Polka Spots and Freckle Dots Turns Seven

Polka Spots and Freckle Dots turned seven last week (March 25th).

Seven!

My little space on the Internet is growing up so fast. How on Earth did that happen?!

I can't believe so many years have passed since I first logged in to Blogger, created this blog, and nervously sent my first post in to the endless void of the Internet. It feels like both a life time ago and no time at all a the same time.

When I started this blog seven years ago, I created it to share my outfits and work towards self-acceptance and body positivity. I mostly blogged headless mirror shots of my outfits, manicures I was wearing, shopping hauls, and other fashion and beauty related content. My photos were atrocious; all dark, grainy, unlevel, and poorly edited, and were taken on my iPod, Blackberry, or crappy old point and shoot. I gave no thought to arranging my product photos in to pretty flatlays; I just placed the item(s) on the nearest surface and pointed the camera, regardless of what was in the background. My writing was cringe-worthy, and most of my post titles were Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy, or Panic! at the Disco lyrics. Gems like: 'I Am a Wolf Among the Sheep Gnawing at the Wool Over My Eyes', and 'I'm Boring But Overcompensate With Headlines and Flash, Flash, Flash Photography.' What did they have to do with my posts about fashion and beauty? I have no idea, but that's okay, I was cool and mysterious AF!

I didn't care about SEO- in fact, I don't think I even knew what it was back then. I didn't even promote my posts on social media- not that I'm so great at self-promotion all these years later, either! I just blogged, and did it for the fun of it.

There was no stress about creating the perfect content, with beautiful photos and articulate writing. I wrote whatever crap came in to my mind, and uploaded the first photo I snapped, without spending two hours arranging a flatlay first, and taking 250 near-identical photos to get that one perfect shot. I could throw a post together in half an hour, and I looked forward to posting every day.

I had a lovely little following of (mostly) other blogger ladies I enjoyed chatting and interacting with who made blogging a pleasure. (Some of you are still following today- although, I have no idea why you've been reading my posts and supporting me all this time! Thank you!)

I loved those days!

Sometimes I find myself missing those early days of blogging. Sure, everything was less polished and perfect, but there was something wonderful about the simplicity and relatability of it all.

Blogging has changed so much since I first started blogging, but that's not necessarily a bad thing; it's just different. Things change, people change, I've changed... and that's life. 

My blog content has changed somewhat over the years, too. The fashion and beauty posts have reduced due to having little money for new clothes and rarely having enough energy to get dressed and made up, and other topics, such as crafts, adventures, books, chronic illness, pets, and life have been added in to the mix. My posts have become less frequent because of my health, and I can't always post the content I want to, but I like to think the quality of my work has at least improved over the years. There's a lot of room for improvement, but I can be proud of myself knowing I always put 110% in to every post I create.

I may not be a famous blogger with a huge following making millions from her blog, but I'm not sure I even want to be. I'm happy with where my blog has taken me over the years. I've worked with some fantastic brands, made friends with some amazing people I would never have known otherwise, and learnt so many new skills along the way. It's kept me going through seven of the hardest years of my life, and to me, that is the greatest achievement I could ever ask for.

Right from the start, Polka Spots was a much needed distraction from the chronic back and spinal pain I had been struggling to cope with for six months, and not only helped me deal with the pain, being bed ridden, and losing the life I knew, but gave me a purpose in life I so desperately needed again. It gave me a reason to get up in the morning and something to throw myself in to every day instead of mindlessly watching daytime TV. It provided me with an outlet when I was struggling with the pain and desperately mourning my old life, and had nobody to talk to. It offered a place to vent when I'd had frustrating and soul-crushing experiences with doctors and physiotherapists who were rude and indifferent, and weren't interested in helping me. It did all that and so much more. And it's continued to help me cope with my chronic pain and chronic illnesses, and this unconventional life of being housebound ever since.

This blog has helped me through scans and treatments and diagnoses, surprising test results, and plenty of frustrating encounters with the NHS and DWP. It's been there for me when the pain has been raging and my other symptoms have been so unbearable I've struggled to cope and wished for death to escape it. It's given me comfort when I've been struggling with missing out on life and grieving the life I lost, feeling lonely and depressed, and all kinds of emotions that come with living with chronic illness that we / I don't often talk about. It's been here for me every step of the way for seven years, and for that I'm grateful. I couldn't have got through the years without the blog to help me, and I can't imagine how much harder the last seven years would have been without it to keep me going, and help me through. Starting my blog was the best decision I could've made.

