Make your own magic

Creating the life that you love to live can feel like an elusive dream. It's so easy to get bogged down in the messiness of the daily grind but we all have a choice on how we wish to live.  It can be so easy to blame unhappiness on outside forces; on our parents or our upbringing, on our jobs or life experiences, on losses we've suffered or partners we've had. But here's the thing: You are the only person who can create that magical life you so desire. It starts within you and it's the small daily choices that we make day after day that contributes to the way you feel and live your life. Here are my six steps for creating your own magic in the every day.

1. Make happiness a priority

Do more of what makes you happy and think about how you can bring more joy into your daily life. You're more likely to reach your potential in all areas of your life if you think positively. A simple way to help with this is to write down a list of all the things that make you happy, big or small. I like to break it down by daily, weekly and yearly joys and refer back each week to make sure that I'm doing more of what makes me happy. So on a daily basis it may be taking time out to have a long lunch or taking a bath and reading your fave mag or listening to a positive podcast. A monthly thing may be going to a spa or heading out to the country and living slowly for the weekend. A big holiday each year is always a great way to bring adventure and inspiration to your life and to help recharge those batteries. This may sound counterintuitive but it can also be helpful to write down the things that make you unhappy. By understanding what makes you upset, angry or anxious you're in a better position to avoid situations or fix problems, making positive changes. Recognition is half the battle. The Happiness journal by Kikki.K is a great way to help you prioritise your happiness. We love this journal so much that we've decided to give away a copy to each person who comes to our Shine Bright wellness day. Tickets can be bought here  

2. Give fear the heave ho

Hands up if you ever let fear get in the way of your dreams? For so long I let fear get in the way of my dream of leaving my comfy job and starting my own business. The fear was big, you know the usual what happens if I fail? I will look ridiculous and how will I make it work and juggle being a mum and so on. It all seemed too hard because I was letting the fears manifest in my mind and they became bigger than they actually were in reality. There was a point in my life where I turned fear upside down and worked it in my favour. Very simply the fear of not achieving my dreams was far greater than those other fears of looking like a fool or failing. Sometimes we just have to look at fear in a different way and remind ourselves that the fear of not going after that dream can be greater than the original fear itself. Don't know about you but I don't want to be 60 years old and regretting what I didn't do. I want to look back and think; wow I've lived my life.

Source: Zeutcher

3. Visualise your dreams and aspirations

I'm very much a visual person so for me I like to bring my dreams and aspirations alive through images. If I can see it and be reminded everyday of my dreams I am more likely to make small changes to get to my finally destination. Pinterest is a great way to bring your dreams to life or go the old fashion route and cut out images, photos, quotes and anything that makes your heart sing and stick it on a board. Look at it daily for inspiration and remind yourself what it is you need to do in order to achieve your hearts desires.  

4. Surround yourself with positivity

Surrounding yourself with people who are positive is obvious but sometime this may mean going outside your comfort zone to meet new, like minded people. When I was on my journey to starting my business I found new energy and positiveness by going to networking events or inspirational evenings. I was overwhelmed with the support and positive vibes from complete strangers. I've made some fantastic new friendships with people on similar journeys and I know they will support and lift me up when I'm having a wobble. For me it's not just the people we surround ourselves with. It applies to all aspects of our life- the trashy magazines, gossip columns and mind numbing TV.  It all can be so toxic and negative so instead try reading interesting blogs or listening to positive podcasts or reading good books. To be honest I'm getting nothing from reading about the feud between Kanye and Taylor or pics of celebrities looking less than perfect. Tip out the crap and fill your cup with the good stuff. Here are a few of my favourite alternatives:

Podcast: Ted radio hour : Stuff you should know : Happiness 5 a day

Blog: Decor8 : Abigail Ahern : Danielle Laporte : Local Milk : The Dailys

Magazines: Psychologies : Open House  : Cereal : Kinfolk

5. Look forward - let go of the past

We have all made mistakes in the past and we'll probably make more in the future but thats ok we're human and that's how we grow as a person. It's easy to obsess about the things that didn't work out or the missed opportunities or the mistakes we made. But how about we accept that we can't change the past and instead use that energy to focus on the lessons learnt and how we are going to make tomorrow even better. Today is a new day for opportunities and adventures, yesterday is just old news. 

Source: Zeutcher

6. Disrupt habits

Do you ever feel like each day blends into the other and before you know it another mediocre week has gone by. You yearn for some excitement or something wonderful to happen but it doesn't. Well, it can if you really want it to but the chances are only you can make it happen. Think about what you do each day. What you do when you wake up, how do you get to work, where you eat your lunch, what your evening routine is etc. Without even realising it, your habits make up your day.  If you want positive changes and new energy you need to disrupt your daily habits and make a conscious effort each day to change something. It could be as simple as walking the scenic route to work. You never know who you might bump into! Or doing something completely random like aerial acrobatics or just putting yourself out there to meet new people. Ever travelled on your own? It can be pretty intense but an amazing adventure. I did this in Thailand and met some amazing people and had some incredible experiences that I will cherish for ever. I also had some hairy moments but that's all part of the adventure. I've had life changing things happen to me just by overcoming fear and getting the courage to talk to someone about a potential collaboration. It's often the little things you do that often come back to you ten fold. This year has been such a magical year for me and it's all down to daily habits or changes I have consciously made. I really do believe we make our own magic, so what are you waiting for? Go out and create some magic of your own. 

