The Liebster Award :)

This photo is from the Alice May blog :)

Hey guys!

The lovely Joy Michelle over at The Joyous Living nominated me for the Liebster Award! :) You can read her Liebster Award post and all the other lovely things she has over on her blog here :)

I know I've done one of these before, but it was a while ago, and I've discovered lots of new blogs to share with you, so surely it's worth reading just for that?! :)

Firstly i'll share the rules with you! :)

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you (surely you would do this anyway!)

2. Answer the 11 questions that they asked you

3. Nominate up to 11 bloggers with less than 500 followers

4. Ask 11 questions for the nominees to answer

5. Let them know you've nominated them! :)

So these are the questions that Joy asked me:

What made you decide to blog? I've always loved blogging but i'm not very good at keeping them going. I'd had a few when I was younger but i'd gotten rid of them. In January this year I decided that I would start a new one, I was going through a tough time, I was feeling very isolated and like I was being left behind and it was a lovely distraction. Now all of that is gone, i'm feeling happier and stronger than ever and now blogging is a lovely way to talk to other bloggers and somewhere to share memories to look back on and recommendations to send to friends!

What are your favourite ways to connect with fellow bloggers? I got involved in my first blogger chat on Wednesday as part of the #lbloggers chat and I loved it! It is my new favourite way to meet other bloggers and have a chat! I also just like to read peoples posts that they put links to up on twitter and comment on them! :)

What is your favourite holiday hotspot? The best place I've ever been is Las Vegas. I was so surprised. I was expecting it to be super tacky and really too in your face, and to be fair a lot of the strip is like that, but we stayed in the Wynn Tower Suites down towards the end of the strip near the malls and I've never seen so much marble or felt so serene in my life. The staff there really couldn't do enough for you and if you ever go, you HAVE to go for dinner in TAO in the Venetian, it was the best meal I had there and the staff were laughing and joking with us the whole night. It's not cheap so i'd go there as something special, but it's definitely worth it.

What was the last good book you read? I don't remember the last book that I read! I haven't had chance to read anything since I was in Mexico in July. I love girly books though and I remember absolutely loving the Pretty Little Liars series. I only have the first 4 but it took me less than a week to read them by the pool, I couldn't put them down!

What is your favourite clothing brand? This is a hard one! It depends on the occasion I think! For smart/casual everyday wear i'd say Lauren by Ralph Lauren, their tops are the softest thing you have ever felt and they always look nice. For super casual/gym/home wear i'd say Victoria's Secret and PINK by Victoria's secret. They make the comfiest sweatpants and yoga crops in the whole world. I haven't bought much recently as i'm not a fan of the nineties neckline on myself, I don't like jeans and most skirts are too short, and that's mostly what is in the high street stores at the minute! Though I did buy a gorgeous dress from topshop the other day, so I should go there more! For hoodies/jumpers i'd have to say Abercrombie and Fitch/Hollister, they are comfy and soo warm! When I went to San Francisco last year we didn't take any jumpers as we didn't think it would be cold and we bought so many hoodies from the Abercrombie and Fitch near the hotel!

What is your favourite restaurant in London? Meat Liquor. Everytime. I first went there with an ex and his cousin probably about 3 years ago? And I've never looked back. Their burgers are amazing. It's not fancy, you can't book and there's no cutlery but honestly, their food is just so good you have to go. Do it.

What has been the most surprising part of blogging? I think how many people have got in touch, emailed, tweeted and commenting on my posts just to say hi or to say they liked what I said. I knew the community was a strong one, but it surprised me just how quick it is to accept new bloggers who have no idea what they're doing and don't judge!

What has been the hardest part of blogging? Writer's block, and feeling like your posts aren't good enough. It's been taking me so long to finish my posts recently! I currently have 10 posts drafted, and I just can't seem to finish them off. I know that i'm not blogging for anyone else, i'm just writing whatever I want to write about, just because I want to, not to impress anyone or make anyone else happy, but it seems I put that pressure on myself anyway!

How do you market your blog? The only thing I do to promote my blog is to tweet a link when I post something new, and to leave my link with comments that I post on other blogs! It seems to be working as I get just under 900 visitors a month, and even though that doesn't sound a lot to most people who might get that daily, to me that's insane and i'm so thankful that they want to read what I have to say!

Name three of your favourite bloggers you look to for inspiration and advice. For advice I look to some of Louise (Sprinkle of Glitter's) posts, as a lot of them recently have been about feeling positive, having motivation and knowing that you are good enough. For inspiration I look to Rosie (The Londoner) as I love the way she blogs and everything she does sounds so interesting! For general everything I look to Hannah Maggs her blogs are so well put together, and the editing quality of her vlogs is amazing. I love the way she talks about products and she is always honest in both reviews and just generally about life, and it's the best way to be.

What is one of your goals concerning your blog? Honestly just to keep it going. It's something I love doing so much and I've got a big work load coming up soon with being over half way through my Masters and having to do my dissertation, and whist I appreciate my blog is going to have to take a back seat for a while, I still want to keep updating it as it really does make me happy to be in this community.

I probably gave much longer answers to those questions than necessary, but i'm just in the typing mood I guess! :)

Here are the bloggers I want to nominate and their bloglovin links :)

1. The Pyreflies

2. Mandarie

3. Chantelle Hudson

4. Coley's Opinion

5. Underland to Wonderland

6. Bows & Buttons

My questions to you are:

1. What do you love most about blogging?

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

3. What is your favourite thing about autumn?

4. What is one thing you want to achieve by the end of the year?

5. What accomplishment are you most proud of from this year?

6. What is your favourite quote/saying?

7. What do you like least about blogging?

8. If someone was to start a blog tomorrow and ask for a piece of advice, what would it be?

9. What is one thing that you couldn't live without?

10. If you could release any product or brand of your own, what would it be?

11. What restaurant, anywhere in the world, would you recommend the most to someone?

Thanks for reading! :)

Love Amylou x

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