Acrylic Unicorn Nail

Bonjour, Hello, Howdy, G’day…

How the devil are you lovely lot? I do apologise for the slight absence, as luck would have it I’ve been having a blooming headache of a time with my trusty laptop which seems to have all the symptoms of old age setting in *sigh* You know… slow to start, easily confuddled, muddling information, not remembering passwords, cripplingly slow – hmmm, actually it sounds scarily like me and I’m only 34… anyways…. I’ve spent the last few days cleaning the darn thing out before undertaking the monumental task of video editing; which is something I can only describe as wandering through an unchartered circle of hell when your laptop is as slow as mine. Needless to say after sprouting a few more grey hairs, shaking my fists vigorously in the air and clearing the kitchen of all other human life I emerged victorious! A video was born!

So this week I decided to attempt my own version of a unicorn nail… ‘A what?’ I hear you say… yes, a unicorn nail. Well, the unicorn’s horn, though mine started off looking more like a teeny Mr Whippy cone before somehow evolving into (what I can only describe) as a glitzy seashell. The thing is, the gorgeous Kirsty Meakin from Naio Nails, was the inspiration behind my attempt as her recent upload made the whole darn thing look so blooming easy. However, when you’re as awkward at acrylic nail art as I am, it simply shows what an utter dog’s dinner can be made compared to the seasoned pros. Okay, so it’s not the worst thing I’ve clamped my lamps on lately, but let’s just say 2017 is most certainly the year for me to get my practice hand out a little more than I have been. Hmm, maybe this is the beginnings of a little mini series… a first attempt kinda thing?! Something the world can chortle at as I try wholeheartedly to broaden my skill-set. Who knows.

Anyhoo if you’re waiting on the number 10 bus, sitting patiently in your local takeaway with a rumbling tummy or simply figuring out how else you can procrastinate for the next few minutes then why not press play. If you’re feeling really generous you can even *click here* to subscribe so you never miss out on any future snigger-inducing videos 😉

As always, whatever your thoughts I’d love to read them in the comments below, so do stop by and say a quick howdy

Cheerio Chums…

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The Nail File: Nail Art Inspiration…

Aloha Chums!

Regardless of recent health drama’s, I’ve managed to relax a little by taking a few pics of some fun nail art I’ve been getting up to. With a ton of glitters and gorgeous gel polishes to play with here’s just a few of the designs that I’ve managed to capture this week…

Sea Shore Green

Living a stones throw away from the sea it’s something I tend to draw inspiration from in all weathers as the landscape changes so drastically from day to day! I noticed it was a vibrant green colour one day last week, with the sun rays illuminating the colours as I watched sea green waves gently lap onto the shore… which gave me a notion to try out this design! Very beachy, don’t you think?!

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Dusky Dew Drops

This was a really simple design incorporating a light marbled effect with gel polish and some gorgeous shiny blue chunky glitter encapsulated under the top gel coat. It was inspired by a recent summer rain shower where the water droplets were making some really playful light effects across our kitchen wall from the sunshine.

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Disney Pattern

I spotted this playful idea on Pinterest and thought I’d give it a go on a short accent nail. It’s super cute and reminds me of recently finding some piccies from a family holiday in Disneyland Paris when I was much younger!

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Tribal Design

I love creating hand painted tribal patterns and thought I would give it a go on a matte gel nail. It reminds me of a cute Turkish vase I found in a charity shop recently that’s decorated in cute little dots of all different sizes!

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Baby Boomer Glitter Gradiant

I adore classic pink and white nails, but this has got to be one of my favourites. It’s a gorgeous french pink & white acrylic gradient with a teeny layer of micro sparkle to give it a beautiful iridescent sheen. What a gorgeous combo for a bridal set don’t you think?

What one’s your favourite design? Do you have any fun suggestions for me to try out next? Whatever your thought’s I’d love to read them in the comments below so do stop by to say a quick howdy lovelies

Catch you’s on Friday for another YouTube chatter!