I know I've been very quiet here over the last few months, but I promise I haven't given up on blogging. There is still so much I want to share. I'm just struggling with my health at the moment, and while I've tried to, I haven't been up to blogging much since Christmas. My arthritis has worsened considerably since December, causing my hands and fingers (and knees, toes, hips, and other joints) to swell and stiffen on an almost daily basis. The pain in them has been so horrendous lately, I've had difficulty using my hands for anything, including typing and taking photos, and my knees have been so bad, I've not been out of bed or downstairs in a month. I've also been inflicted with the worst episodes of brain fog and writer's block to date, making blogging even more difficult. I've been having serious difficulty thinking straight, remembering and making sense of things, and recalling words, so whenever I've tried to write, the words just haven't come. It's been stressing and frustrating the hell out of me! I can't do a lot about the brain fog, but I think I just need time to find my groove with my degenerating arthritis, and the new me, and learn to function a little more efficiently again. It always takes time to get used to big changes to your day to day health with chronic illnesses, but I know I'll get there. I always do.

I'm hopeful I'll be able to get back in to the swing of things here this spring. There are so many products I want to review and things I want to write about. I'd love to get Polka Spots back where it used to be and make it a fun and colourful place for you to visit. I want to bring back more fashion and beauty posts again, and also add more crafts, books, stationery, chronic illness, and lifestyle posts. I want to get back to the fun and excitement blogging brought to me seven years ago, and try to avoid making blogging stressful because it shouldn't be. I want blogging to be enjoyable, and not make me want to pull my hair out because I can't get my photos to look perfect or I can't think what I want to say for a post I'd planned. That stress isn't good for my health. It's time to get back to a more carefree attitude towards blogging, and a good balance between hard work and self-care.

I don't know what the next seven years have in store for my blog, but I'm not going anywhere, and I'm looking forward to finding out where they take me. I hope you guys will join me for the ride.

Thank you for all your support over the last seven years, whether you've been with me since the start, or are a new follower. I don't know why you chose to follow and stick with me, but it means the world to me and I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you so much! You guys are the best.

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101+ Summer Blog Post Ideas

I think it's safe to say that summer has well and truly arrived here in the northern hemisphere. The sun is shining, the sky is an endless stroke of blue, and my home feels like the fiery furnace of hell. 

We're currently basking in a scorching 30'C heatwave here in England, and while the sunshine is glorious, I'm not loving the heat and the humidity so much. I feel soooo uncomfortable right now. I'm  seriously thinking about setting up camp in the freezer, and staying there 'til Autumn arrives.

I might not enjoy the summer heat, but there are lots of things about summer that I love, like taking holidays, trips to the beach, having barbecues and picnics, going to outdoor gigs, the long hours of daylight, and so much more. If you're a blogger, I'm sure you'll agree that one of great things about summer is having no shortage of day light for capturing all those blog photos, and also having so many fun topics to blog about. From blogging about your summer travels, to shooting fun summer outfits, creating colourful festival-friendly make up looks, and sharing delicious summer recipes, the possibilities for summer blog content are endless. Really, we're only limited by our imagination, and the adventures and experiences we have this summer. It's the time of year when we can really have fun with our blog content, and I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to creating my summer posts over the next couple of months.

If you're planning your blog's summer content and are stuck for ideas, don't worry; I've compiled a list of 130 summer blog post ideas to give you some inspiration. (I was planning to stop at 101, but I figured it might be helpful to share the other 29 I came up with, too). There are all kinds of ideas on the list from fashion and beauty to lifestyle and travel, so there's something for all kinds of different blogging niches here. Feel free to use as many of these ideas on your blog, vlog, or social media pages as you'd like, and to interpret them however you like. I hope they help you create some killer summer content!

Here are 130 things to blog about this summer...

Lifestyle
1. Your summer bucket list / goals for summer.

