Valentines day when you're single is stereotypically supposed to be one of the worst celebrations of the year. For me who's spending valentine's day alone for the first time in four years this year, I can totally see why it would admittedly be one of the more days us single ladies seem to dread. But I'm not going to let it be something I can't not celebrate just because I'm not loved up, you know? Instead I'm going to have it as the day that I take time out for ME and focus on loving myself as much as I possibly can (which btw we should all be doing every single day of the year anyway). So if you're a singleton like me and don't have anyone 'special' to spend the 14th with, then keep on reading because I've got a fair few ways you can make it your special day instead!

We all can agree that most of us want to run a successful blog and be able to manage it to the best way that we can, right? No matter how long you have been blogging for, you'll know that it takes a lot of hard work, time and motivation to be able to achieve this. There's always a mixture of different things you need to be doing to run your blog and any social media channels you have linked to it. Today I wanted to share with you a series of task ideas you can use monthly to help maintain the running of your blog and also achieve the things you might forget about or put off for whatever reason. These ideas will help keep you super organised and also working efficiently to make your blog the best it can be!

Within the past year or so, my bedroom has basically been a work in progress. Due to being on a small budget and not having much DIY skills, the changeover from having blue and floral details to blush pink with gold and grey accents has taken quite some time. I've been on the hunt for more accessories to finish off my room with and make it feel completely whole. One style of decor I really wanted in my room for a long time were some wall prints but could never find anything that I had envisioned. I even contemplated making my own so I could exactly what I was after. But then when the lovely people of Posterlounge got in touch, it was like one of my room wishes had been fulfilled and the best part was I could also run a giveaway for one of you to win a print of your choice!!!

One of my goals for this year was to be more active on social media for a couple of reasons. The first being I wanted to meet new people, create friendships with others in the blogging world and build a community of like minded people. But also wanted to up my engagement and interaction with current and potential readers of my blog. We all know that social media can be a great way to get our blogs out there, so if you're like me and want to up your social media game this year to help with the growth of your blog, then I've got a plenty of simple ways you can do so and how to maintain the amount of activity you have.

I pin daily over on Pinterest and have my own Inspiring Thoughts board if any of you want to check it out and always have somewhere to go for a positive or inspiring pick me up!

What's your favourite quote? Do you like any of the  above?

Lauren x

Now we're coming to the final couple of days of the year, some of us may be feeling worn out from the year or even just from the past few weeks with all the Christmas celebrations we've been having. It's always good at the end of one year and the start of another to recharge yourself and get yourself back into a good place, ready to take on the new year that you have ahead of you. I've got lots of different ways you can help recharge yourself for the new year:

Sleep - With bank holidays and time off from work or your studies, it's the perfect time to catch some much needed rest to help you get back your energy for the new year. Take regular naps if need be or just take yourself off to bed a little earlier each night. This is also good practice for when you have to get back in your routine. Even after nights out with parties and gatherings this time of the year, it's also super nice to have an extra long lay in or treat yourself to a lazy day. Just relax and enjoy the time.

Opportunities and progress - A new year brings lots of opportunities and the chance to continue to progress in many stages of your life. You might fancy setting yourself some short and long term goals to work towards. Long term will be good to help you to vision where you want to be come next year. It's also good to know what you want to achieve and how you're going to achieve it. This helps with motivation and ensures you put in the hard effort to get there.

Detox everything you don't need - Start the year in the best possible way you can. Detox and get rid of anything that brings you negativity this includes people and things. You want to start your year fresh and in a positive exciting way. You don't want to be pulled down by toxic people or situations that are no good for you. Let go of those who hold you down or don't nourish you. Keep those real friendships and relationships. Good people create good vibes. Get rid of any unhealthy habits and replace them with positive ones.

Express gratitude - Be grateful for the year you've had. Even if it was the toughest one yet. It's going to give you the chance to move on with your life into a brand new year with lots more exciting yet challenging moments. Reminisce on all the fun memories you've experienced and things you've achieved this year by being appreciative to have been able to have those experiences. Be grateful to go onto a new year and have the opportunity to continue living.

