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Since becoming more serious and consistent with my blog, I decided to try and grow my social media channels. Mainly Instagram and Twitter because I think these ones work best for my blog and I reached 3000 followers on Instagram recently. I did give Pinterest a good go in summer and it worked well for a while but I felt like it was taking up all of my time so I took a step back. Maybe I will try with Pinterest again but I just thought a break was needed and I haven't really gone back since.
Anyway, since I have been trying to grow my Instagram, I've been putting more care into the pictures I take and upload and I am going to be sharing how I do this. As you may have seen in my Goals for 2021 blog post, growing my Instagram is one of my main blogging goals this year.
I will also write a post all about how I am growing my Instagram in the near future too because that's the channel that is growing the quickest for me. But for now, I will just be sharing some tips on how I take my pictures. This could work really well for you or not work for you at all, it's just interesting to see different approaches in my opinion.
Tips on how to take pictures for Instagram
1. Upload content you love
2. Try to create a theme
3. Use Adobe Presets
4. Treat everything as a photo opportunity
5. Show your face
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I did actually write a goals and wishes post for 2020 too but it's been such a weird year I feel like it was hard to achieve them. Although, this has been my best, most consistent year for blogging yet. All the lockdowns actually helped my blog so there's one positive from 2020, but I really am looking forward to 2021. Hopefully things will be more normal but we'll see.
Blogging goals
1. Reaching 5000 views on a single blog post - not as of yet.
This is a stretch but so far the most views I have on a blog post is 3400. At the beginning of 2020 the most views I'd ever had was 1400 and that was a complete fluke. I used to get 200 views if I was lucky so if my blog keeps growing the way it has been, I really hope I can reach this goal.
2. 5000 Instagram followers - close, I got to 4200 at the end of 2021
I am going to really try to grow my Instagram this year. At the start of the year I had 1700 ish (I can't remember the exact number) and I'm starting 2021 with over 3000 followers. Again, it's a steep goal but I am hoping to achieve it. I will write some posts documenting my journey on how I am intending to gain more of a following. One thing that's important to gaining followers is consistent branding. Check out these social media canva templates to help with branding across all of your social media channels.
3. 20,000 monthly blog views - sadly not
Again, another steep goal but the most views I've gotten in a month so far was 15,000 views back in November - so hopefully not too far off. See how I got over 10,000 monthly views this year.
4. 100,000 yearly blog views or over for 2021 - DONE
This year I reached 78,000 views on my blog for the year and I only really started properly blogging again in April, so I'm hoping with log views starting from January this time will make this a realistic goal for me. I'm definitely going to have to plan my blog and content more effectively too. Check out THE ULTIMATE yearly blogging planner to help you plan yours.
5. Make money through blogging - DONE
I love blogging without making money from it but from seeing what other bloggers can make with their blog I may as well try. It would be so amazing to be able to make even a little bit of money through a hobby that I love but I still feel like I have a long way to go for this goal. In 2020 I have done several gifted ads so I just need to go that one step further. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
6. Work on SEO and increase my DA score - DA has improved
This is kind of goes hand in hand with goal number 5 because I feel like most paid ads require a high(ish) domain authority score. I will be the first to admit that my SEO needs a lot of work so hopefully this is something I can improve in 2021. Again, any tips would be amazing. For those of you who don't know, a domain authority (DA) score is a score out of 100 that is to do with your SEO (search engine optimisation) and the higher your score, the more likely you are to rank higher on search engines like Google. A lot of brands will only work with you if your DA score is over 20 but some don't mind.
One resource I have started using already to help with SEO is the Google Analytics Cheatsheet mini E-book.
