Hello, gang!
My little world has been so full of wonderful little moments recently, that I’ve struggled to find the time to share them with you all. Here’s a sneak peek at our friends amazing wedding and my niece’s second birthday. How time flies!
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Filed under: Life Through The Lens, Life and Love, Photography, Weddings |
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The lovely little village I live in had their annual fete today, complete with bunting, maypole dancing, barbecue’s, bric-a-brac, old books & antiques, cupcakes, locally produced cider & preserves, ice-cream, a dog show and lots of other charming stalls, all by local people. It was lovely to see something so quaint, where it seemed the whole community and it’s schools had got involved. It was certainly a lovely day for it!
I took my lovely little addition to my camera family along with me for the ride— it has all the manual controls I love about my DSLR, without the heavy bulk! I’d definitely recommend it, for something you can just pop in your bag.
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Filed under: Life Through The Lens, Life and Love, Photography, Travel |
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I’ve had the best break from the tedious and monotonous horror of my day job. It’s been two weeks full of seeing my niece (who loves having her photo taken!), family meals, poker nights, a week of sunshine & relaxation in Crete, wedding planning, 80s fancy dress parties & generally lots of quality time with my husband-to-be & tranquility. Bliss. I wish I could be a lady of leisure more often! But now, I’m back. Healthy eating (to lose that holiday baggage!), serious job-hunting & — you’ll be glad to hear! — lots more blogging!
What have you been doing recently?
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Filed under: Life Through The Lens, Photography |
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I’ve been reading her blog since she was ‘Miss Corrine’, but I thought to myself recently, “what do I really know about this self-confessed lover of rock and roll?!” — so I made it my mission to find out!
Hi Miss Corrine! I hope you’re well. So, what’s the idea behind Frock & Roll Online? When & why did you start?
Hello, and thank-you very much! Well. I originally started blogging (fuelled by my love of writing/insatiable need to communicate with others/desire to babble) in 2008 with a website called ‘Miss Corrine’, but to be honest, I never, ever liked the name of it (in fact, it always made me cringe!), but in a pool of suggestions, it just seemed that much more appealing than ‘Corrine’s Curious Cavern’ or ‘Corrine’s Adventures’ or anything else that was thrown at me at the time by my (admittedly well-meaning) boyfriend! So, towards the end of that year, I scrapped it and created Frock & Roll, a lifestyle website with a fashion, rock and roll, and nonsense flavoured twist!
Where did the name Frock & Roll come from?
By combining two of my favourite things: fashion and music (rock and roll)!
Who’s your biggest inspiration in the blogosphere?
Oh, goodness. I would almost say anyone and everyone! And I know that sounds like an immensely lame answer, but truly? I really, really am! I’m inspired by the wonderful, thoughtful and incredibly interesting people that leave comments at Frock & Roll each day, and help me to view the world from another angle. I’m inspired by words, photography and adventures. I’m inspired by my Google Reader. I’m inspired by passion and kindness. I’m inspired by EVERYTHING!
Do you have a day job or is F & R your full-time passion?
I sure do! By day, I work as a copywriter and website consultant for a travel company.
Where do you hope Frock & Roll will be in 5 years time?
Ooh, now there’s an interesting/supremely-difficult-to-answer question! From day one, I always pictured that Frock & Roll (in addition to being a blog) would have a little online store (also called Frock & Roll!) which would sell jewellery pieces and clothing. Except I um, can’t actually make jewellery. As for the clothing aspect, well, that’s still an idea that flutters around in my head sometimes, but ultimately, what’s more important to me (and always will be!) is writing: if I can continue exploring, asking questions, trying new things, and having a whole bunch of fun along the way, then I will be a very happy girl!
Tell us a bit about the girl behind Frock & Roll!
The word that’s most commonly thrown in my direction by my assorted loved ones is ”nuts”. Or ”crazy”. Or ”stupid” (endearingly, I’m told. Pft! ) Or you know, all, and at once! But the lovely Ellie Di from The Wholestyle Network once described me on her website as ”upbeat and curious”, which I liked so much more than my usual personal description of ”nosy and nonsensical”!