Cheerio Chums…

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Catch me on:

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The Blog Makeover: A Whole New Look for Confetti & Curves…

 

I can’t believe it’s been 18 months from I launched Confetti & Curves. As many of you will wholeheartedly sympathise, it’s surprisingly nerve shredding putting yourself out into the big wide blogisphere. Granted I’d had a teeny bit of experience with a previous blog that I dabbled with once or twice a month, but nothing to the extent of what I’m doing now. Over the space of a year and a half I’ve met countless fantastic blog buddies, worked with some fabulous brands, tripled my wish list, set up a YouTube channel, have watched a video boom to almost 400K views (and counting), have been supported daily by so many regular readers, and best of all I’m STILL loving the learning curve of it. Blogging is one of the most exciting creative journeys I’ve been on. I’ve adored every moment of it – yep, even the occasional drizzle of ‘bloggers block’ has been a bizarre and enjoyable challenge. However, when you pour your heart into something you adore so much the testing times become irrelevant very quickly!

Being a proud blog mama though, you know when it’s time for a change. As much as I love my little virtual haven just the way it is, I feel like I’m ready to give it a bit of a make-over… especially as it’s hosted so many makeover’s of my own face!! During the past few weeks I’ve spent some time rolling up my sleeves and getting creative with branding & design. Oddly enough it’s felt like I’ve been redecorating a sacred part of my home. I’ve had mental mood boards and spent many cups of tea deliberating over colour schemes… including all those little accessories that are so important to the finishing touches ( aka = the widgets!!)

FINALLY today is the day I can throw my hands in the air, perform a ritualistic happy dance & declare the transformation complete *excited air punch* The new design feels crisp, clean, minimal, a little chic but still a tad playful – pretty much everything I’ve aimed to encapsulate. Even down to the little widgets on the side wall, everything blends, feels comfy and has a harmonious mood for me… don’t worry I won’t start humming loudly whilst trying to contort myself into one of those pretzel shaped yoga poses!

So for those of you who are used to the old branding & graphics, it’s certainly a little bit different to what it was before but I really hope y’all like the new changes as much as I do.

Thanks so much for an amazing 18 months of support, encouragement & friendship! You guys rock the socks off blogging 😀

Cheerio Chums…

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Catch me on:

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Simple Design Layout Tips For Your Beauty Blog

Blog layout is super important. It’s the first thing your readers see when they make a visit to your virtual haven. Unfortunately though, you could be the best writer this side of town but if your shop front doesn’t match the contents then you could find your readers very quickly hitting the dreaded back button… something we all want to avoid happening! Having picked up a some tips along my own blogging journey here’s a few of the things that have helped me dress-up my online design skills…

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To some this may seem a bit obvious, but creating an eye catching blog banner is essential to immediately capturing the attention of your reader & portraying what your blog is all about. Can you imagine walking along the high street and none of the stores having signage above their doors? Well, in retrospect that can lead to the same calamity if you don’t get busy with your banner.

Boasting an eye catching blog banner really helps others to immediately suss out your style & personality. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smeared in colour, in fact some of the most successful bloggers have incredibly minimalistic designs but it still gives the audience an idea of what to expect and a basic branding theme that will hopefully correspond with the style throughout your posts.

“So how do I create one of my own?”

Super easy! Get yourself over to a free online editing tool (such as Pic Monkey) and simply hit the design option. Voila… you can start creating sassy looking blog banners & graphics until your heart’s content.

If you prefer, you can upgrade to the premium service for a small monthly fee which entitles you to lots of incredibly useful features with no annoying flashing ads whilst your in the depths of creativity. They have such a huge range of fonts, themes & design features on offer you’ll be spoilt for choice. If you use it half as much as I do it’s worth every penny!

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If you find yourself blogging about multiple topics then organising them neatly into their own individual categories is hugely beneficial; particularly for readers who like to quickly visit the area that peaks their interest. It’s also a great way to help keep you on top of your post organisation too. This is pretty much ideal for those who find themselves blogging about a variety of subjects such as beauty, lifestyle, fashion etc. All your posts will still appear on your blogs initial feed page but can be separated into more specific topics too.