I absolutely love wrapping presents, even if I'm not particularly good at it and it results in looking like a three year old has wrapped up. I just love being creative with it and knowing the excitement that will come with handing out the gifts to my loved ones. There's so many wonderful ways to get really creative with your gift wrapping, even for those of us who struggle with just simply wrapping the gifts in paper. Pinterest is my number one place for all things inspiration all the time, but there are also so many fantastic wrapping ideas for you to recreate yourself.  I've gathered together some of my favourite ones to share with you all today, because no doubt if you haven't already, then you will be making an effort to wrap your present sometime over the next week!

1. DIY Christmas Light Wrapping Paper - How cute is this one? I love the crafted lights on the plain brown paper wrapping. It just adds an extra detail to something so simple and brings that Christmas vibe to the wrap.
2. An assortment - Instead of just sticking to one wrapping paper for all your presents, why not do an assortment of different wrapping paper that goes well together to spice things up a little? These colours all go fit perfectly!
3. Add a quote - Back on that brown paper theme again, but this time throwing on a quote inspired by the festive magic and some string with baubles attached for lots more details. This one looks super personalised and Christmassy.

Planning - This is a very important part of blogging as a whole, but especially important when it comes to shooting photos for your posts and in particular when you struggle to shoot said photos. Planning your photos for your content will help give you rough ideas and a guide of what it is exactly that you want to shoot and you want the end result to be. You could jot down what it is exactly you're photographing, like a beauty product for a review, then build around this idea. What props are you going to use? What backgrounds? What colour scheme do you want to base it around? What style of photo is it going to be? Ask yourself lots of questions and build on your ideas. This will really help you to be prepared and gather yourself lots of inspiration together. It will also help improve your motivation, because you'll be ready for it and excited to create the photographs you have envisioned. As a result, you'll end up getting better shots that you really love and will feel proud of yourself for achieving exactly what you wanted.  

Experiment and learn - Do your research before shooting. This obviously includes the planning stages, but if you want more tips then look into other areas you might be struggling with. This might be photo style, props, how to work your camera, better lighting or how to work from different angles. Pinterest and other blogs are a great place to look for help and tips. Also knowing how your camera works is essential for you to work better with it and have the ability to experiment more. Experimenting with your photography is a great way to get really creative and build on your experiences. Try different things and see what works best for you. Play around with the angles, the way you shoot, the backgrounds. Think about what you like in photographs and try incorporate that into your own, but add your own twist to it to make it personal to you. 

Some helpful posts by other bloggers on blog photography:

12 Tips For Taking Blog Photos by DizzyBrunette3

How To Master Flat Lay Photography by GemmaLouise

The Best Photography Basics To Learn For Awesome Images by FromRoses

Blog Photography Styling + Affordable Props by ThirteenThoughts

Creating Dreamy Photographs For Your Blog by PintSizedBeauty

Prioritise - Do it first and get it out of the way if you really do not enjoy doing it. This will help you to focus on other tasks afterwards, which you may prefer more than photographing for your blog. It's also sometimes useful to have your images uploaded already onto your draft post as this might help you to write better when you have an image to draw inspiration from. Also do your photography in bulk. Once you have a series of post ideas, take the photos for all of them in one go to not only be organised, but it also means you've done it and don't have to stress about doing more at a later date.

Finding your style takes time - I've been blogging for over a year now, which is hardly anytime at all compared to others. But I'm still trying to figure out my photography style. I absolutely love flat lays and they're a great go to, but I also love to experiment with other styles of photography and I think that's absolutely fine to do. Some bloggers prefer to stick to one style, which they become well known for, whilst others like to have a couple to switch between to spice things up a little through different posts. The more you photograph and the more you build on your skills and knowledge, the easier it will become and you might even find yourself enjoying it. This has happened to me many times before. I've actually liked taking the photos and been proud of my achievements, so much so that I have found myself wanting to keep on snapping away.

Use the basics - Don't overcomplicate things. Go straight back to basics. Remember to have good lighting. Get near a big window or door within the place you shoot to get lots of natural light in from the outside. Stick to backgrounds you know reflect the style and theme of your post or your blog. Have a selection of props you can always go back to and experiment with in different shots. Remember to think about what exactly it is you're photographing and keep that aim in your mind throughout the whole shooting session.

And finally, just have fun with it! Don't stress yourself out too much. Remember it's a learning game and it's ok to still be learning. We all are. Even the experts who look like they have their sh*t together.

How do you make blog photography easier? What tips do you have for others?

Lauren x