Personal goals
1. Graduate university with a 2:1 - DONE
2. Cook more proper meals - I tried many pasta dishes, I’m counting this
3. Cut things out that aren't good for my mental health - doing pretty well with this
Post-Covid Goals
1. Go abroad - I WISH!!!
2. Celebrate my birthday out of the house - sadly not again but I did way more to celebrate this year
3. Go to my summer ball - cancelled :(
4. Have a graduation - DONE
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My 2020 Roundup
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One of my favourite things to do to get in the holiday mood is to watch Christmas films! If you celebrate Christmas, I have some suggestions lined up for you that you need to watch! I hadn't seen a lot of Christmas films before because I have kind of had my favourites since I was a kid, then I would just watch those every year without seeing any new ones. This year, because we've been in lockdown, I have made it my mission to watch more Christmas films that I haven't seen. If you're like me and watch the same ones every year, then why not try watching some of my suggestions?
1. The Grinch
I think the Grinch is probably my favourite Christmas film. I really loved the new Dr Seuss animated Grinch that came out a few years ago. It's just really visually pleasing with the colours and all the Christmas decorations. The animated version is available to watch on Netflix.
2. Home Alone 1 & 2
I love Home Alone 1 & 2 so much! I know there are other but they really don't appeal to me as much without the original cast. Even if you don't like Christmas these are still enjoyable because it just shows the struggles of little Kevin when he gets left behind by his family at Christmas in a comedic way. Both films are on Disney+.
3. Santa Claus 1, 2 & 3
All 3 of The Santa Claus films are classics. I really like watching any of these in the lead up to Christmas just because they are all about Santa Claus and getting the toys to children - it's just cute all round. These are also on Disney+.
4. Miracle on 34th Street
Can you believe I only watched this film recently? This is my mum's favourite and she always tells me to watch it but I haven't until a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed it and it's definitely in my top favourites now.
5. Love Actually
I am just going to make the assumption that 99% of you have already seen Love Actually if you're from the UK? However, you never know. If you haven't, you must! It basically has every British famous person ever in it and it's just a film all British people seem to watch at Christmas time.
6. Christmas with the Kranks
Again, this film was new to me this year. It's not the most amazing Christmas film I've seen but I did enjoy watching it.
7. A Christmas Carol
There are so many versions of this film and all of the ones I've seen seem to be pretty good. The Muppet's Christmas Carol and Mickey's Christmas Carol on Disney+ are cute to watch too!
8. Elf
I've seen so many people on social media watching Elf this year, I have only watched it a few times but it's such a classic for so many people. I'm not usually a fan of Will Ferrell films but I don't mind this one because it's Christmas.
9. The Holiday
The Holiday is another one I had only watched recently. It's definitely a Sunday afternoon Christmas chick flick.
10. Nativity
I think I had only seen bits of Nativity when it had been on TV but this year I watched it all the way through and I really enjoyed it. I need to watch 2 and 3 now to see if they're any good.
What are your favourite Christmas films? Are there any not on here that I need to watch?
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Looking for more Christmas content? Check out my Christmas activity ideas post, featuring some of your favourite bloggers.
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Christmas Activity Ideas to do at Home
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When I'm not living in Bournemouth for university, I live in Wiltshire, UK. I will always say that there is nothing to do in Wiltshire, so this list as well as for my readers, is for me, to remind me of what there is to do when I'm at home. If you live in Wiltshire or want to visit after the lockdown, then here are some ideas of what to do while you're there.
Things to do in Wiltshire
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I am so excited to be sharing my first proper Christmas gift guide post. A couple of years ago I wrote a post on buying gender neutral Christmas gifts, but it was mainly just ideas and not really a full comprehensive list. After the year we've had with the pandemic, it is increasingly important to support small businesses. Therefore, I will be sharing some of my favourite small businesses which I think sell products that would make great Christmas gifts.
Lifestyle
Alisha from Inside the Voyage blog has started selling the most amazing smelling wax melts. They are such good value for money and I can't recommend these enough! Perfect for a relaxing, self-care evening.
Paulina has very recently started Needle & Stitch. She is making really cute felt keyrings at the moment that would make great stocking fillers!
Melissa sells homemade crafts on her Etsy page. These include conker wreaths and really pretty candle jars.
Over on Asia's Instagram page, she sells dupes of designer perfumes and aftershaves such as Dior Sauvage that smell exactly like the real thing for such a good price. I have tried the 449 which is a dupe of Jimmy Choo Fever and it smells the same. I would definitely recommend these as Christmas gifts.
