My First Time at BritMums Live

Last weekend saw my first time at BritMums Live, I had heard great things about it for a few years now and I was lucky enough to find my fabulous sponsor, Zoflora to help get me there.

I was up early Friday morning, probably nerves, excitement and the fact it was a bright morning and the sun was shining through the window.

I got on the train in an empty first class, enjoying the journey down there, reading tweets and Facebook posts of other bloggers on their way too.

I met up with a few other bloggers for a drink first, a little bit of dutch courage to be honest before heading to the the fabulous surrounds of The Brewery and Montcalm Hotel.

We were welcomed by the Twirliwoos, I hadn't really heard of them before but my daughter had and she loves the fact I have had my picture with them, I was also given a Twirliwoo headband which she hasn't taken off since Sunday.

The event started with a with a welcome from Suzanne and Jennifer of BritMums and then the first keynote speech from Ella Woodward of Delciouslyella, her journey was really interesting to listen too and it just proves anything is possible.

Followed by the very inspiring Victoria Wright, she made me laugh and bought a tear to my eye with her wonderful insight into growing up with a facial disfigurement and her journey into adult life and having a daughter.

We also attempted and broke a world record, it was a rather apt record of most mummies wrapped in three minutes, we broke the record by one which I think you'll agree is amazing, well done to us all.

I got to make a mood board in a session with a blogger I have long admired, Capture By Lucy's session was absolutely fabulous, I had such a great time and took so much away with me, what my style is and what I need to do to better my blog. I loved making this mood board, everyone says it is very me and I am inclined to agree.

We then got to try some fabulous Lindemans wine, it was a lovely evening so I sampled some of the Rosé which was really refreshing. Myself and a few bloggers then headed to Wagamama for some tea.

After that we headed back to the hotel, I was absolutely shattered so it wasn't long before I headed up to bed.

The following day was an early start, with coffee and pastries being served in The Brewery, the food was really delicious and the granola bars and fruit juices were just what I needed to kick start the day.

The day kicked off with a keynote from Carol Smillie on her fabulous new venture Diary Doll, it was great to hear what she'd been up to. The product itself is something I could really relate too, and although talking pants and periods isn't for everyone, for me and my journey with endometriosis it was a cause close to my heart and I will talk more about it on the blog soon.

Afterwards I went and spoke to Carol, we chatted about Diary Doll, I did a video in the booth they had setup and I got to have my picture taken with her too.

Some of the other fabulous brands there for the event included Santa Maria, Boots, Merci Maman, Super Savvy Me and Parragon Books to name but a few. 

A big wave to Joules, who you'd be mistaken for thinking were my clothing suppliers, I didn't know they were going to be there but I have recently become a huge fan and the skirts I wore are super soft and stretchy so perfect for a mum on the run.

I had an amazing experience chatting to fellow bloggers about their blogs as well as my sponsor Zoflora, so many people had heard of the brand and gave me some hints and tips on how they used it in their home.

I got to meet up with friends and make some new ones, as well as learning so much about how to enhance my blog, make my blogging life easier and lots of tips on SEO, design and much more.

I hope to go back next year, armed with knowledge of how to make the most of the event and hopefully making even more friends.

Announcing My BritMums Live Sponsor

This weekend I am heading to BritMums Live for the first time, it looks to be a great event, with so many wonderful speakers and like minded people attending I am really looking forward to it.

Even better still I now have a fabulous sponsor for the event, I would like to thank and welcome Zoflora to the blog and as my sponsor for BritMums Live 2015.

If you don't know what Zoflora do then here is a little bit about them. Zoflora is a concentrated disinfectant, it is an easy to use, multi-room and multi-use disinfectant that banishes 99.9% of bacteria and viruses.  Available in a selection of long lasting fragrances for all day freshness in and around the home. I have been using it for several months now and it has become part of my cleaning routine as well as having many other uses around the home.

