones I find online end up on my Food and Drink Pinterest board. Keep it bookmarked for regular updates.

I’ll keep blogging about the things we cook from our garden – I’m currently sorting out my vegetable patch, and my gooseberry bush really seems on a roll after its feeble attempt at producing fruit last year. Watch this space!

In an ideal world, this wardrobe would contain a good few pieces from the beautiful ASOS Africa collection. Not only does this season’s collection incorporate a range of fabulous shapes, styles and prints, but it’s also been produced in collaboration with SOKO Kenya, an organisation which supports sustainable business in underprivileged communities.

Here are a few of my favourite pieces from ASOS Africa S/S’12:

Tunic in Mombasa Print, £40

Organza Skirt, £40

Midi Dress in Large Geo Kitenge, £50

Rhino Print Bra Top and Knicker Shorts, £25 each

Sheer Pencil Skirt with Printed Peplum, £40

Which is your favourite?

]]> http://edible-glitter.com/perfect-prints-asos-africa-ss12/feed/ 0 http://edible-glitter.com/why-blog/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-blog http://edible-glitter.com/why-blog/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 10:25:08 +0000 Angharad http://edible-glitter.com/?p=5025 Or: ‘The one where Angharad breaks all blogging rules and rambles on for over 1000 words’

Yesterday I followed with interest the tweets of those attending the Cybher 2012 blogger event. The event, which was attended by female bloggers and saw a variety of big names speaking, sparked a fair bit of online debate on a number of blogging related issues. For a bit of background, it’s worth reading Judy Johnson’s Cybher roundup post – as someone who wasn’t actually at the event, I found the post a helpful summary of the tweets that I had seen flying back and forth during the day.

One of the issues that always seems to come up when you get a group of bloggers together in the same room is that of blogging for money. Which is, of course, inextricably linked to the broader issue of why people blog in the first place. And as far as I’m concerned, the umbrella term ‘blogging’ makes it all the more difficult to come to a conclusion about either of  these topics.

What is a blog?

As Judy explores in another of her insightful blog posts, the term ‘blog’ (and therefore ‘blogging’ and ‘blogger’) is an incredibly vague one. Back in the early 2000s, when I made a few failed attempts at starting a blog, I thought I had a good idea of what the term meant. Most blogs that I encountered were in the form of a personal diary, laid out in a bottom-up timeline. Entries were generally text-based, with the odd relevant image. Anyone who was anyone was using Blogspot, and quirky usernames were all the rage.

Now, I’m not at all an expert on the phenomenon of blogging, and certainly not in the early 2000s, when I was just an experimental teen. All I can report is how things appeared to me, as I sat at my big old Sony laptop and tried, frustratedly, to start my 4th attempt at a blog.

Today, blogging is a whole different kettle of fish. The essence of blogs is much harder to pin down. Boundaries between blogs, even small, personal ones, and online magazines have become blurred. Large networks of blogs are pulling their weight just as much, if not more so, as certain print publications. Online newspapers and magazines have their own blogs. It’s difficult to tell who’s blogging and who’s not. When does a large, popular blog with a non-bottom-up layout stop being a blog and become a website or online magazine?

They’re not questions that I can begin to answer, despite having done research into what makes a blog for my new media university assignment last year. The fact is, we just don’t know yet. The medium is still relatively new, and has only really come into its own in the last decade. It’s hard to tell exactly where its place is, and whether we’ll even still be using the term ‘blog’ in the next ten years or whether we’ll come up with new, less vague ways to describe the intricacies of the medium.

Why do I blog?

All this makes it difficult to effectively compare blogger motives. A room full of bloggers could include someone who still writes a ’90s style ‘web log’, someone like myself, who runs a personal blog as a hobby, someone who runs their own site to make their income and someone who works on another person’s site or sites for their living. I myself have worked as a freelancer, primarily focussing on SEO, as a staff writer, tying blogging in with marketing and have always maintained this blog in my spare time. And each activity differed hugely in its motive.

I have always kept writing for Edible Glitter clearly separated in my mind from professional writing. I started the earliest version of this blog (over on Blogger) back in 2009, as a hobby. I didn’t even show people the first few posts. It was simply an extension of the creative writing that I had always enjoyed doing since I was a child. I liked writing, I liked exploring new things to write about, and once I’d found the right format and broad theme for my blog, I found I derived a huge sense of satisfaction which, three years on, is yet to dwindle.

Increasingly, as my blog grows and I accrue more readers, I receive more and more requests to run sponsored posts, place advertising on my blog and install affiliate links. And I have made the decision that this is not right for me (sadly, none of the people who approach me about this seem to take the time to research my blog enough to discover my views on this on the ‘Contact Me’ page. Do your research, marketers!). I considered placing ads/running sponsored posts, and decided that this would run counter to my aims when writing the blog.

Edible Glitter was never designed to be monetised. It has always represented two purposes for me: to entertain me, much as my other creative hobbies such as crafting and cooking do, and to provide an online portfolio of work. Involving money in this, and therefore reducing my control over content, wouldn’t help either cause and might even prove pretty detrimental.

Consistency

I don’t, however, object to those who do engineer their blogs to provide a source of income. Just because someone prefers to blog as a hobby, it doesn’t mean others shouldn’t go pro. Paul plays the saxaphone in his spare time, but that doesn’t mean he berates those who do so professionally. The key, however, is consistency.

A well planned, carefully managed monetised blog can bring in an income whilst also continuing to entertain and attract readers. As far as I’m concerned, this usually only works if the writer/writers behind the blog were clear about their aims from fairly early on in the process. Running a personal blog for years and then deciding to monetise it overnight is not going to work. The change in content, voice and approach will put readers off, and make them lose their faith. It’s important to be honest, upfront and consistent in your writing.