Katy has an Etsy shop where she sells prints of locations and cities that she designs herself. Some of the locations include Amsterdam, Lincoln and Venice. I just really love the prints she creates and they would look great on someone's wall. They are well priced for the quality.
Lauren from the Artist's Lab sells embroidery kits for beginners. This would be a great gift for someone creative. It would also be a good present to get someone in case of another lockdown or self-isolation. It's something to do while at home and could be a great way to unwind and get away from a screen for a while.
Earrings
Jess sells really cool statement earrings over on her Etsy. I have been loving statement earrings from small businesses at the moment, they are all just so unique.
Kate makes the most beautiful resin earrings with pressed flowers. These would make great gifts for people who love earrings like this.
I haven't seen any earrings like the one Alice makes before. They are so unique and look so cool! Again, they are statement earrings so would be great for people who wear earrings. Alice has made a Christmas gift box containing 4 pairs of polyclay earrings for the value of £17, saving you £7! You can add an optional personal message with this gift box and the packaging is 100% recyclable.
Use the code GIFTGUIDE20 for 20% off when buying any product from Alice Lizzy.
Stationary
Amanthis is a black-owned small stationary shop with a great range of helpful products. My go-to product from Amanthis is the Master Mindset Diary. I couldn't live without it at uni. For more information, read my review of the Master Mindset Diary by Amanthis.
Robin and Thorn is a small lifestyle shop. They have all sorts of products including stationary. I use their list pads for my to-do lists and I find it really helpful.
Gifts for bloggers
Jordanne Lee Creative on Gumroad
Jordanne from Of a Glasgow Girl has some really helpful products on her Gumroad including Instagram highlight covers and blogging planners.
Use code LAUREN20 for 20% off your order.
Again, Jenny has some really helpful products on her Gumroad. Her products are particularly helpful for blogging beginners.
Stocking fillers
Carfume is a luxury car scent business. These would make great stocking fillers for drivers as we all love to have nice smelling cars.
Children's gifts
What are some of your favourite small businesses to shop from?
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Related Read: Christmas Activities to do at Home
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Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the introduction of a lot of travel restrictions, I have been much more appreciative of seeing different parts of the UK. In summer, I spent 48 hours in Lincoln and 48 hours in Hastings.
Before the second lockdown, I was able to get away to Suffolk and stay in a lovely house there with my friend Maddie. It was a really old, beautiful house in the middle of the countryside. The house was a short drive away from some pretty beaches and seaside towns so we were able to explore them.
Day 1
On the first day, we wandered round a town called Aldeburgh and walked along the beach. There were quite a few independent shops there and lots of really cute dogs! We had an ice cream there and then went back to the house. I did some uni work in the house too - the grind never stops in third year.
After going back to the house, we decided to go out for dinner. We went to this Italian / pub called The Angel which I thought was a little strange but the food was delicious. I tried scallops for the first time in my seafood linguine.
Day 2
Similar to day 1, we walked around another little town and beach in Southwold. Again, they had lots of little shops and really cute dogs! Not far from Southwold, we went to this hidden away fish and chip shop called Sole Bay Fish Company. I might even go as far as to say it was the best chippy I've been to. You could get alcoholic drinks there, and you could sit in too. They didn't just have your classic cod, chips and mushy peas. They also had muscles, lobster, crab, you name it. I had muscles and chips and they were amazing!
After that, we went back to the house and played some board games and had an amazing cheese board. I have to shout out to Maddie for this, she really put on an amazing spread!
Day 3
I think Day 3 was my favourite day. We took a trip up to the Norfolk Broads and went on a boat around the broads. I really love going on boat trips, we went on one in Amsterdam around the canals too and that was really fun. It's probably just a novelty for me because it's something I only do when I go away.
There were some amazing holiday homes on the Broads, it was just so relaxing and fun on the boat. It did get really cold really quickly though.
Where is your favourite place to visit in the UK?