Creating categories is something I get asked about incredibly regularly, so if you’re still working out how to master it don’t fret… we’ve all been left frantically trying to figure this quandary out at some stage or another. The most common misconception many WordPress users tend to make is assuming these are created as ‘new pages’ when in fact they’re actually ‘new categories’. For a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to easily create your own categories *click here* for a handy link to the official WordPress tutorial guide which gives you easy to follow instructions on creating your very own category style pages!

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Okay bloggers, this is where it gets personal. Everyone has their own unique style, vision and concept when it comes to choosing a colour scheme for their blog. However keeping the colours complimentary to each other is super important otherwise your blog page can look like an explosion in a paint factory. I always find that keeping a neutral background on my posts really helps images stand out – if there’s too much going on then it’s just confusing for the reader and begins to look incredibly messy. If you keep your colours complimentary your blog will look super professional, clean and complimentary for the reader.

Just like you would for interior design, creating a mood board of colours you’d like to use for your blog is a great way of determining what colours you might like to stick too:

Pinterest is a huuuuuge source of inspiration when it comes to stuff like the one I found above! So pretty don’t you think? 🙂

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I don’t know about you guys, but I find a screen full of text utterly overwhelming & sometimes feels like a bit of hard work to get through, however there are ways to make larger posts more appealing. A great Image can speak a thousand words by using them wisely to break up huge chunks of texts so your readers won’t feel so swamped in literature. Bullet points also work a treat for keeping your layout reader friendly too as can eye catching titles!

Another great tip is to use your side space to showcase some of your favourite posts. Many bloggers seem to overlook the the fact that their sidebar doesn’t just have to be for social media widgets etc but if you design an eye catching little graphic (again, Pic Monkey is superb for this) and upload it as an image to your WordPress media library you can add it to your sidebar & hyperlink it to your favourite post. Yep, it’s really that easy! Whilst your readers are scrolling down through your blog you’ll soon catch their eye & lead them onto other exciting posts they may have missed out on = great content for your visitors to check out & more traffic for your blog! Win win in my humble opinion.

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People love personality & nothing says it better than a great profile pic to put a friendly face to the person behind the blog. When most people read a post they imagine it in the voice of the creator, of course it’s so much more easier when you can put a face to the words. It’s also a really nice addition to welcome new followers onto your little online haven. Of course this tip won’t be useful for those anonymous bloggers amongst us, however you too can still inject a little bit of personality without giving away your identity by adding a fun gravatar. Okay it’s not the real thing but if your illustration is loosely based on yourself at least it gives readers a more realistic expectation of what you may look like.

When choosing a profile picture try to make it as engaging as possible. Having worked with a number of glossy magazines in the wedding industry I picked up some valuable little tips that help to really make an impact with your images. Looking directly at the camera means that when the reader spots your picture your eyes will already be firmly on them (and hopefully smiling at that!) this is why all pretty much all the shelf filling magazines in your favourite bookstore will usually have their models looking directly into the camera. Eye contact catches attention.

Don’t forget, if you’re wanting to keep everything as professional & consistent as possible it’s worthwhile having the same profile picture in all your other social media sites too. That way you’re more easily identified and very quickly recognised!

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If you fancy procrastinating a little more and checking out some of my other on blogging then *click here* for a mini library of posts that just might help you make sense of all this virtual shenanigans.

Cheerio  Chums…

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Catch me on:

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Make Your Own ‘I Heart Buttons’ Wall Art…

Happy Monday Blog Buddies…

It’s been a ridiculous length of time since I’ve tackled some crafty DIY projects, so this weekend I thought it was high time I put right to abandoning my craft drawers and got a little creative with a truck load of buttons I’ve had gathering dust in some containers. I must say I ADORE button craft and find them incredibly cute in almost any project, but seeing as I had a spare frame from Ikea and a rather bare looking bedroom wall I thought I could combine the two and tackle this cute heart shaped button collage to brighten up my boudoir decor. Fancy giving it a go yourself? Here’s how to do it…

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The must-have ingredients:

One rather fabulous looking photo-frame – Ikea are great for a whole range of shapes & sizes to suit any budget

A small truck-load of buttons (well, maybe just a container full)

Glue Dots or Clear Drying Craft Glue

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1) The Frame

Firstly you’ll need to get hold of a decent size frame, however if your buttons are small enough I’m sure it could work equally as well in something a little more dainty. Steve bought me this frame from Ikea quite some time ago, it’s a very chic looking ‘Norrlida’ frame which is perfect for displaying a pop of colourful buttons! Measuring in at 50x50cm’s it’s quite a biggie, but seeing as it’s for a rather expansive wall it’s the perfect size for maximum impact.

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2) The Buttons

For this project you’ll need quite a few handfuls of them, of course all that depends on the size of frame and shape that you’re creating. I easily used 200-300 and kept it to a mixture of different colours so it would pull in accents of any room colour should I wish to hang it somewhere else. Both E-bay & Amazon have a great range of buttons for sale in packs of colours to suit whatever shade your heart desires. I personally think the blush tones are incredibly chic!

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3) The Heart

Now it’s time to roll up the sleeves and get on with the fun part… if you’re using the Norrlida frame remove the backing, take the strong cardboard insert & choose which colour you’d prefer the background for your buttons to be – black or white. I went for white as it will tie in a little better with the rest of the decor.

Next draw a large heart on the middle of the blank board. This doesn’t have to be too perfect as your buttons will take on a shape of their own… just try and keep the line as feint as possible.

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4) Filling In

Carefully place a mound of buttons onto the canvas and begin to spread them out into the positioning & shape you want. After you’ve got the buttons placed where you want them to be it’s handy to take a quick snap of your picture, just in case any of them get misplaced or moved.

Keeping the buttons on the background, take your pack of sticky dots and begin to stick each button individually onto the canvas – this is by far the most time consuming of the whole project, mine took at least 40 minutes to place so I’d suggest you keep your laptop close by and stock up on your favourite YouTubers to keep you company. Ooooh, talking of which… you can check out my channel by *clicking here* 😉 hehe

As an alternative to sticky dots you can use clear-drying craft glue to affix your buttons with, however it is a little bit messier and will need a considerable amount of drying time before you can place your work of art into it’s frame – hence why I love glue dots. There’s no mess, just instant adhesive without the drying time!

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5) You’re Done

Voila! Once they’re all stuck (and dried if using glue) then it’s time to house your button art back in the frame – this will test if you’ve missed any or not, which is why your picture earlier may come in handy.

Once the art piece is securely in its frame give the glass a little wipe with window cleaner to remove any smudge marks & get ready to hang your work of art for all to admire! I’m putting mine above my dressing table as it will work perfectly with all the coloured lotions and potions!

There you have it beauty buddies, my little weekend craft project. What do you think? Is this something you’d try? What colour would YOUR buttons be?

As always thanks so much for stopping by and don’t forget to say a quick hello in the comments below!

Cheerio Chums…

A Beginners Guide To Creating The Perfect Theme For Your Beauty Blog…

I’ll be the first to admit I’m usually either dumbfounded or terror-stricken when it comes to technology. In fact it makes me anxious in ways I never thought possible. All this coding, programming, platform malarkey… What if I push the wrong button? Click the wrong thing? Will my virtual world melt before my very eyes into a vortex of doomed data? In my little ‘bubble of tranquillity’ it’s just one big giant doorway to the Mama of all migraines, I loathe it. But here’s the thing blog buddies… I only loathe it because I don’t understand, and 99.9% of the time I don’t want to understand it either. After all I’m just a mere beauty blogger, all I want is a cute little corner of the inter-web to sharing my musings on eye shadow or lusting for the latest lippy. CSS, ABC, 123, Zzz or whatever the fudge it’s called has no place in my life. I just want something that does the job and satisfies my digital requirements. Are you with me? *pretending to observe mass nodding*

Yet since launching Confetti & Curves (that cute little corner of the inter-web I previously mentioned) quite a few bloggers each month have bestowed me with an small array of questions over customising themes… What’s my theme? Why did I choose it? How did I design it? How did I manage to customise a header bar without turning every follicle on my head 50 shades of grey? Well, here’s the answers…

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What’s My Theme & Why Did I Choose It?