Once money is involved, there is much less of a window for whimsy. As anyone who has worked as a writer knows, write professionally and it’s not just about you any more. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but which does mean that, again, you need to think about consistency. I can afford for Edible Glitter to be slightly higgeldy-piggeldy, because at the end of the day I mostly write it for myself (although it does make my day when someone else says they’ve enjoyed it.) However, if you write on a particular theme for a living and then one day decide you want to tell all your readers about the beautiful flowers you saw in the park, you’ll probably find it jars. Consistency is key.

So…what’s the upshot?

I’m keenly aware that I’ve rambled on for over 1000 words and would be shot by most editors. In addition to which Paul is sitting downstairs sulking (rightly) because I’m spending Sunday morning geeking it out on the laptop.

In summary, whatever your reason for blogging is, if you can make it work, then that’s great. You only need your reason – you don’t need anyone else’s. There are, however, a couple of key points to bear in mind:

- Be consistent. You can’t be writing for the love of it on Monday, and for money on Tuesday (on the same site, that is. There’s nothing to stop you having a personal blog and a monetised one).Know what your plans for your blog are, know what your reasons are for writing it, and stick to them.

- Love writing. It sounds silly, but I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who are passionate about the subject they are writing about – just not about the writing. If you don’t love writing, how do you expect to keep the blog up? Money itself is not enough motivation – whatever you are writing about, and however much for, you need to enjoy the writing process or your lack of enthusiasm will show through.

And with that, I shall leave you all alone and sit down in the corner to contemplate concision. Any comments are welcome – I know there are areas I haven’t even touched upon, and any other perspectives would be great.

I’ve been getting back into jewellery making recently, and thought I’d celebrate by giving away a pair of the earrings I’ve made. They’re a simple design (I’m still finding my feet, as it’s been years since I last did this) but the beads are very pretty, and the overall effect is feminine and elegant.

I’ve been finding it hard to take a picture which really does the earrings justice (hence hitting Hipstamatic instead) – the gold colour is much brighter in real life. The earrings consist of a gold plated wire head pin, bearing a dusky pink pearl, ridged gold bead and gold and brown foil-lined glass bead, all hung from a gold plated fish hook.

Entering the giveaway is simple – all you have to do is leave a comment below letting me know you’re interested in winning the earrings. Don’t forget to leave me your email address or Twitter name so I can contact you if you win

The giveaway will close at noon on Friday 18th May and a winner will be picked at random. Good luck!

Firstly, it sells a range of vintage and secondhand homeware, from enamel coffee pots to retro bedspreads and the jelly moulds of the title. Vintage clothing is to be found almost everywhere on the net at the moment, but vintage knick knacks are not, so this is one worth bookmarking for the next time you need to buy a gift or want to treat yourself.

Secondly, there’s more to Three Jelly Moulds and a Wardrobe than just the shop. The venture is run by Elizabeth, who blogs over at her personal blog Rosalilium and on Domestic Sluttery. As well as keeping tabs on both these lovely sites, I suggest you take a look at the Three Jelly Moulds blog. I’m loving the most recent article on how to use vintage jelly moulds, and have been inspired to have a jelly making session next week.

Thirdly, everything in the shop is very reasonably priced. There’ll be no rip offs here, but nor do you have to sign your soul away on eBay waiting to trap a bargain. Shopping at Three Jelly Moulds is pain-free and purse-friendly. Hoorah!

Sixth and lastly, Elizabeth is happy to help you track down particular items, and invites you to give her a shout if there’s something you’re after which isn’t on the site. Gotta love someone who goes the extra mile.

And to conclude, all of these lovely items are currently on the site, looking for a loving home:

Red enamel ladle, £10

Set of 4 ’70s Meakin bowls, £14

Blue enamel coffee pot, £15

Rabbit-shaped glass jelly mould, £15

Yellow floral single bed set, £25

I could go on listing my favourites, but to be honest you might as well just pop on over to Three Jelly Moulds and a Wardrobe and take a peek yourself. Happy browsing!

The next morning, Paul and I found ourselves wandering around Oxford (where the wedding took place) in the sunshine, looking for something to do. We were recommended a visit to Christ Church Meadow by the Mother of the Bride, and during our stroll stumbled across the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens. A reference collection of 7,000 different plants, the gardens are immensely valuable to scientists and researchers, but also extremely beautiful in the eye of the casual observer. At this time of year, visitors can expect tulips and forget-me-nots, as well as medicinal plants and hothouses full of ferns and carnivorous plants. Let’s just say, the gardeners have done a much better job than I’m doing on my own garden at the moment.

I won’t witter on too much – there’s lots of information to be found on the Botanic Garden’s website. If you are ever in Oxford, it’s really worth a visit – a day ticket is just £4, and an annual pass is an extremely reasonable £14.

In the meantime, however, I’ll leave you with just some of the many photos I took in the gardens (including some of the stunning tulips which really made my morning):

The Botanic Garden’s very own wishing tree

A very unusual scarecrow

One of the carnivorous plants in the hot house

Beautiful colours

Close up!

Stunning shade of red

Rhubarb and sea kale

Black tulips in the grounds of Christ Church

My front garden is full of dandelion clocks at the moment (I hate weeding). The downside is that we’re looking a bit scruffy, but the plus side is that there are plenty of wishes to be made every time I step out the front door.

Folksy seller Wishes on the Wind has taken the idea of wishing on dandelion clocks one step further and encapsulated some of these ephemeral seeds in hand blown glass, so that you can take them with you wherever you go. Beautifully delicate, this teardrop necklace would make a lovely gift for anyone who loves nature, or a great alternative wedding day luck charm.

Hand blown glass pendant with dandelion seeds, £19.00, Wishes on the Wind