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Related Read: 5 Things to do in Wiltshire UK
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Since I have been studying in Bournemouth for the last couple of years, I've visited a lot of nice places in Dorset. We are lucky here to be surrounded by lots of beautiful places, and to be right by the sea. I've put together a list of all of my favourite places in Dorset that I have visited so far. There's still some places I haven't been to and things I haven't done, so I'm going to be making a bucket list for my final year of university. I may post it on my blog and tick it off as the year goes by so keep a look out for that.
Places you need to visit in Dorset after lockdown
Bournemouth Beach
Obviously, I have to put Bournemouth Beach as the first destination on the list as I live in Bournemouth. It's one of my favourite places to go in the country. It's such a lovely beach to visit all year round, that's why it's so popular. There's also lots of things to do nearby like the Oceanarium and the arcade.
Sandbanks
Only 3 miles from Bournemouth Beach, Sandbanks is one of the most expensive places to live in the UK. Sometimes, I like to go there just to drive past the huge houses there. It's half beach, half harbour at sandbanks and it's just an all round nice area.
Hengistbury Head
Still on the beach, Hengistbury head is a great place to go for a walk and you will usually see lots of cute dogs. It's basically just a big hill on the beach and once you get to the top, you can see amazing views of the sea and you can see all the way to Christchurch and Mudeford too.
Poole Harbour
I really love going to Poole harbour and pretending I'm rich and deciding what boat I'd have if I was. Maybe one day, I can dream! They usually run cool boat trips from Poole harbour too, with some going to Swanage and Brownsea Island. I would check that though because of Covid.
Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle had been on my list of places to visit for a while and it's such a lovely village. The actual castle is really high up so has great views of the rest of the village.
Swanage
Swanage is just your typical seaside town which I love. There are lots of little independent shops there and it's just a really pretty place. The arcade there is really fun too!
Sculpture by the Lakes
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit Sculpture by the Lakes near Dorchester on a PR trip. It's such a tranquil place and a really great day out. Read all about my trip to Sculpture by the Lakes.
Tyneham Abandoned Village
Tyneham is a village that was abandoned during World War II and no one ever returned. It's an interesting visit but is a very little place so it doesn't take very long to look around. I believe it is only open to the public for visiting on Saturdays but it's really interesting to see.
Durdle Door
Durdle door is one of the most beautiful places in the whole of England in my opinion. I don't feel like I need to explain this one - the picture says it all.
Do you live near any nice places to visit? Until the lockdown is over, stay safe x
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Related Read: 48 Hours in Hastings
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*This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through this link, I will receive a small commission that is no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclaimer.
I recently asked on my Instagram for questions that could form a Q&A blog post and I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of questions I received.
I was asked all sorts of questions about blogging and just about life in general, so without further a do I will start answering them!
Get to know me!
1. How did you get into blogging?
I started my blog in 2016 while I was in college. Back then, it was just a way of me writing my thoughts and I didn't know how long I'd actually stick to writing. It wasn't until this year that I've started keeping up with regular posting and this year has been my best year stats and opportunities for things like reviews and press events.
2. What are your tips for coping mentally at uni?
This is a hard one because university can be really draining sometimes. My advice would just be to force yourself to stay motivated and on top of everything. A lot of the time I won't feel motivated, but as soon as I get the tiniest bit of motivation to do work, I will force myself to try and do as much work as possible, just to make the most out of feeling motivated.
It can be so hard to balance everything so I would recommend keeping a diary and staying really organised. If you feel like you have your life together, you will feel better about university. And if you don't, then it's a fake it til you make it kind of situation. Read my tips on how to stay organised at university for more information.
3. What is your favourite trip away that you have been on?
Definitely either my trip to Sorrento, my trip to Amsterdam, or the Christmas markets in Germany. I find it so hard to pick a favourite because then were all so different. I hope to go on many more trips away but then it would make it even harder to pick a favourite!
4. What's the best food you've had abroad?
I have had some really good food abroad but I'd have to say the pizza in Sorrento was the best. You just can't beat Italian pizza!
5. Who is your favourite blogger?
Again, so hard to pick a favourite but I can give you my top 5 in no particular order:
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