Well, it’s The Adelle Theme from Blu Chic. In fact if you scroll down on each blog it usually states what theme the blogger is using and/or who has designed it. Apart from the fact I think it’s rather pleasing on the eyeballs, it’s also incredibly simple which is IDEAL for beginners or terrified techies such as moi.

There’s no moving parts (or confusing flashy doo-dahs), the layout is very straight forward, easy for the reader to locate where potential interesting reading material is neatly tucked away & it does the job it’s intended to do = house my blog posts efficiently and effectively. There’s no coding required, no degrees in computer science, just a little bit of creative flair and maybe a few bottles of wine cups of tea to see you through to the end result.

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How did I design it?

Hold your horses, I’ll get to that in just a moment…

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How did I manage to customise a header bar without turning every follicle on my head 50 shades of grey?

Refer to above answer… gee, you’re an impatient bunch!

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Okay, okay, so I’ll cut to the chase – nope I’m not a secret web developer with a deep rooted passion for Clinique Chubby Sticks & Rimmel Sun Shimmer. Instead I stumbled across the rather talented Katrina from 77 WebStudio who (thanks to her rather chirpy YouTube tutorial) was able to guide me step-by-step through the whole process via her video guide. It’s ideal for clumsy computer oafs (aka me) as she shows you in front of your very eyes how to create and customise the theme to suit your own personal tastes. You can change the colours, fonts, header, add widgets, add pages, add categories – the list goes on!

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So if you’re at the beginning of your blogging journey and need a little bit of guidance on how to create & customise your simple but oh-so-pretty theme then I’d suggest you start off with The Adelle Theme and watch this handy dandy tutorial… I’ve no doubts you’ll be a digital design whizz in no time.

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What’s your favourite WordPress Theme? Do you have any Theme suggestions for a first time blogger or one that has limited design experience? Or are you a whizz at designing/building/customising themes for the rest of us terrified techies? Whatever your thoughts I’d love to read them in the comments below, so do take a moment to say a quick hello!

Cheerio Chums…

Behind The Blog… featuring Jamie from Sincerely, Miss Design

Hello lovelies!

Can you believe tomorrow’s Christmas Eve?! I’m virtually flabbergasted at how quickly it’s crept up upon us all! Thankfully, I seem to be as organised as I can be after a pretty hectic day of grocery shopping yesterday… who knew people could be so intimidating with a shopping trolley? However this morning I’m sitting rather cosy at my desk, ready to bring you another Behind The Blog *woo hoo*

For those of you who are new to Confetti & Curves, *huge hello & friendly wave*,  take a quick peek *here* for an update as to what it’s all about, you may even find yourself taking part! Why not? After all it’s a great way for us to get to know you that little bit better and for you to meet fabulous new blog buddies… bit of a ‘win win’ don’t you think? 🙂

So today’s Behind The Blog is featuring the smart and sassy Jamie from Sincerely, Miss Design. If you aren’t already familiar with her then do pop over and say hello. Her Blog is beautifully designed and filled with really fun and interesting articles! Plus, she’s an incredibly friendly and supportive blogger who loves interacting with others… something I personally adore!

So without further ado I’ll have you over to the incredibly talented & lovely lady herself…

In only 5 words describe what readers can expect from your blog:
Beauty, Inspiration, Art, Determination, & Style

What inspired you to start blogging?
My “blogging” days began when I started a Live journal years ago and have kept up with it ever since. I frequently visit different blogs focusing on beauty, tutorials, style, and DYI which all have inspired me to create my own blog.

Do you ever suffer from Blogger’s Block & if so how do you overcome it?
In the beginning I suffered from Blogger’s Block quite often. What I found very helpful was to create a list of ideas for posts that I can refer back to when I’m having difficulty coming up with topics.