2. A look back on how many of your summer goals you achieved. (And how many you didn't).

3. 10 / 25 / 50 things everyone should do before the summer is through. (An essential summer bucket list).

4. A Day In The Life, summer edition- share photos of what you got up to during one summer's day.

5. Photo An Hour, summer edition- take a photo every waking hour of your day and compile them in a post.

6. A list of free or inexpensive ways to have fun this summer.

7. Fun ways to enjoy the light summer evenings.

8. How to have a great summer with chronic pain / illness.

9. Tips for keeping cool in the heat.

10. How to sleep in the heat.

11. Tips for surviving weddings if you're shy, introverted, and / or social anxious.

12. Share your summer homeware wish list.

Travel

13. Talk about your summer holiday plans; where are you going?

14. Blog about your summer holiday adventures.

15. Write about any summer day trips or adventures you take.

16. Share your travel bucket list.

17. 5 / 10 places to visit in your area this summer.

18. Best places to visit in your country this summer.

19. How to have a great holiday without going abroad.

20. Tips for saving for your holiday.

21. How to make some extra cash for your holiday.

22. How to travel on a budget.

23. How to book cheap holidays / hotels / flights.

24. Tips for booking last-minute holidays.

25. Travelling tips.

26. Tips for travelling with chronic pain / illness / disability.

27. Tips for travelling with children / pets.

28. Tips for taking an epic road trip.

29. How to have a great staycation.

30. Ideas for things to do on staycation.

31. Your summer travel essentials.

32. How to pack for a week / fortnight with just a carry-on.

33. How to effectively pack a suitcase.

34. What's in my carry-on?- Show your readers what you've packed in your carry-on bag.

35. What's in my suitcase?- Give your readers a peek at what you've packed in your suitcase.

36. The best holiday you ever had.

37. The worst holiday you ever had.

Entertainment
38. Share your summer playlist.

39. Talk about your favourite summer movies.

40. The best TV shows to binge watch this summer.

41. Your favourite summer reads.

42. Reviews of books you read over the summer.

43. Are you setting yourself a summer reading challenge? Blog about it!

44. What you're currently reading / watching / listening to.

45. A low down on this year's best summer festivals / gigs .

46. What to pack for a festival and what to leave behind.

47. Blog about a festival you go to.

Foodie
48. Share your favourite barbecue recipes.

49. Write about your favourite picnic recipes.

50. Blog some amazing summer recipes.

51. Share your favourite summer cocktail recipes.

52. How to throw the perfect barbecue.

53. How to throw the perfect picnic.

54. Write about a meal you had at a cafe or restaurant this summer.

55. Review a summer menu at a cafe or restaurant.

56. Talk about the best places to grab a bite in your area this summer.

Crafts and Hobbies

57. Share photos of any crafts you've been working on.

58. Blog some summer craft DIYs.

59/ Americans- share your 4th of July craft DIYs.

60. Share your summer photography tips.

61. What craft supplies you pack for your travels.

62. Give your readers a peek at your summer bullet journal pages.

63. Blog your summer stationery haul.

64. Put together a summery stationery wish list.

Blogging
65. A list of 50 / 101 summer blog post ideas.

66. The best summer photo props for your blog and social media photos.

67. How to stay productive in the heat.

68. Put together a summer Instagram round up of photos you've taken during the summer.

69. Share some summer Instagram 'Insta-stories' ideas.

70. Create and share some summer Insta-stories templates for your readers to use.

Body Positivity
71. Compile your body confidence tips for summer.

72. Advice on how to cope with body-shaming this summer.

73. How to deal with body-shaming people at weddings (whether you're the guest or the bride / groom).

74. How to treat fat people like humans (IE. with respect) this summer- and every day of the year.

75. How to love those summer freckles.

76. How to stay cool in the heat while staying covered up (for those who don't feel comfortable flashing the flesh).

77. How to bare your arms and legs with confidence this summer.

78. How to rock that bikini or fatkini this summer.

79. Share your anti-chafing tips and favourite anti-chafing products.

Fashion
80. Share all of those wonderful summer outfits you've been wearing.

