I totally Said Hello!!

On Sunday I was lucky enough to be involved in the Say Hello Blogger Workshop presented by Hello Blogger Events.

Holy Blogosphere, Batman! It was AWESOME!


Suger and Dani did a bloody fantastic job of organising this event. So much relevant and helpful info shared by some of Queensland's best bloggers. 


I was so incredibly inspired and motivated. It was just amazing to be in a room with 34 other people who are so passionate and committed to their blogs and their messages. 


Being able to contribute to the day in my own way was heaps of fun too. I made and supplied some props for the photo booth- they went over a treat! 

Lisa from Mrs BC's House of Chaos, Melissa from Suger Coat It, Sheri from Sheri Bomb

Seriously though, who doesn't love putting on a funny hat and some stupid glasses??

Deborah from Debbish and Diet Schmiet, Tracey from Our Life in Blog Form, Renee from Nee Say 

I also supplied a little flower or owl brooch for each participant. It was so cute to see everyone wearing them at the end of the day!! Totally worth staying up til 1am the night before finishing them off!!!

Olivia from Wait Until the Sunset, Alice from Musical Mama and Amy from Accidental Wonderland

Ames' little Sesame almost stole the show... so gorgeous!

(She is dreaming about finding her blogging niche... and whether or not she wants to do a PR review for Huggies....)


Such a great day. I can't capture all the amazing info shared by the speakers here, but my biggest takeaways from the day were:


- Don't compromise your authenticity
- What kind of blogger am I? I need to work it out, dude!
- Be unafraid
- Do what you love and invest in your passion
- It all comes down to content
- Grow your community and ENGAGE.

And, obviously, I was inspired to redesign my blog!! 
Whaddya think?

But the main thing I came away from the day thinking was- I have found my tribe. I feel like I am part of something again. 


Yeah Man.

Sheri is the Bomb

The awesome Sheri Bomb launched her brand new blog design yesterday. She celebrated with an amazing event at The Calypso Bar at Paddington. I was so chuffed to be there and be a part of it!!

Sheri and her rockabilly friends were turned out in their finest! What a gorgeous bunch of people!! Olivia, Suger and I had a great time oohing and aahing over the  all the pretty girls in their pretty dresses, and the cool cats in their greaser haircuts, braces and skinny jeans. Hanging out with these girls and thier lovely husbands was a hoot. They are some funny chicks.


And look at Sheri! How cute is she?


Blogging can seem like a solitary thing sometimes. It's hard to explain to your real world friends and family, it can feel like you are talking to yourself, it can be lonely.


But then, you find that you are part of a community. A community of other people who understand what you are talking about!!


So, I was over the moon to be able to support Sheri yesterday. Her blog (as I have mentioned before) is awesome. And she is such a sweetheart. Her new blog design is clean and strong and I like it heaps!

Awesome afternoon, awesome blog, Oh, and I wore platform shoes!!! I KNOW! 

I felt like my pre-twin self... almost.... And I rocked a new Tessie Design Company bag. Yeah man.

I want a pony!

I mean... I wanna go to the Brisbane The Say Hello Workshop! 
Suger and Dani have sent out the word that they are offering a free ticket to their awesome event. And, because I really wanna go and I love free stuff.....

And they totally don't even HAVE to give me a pony. I could just rent one for the day....

Ah, internet. I'm so in love with you right now...

pic by my lovely husband of my lovely hand and a lovely coffee he made me. love. 

SO, The internet is awesome. I am in love with it. I have been so chuffed with the response to my bloggy flowchart! It has made me so happy to have made others happy. See- blogging is the mother flippin' bestest!

Of course, I realised after that there were a few others I should have included! Fat Mum Slim! Seven Cherubs! And of course The Bloggess, Epbot and Cake Wrecks! What was I thinking!!

(I'm pretending to myself that those superstar bloggers are sitting at home crying, screaming "WHY WASN'T I ON TESSIEGIRLS FLOWCHART? WHHHYYYYY!")