What’s your favourite post to date? 
Halloween is my favourite Holiday! This year I made some collages of DYI unconventional costumes such as Peggy Bundy, Carmen Sandiego, and Ugly Betty.

Here’s the link: http://jamiewiley.net/2014/10/10/diy-unconventional-costumes/

Describe your everyday style:
I work at an office full time during the week so; I get to dress up a bit. Right now I am into dresses and cardigans with dark leggings, scrunchy socks, and booties. When I’m just hanging out at home I pretty much spend most of my time in my pjs.

What are your current top 3 beauty items?
1.) Benefit Cosmetics Fake Up Concealer: I use this everyday under my eyes and on my face in other spots that need additional coverage. It’s very rich and hydrating.
2.) L’Oréal Colour Riche Lip Balm in Nourishing Nude: I love this because it goes on very smooth, is not sticky, and adds just a hint of color.

How do you like to relax & unwind after a stressful day?
Some days I’ll go home and exercise after work, watch a movie, or play Xbox.

Describe your ideal Saturday night:
At the ripe old age of 32, I rather spend the night in then go out. My Husband and I may just go to the bookstore and hang out, play video games, and order take out. I like to keep it low key since my weeks between school and work are so hectic.

What’s your favourite junk food snack?
Pretty much anything chocolate and gummy candy.

Everyone has their hidden bad habits, what’s yours?
I spend roughly $5 a day on lattes from Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks.

What was your favourite school subject?
Art (Obviously) and English.

What’s your dream job?
I don’t necessarily have a “dream” job. I’d like to be in a position where I feel like I am making a difference and contributing to a greater purpose. Additionally, being involved in something that I can utilize my creativity would be ideal as well.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I hope to either be working for a design firm as a Graphic Designer as well as have some of my own freelance work on the side. Ideally, I’d love to move to another state!

What top 5 things are on your bucket list?
1.) Go to Paris (when I was a child and people asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up I told them I want to be an Artist and paint the Eiffel Tower.)
2.) Travel anywhere and everywhere. Some top places are Bhutan, Japan, Australia, Bali, California, Germany.
3.) Write something that will get published. Whether it is a short story, novel, or even a poem.
4.) Master making kiffles. (It’s a PA Dutch pastry that I’ve failed making time and time again.)
5.) Learn how to salsa dance

What’s your biggest achievement to date?
Going back to school after 13 years, working full time, and maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Who inspires you?
Successful people who remain humble and get to do what they love. The art industry is incredibly competitive and it is always wonderful to receive support from others in the industry. I guess this can also be applied to blogging as well. There are millions of bloggers out there, but instead of fighting to be at the top it is better to support each other. Each of us all have our own unique qualities to offer.

Do you have a favourite inspirational quote?
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost

Name 3 things that’s top of your Christmas list:
1.) Pusheen the Cat 2015 Wall Calendar http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449456057/?ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_hKTiub1J95B3A
2.) NARS “Ita’ Kabuki Brush
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nars-ita-kabuki-brush/3708973
3.) It Cosmetics Limited Edition Holiday Naturally Pretty Celebration Matte Palette http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod11351129#sku2279279

What top tips would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own blog?
Design and organization are important. Readers need to be able to easily understand the flow of your blog as well as quickly understand where to access your contact. Also, incorporate some of your personality into your content, it allows you to connect with others on a personal level. I’m really still getting the hang of blogging, but I also think that networking is extremely important.

Quick Fire Questions:

Tea or Coffee = Coffee

Coke or Pepsi =Neither

Salad Cream or Mayo =Neither

Cute kitten or Playful puppy =Kitty!

Night In or Night Out =Night in

Heels or Flats =Heels

Lip Stick or Lip Gloss =Lip Glass

Rock Chick or Pop Princess =Neither

Paperback or E-book = Both

Contact Jamie:

Blog: http://www.sincerelymissdesign.com
Instagram: jamielwiley
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamie.wileykroboth
Email: sincerelymissdesign@gmail.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jamielwiley

Don’t forget: If you would like your blog to feature in Behind The Blog then please either leave your details below or alternatively get in touch via *here*, I’d love to hear from you.

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