I have a not so secret love affair with Instagram. I love it. Love it, love it, love it!

I see my Instagram gallery as a mini blog. A way that I can share my life quickly and easily and give my followers and readers a chance to get to know me better. Well at least that's how I feel about the people I follow.

I get excited when they post, I feel inspired. Not everyone I follow lives a perfect "Insta Life". Not everyone is on holiday once a month, eats at perfectly light restaurants everyday, has a house that could double as a film set and has picture perfect make up for the school run.

But lots do. Or at least they seem to. And that is the magic of Instagram. I don't see it as cheating, to share your best bits, your highlights. 

I love that the everyday can be incredibly aspirational, it's all about what you choose to share.

Sometimes a snippet is so much more powerful that the whole. I love sharing corners of our home, rushing out into the conservatory to snap my lunch on a piece of whiteboard (YES - that's true and I am not alone) and creating a pretty floral image.

It makes me happy. It's become firmly part of my daily ritual and it allows me to connect with my readers when life gets so busy, that blog posts become few and far between in a week.

But I thought it might be interesting to share a few real life images. To show how it doesn't matter if the house is covered in washing, if there's a stack of papers and post on the side in the kitchen, that's creeping over the entire work surface, if you actually eat on your laps in front of the tv instead of on a perfect white table (I mean piece of card) or god forbid baby wipe a school jumper out of the washing basket.

Because it's your gallery! And for me it's my completely creative indulgence. People who encourage your individual style, and support each other. You don't have to post, you can just follow. Or use your gallery as your creative sounding board.

Just play and enjoy. Share what you want to share. Don't feel guilty for choosing what you share. Oh and it's absolutely not wrong to edit your phone photos! Brighten them a little, sharpen them, use a lovely filter. 

But here's a peek into my real life vs insta life...

I try and find that little bit of extraordinary in my ordinary, well at least what feels extraordinary to me! My husband is still not convinced on a pile of old snail shells from the garden. He didn't get why I was excited to see it shared on the #nothingisordinary gallery! 

Nothing is ordinary.

UPDATE: Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post. I've decided to start a new monthly series at the end of the month in 2016 showing you some more behind the scenes. So pop back soon :)

I started this year with a post all about my words of encouragement for my fellow bloggers, parents, readers and friends. I mentioned a little idea and I have been absolutely stunned by how many people want to take part. Almost 200 people have registered to join this cheerful project!

The Springtime Surprise Project is about doing something nice, just because.

Something kind, thoughtful and all for a stranger. It's about celebrating all that is good about the connections we make on the internet.

It's too easy to focus on the negative stories, to see the critical and sometimes all out scandalous unkind stories splashed across social media feeds. So I think we should do something just lovely.

Sign up to be part of this happy project. Everyone who agrees to take part will be matched with a postal partner to send a small gift to. Trinkets, homemade treasures, stationery, baking bits, preloved finds you'd like to pass on.

Anything goes! You need to fill in your details on the Springtime Surprise Website to help your partner learn a little more about you and the guide price for the parcel is £5.

This project is not about money. It's about being generous with your time and effort. And bringing a little Spring cheer into someone's day.

Life is busy. And sometimes it's nice to feel special. 

The project will be open to everyone until the 1st February 2015 after which time you will receive the details of your lovely partner. All parcels need to be sent by the 16th March 2015 so that we can all open them by the Spring Equinox. The first day of Spring this year is the 20th March. 

I can't wait for you to be part of this #springtimesurpriseproject. 

If you have already registered hooray! 

Head over to the Springtime Surprise Website and fill in your details!

In 2014 I felt like I had a blogging epiphany. I stopped worrying what other people thought and found my voice.

I realised, writing a blog, working around my children, making a stranger smile when they commented on a post or photo, feels pretty amazing. I started this blog almost 3 years ago, with absolutely no expectations. I never dared believe it would be read by people in other parts of the world and I'd see my photo in magazines.

I want to pinch myself almost every day. 

And I wanted to share some words of encouragement (Tips always sounds like I claim to know what I am doing!) for other bloggers or perhaps for people with their own, or starting their own, business this year.

In 2015 - Do Not Compare 

Healthy competition is good. Light hearted sibling rivalry between bloggers can be entertaining, if you are watching from the sidelines. But I've seen too much negativity this year. Snide comments, sad face emojis, down right blatant bitchiness. Over the internet, in public. It's not big and it's not clever. 

You are a published author, every time you hit save and post. You influence people, you make people laugh. You inspire others. 

I have felt so disheartened to see bloggers upset over rankings. Especially when the comments start with "I don't understand, I've had my best month on Twitter, the most engagement on Facebook..." I want to scream and say, that's is amazing! That is the statistic you should care about! YOUR stats, YOUR readers are listening! 