Zoflora isn't just a great product either, it is a great product that is Made in the UK and for me that is a winning combination.

So if you are at BritMums then why not find me to talk more about Zoflora and their fantastic range of fragrances and uses.

A Creative & Crafty Blog Meet at Breadsall Priory

On Sunday, I was invited to a Creative and Craft event at Breadsall Priory in Derbyshire. It was a great chance to meet up with some other like minded bloggers for a chat and to find out about some great products and businesses in a truly beautiful setting.

On the day, I decided to go with a vintage look, with some vintage Ralph Lauren and Marks & Spencer glammed up with a joules top and accessorised with a Sun Jellies bag, shoes and necklace.

On arrival to Breadsall Priory we were shown to a beautiful garden room for a selection of drinks, before being shown to our table for afternoon tea. The afternoon tea was stunning, with beautiful cakes, sandwiches, and scones with plenty of clotted cream and jam.

Even me, with the sweetest of teeth couldn't manage all of the the cakes, thankfully though the lovely staff bought them to our room so we could finish them in the afternoon.

After tea and cake we made our way to the Morley room, a beautiful and bright airy room which I can imagine would make a gorgeous backdrop for a wedding ceremony, especially looking out into the stunning gardens.

First up, we had a talk by Annette from Weleda, a brand I already adore and have lots of time for. We got to try some of their bath milks, hand creams as well as learn about how they work. I bought some foot balm to help prepare my summer feet.

Then we got on to making and crafting, with some hoops supplied by Korbond and lots of scraps of fabric, we set about designing a picture on fabric. I am a real novice when it comes to something like this, I am normally found crafting with paper, glue and children in tow. So it was great to find something new to try.

We also had  talk from Jen from Lunar 21 and Alice from Bless Your Arts Boutique and Phil did a great talk on Polyvine, they do some great products so I will be looking a bit more into this.

It was a lovely few hours and I only wish it could of been longer, there was so much more to learn and craft and talk about so I look forward to the next one.

Thank you to Samantha and Kat for organising and Breadsall Priory for hosting us, and their wonderful little goody bags I am looking forward to popping back to use the leisure facilities.

The day raised £100 for the Mollie Makes Crafternoon For Comic Relief  too, so as well as being fun it was helping a worthwhile cause.

Blog Roll from Sunday

Kat
www.akraftykat.co.uk

Emma

www.lilyallsorts.com

Charlotte
www.englishgirlathome.com

Hannah
www.daintyandivory.blogspot.com/

Phil

www.fireflyphil.wordpress.com

Samantha

www.crafternoonteahostess.co.uk

Claire

www.ninjakillercat.co.uk

Alice 

Bless You Arts Boutique

Jenn
www.lunar21derby.org.uk

One is not amused!

We went to see the Queen visit a local park today where she was unveiling a plaque and all I have to say on the matter is well done to Nottingham City Council and friends, well done on a really poorly planned event!

First of all, there was no PA system...no one apart from those standing at the very front could hear either Her Majesty or Prince William speaking.

We then waited to see the Duke and Duchess and were pushed and spoken to very rudely by some head of police (not uniformed police officers) asking us to get back! People with pushchairs being pushed around with literally no where to go.

I don't normally have a problem with the police doing their job but this one women was a bully, rude and totally didn't have a handle on the situation.

If we had been pushing over a fence or something I could have understood, but instead an after thought of a piece of rope had been laid on the floor and some policemen standing in front of it! That ended and there was then no boundary. Small children were being jostled around by people trying to get pictures, it was a truly awful event, one I don't wish to experience again (sorry ma'am).

Finally and to top off an awful event they wouldn't let us out! We went to the exit to be told we couldn't leave that way and would need to find another way out, we walked to the other end of the park (marked Exit B) to be told the same thing and then finally found another exit on yet the other side of the park!

I think my son enjoyed it but maybe we should have just stayed at home and watched it on the telly!