81. Tips and ideas for beach to bar / office to beer garden outfits.

82. Wedding outfit ideas.

83. Share your summer fashion wish list.

84. Put together a summer fashion haul.

85. Blog your pre-holiday fashion haul- the clothes and accessories you bought to take on holiday.

86. Your pick of the best sundresses for summer.

87. The best beach bags for summer.

88. The best bikins / fatkinis to choose from this year.

89. The best one-piece swimsuits for all sizes.

90. This season's best summer sandals.

91. The best summer flip flops this year.

92. The best sunglasses out there this summer.

93. Talk about summer's top trends and your favourite pieces for each one.

94. How to make the summer's trends work for you if you're plus size.

95. Your favourite fruity fashion pieces.

96. Share photos of your favourite summer jewellery and accessories.

97. Do a 'What's In My Bag?' post.

98. Give your readers a peek at what's in your beach bag.

99. Show everyone what your summer handbag essentials are.

100. Compile some summer outfit inspiration (from plus size and straight size fashionistas).

Beauty
101. Share your summer beauty haul.

102. Show us your pre-holiday beauty haul- the beauty products you bought to take on holiday.

103. Put together a summer beauty wish list.

104. Reveal what's in your holiday make up bag.

105. Give everyone a peek at what's in your holiday wash bag.

106. Talk about the best sun / sea / swim hair products.

107. Write about the best cooling products for your skin this summer.

108. Give your two cents on the best SPFs out there this year.

109. Tell us about the best heat / sweat resistant make up products for summer.

110. Write about your favourite summer skincare products.

111. Talk about your favourite summer fragrances.

112. Your favourite eyeshadow palettes for summer (new or old).

113. Share your own festival make up tutorial.

114. Share some summer make up tutorials.

115. Create a summery nail art tutorial.

116. Share some summer nail art ideas / inspiration.

117. Write about the best nail polishes for summer.

118. Tips on how to do your own pedicure and get your feet ready for sandal season.

119. Talk about this summer's latest beauty releases.

120. The best travel-sized make up brush sets.

121. Share some effortless summer hair tutorials.

122. Your tips for treating sun burnt skin, and the best products to use to relieve the burn.

Pets
123. Share your knowledge of great places to visit with your dog.

124. Blog about any adventures you take with your pet(s) this summer.

125. Write tips on how to keep pets comfortable and safe in the heat.

126. Share recipes for dog ice lollies.

127. Best places to take your dog for doggie ice cream.

128. How to keep your dog / cat / pet calm during a thunderstorm or air show (if you live near an air field).

129. Dog friendly beaches to take your four-legged friends to this summer.

130. What to pack for your pet for your travels.

And those are 130 things you can blog about this summer.

I hope this post has given you a little inspiration, and helps you create some amazing summer content your readers will love.

What kind of content do you most enjoy reading on blogs during the summer months?

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Polka Spots and Freckle Dots Turns Six

I can't believe my little space on the Internet turned six yesterday!

How did that happen, and where has the time gone? It only feels like two minutes since I signed up to Blogger, created my blog with a generic blog design, and nervously posted my first blog post- an introductory post with a grainy, headless mirror-shot of myself in my favourite black polka dot dress.

When I published that first post all those years ago, I never imagined that I would still be blogging here regularly six years later. To be honest, I expected it to keep my interest for a couple of months at most, until I gradually lost interest and moved on to the next big thing like I had with past ventures like Livejournal and an old Tumblr blog. I had no long-term plans or expectations from starting a blog; I simply wanted a distraction and something to fill my time while I was on bed rest with chronic pain (or "disc injuries" as I knew them back then). 

After six months of being house bound and bed ridden from excruciating constant back pain, I was bored and going stir crazy; there's only so much reading, watching daytime TV, and surfing the net you can do day after day without losing the will to live. I had been reading plus size fashion blogs for six months after discovering the wonderful world of body positivity and fat acceptance on Tumblr soon after becoming ill, and it was through reading those blogs that I found the confidence to begin my own, and start sharing my outfits and love of fashion. Reading those fatshion blogs had gradually helped me to start accepting myself, after a lifetime of hating my body and truly believing I was an enormous, hideous fat freak nobody could ever find attractive, and I hoped that through blogging my outfits, I could work towards self-acceptance, and perhaps even show other plus size people that they could enjoy fashion, too.

