Behind The Blog featuring Thistles and Whistles…

Ho Ho Ho….

The official count down to the big day has begun *excited air punch* have you’s all sent your letters off to Santa Claus yet? Or like me, is your list still continuously growing? Thankfully I’ve his email address so he’s used with getting a few new shopping links every couple of days… all thanks to my WordPress news feed of course 😉

Talking of which… some of you may not already know but although Confetti & Curves celebrated it’s 1st birthday back in October I’ve actually been blogging long before that, in fact I’ve had two previous blogs. Unfortunately I fell out of love with both of them. Oddly enough much as I adore the topic of ‘books & writing’ blogging about it is an entirely different ball game… just because you love something doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be any good at blogging about it – as I quickly came to realise! However although I don’t continue to blog about books or the process of writing them, that doesn’t mean to say it stops me from enjoying keeping up with those who do. So today I’d like to introduce y’all to the talented gal behind the beautiful Thistles & Whistles.

Although she’d prefer to remain anonymous, don’t be mislead into thinking her fantastic book & inspirational lifestyle blog doesn’t contain any personality. In fact it’s sprinkled with character & dusted with charm. So why not step out and add a little something different to your news feed, if anything Thistle’s & Whistles will certainly inspire you to curl up on your comfiest chair with a great read – and what could be better on these chilly winter evenings?

In only 5 words describe what readers can expect from your blog:

Bookish conversations and finding inspiration.

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What inspired you to start blogging?

I was a huge food blog reader many years ago; I would constantly look at recipes and read the personal stories attached to each recipe created. It was so inspiring to see how brave those bloggers were to put bits and pieces of their personal lives out there. Finally, about 3 years ago, I decided to take the plunge when I started my first blog on Blogspot which I then abandoned after 3 posts. A year later after that failure, Thistles and Whistles was born.

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Tell us about your blog name… what made you decide on it?

Funny story. Two years ago, when I was doing my Masters in Media and Communication, we were required to start our own blogs to practice writing. Since my first blog was already on Blogspot, I thought I would revive that and use it but our teacher insisted we all use WordPress. Everyone signed up with their own names and I was the only one who refused to do so because I wanted to maintain my privacy. However, no names were coming to me and since this was a class assignment and time was running out, I was panicking and a bit desperate. And then Eureka! I don’t know how but the name Thistles and Whistles just randomly popped into my head. I had never heard of it before, I didn’t know what it meant, it just came to me and it felt right somehow. And I decided to go with it.

Do you ever suffer from Blogger’s Block & if so how do you overcome it?

All the time. I mean literally all the time. I have these huge slumps where I don’t want to even look at my blog anymore but after weeks (or sometimes months!), I’ll remind myself that I am the happiest when I write and that if I don’t go through with this, I’ll always regret giving up too soon. Reminding myself why I started it in the first place always helps me get back on the horse. And reading other blogger posts and responses always gives me the motivation and the instant gratification helps me keep going! 🙂

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What’s your favourite post to date?
I have a couple of them but I want to share the post I wrote called It’s All in the Mind which reflects how I have tried to change the inner dialogues that I keep having with myself.

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Describe your everyday clothes style:

Very casual; I prefer leggings, fitted tops, flats and minimal jewellery. I also love wearing dresses so you’ll always find me in either of the two.

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What are your current top 3 beauty items?

I’m a huge minimalist when it comes to make up,  but I always admire make up on others. From the little that I do use on a regular basis, the top 3 beauty items definitely have to be:

Patanjali Coconut Oil – Love it, recommend it. Coconut oil serves so many purposes and I sometimes use it as a body and hair moisturizer, even as a lip balm, for oil pulling, as part of a natural toothpaste and of course even for cooking. 😉 This particular brand doesn’t have a very overpowering coconut-ty smell which is perfect.

Himalaya Kajal stick – It’s herbal and I always wear it when I go out.

Kenzo Red Lipstick – I just love the color red!
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How do you like to relax & unwind after a stressful day?

Although I now avoid it, I used to love having a have a cup of hot sweet black tea when I came home tired. It’s so soothing. Apart from that, reading, watching comedy videos on YouTube and sleeping (haha!) are really great stress busters for me.