The Bloggess is like a phenomenon. She shows just how far reaching and important, how silly and insane, how funny as hell blogging can be. Holy shitballs is she funny. 

Everyone should Google 'Beyonce the big metal chicken'. Now. You're Welcome.

So internet, thank you for the last few days. You are my favourite. I wanna give you a big tongue pash and maybe a little bum squeeze.

A Bloggers Flowchart: or how i learned to stop worrying and love the blog

So, this week, Miss Eden has asked her Fresh Horses Brigade to talk about.. well, each other!
Here's my little take on why Bloggers and blogging is awesome, who my favourites are and how I found them. Some of these bloggers don't know I exist. Some of them do. All of them say something I worth listening to and inspire me in my blog and my life. 
And they are all chicks. Is that weird. I do follow some male bloggers... I think. Maybe just one. Wil Weaton. He is awesome and very manly. Blogging doesn't make you a girl.
OK, so let's get into it.....

links: dooce, mighty girl, a beautiful mess, i could make that, food coma, skunkboy creatures, smile and wave, cakies, bluebird vintage, her library adventures, accidental wonderland, hello owl, suger coat it, sheri bomb, hello blogger events, woogsworld, glowless, lady daa doo, sew, cook laugh & live.

Bloggers are amazing. Blogs are amazing. Blogging is amazing. Read them. Do them. Be them.

Tessie and Suger

I am very honoured to be involved in a Giveaway over at Suger Coat It this week. 

Suger (aka Melissa) is a Queensland uber blogger and part of the awesome Hello Blogger Events team. I was lucky enough to be her Social Media Secret Santa last year. That is the universe doing it's thing. I had been a reader of Suger's for a while before that and thought she was super cool. 
So when I was randomly paired with her I thought, 
"Man, the universe is cool. I wanna marry it. " 
But I am already married. And you can't marry the universe. I don't think. Yet. 


So go check out Suger's blog and do what she says and you could win these cutie patootie Tessie Products! Like, totally for free. 

Are you a Person-Who-Sews-Stuff?

I aspire to become a better sewer this year. 
Wait, is that what you call a person who sews stuff? A Sewer? It sounds weird. And I just noticed that it is spelt the same as sewer.... as in, drain with poo and wee in it. Gross..


Ok, so this year, I aspire to become a better Person-Who-Sews-Stuff.


I met and awesome Person-Who-Sews-Stuff at the blog meet the other day- 
Jos from Sew, Cook, Laugh & Live.

 

Jos' blog is great for newbie Persons-Who-Sew-Stuff like me. Her No Pattern required dress is just fantastic!


So, here is my attempt at Jos' No Pattern dress. I adapted an old hippie skirt I had. I'm pretty bloody happy with it!! Can't you tell by the slightly manic look on my face?

The dress is straight on the bottom- I think I am just standing funny. Or one of my legs is longer than the other.  Whatever.


I think I am going to make a million of these and burn all my other clothes. 
Or I might just throw them in the sewer. 
(Hee hee. See what I did there? That's a call-back, baby!)

My new mantra

I went to my first ever Blog Meet yesterday... and it turns out that bloggers are real! Real live people in person, who have blogs! Like Me!


I think I came across as slightly shy and socially inept, but, hey, I AM slightly shy and socially inept! There were uber-cool lovely chicks there and I have found some great new blogs!  As Suger says, Brisbane Bloggers are awesome!!

Blogging is a funny old thing. I love it. I love it like I used to love karaoke. I have so enjoyed building and growing this little space here at Tessiegirl. I am proud of myself for breaking down some stoopid barriers and reaching out into the blogosphere. I have found it to be friendly and welcoming. Thanks, Universe! I am going to continue to push my boundaries and challenge my ridiculouslessness.


SO.. I have decided that my new mantra is going to be...

Would you like to design Wallpaper for my awesome English company?