If you're a relatively new reader, you might be confused by the mention of outfits, but at the beginning, Polka Spots was actually a plus size fashion blog, with a few beauty posts thrown in for good measure. I shared my outfits, fashion I was loving, fashion and beauty hauls, manicures I had created, and beauty products I had been using. Over time, as my health deteriorated further and I had less money to spend, outfits became less frequent, and it morphed in to an everything blog. I added in lifestyle posts, book reviews, travel posts, health updates, lists, crafts, day in the life posts, home, puppy posts, and more. Posts became more sporadic and less exciting for reasons out of my control, and sharing my outfits fizzled out.

Although it's been a couple of years since I last blogged the kind of content I was truly passionate about and could be proud of on a regular basis, I've continued to blog regularly for six whole years. I've never committed myself to any other hobby, interest, or project on an almost-daily basis with such dedication for this long before, and I'm proud of myself for applying myself to my blog. I'm proud of myself for all the time and effort I've sunk in to this little blog of mine, and for all I've achieved over the years.

Sure, I'm not the best blogger in the world. I'm not the best writer or the best photographer; I don't always write the most interesting posts, or post every day of the week. I don't have a large following, and I'm not a famous blogger making millions from my blog, but I appreciate my small following- every one of you, my readers, even if it doesn't appear that way when I'm slow to reply to comments and messages. I promise I'll get better at that. I always put 110% in to every post I create, and I enjoy blogging, and that's really what matters at the end of the day. 

All I wanted from this blog was a distraction from living life on bed rest with chronic pain, and I've managed to give myself that for six whole years. My blog has kept me occupied while I've been house bound and given me something to aim for and fill my time with every day. I've rarely been bored in six years because there are always posts to write, edit, and promote, flatlays to create, photographs to take, things to tweak, messages to answer, social media to engage in, and so much more. Without this blog to work on, I know these six years would have been much harder to cope with because I would've been bored out of my brain without the distraction. Having something to do every day has given me something to get up for every day, taken my mind off the constant fiery sting of chronic back pain, and provided me with an outlet through diagnosis, treatments, bad experiences with doctors and physiotherapists, and the moments I've been at my lowest. I don't even want to imagine how much harder the last six years of my life with chronic pain and chronic illness would've been without this blog to keep me going, but I'm certain the experience would have been very different and that I wouldn't be the same person I am today. Starting this blog when I did was without a doubt the best decision I could've made.

Over the last six years, I've published 1324 blog posts. That's a whole lot of posts about fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel, chronic illness, crafts, lists, books, and more. This post makes 1325. I've worked with some wonderful brands, and created work that I am proud of. I've worked hard to improve the quality of my writing and photography, but there's a lot of room for improvement and I doubt I'll ever stop working on that. I've also gained some wonderful readers and made some lovely friends through blogging I would never have had the pleasure of 'knowing' otherwise, and I'm so grateful for that. I love being part of this fantastic community of such talented and inspiring people.

I may have been blogging here for six years now, but I have no intention of stopping just yet. I intend to keep going as long as possible. A week ago, I gave the blog a whole new look with a beautiful new Pipdig blog design, and I'm working on making Polka Spots and Freckle Dots better than ever. I want to do my best to bring better content back to the blog, with more fashion, beauty, and lifestyle posts again; more reviews of products I've been buying and enjoying, books I've been reading, manicures I've been wearing, and when I'm feeling up to it, the odd outfit post here and there. It's time to get back to blogging the way I used to... but better. At some point I'm also hoping to rebrand because I've hated my blog name for about, oh, I don't know, five years, eleven months, and it makes me cringe every time I see it, but one thing at a time...

I don't know where the future will take Polka Spots or myself as a blogger, but I genuinely look forward to finding out, and working on creating lots of new content for you guys. I hope you'll join me for the ride.

Thanks for all of your support over the last six years; it means more to me than you'll ever know.  You guys are amazing.

Here's to the next six!

A Brand New Look + Pipdig 'Nineteen' Blogger Template Review

If you've visited my blog over the last few days or if you're a returning reader reading this post right now, you'll probably have noticed that Polka Spots and Freckle Dots has been given a brand new look this week. If you haven't, then, ta-da! Look at my pretty new blog design!