I like pizza and I love laughter. I don’t sleep enough (it’s unusual for me to sleep for more than four hours a night, which is not in the slightest bit admirable but actually, just plain silly!), because I would always prefer to be working on something. I’m rarely without music and my family and friends mean more to me than anything else in the world. If there’s something to trip over on/spill/walk into, I will always be the person to do it. I’m a Virgo, and although I’ve lived in Sydney for the past ten years, I’m originally from Wellington, in New Zealand!
How might a typical day in the life of Corrine go?
5.50am: Alarm screeches. I proceed to turn it off what feels like approximately ten billion times.
6.15am: Finally stumble out of bed.
6.15am-8.20am: Breakfast/quick walk with my puppy/getting-ready time.
8:20am: Leave house to commute to work, which is luckily only approximately a (during peak hour traffic) half an hour bus ride away from where I live!
9.00am: Arrive at work. From here, I could be doing anything from writing the company’s newsletters, updating their blog, tweeting, designing a new website..
5.00pm: I finish for the day, and begin my commute back home. Hello, earphones!
5.30pm-02.00am: Arrive home. And after that, it could be anything, as it always varies! On Wednesday nights, I like to try and arrange to go out, so at this point, I will usually be getting ready. But most nights, it’s dinner-making, talking with my boyfriend, and working on Frock & Roll, before crawling into bed once again. (Always at an appalling hour.)
What would you go back & tell your teen self?
Stop WORRYING, for goodness sake! About your weight, about relationships, about what other people think, about what lies ahead, about EVERYTHING!
What’s your life motto?
”Design a life you love”.
Besides blogging, what makes you jump-in-the-air happy?
Laughing! Spending time with my family and friends! Excellent music! Delicious food! Interesting conversations! Opportunities! Travelling!
What five tracks would be essential to the Frock & Roll soundtrack?
Gosh, that’s a tricky one! It would definitely feature some crazy disco and rock songs though, that’s for sure! A few likely contenders would be The Hustle by Van McCoy, The I Dream Of Jeannie theme song (for no other reason than it is always, always in my head – which a boy once said explained so much about me – what?!) and I Don’t Want To Stop, by Ozzy Osbourne, because it seems to describe my attitude/personality so well!
What’s next for Corrine?
At this point, I’m not entirely sure, which is a completely exciting thing. But! I always envisage more writing, more travelling and more fun!
And lastly, a quick fire round: What’s your fav…
Shop: All of them. I LOVE shops. I am crazily, hopelessly and foolishly addicted to shopping (even though it is mostly of the window shopping variety, because I am notoriously thrifty!) – I even like grocery shopping!
Book: Sheesh, I wouldn’t even know where to start. I love books, but I have what feels like 1,76765566767 of them and I haven’t read anything in ages! (Terrible, I know.)
Website: Ebay, because the brilliant concept of being able to shop 24/7, while also having the opportunity to sell your own items, is one that is never lost on me!
Season: Winter!
Band / Artist: Queen.
Food: Pizza.
Cupcake flavour: Coconut.
City: There are so many! I LOVE London. When I arrived there in 2008, I felt like I was at home. But I also love Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, Munich, Auckland, Wellington – and of course, Sydney!
Psst! Hey, you. Yeah, you! I think I could really lurrrve you. Yeah, l-u-r-v-e. If you think you’ve got what it takes, send me an email & maybe your lovely little face could appear here too! Do it. You know you wanna!
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Filed under: Aimee Marie Loves..., Regular Features |
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Photo by Slimmer Jimmer
If you’re an organisation freak like me, then you’ll love a to-do list. Teux Deux is an amazing website designed by Swissmiss that simply allows you to list your tasks & cross them off when they’re done! And anything you don’t complete (tut tut!) will carry over to the next day. There’s even a section for tasks that just need to be completed ‘some day’. Nothing will beat my trust Moleskine, but I love the easy, sleek design of this! There’s even an iPhone app coming soon, for you iPhone-addicts out there too!
Hyperbole and a Half. You have to read this. It’s literally awesome.
“Should I Separate My Blog & Portfolio?” is a question answered by Nubby Twiglet & was a question I asked myself many times, before I decided to just go for it!…
…And “Do you tell other people about your blog?” is a subject I’ve often pondered too. Corrine from Frock & Roll always provides a good read!
Snippet & Ink is a lovely little wedding blog, with a massive directory of links to other wedding-related gems. I’m obsessed!