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Describe your ideal Saturday night:

I’m normally a quiet homebody on the weekends but if I had to idealize a perfect Saturday night, it would involve going to the beach with a few of my good friends, just sitting there till the sun rose and then going off to breakfast somewhere. 🙂

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What do you do to relax?

I put on some old Bollywood music, put on a lavender scented candle, and either close my eyes and sing along or read a book.

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Everyone has their bad habits, what’s yours?

I really need to work more on my planning skills. I start too many things at once, don’t get myself organized and eventually end up giving up on my goals too soon. Also, I procrastinate a lot until the idea becomes redundant.

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What’s your most cherished childhood memory?

My dad always encouraged me to read, read, read and write, write, write. It didn’t matter what I wrote as long as I was consistently doing it. I would write short stories, letters et cetera on an old-fashioned typewriter (we also had a computer but it was a different feeling writing on the typewriter!) and my dad would send them to the local children’s magazines. It was the best feeling when my stuff would get published and the proud look on my parents’ faces was priceless. 🙂

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What was your favourite school subject?

English! I was average at everything else but really good in English.

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What’s your dream job?
I would love to write features and articles for magazines and have my own regular column.

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Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years, I envision myself having the best level of health and fitness that I’ve ever had in my whole life. I also see myself being my own boss, i.e. being the owner of a small business that brings me joy. I can see myself travelling to a lot of places and speaking a couple of new languages. I can also visualize myself getting published in one form or the other (articles, stories et cetera.)

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What top 5 things are on your bucket list?

Achieving optimum health and fitness

Learning French

Running a 5K

Starting my own small business

Travelling.

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What’s your biggest achievement to date?

Getting on the permanent path of improving my health and fitness in a naturopathic way since 2010. I still have some way to go, but the journey has been very successful and rewarding so far! 🙂

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Who inspires you?

I wish there was one person who I could attribute my inspiration to but I don’t have just one. Lately I have been getting inspired by so many people – family, friends, bloggers, YouTubers, writers, motivational speakers, leadership coaches, fitness experts, health and nutrition gurus, each one of them have been teaching me valuable lessons that I didn’t know before and I find that there is always so much more to absorb from everyone when you open your eyes to different possibilities.

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Do you have a favourite inspirational quote?

This too shall pass.

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What top tips would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own blog?

1. Plan, Plan, Plan – Something I am guilty of not doing very often but trying to be more diligent about. Planning is key before starting any blog. Write down your mission, vision and goals for the blog. Where do your blog to be in the next year? How do you plan on achieving these goals? Write down all your ideas in a notebook.
2. Find your niche – Don’t get into something that you find everyone else doing. Start blogging about something you personally love and can see yourself continue writing about even 10 years down the line even if it’s something as uncommon as writing about plumbing or something. (Just an example!) Don’t worry, there are plenty of people who will share your interests.
3. Get chatty – Network with other bloggers and be supportive. Blogging is all about sharing your ideas and opinions with your fellow peers, learn from them and to cheer each other on! It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

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QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS:

Tea or Coffee = Tea

 

Coke or Pepsi = Neither

 

Messy mayhem or Super Organised = Super Organized

 

Cute kitten or Playful puppy = Cute kitten

Night In or Night Out = Night In

 

Heels or Flats = Flats

 

Lip Stick or Lip Gloss = Lip Stick

 

Rock Chick or Pop Princess = Pop Princess

 

Paperback or E-book = Both; Paperback because it’s old-fashioned and comforting and E-book because it’s convenient!

Contact Thistles & Whistles:

Blog: www.thistlesandwhistles.wordpress.com
Email: thistlesandwhistles@hotmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thistlesandwhistles

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/thistlesandwhistles

Bloglovin’: www.bloglovin.com/thistlesandwhistles
Twitter: @this_whis

Instagram: @this_whis

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Don’t forget: If you would like your blog featured on Behind The Blog then get in touch via the contact page by clicking *here*, I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks so much for reading & of course do say hi in the comments below… we adore a good chatter here on Confetti & Curves  🙂