Rebrandiversary – what’s in a name

It’s kinda hard to believe one year ago I made the leap to rebrand my blog. I say rebrand as if my website is an actual thing that’s taken seriously, but nevertheless it’s been a year since that little change and I can say it was possibly the best change I made around here. Before ‘The Interior DIYer’ my blog was called ‘Hydrangea Girl’. I know it was the right decision to change it because that last sentence makes me cringe to no end [if you’re particularly bored you can read why I changed the name here].

In the year since changing the name of my blog I’ve been offered some amazing opportunities. I’m not saying it’s down to the name change, but within the past year I became Woodie’s DIY guest blogger, was asked to jump on board as Image Interiors & Living’s DIY Expert, conducted interviews at the spring and autumn Colourtrend Interior Design Forum and wrote for a number of bloggers and brands; with Harvey Norman’s blog being one of the more recent. It’s mad! It could be coincidence and I’m not saying such brands wouldn’t have worked with me beforehand, but I mean come awn. I think having the name ‘The Interior DIYer’ helped a little. It’s what it says on the tin.

Hydrangea Girl will always be how I started and I’m not turning my back on the name I picked quickly one morning when I first started this blog. Robert recently wrote on a card to me “you’ll always be my Hydrangea Girl” [insert ugly crying here]. I don’t think I could forget it if I wanted! 
So if you’re thinking of changing the name of your brand or your site, my advice? … 

Viridian is in

I have a love / hate relationship with colour. I’m forever envious of people’s homes that are full of colour, character and are beautifully cheery. I’ve tried colour. And I can’t do it. I fully appreciate and admire brave colour palettes, but I just can’t do them. I get really uncomfortable when there are wild colours in my own space. I’ve tried to figure it out. I fought it for a long time, but I’ve learned to accept that I’m a colour-phobe and embrace it. 

I do have colours other than maroon / burgundy that I appreciate [I know, I didn’t think it were possible either]. Case in point – teal or turquoise viridian*.

I wrote about my new colour crush back in September, but it kinda fell by the wayside. Until last week. I casually dropped into TK Maxx [the most dangerous kind of visit] and what did my eyes see? Only the most luscious pair of turquoise viridian velvet pillows. I actually closely resembled Gollum while I plucked them from the shelf; looking over my shoulder in case I’d be found out and my find would soon be compromised. 

I crammed them in my bike basket on Friday and cycled home. And so far, they’re not driving me crazy! They’re such a deep turquoise viridian and I think that’s what works. Plus, they’re velvet. But don’t expect to see loads more teal all up in here. Just little punches. 

I think this dark shade goes really well with the plum accents as well as some of the dainty pink here and there in our home. So what about you? Do you have an unusual colour crush? Or is there one you can’t stand? Please tell me I’m not the only one who’s this picky with colours …

*EDIT: we were discussing teal vs. turquoise over dinner tonight [I know, we’re so wild] when husband pipped up, “so turquoise and teal are like viridian then?”. There’s a reason I married that man. Viridian, for those of you who may not be as into Beetlejuice as I am, viridian is mentioned by Otho as a perfect blue-green colour for Delia’s bedroom. Is it starting to make sense now? Black and white stripes? Viridian? A serious aha moment.

Meeting people online + my history with the internet

This past weekend I played host to two fabulous UK bloggers I met online. Yes, I invited internet strangers into my home. When I write it as bluntly as that, it sounds incredibly dodgy. But in reality it isn’t and [thank god] it wasn’t. I think the internet is a very different place nowadays; if you’re actively on social media or if you’re a blogger, the idea of meeting up with people you meet online is now normal.

My first experience interacting with another person on the internet was in roughly 1995. I was about 10 years old and I was hanging out in my friend Megan’s kitchen. Megan was allowed to go on The Internet by herself – this was a HUGE deal. She logged on and directed us straight to a chat room that she frequented. A chat room. My mind was blown. She started messaging a guy she had chatted with before, but had never met in ‘real life’. It was insane. We all chatted for a while and then the guy sent us a jpg of a rose. A ROSE YOU GUYS. OH MY GOD

I was so excited. When I got home I told my dad all about it. 

My dad proceeded to give me the most undiluted level of stink-eye I have ever received. And rightly so because it was creepy AF. I pleaded to be allowed to use the internet, and I was met with a firm ‘NO‘. There’s really no better way to convince your parents to let you use the internet than telling them about a man who just sent you a heavily pixelated rose. 

I was eventually allowed to use the internet by myself. But for years, I’ll be honest, I judged people for meeting other people online. It sounded so lame. What’s wrong with you that you can’t find friends or a partner in real life? I can safely say I have royally changed my tune.
This past weekend Maria of Dinki Dots and Kimberly of Swoon Worthy flew over for 3 days and I have to say, it’s been a long time since my face hurt that much from laughing. I had it in my head that I should be the ultimate Dublin tour guide and show them the sites, but the truth is we ended up falling from one place to the other, talking complete and utter nonsense. We were to meet with Hilda of Hilda by Design on our first night, but we were too shattered and in stead retired to our onesies. Soon, Hilda. SOON
Just know that if I pick you up from the airport, I will embarrass you.
I had met Maria before at Blogtacular in London last year. I knew she was alright because she didn’t fillet me with a machete in the hotel bathroom. But don’t let her sweet manner and posh accent fool you – she is as hilarious and inappropriate as they get; just how I like them. I hadn’t met Kimberly before, but the moment we met it was like we had known each other for years. Probably because we actually had, virtually. Kimberly is wild, hilariously honest and has stories that make me wish I could have built a camp fire just to listen to her all night. 

I think the most surreal thing about this weekend was having Kimberly and Maria walk into our apartment and know where everything was, be able to recite projects back to me, and know so much about our home. It was so weird but hilarious. Like I had my own really polite stalkers.

That’s the wonderfully strange thing about bloggers – we put it out there. Not everything, but we get to know each other through our different styles and personalities. You find bloggers you click with. You realize you have a lot in common and you have a penchant for inappropriate comments. You follow each other for years and then sometimes you meet up and I’ve got to say, if the opportunity arises for you to meet an online friend, go for it. Make plans and make it happen because, as cheesy as it sounds, you only live once and you need a weekend like the one I had. 
I consider Kimberly and Maria to be really good friends of mine. Yeah, we met online about a hundred years ago. They aren’t axe murderers. They are wonderful and they’re exactly how I thought they’d be. Bring on #DrunkInteriorsRound2.