I'D LOVE TO!


Would you do a giveaway on my awesome blog so my awesome readers can see your awesome products?


I'D LOVE TO!


Would you like to get out of your pajamas before ten thirty in the morning?


I'D LOVE TO!!


Would you like to take a nap?


I'D LOVE TO!


Say it with me- it's very empowering. Especially when you say it in  loud, kinda English accent... like the 'Ladies' in Little Britain.....


I'D LOVE TO!!!!!!




Do you have a Mantra?

x Gillian

Writing with your hand

Let's talk about handwriting. I love handwriting. I love MY handwriting. It rocks. 

I worry that my Awesome Teenager may lose the art of handwriting, with all his texty, internet-yness. 

I worry that he will write like a 10 year old boy his whole life. I worry that he may meet the perfect girl, who loves him and thinks he is as awesome as I do (heaps),  but she will leave him because his writing looks like it should be written on a piece of yellow posterboard, next to stuck on tracings from the Encyclopedia Britannica, with a bubble writing heading that says, "My Project About Bauxite.".....

No, I actually don't worry too much. Shut your faces.

Maybe it doesn't matter if the next generation loses their handwriting. I'm sure there was uproar when children no longer wanted to write on slates and their parents were all like, "Oh, paper. Writing on paper now, are you? LIKE SOME KIND OF CRAZY FUTURE MAN! This will kill the written word. How can we express ourselves if it is not with chalk! And a wet rag! For when You make a mistake...."

Handwriting. I love it so much, I created a font of my own. Which is like an awesome combination of tactile, handcrafted art and uber-tech future stuff. Like me.

Handwriting. Don't let it die. Write it. And if you need to do a project about Bauxite, don't write like a blind monkey... you're future wife might see it!!

Today I am linking up with Eden (OZ Blogging Superstar) in.... 

Neigh, indeed.

Mein Liebster!

So, the universe is, like, totally awesome and earlier this week I received a 'Liebster Blog' bloggy award from my new Blogger-Girl-Crush Lady Daa Doo. Her blog is about Lady Stuff and cool stuff and it's fab. I recommend not drinking coffee while reading it, unless you like it when coffee comes outta your nose. I do not like that. But I Doo (see what I did there) like Lady Daa Doo.

The last award I received was at my high school formal.  Each subject department chose their recipients, and the English department had 'Alice in Wonderland' theme. I received the 'Alice' award*. I even remember Mrs Bland's introduction, as I walked up to accept. 
'She fell down the rabbit hole, of her own accord. She's Wistful, whimsical and wild.' 
I wish I was still that Alice. 
Even though all the sport boys yelled out 'FREAK' when I hit the stage. Suck it losers, I relish my teenage freakdom now!


Back to business....

What is a Liebster Award?

"Liebster is a German word, meaning dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favourite.  The idea behind the Liebster Blog Award is that it is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers in order to create new connections and bring attention to these wonderful blogs."

Here's the to-do list of any Liebster award recipient:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog. (Right click on the award image and save it to your hard-drive and then upload it to your blog).
4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the Internet – other bloggers.
5. And best of all – have fun and spread the karma!

Ok, so now I get to award some Liebster's! 

Accidental Wonderland When I discovered Miss Ames' blog, I thought to myself, "Look, it's me, 11 years ago! But with more confidence and a nicer life!" 

tsk tsk Beautiful,  dreamy art by Brisbane artist Tiel. 

Sheri Bomb Sheri is a Gil Elvgren poster come to life. Her blog is an awesome glimpse into the Rockabilly culture. She is a great writer too.

Skiddadle Super cool paper toys,  puzzles and illustrations by my brother in law.

Mike and Kayla These two are nuts.

So, my few and fabulous readers, go check out some of these guys!


and once again,

what was the last award you received?

x Gillian 

*Miss Jodie-Anne Hunter-Smith was the Queen of Hearts... lets do a coffee soon, Your Majesty!