I'm so excited to officially show it to you guys!

I've been dying to overhaul my blog design to something more colourful and professional-looking for years, as the old design, which I created myself, was outdated and far from perfect. To be honest, it was a big hot mess. I didn't feel like it represented me or my content anymore, and it was time for a change. The problem was, apart from colourful, I couldn't work out how I wanted my blog to look, so it's taken me all this time to decide, take the plunge and revamp my little place on the Internet.

Last Sunday, I decided it was time to bite the bullet, and finally chose a blog template from Pipdig after umming and ahhing over which design to choose for months. Towards the end, I was torn between 'Glam Romantic' and 'Nineteen', and in the end, I went with the latter. I'm so very glad I did. I'm so in love with my new blog design! The colourful look is a lot more "me", and I can't stop clicking on to my blog to take another look at it. It's so pretty! I think it's making me fall back in love with my blog all over again.

The new design is so different to my old one. Aside from being more colourful to match my content, the template allows for larger photos, and I think it's a lot more user-friendly. There's now a 'pin it' button on my images so you can pin anything that inspires you to your Pinterest boards, and there are buttons for sharing my posts at the bottom of each post. You'll find all the pages and topic categories, including how to contact me, along the menu bar at the top of the web page, instead of in the sidebar like they used to be, and it moves with the page, so you no longer have to keep scrolling to find everything. I also have new social media icons, Pinterest and Instagram widgets in the sidebar, and an Instagram widget running along the bottom of the site to display my latest photos and help you find me on social media. If you read my posts on your mobile devices, you should also find that the blog is finally much more mobile friendly, which I'll admit is a long over due improvement!

I've also created a new header, which is something I've been sitting on for over a year, but it may change again as I figure out the perfect look for my blog.

I still have more work to do before the blog design is perfect, including realigning text, and resizing photos for over 1300 old posts, and updating the pages in the menu bar, but please bare with me on that. It could take a while- especially as I'm currently having difficulty using my laptop as the electricity current is sending my tachycardic heart in to overdrive at the mo. Once I'm finished, though, I know Polka Spots and Freckle Dots will be better than ever. 

I'm so happy with my new look, and I only wish I'd taken the plunge sooner. I can't believe I was so worried about changing the design in case I didn't like it. What was I worried about?! It's the best decision I've made all year! 

I'd definitely recommend Pipdig if you're looking to revamp your blog with a high-quality template.

Purchasing and installing my new blog design from Pipdig was so quick and easy. I purchased the template from their website using Paypal, and instantly received an email containing a zipped download of the template, along with an installation guide to help me install it, which I then downloaded to my desktop and extracted the files from.

I chose to install my new template myself, but Pipdig do offer a free installation service with all of their blog templates, which you might prefer if you're not so confident with computers or the technical side of blogging. Personally, I'd recommend installing it yourself, even if you're not so tech savvy, because it is so easy with their installation guide, and I think it's important to get to know you blog inside out so you can fix, tweak, and change things if and when you need to. Plus, it's all part of the fun of giving your blog a makeover (or starting a blog for the first time)!

Following the instructions, I had my new template installed in seconds. It is that easy to do! Of course, it then took a couple of hours to modify the blog design to make it my own- removing my old sidebar images, adding new social media widgets and icons, tweaking fonts and colours, installing a new header, adding pages to the menu bar, etc.- but I had everything in place in just two or three hours. It probably helped that I know my way around Blogger like the back of my hand, but honestly, installing my blog design could not have been more straight-forward. Anyone could install it to their blog; it's practically fool-proof. I mean, my blog's living proof of that- look how great it looks now! I couldn't be happier with it.

I'm thrilled with my new look, and I can't wait to start blogging lots of fun new content again. It's time to bring this blog back to life!

To find out more about what Pipdig have to offer, check out their website here.

What do you think of Polka Spots and Freckle Dots' new look?

Polka Spots and Freckle Dots Turns Five!

