Time For A Revamp!

Hey! Thanks for stopping by my blog. If you’re reading for the first time, welcome! If you’ve been here before, hopefully you’ve noticed a change or two.

I’ve been thinking about revamping my blog for a little while now – probably since around October/November of last year. I decided against changing the layout – I splashed out on a pipdig theme a couple of years ago, and I still love it as much as I did back then. I love the white space, how everything looks simple and organised; it’s the complete opposite of my life offline. I think the look of my blog is what I aspire my future home to be (God help me and my constant mess).

But as much as I love the format and the layout of my blog, there’s always been one thing that’s bothered me about the overall look. In fact, it’s not limited to my blog. It’s on my YouTube channel and my Facebook page and my Twitter. It’s followed me around like a bad smell ever since I started making videos in 2014. My lack of artistic ability.

I’ve mentioned before on my blog and in previous videos – my art skills are literally non-existent. I can’t draw. I can’t paint. In fact, I’m pretty hopeless at most practical skills, whether that’s cooking or DIY. I’m a bit better in terms of technical skills – I can edit photos and videos (although I’m definitely no expert at either). But when it comes to creating an image, I find myself becoming so frustrated and impatient; I know that the image I attempt to put on the screen will look nothing like the one in my mind.

When I first started creating content online, I made a collage of photos using my limited Photoshop skills and a semi-transparent pink layer (thankfully, I’ve improved a fair bit since then!) After that, I had a really bright pink background with a nice font. Then I had a gradient of pink. It’s safe to say there’s been a lot of pink over the last 4 years!

When I decided to have a revamp, I knew that I wanted something a little bit different. Something that would show a little bit of me. Something with a bit of personality.

So I contacted Ellis.

Ellis Woolley is one of the most creative people I know. She’s a freelance illustrator, and she runs her shop Pastel Elixir with her husband James (see the above image for some of her products). She has a blog, and somehow also manages to uploads YouTube videos as well (all while looking after 2 of the cutest dogs you’ve ever seen!) I’ve picked up a few things from the shop – I absolutely adore the style of her designs. They’re cutesy and quirky; and even the packaging of the products brings a smile to your face!

From seeing the designs in the shop, I knew that Ellis would be able to produce the sort of thing I was after. I decided to go for 4 custom illustrations; a DSLR camera (since I’m getting into photography) an eyeshadow palette (I own far too many) a compact mirror (so I can blind myself with my highlight) and a classic iPod (because music is life). I found Ellis’ prices to be very reasonable; she made sure I was happy with how things were going, and she kept me updated the whole way through the process, sending through drafts and making changes as we went along.

I’m honestly in love with the images – as silly as it sounds, I can’t stop looking at them! I decided to licence a new font as well – and I’m so pleased with how everything has turned out. It looks so much more simple; yet at the same time, it looks so much more ME.

I can’t thank Ellis enough for all the work she’s done – she’s been a great help, and I’d definitely go to her for other work in the future. If you haven’t checked out the shop yet, pop over and take a look – there’s SO many products to choose from, and they’re all so affordable as well – ideal for little gifts!

There’s just 2 weeks of uni classes left, and 6 weeks until my final deadline. I can’t wait to get back into blogging properly again (especially now that it’s so much more aesthetically pleasing!