Sometimes, I wish I could high five Sarah Von.
Friends of Type is lush, if you’re a bit of a typo-nerd like me! This is a great source of inspiration, particularly when I’m creating my own wedding invites!
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Filed under: Editor's Pick |
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‘Early’ Days & Downtime— Well, I say early…. today I worked 6am – 4:30pm, which felt amazing compared to the 13 & a half hour shifts that I’ve been doing recently! Going home when it’s still light out? What a novelty! I can’t wait for daylight savings this weekend— roll on summer! I’ve been cherishing my days off so much by spending time with my girl, Kate & chatting life, loves & blogging plans; painting my (now completely split & ruined) nails; making (& of course, devouring) cupcakes & drinking the most amount of tea, ever & not thinking about work. Aaah, love it.
Fresh flowers— I love a bargain, especially a bargain that looks & smells lush. Daffodils remind me so much of my school days & picking them from my parents garden for my fav teachers!
Incense & Fragrance Oils— Goodbye Air Freshener, hello burning fragrance oils! They linger for so much longer. I bought some fab scents from Poundland, of all places!
Friday night dinners— Friday nights have become our token junk-food night, and tonight it’s sausages & curly fries. Yum! Ok, so Masterchef it ain’t, but it’s delish, nonetheless! Talking of Masterchef, how amazing does the food look on this year’s series? I love me a bit of glazed, roasted veg!
Wedding Fairs— We’re going to our first one on Sunday, mainly to take a sneaky peek at the venue we’re hoping to book. Fingers crossed, it’ll be as nice as it looks in the photos we’ve seen! It’ll also be a great opportunity for me to network. Two birds, one big white, lacy, wedding-styled stone!
Easter— Yes, it’s a celebration of re-birth, yadda yadda yadda, but I’m eyeing up the Smarties egg on top of the kitchen cupboards. Gimme!
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Filed under: Friday Feeling, Photography |
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Photo by Lauren Marek
If you’ve yet to celebrate Valentine’s Day, follow Kate’s top tips for a fret-free day of l-o-v-e, love!
No one to share the lurve with?! Then feast your eyes on Gala’s 100 Ways You Can Start Loving Yourself.
Despise your day job like I do? Maybe we should learn to love it a little more!
Sarah Kane is back from Texas & her snapshots of the landscape never cease to amaze me.
The gorgeous Em really makes me want to go to Tokyo– It’s like an adult adventure playground! Yes please.
I think I’ve fallen in love with Luke & Charis’ wedding. Simple, gorgeous & rustic.
Nothing Bad Mag, the love child of Katie Coleslaw & Georgina Bacchues is now live. Check it out!
Heidi Montag, is that really you? Too Weird.
Do you take a packed lunch to work? You should, says Harriet!
It’s Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, but why not start flipping pancakes now?! Yum.
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Filed under: Editor's Pick |
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If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you’ll know that I got engaged, after my fiancé proposed last year, on a beautifully magical winter’s day in Paris. Ever since, I’ve been on a anything-wedding-related binge, spurred on by my mother-in-law-to-be, showering me with bridal magazines & natter about ribbons, favours and anything, as well as absolutely everything! The same style of invitations, typical black & white photos and colour schemes seem to appear on every double-page spread though, which is why I was so excited when I stumbled across Rock’n'Roll Bride— it’s edgy, daringly different and shows you that you don’t have to have the same polished, carbon-copy wedding as every other loved-up twosome. In fact, even if you’re nowhere near this stage in life, you can adapt this girls philosophy & buoyancy to your every day existence!
Photo of Kat Williams by Marianne Taylor Photography
Hi Kat! For those people out there who don’t know about the Rock’n'Roll Bride, who is she and what does she do?The Rock n Roll Bride is obsessed with kick ass photography and unique and inspiring weddings. On my blog www.rocknrollbride.com I combine both these loves by sharing the very best alternative weddings and photo shoots from all over the world!
How would you describe yourself in just three words?
Pink, feisty and weird!
What 5 tracks would be essential to the Rock’n'Roll Bride soundtrack?