Five years ago today, I decided to start a blog. I signed up to Blogger, created a quick generic blog design, and put together my first blog post- an outfit post with a grainy, headless mirror-shot of me wearing a black polka dot dress, and a couple of paragraphs introducing myself to my zero followers. I clicked 'publish', and nervously sent that first post in to the void, putting myself out there on the Internet. Polka Spots and Freckle Dots was born, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now my little space on the Internet has turned five years old, and I'm here reminiscing like a proud parent. My little blog is all grown up!

I honestly can't believe I'm here marking five whole years of blogging on my little blog already. Where has the time gone?

When I published that first post, I would never have imagined that five years later I would still be here, blogging regularly, and still enjoying it. I guess I assumed that it would hold my interest for a couple of months before I got bored, lost interest, cast it aside, and moved on to the next venture, like I had with other sites like Livejournal and an old Tumblr blog. Sure, the frequency and content I've posted has declined somewhat over the last two or three years, because as my chronic pain has worsened it's become increasingly difficult for me to stand long enough to arrange my flatlays / displays, and take photos- which frustrates the hell out of me- but I still blog multiple times a week, and am always busy working away behind the scenes. I don't think I've ever dedicated so much time and effort in to any other project or hobby in my life; I've never even kept a journal for more than a few weeks! I'm amazed and proud of myself for committing myself to my blog for so long, and for all the time and effort I've devoted to it over the years. I've poured my heart and soul in to this blog and I count it as a great achievement.

Creating Polka Spots turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever could have made, although I never could have imagined the impact it was going to have on my life over the next five years.

When I created my blog, I had no long term plan; I had no vision, no expectations, no goals I wanted to strive for, and no dreams of achieving stardom and success. (To be honest, I didn't even expect to get a single reader. I thought I'd just end up writing for myself like I had on Livejournal). I simply wanted a place where I could share my outfits and my love for fashion and beauty, with the vague thought of working towards body positivity as I went along, and showing other plus size women what fashion was available to them. 

Mostly, I was just looking for something new to do to keep me busy while I was on sick leave from my job in visual merchandising with severe chronic back pain I then only knew to be "disc injuries". After six months of bed rest and living life on hiatus, I was becoming increasingly bored and restless, and needed some new ways to fill the time in my Groundhog Day life. There was only so much reading, watching TV, and mindlessly surfing the net I could do each day before I lost the will to live.

Polka Spots and Freckle Dots has helped me achieve most of those things at different times in my blogging journey. 

All of the years I spent regularly blogging my outfits increased both my body confidence and self-confidence enormously, helping me to accept myself for who I am on the inside and outside. I haven't quite found total body confidence yet, but I'm further along that yellow brick road of body positivity than I ever could have imagined I'd reach. Before this blog, I was the girl who'd spent a life time hating her body, hiding away when the cameras came out, and untagging herself from Facebook photos, and I'd still be that person if it wasn't for this blog, my lovely readers, and the plus size fashion / body positivity communities. Thankfully, I'm not that girl anymore because of blogging. (I haven't been well enough to blog regular outfits in quite a long time, but it is something I'm hoping to get back in to again when my heart rate gets back to normal. I miss it). 

My blog has given me something to do every single day over the past five years, and has kept me occupied during tens of thousands of hours of bed rest, probably more than every other means of escape I enjoy combined. Amazingly, thanks to this blog, I've rarely been bored or short of things to do since I began blogging- which is pretty miraculous considering I've spent the best part of the last five years confined to bed alone, with nothing but a laptop, TV, and a pile of books for company. If anything, there have never been enough hours in the day! You'd think every day would drag on like a prison sentence, but they always pass so far with this blog to keep me busy. There's always something to do when you run a blog!

Polka Spots hasn't just provided me with a bit of fun and entertainment over the  years, it's provided me with an outlet to help me deal with all the struggles and challenges of living with chronic pain and chronic illness on a daily basis, the changes to my life, my body and my abilities, and the difficult and frustrating health care experiences I've faced. It's offered a massive distraction from the pain when it's been raging so overwhelmingly I've been close to giving up. It's given me a place where I've been able to let out my honest thoughts, feelings, and frustrations during these experiences without judgement, and somewhere I've been able to turn to when I've felt alone and isolated. It's always been there for me, long after the people I once considered friends stopped calling. 