Comment below and tell me how you make your own magic. Enjoy the rest of your sunday and have a great week x

P.S Don't forget to check out my shop for up coming events as new dates will be added and I'm sure there will be something there to give you a little joy x

Craft by hand

Hi there

Don't know about you but I have a small obsession with beautiful stationery and I love the idea of handwritten notes in a world where text and emails rule. The only thing is I absolutely hate my handwriting so I rarely send a handwritten note but hopefully that is all going to change. Let me introduce you to Lucy from Quill London who is hosting an introduction to Modern Calligraphy in our Candle and Calligraphy workshop 10th July with Earl of East London. Tickets can be purchased here. 

For those of us that are not familiar with Quill London tell us what you do.

Hello, we're a boutique dedicated to stylish stationery (online at quilllondon.com and with a bricks-and-mortar shop in Clerkenwell) and we also have a calligraphy studio and run lots of workshops for lovely people.

What is your background and where did the idea for Quill London come from?

I love stationery, and wanted to build a brand that specialised in showcasing beautiful stationery from independent designers, makers and studios. I am not a designer but love curating our ever-changing collection of stationery. Together with an amazingly talented UK Calligrapher Imogen Owen, Quill hosted its first Modern Calligraphy workshops two years after launching Quill London, having spotted the trend over in the states and there was nowhere you could learn in London. I hadn't picked up a pen before that, but it's safe to say I've definitely caught the Modern Calligraphy bug. I love that, although unplanned, it's now such a huge part of Quill, that I get to meet all kinds of amazing people through it and work with great clients, and that I now get to teach other people too.

In your opinion what are the hottest trends in stationery right now?

Modern Calligraphy is definitely super hot right now! But in the shop we're getting a lot of requests for personalised stationery for kids?!

What has been your proudest moment to date?

Opening our bricks-and-mortar shop earlier this year. I didn't plan or particularly dream of having a store but now that we have it, I am very proud of the achievement.

What would be your advice to someone who is thinking about starting up a business?

Be prepared for a serious amount of hard work, make sure you have a good squad of friends and family to support you, research, research, research and get your mistakes out on paper in a business plan before you start, and just go for it and be prepared to go with the flow, you never know where it will take you.

What exciting things do you have in the pipeline for Quill London that you can share with us?

Hoping to launch our wedding & event stationery this year…..although it's taking a lot longer than I hoped! Maybe even a second store...

Complete these sentences:

Every home office should have a collection of lovely cards and notepaper so you can quickly send off thank yous after dinners, events and overnight stays. 

Your favourite part of London is Southwark because it still feels like 'real' London and there are so many gems (especially foodie ones). 

My favourite thing to do when I have a day off is hang out with my husband Alex, feast, wander and explore.

I hope you enjoyed getting to now Lucy a little better and if you want to join us for our workshop in June then head over to the shop now. 

With love,

Sommer x

Meet the Makers

Happy sunday!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend and finally we have some sun in London! Let's get those BBQs cranked up immediately before the rain clouds come back. Sundays for me is all about chilling with my fam, stuffing my face and having some down time to read and catch up on myself.

Niko Dafkos and Paul Firmin

I've been busily working away behind the scences on some fun projects and I'm particularly excited about our Candle and Calligraphy workshop with Earl of East London and Quill London 10th July. If you fancy a lovely Sunday getting creative with letter forms and making beautiful smelling candles, with a spot of lunch and wine thrown in then purchase your tickets here before they all sell out. 

I love social media. It's opened so many doors for me and it constantly gives me an abundance of inspiration. I actually started following Earl of East London on Instagram a while back and loved watching them make their dream of setting up a business a reality. Full of passion and community spirit their energy and love for what they do was infectious and helped motivate me to carry on with my dream. So thanks guys and keep up the good work! 

So it's with great pleasure to introduce you to Niko and Paul with a little interview I did with them recently. Enjoy, and I hope you get some inspiration too. 

Tell me how Earl of East London came about?

Earl of East London started out as a joint creative outlet for us. We both loved the idea of starting something of our own and one day we just decided to go for it. We originally started out as a stall selling a curated mix of candles, cacti and curiosities, pulling together all of our favourite homeware items into a single lifestyle stall and it just went from there.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

We have always been inspired by the makers movement in the US, independent craftsmen over there know how to promote themselves as a brand from day one and that was something we really wanted to achieve with Earl of East London.

In terms of our own sent line the inspiration comes from our travel and childhood memories. Scent is one of the brain's most vital senses for memory recall and for us it allows us to tell a story about the things, places or people that mean so much to us.

What's the biggest challenge for you?

Everyday has bought us something new, we balance day jobs with building our own brand, that has sometimes been really tough as it limits any free time. As we have continued to grow we have had to adapt and now as we scale our business we need to look for the right likeminded people to help us get there. You have to put a lot of trust in others to stay true to your vision and whilst it feels like a risk, working with others is very rewarding.

Can you share with us any exciting plans you have for the future?

We are launching two new scents called Strand and Atlas Cedar and we will launch corresponding Reed Diffusers for each scent. In addition to this we have a new studio/co-working space in development, which will help us to take our brand to the next level.

What have you learnt on this journey of yours?

That everyday will post new problems but the fun is in finding the solution. In the past few years we have met and collaborated with some incredible people that have helped us grow and become our professional support network. We are just so pleased we decided to see if we could make our dream a reality.

What's the best piece of advice anyone has given you?

Go with your gut.

Complete these sentences...

My favourite scent is Monocle's Hinoki Wood fragrance because it's so elegant and distinctive.

Our favourite city is London because it's where we met and it's our home, if we had to pick another city it would be LA for sure. It's not the easiest to know but once you have a network there it's a hard city to beat on so many levels.

Our one piece of style advice is to keep it simple, you can't beat a plain T and jeans.

To buy a ticket to the Candle and Calligraphy workshop go here

To follow the boys on their adventure on Instagram click here and be sure to check out their lifestyle shop earlofeastlondon.co.uk or pay them a visit.

Stay curious,

Sommer x