Contrary to popular belief, being rock n roll is nothing to do with music – it’s a state of mind, it’s your personality and your individuality shining through in whatever way it might manifest itself… And Oh God I have such bad taste in it! Eclectic is the word. My favourite songs right now are probably Rage Against the Machine Killing in the Name Of, Britney Spears Toxic (oh yes, rock n roll? me?!) All you need is love by the Beatles (our first dance song) Tiny Dancer by Elton John and…The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News. I told you it was a random mix!
How might a typical day in the life of Kat Williams go?
Well I still have a full time job where I work evenings. So on a usual day I get up at 9 or 10, check my emails, read my Google reader and write some posts. I schedule my posts throughout the day and try and plan and write everything at least a day in advance. If I have time I get going on some of my other writing commitments like if I’m guest posting for someone or writing for one of the magazines I work with. Then I have a bath, some food and get ready for my ‘day’ job. I work as a television producer for a shopping channel here in the UK so I head of to work, plan the show and produce 3 and a half hours of live tv! I head home at either 7, 10 or 2am (depending on what shift I’m on) When I get home I either go right to bed (if it’s 2am) or otherwise I eat, give my husband a kiss and turn my computer back on. The emails have undoubtedly built up so I get cracking on them and plan the next few days’ posts before heading off to bed!
I love seeing so much diversity, uniqueness and inspirational work and weddings! No two days are ever the same!
You got married a few years ago. When and where did you meet your husband?
We met in a bar actually. He was 21 and I was (shh!) 16! We didn’t actually get together until I was 18 though as I played hard to get! He texted me on my 18th birthday and asked if I wanted to go out for a drink and after much discussion with one of my girlfriends (as we do!) I agreed.
Is there anything you’d change about your own wedding day?
Yes! Living and breathing weddings it’s inevitable that I’ll look back and see what we could do differently. I’ve had pink hair since I was 16 – I had pink hair when I met my husband and it was pink when we got engaged, but I went brown a little while before the wedding. Looking back, I wish I’d gone back to pink, because it’s pink again now and probably will be for the new few years. Brides often tell me: “I thought my ideas were weird, but now I’ve seen weddings that do things differently, it makes me feel more comfortable about having what I want.” I asked my florist for pale vintage colours. The reality? Bright Purple. It didn’t matter on the day, as I was so excited about getting married, but looking back I think, “Urgh, they’re not what I wanted,” and I wish we’d done them ourselves.
A lot of weddings take place in July- September time. Why did you choose April?
April 12th was our anniversary of getting together. Gareth proposed on the 12th April 2007 – our 5 year anniversary. We wanted to keep this special date for our wedding day too.
Photos of Kat Williams by Marianne Taylor Photography
Which is better— Winter or Summer weddings? Why?
Oooh difficult! I wouldn’t say either was necessarily better, it’s just what’s right for the couple. We personally would have never got married in the height of summer as neither of us are great fans on the sun – I’m so pale that I actually melt! The longer days do have their advantages of course especially photography-wise and you can do more outside and have less stress about the weather. However there is something so romantic about the winter – being all bundled up in the cold and dark, candlelight, snow and moody photography. It’s really important to have your wedding at a time that suits you.
Describe the most inspiring wedding you’ve ever seen.
That is even more difficult! I literally couldn’t pick just one. I see so many amazing, unique and different weddings everyday. What I adore about what Ido is the diversity of the weddings and couple’s I see. I actually wrote a round up on some on my favourite weddings of 2009 this month so be sure to check these two posts out for some of my faves.
What top 5 tips would you give to a bride who’s stressing about planning and budgeting for her big day?
1. Stop, breathe, chill!
2. Get organized – write lists. Lists are good and very therapeutic and having stuff written down will stop you mulling it over so much as you know it’s all there. Writing all your tasks down will give you a sense of relief.
3. Ask for help – friends and family are there to support you
4. Take a day off, go shopping and meet a friend for a no-wedding-chat-allowed coffee
5. Don’t forget that at the end of the day it’s the marriage that’s important not the wedding!
What do you enjoy most about the niche blogging that you do?