I don't know how I would have gotten through the past five years without this blog to keep me going, but I'm certain it would have been far harder and mind-numbingly boring without it. It's been a real life line to me, and far that I owe it so much.

I know I'm not the best blogger. I'm not the best writer or photographer, and the content I produce isn't as good or as exciting as what many other bloggers create. However, I've always put 110% in to every post, and worked hard to create the best content I can. I think the quality of my posts has improved over the years, and my photography has become a little better, and it's something I'm constantly trying to improve.

I'm never going to be a famous blogger with millions of followers, but I'm not sure I'd want to be, either. I may not have a huge following, but I'm grateful for my small following, and it means the world to me. I'm grateful for each and every one of you who takes the time to read along, comment on my posts, follow me on social media, and message me, even though I may take a while to reply these days. I'm ashamed of myself for that, and intend to get my act together from now on and reply quickly again. Even when your comments go unanswered for a while, I do appreciate every one, and they mean so much to me. I definitely don't deserve you guys!

Through blogging, I've made some great friends I would never have 'met' without it,and become part of an awesome community of people I'm proud to know and be a part of.

I've had some amazing experiences and have been able to work with some fantastic brands over the years. I've learnt skills I never would have attempted or mastered, improved on so many different existing ones, and learnt so much along the way. 

All these years of blogging have brought so much to my life, and it's been a fun and exciting journey that I'll never regret having made. It's without a doubt one of the best decisions I've ever gone with. It's not just a hobby, but a way of life now.

I may have been blogging for a full five years, but I have no intention of giving it up any time soon. I still enjoy blogging here, and have so much I want to blog about in the future. I really want to work on bringing back more fashion and beauty posts to the blog, posting outfits again, and blogging about more of the things that matter to me. I need to find a way to make photography easier for me so I can blog regularly again and become much more productive, and I definitely need to give the blog a long over due make over and re-brand ASAP. I still have so much I want to do here, and I can't see you getting rid of me that easily! I'm here to stay.

Here's to what I hope will be another five years of blogging, and plenty of fun, adventures, experiences, and friendships along the way! Another five years of fashion, beauty, Wednesday Wish Lists, Sunday Favourites, outfits, book reviews, craft projects, novelty handbags, colourful eye make up, adventures, shopping hauls, product reviews, home decor, colour, polka dots, and so much more.

Thank you for supporting Polka Spots and Freckle Dots over the past five years from the bottom of my heart! You guys are awesome!

May 31 Day Blogger's Challenge: Day 18- My Brightest Lipstick

My Brightest Lipstick

All of you ladies with a dressing table full of lip colours may be surprised to learn that I own just two lipsticks.

I haven't worn much lipstick or gloss since my teen years. I'm prone to chapped lips, so I usually just stick to my carmex lip balms and make a statement with my eyes instead.

This is my entire collection of lip products...

Pitiful, right? And I used to be the girl with so many to choose from!

(I loved Lancome Juicy Tubes).

These are my only two lipsticks, and as you can see, neither is bright. They're both natural-looking, pale shades of pink, although much lighter than they look on my milky skin!

They're both from L'Oreal. I've had the pale pink one for so long they probably don't even make it anymore and I can't make out the shade on the base. The gold one is Colour Riche Serum Beamy Plum 204.

This is my collection of Benefit 'Welcome to Glossytown' glosses. I bought them in the new year, as I wanted to make a conscious effort to wear lip colour more. Of course, I've barely worn make up since my injury, (although I used to wear it almost every day), but I can never resist anything Benefit-shaped.

The horizontal photo of my arm shows the colours back to front; and I tested the glosses starting at the left from top to bottom on my arm.

From left to right (in the box) the shades are:

Life on the A-List

Nudie Tude

Spiked Punch

Foxy Lady

Frisk Me

Kiss You

And the rest...

Lip Rock gloss in 'Rose' which was free with a magazine. I've never used it.

The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain 02. It was free in this month's Marie Claire Magazine (UK Edition) which I got just today! I'm actually in love with it. It goes on bronze but has a wine stain to it. Get the magazine and get yourself a bargain!

And Benefit's "Her Glossiness. My People, Your People'. I think it was also free with a magazine (Glamour?), but I would have happily paid good money for it.

What lip colours do you use? Which can't you live without?