Your readers and followers care about YOU. Not who is 5 places above you in a scoreboard.

Over this year I have stopped checking how many followers I have compared to others, stopped checking my traffic figures on a daily basis. It was just habit. 30 days to make a habit, 30 days to break a habit! Instead when I check my analytics on a weekly basis, I look at what was most popular, where people are being referred from, what posts get the most engagement, and I try to use those metrics to shape and influence my content.

In 2015 - Show You Care

Be kinder.

It makes you feel nicer. Thank the people who support your blog. 

If you see someone on Twitter or Facebook having a rubbish day, cheer them up. Usually just a friendly reply is enough to make that person feel a little better. 

This year I took part in the Oh Comely Perfect Strangers Project. One box, a £10 guide, to a stranger. There was this incredible wave of collective kindness that surged around the internet. People were emailed their swap partner and set about making a little box of goodies. People, baked, knitted, created, sourced and supported other makers and crafters. I was blown away when I received my parcel. My swap partner had poured so much effort, especially for me, into the prettiest package I have ever been sent. 

Oh Comely will be running the project again in May but I would love to do something similar, if any of you would like to join in?! A little Springtime surprise between us all. A £5 guide, a sweet parcel, to make someone's day a little brighter. 

If you fancy joining in, pop your email here for more details when the daffodils start to bloom!

In 2015 - Have The Confidence To Share

Sharing doesn't mean you give away your trade secrets. It means you are helping to inspire others. 

If you make lovely videos, share how you edit them, where you source the music from. It doesn't take anything away from your videos. If you love taking photos, share some behind the scenes shots, if someone commented that they thought your posts was beautifully captured, share how you snapped it, what editing program you use, what phone apps you love?

Have confidence in your own style. Be proud of what you write, what you make, what you sell.

I write this blog as part of my work, it's grown from a hobby, a personal diary, and that is absolutely fine! I can't say that I write just for me, because I write for me, for Rich, for Sammy and Ollie. I am immensely proud of the collaborations and brands I have featured over the last year and will continue to be cautious about who I promote to my readers. To make sure I work with like minded companies, who value the effort I put into my sponsored posts and who I can form a lasting relationship with. 

Don't be shy about the fact that your blog is your business. Don't be embarrassed. People blog for lots of different reasons and that is what makes the internet a more interesting place. 

This year I am so excited to speak at a number of events. On the 7th March I will be hosting a hands on photography workshop at Blog On Cymru in Cardiff. It's the first time the conference has been run in Cardiff and I can't wait to share my props and talk through everything I have learnt over the last few year, to help you get more creative and have fun with your photography. 

In June I will be speaking again at one of the biggest blog conferences in the country. I have something different planned for this year, so watch this space...

I am also in cahoots with an incredibly talented photographer in London, to co host a creative day focussing on food photography. But we need to figure out a couple more details before I can share any more!

I'm hoping that by the Summer, I will have cleared out the workshop and be ready to host a very small group at my home. A day to learn from each other, drink flowery cocktails and play with props we can snip from the garden. It might just be a dream at the moment, but you have to start somewhere!

In 2015 - Remember Being A Super Blogger is Rare

No one is superman, or woman for that matter. No one. 

It may look like it from the highlights and show reel that they share on their Instagram feed, but behind that carefully chosen and edited photo is a pile of washing that hasn't been put away for weeks, a rotting bag of salad that's been forgotten about in the bottom of the fridge and children, who despite crafting their little fingers off in a Facebook news feed, actually spend far too much time on a phone or tablet. How many of us will admit that there are too many days that start with your children waking up and you giving them your phone, to give you just a few more minutes peace? 

But it doesn't make you a bad person! People who are often referred to of the super variety, are juggling too much. Squeezing one more thing into each day and creating the illusion that they must have 28 hours in their day compared to everyone else's 24. 

You don't have to be good at everything. 

I've spent a lot of time in 2014 trying to turn my hand to new challenges, often feeling like I am doing a little of everything, but nothing very well. 

I've realised I don't have to flood my blog with the latest trends, I don't have to have a YouTube channel. I am most comfortable with my camera. I love talking into a microphone, in the comfort of one of Rich's hoodies and I miss publishing my podcast. So instead of reading lots of posts which terrify me, because this is apparently the year of the something or other, I am going to stick to what I enjoy most. And hopefully my readers will enjoy it too. 

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy New Year. We all start the new year with the word happy. Let's try and stay happy, whatever life may throw at us, whatever sadness or challenges we may experience over the next 12 months. Look for the positive, and if you can't find it, reach out to someone.

Here's to health, happiness and helping each other in 2015.