I literally adore writing! Not only is it therapeutic but I end up finding myself more intelligent when I write things down – weird huh? I am also obsessed with pretty pictures and so I get to combine both of these things. I have always liked to pride myself on my individuality. I’m impulsive and controversial and I love it. The best thing about Rock n Roll Bride is how different it is to all the other wedding blogs out there. Not that I don’t adore them (because I do and spend hours of my procrastination time reading them!) but I find by standing out from the crowd I have drawn a very specific reader base and so I not only get sent the most unique weddings (that don’t crop up on all the wedding blogs) but I have been able to offer a very niche readership base to anybody to gets their work or company features on my site. Quite apart from that I’ve loved meeting so many amazing and inspiring people though the blog, both in real life and online and I certainly wouldn’t have been able to do that if it wasn’t for Rock n Roll Bride.
Is Rock’n'Roll Bride your full time job?
Not yet no, but I am hoping that 2010 will be my year!
Would you ever go into wedding planning?
Definitely not! My passion is imagery and writing. Although I adore weddings, I wouldn’t want to have to directly deal with the madness that can be planning a wedding every day!
You’re a photographer too, right? Who’s your fav?!
Nope I’m not, not unless you count me playing around with my Fuji Instax! I have been lucky enough to model for some of the best UK photographers but I haven’t taken any of the shots on my site myself.
Again it is really difficult to choose a favourite photographer out of the hundreds I see, but some of my favourites include David McNeil, Tinywater, The Sloans, MangoRED, Steep Street, FeatherLove Photography and Jonas Peterson.
Besides weddings, what makes you jump-in-the-air happy?
My husband, my new pussy cats (we get them on the 7th Feb!), Mac make-up, finding the perfect new dress and a tidy house (yes I’m a total geek!)
What’s next for the Rock’n'Roll Bride? Where would you like to be in 10 years time?
I would love to still be doing what I’m doing. Oh how I love it so! I’d also really love to expand my freelance writing avenues so to write for some more magazines both here in the UK and abroad.
And finally, a quick fire round: What’s your fav…
Shop: Topshop
Book: I’m a rubbish reader! I don’t have time for fiction really. The last great-countn’t-put-it-down book I read was probably The DaVinci Code!
Website: www.galadarling.com
Season: Spring
Band / Artist: Michael Jackson
Food: Sushi
Cupcake flavour: lemon or carrot
City: Tokyo
Thank you for your time, Kat!
Remember, you too can feature in the Aimee Marie Loves series. If you think you’ve got what it takes, let me know!
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Filed under: Aimee Marie Loves..., Regular Features, Weddings |
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Snow! Yes, the magical white stuff that all the UK bloggers have been writing about. We had a couple of inches where I live, before the sun came out & unsuccessfully melted it— It’s all turned to ugly brown mush, or ice now— no snowmen for me! I love the idea of a white Christmas, but it’s completely impractical when you have places to go (bah humbug!)
I’m so disorientated right now, after working nightshift, last night & crawling in to bed at 7am, on a caffeine come down. One night down, three to go & then it’s time to celebrate!
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Filed under: Life Through The Lens, Photography |
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With my obsession for organisation, each blog I follow on my Google Reader has a tag, e.g. fashion, beauty, food, art, DIY etc— but my fav of all, has to be my ‘regulars’ list, with so many blogs about a variety of subjects, with new, constantly updated content! It’s no wonder time flies by when I’m on the internet.
So, here are my current Top 10 blogs (& a few reasons why they should be yours too!)
- Eleanor Jane // Amazing Welsh photographer Eleanor Jane produces dreamy, grainy images.
- Cupcakes & Cherries // Wanna read about beauty products? Daisy’s your girl.
- Afeitar // Helen loves to bake, read & buy pretty dresses. If you do too, you’ll love her!
- Cupcakes and Mace // Ace jewellery designer Kim writes about work, life & fun in between.
- Gallivant // Poppy may have pink hair, but she’s not all glitter & unicorns— girl’s got opinions!
- Kris Atomic // Kris’ posts are few & far between, but her illustrations are totally worth the wait.
- Lick My Cupcakes // Em is the kind of girl you want to be your best friend. Read her interview!
- Oh Fab // As well as being a great dresser, Nikki is an awe-inspiringly-talented, witty writer.
- Terminal 12 // Kate is one of my oldest mates, who documents her life in words & photos.
- Sarah Kane // One of my fav photographers, shoots beautiful, crisp & clear images.
Who would be in your Top 10?!
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Filed under: Editor's Pick, Regular Features |
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