When I started blogging nearly 2 years ago I didn’t imagine how much I would really enjoy it.
I love pulling together posts and hitting publish with no editor looking over my shoulder. But blogging has become so much more than some creative freedom – I have made some great new friends, met some inspirational (mainly) women and of course discovered a whole load of brilliant blogs to read.
Some blogs capture you in a way no magazines can. Sometimes the words on the screen are as if you’re talking/listening to an old friend or it’s like the story of your life.
And, then sometimes there are just blogs that inspire you want to look/eat/dress better and of course, some just make you want to shop!
But, some blogs are more than just words – they showcase a lifestyle or brand and a guide on how you may like your world to look too. Some are so inspirational that they make you wish there was a book!
Well luckily there is. So, many of my favourite bloggers have books out or coming out soon that I had to do a round up of my absolute faves and tell you why they warrant a look off-line.
Oh Joy! 60 Ways to Create & Give Joy by Joy Cho
Oh Joy! started as a graphic design business – hence the fab design, crafts, layouts and overall brand feel – before becoming a lifestyle and mummy blog. This book is full of projects and DIY ideas in Joy’s signature fun style and bright colours. Oh Joy is also the most followed person on Pinterest – with over 16 million followers.
I had literally been waiting for Joy’s new book to launch after she mentioned it at a blogging conference last year. I really wanted to meet her and hear what she had to say. I also managed to get her to sign one of her other books Blog Inc. – in which she talks about the business of blogging. It’s well worth a read too.
Read more at Oh Joy!
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Mrs Lilien’s Cocktail Swatch Book by Kelley Lilien
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this blog. Mrs Lilien is again a graphic designer – and it shows. Her colourful, eye-catching and unforgettable image collages are among my fave ever. Her whimsical, lyrical text is a pleasure to read too. This book brings all her infamous Mrs cocktail recipes together – and is a must for every bar cart! Her second book Dessert Cocktail Swatch Book is also a must-buy.
Read more: Mrs Lilien
Cupcakes and Cashmere: A design guide for defining your style, reinventing your Space and, entertaining with ease by Emily Schuman
A fabulous blog on how to add a little flair to your life – and how easy it really can be. Food, fashion, entertaining, interiors, beauty – this blog has it all and is one of those fab ones you can dip in and out of. What I also like is that a lot of the tips and how-tos are very classic – so the book won’t date too quickly as some style books can.
Read more: Cupcakes and Cashmere
* Also looking forward to the second book Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home includes interiors, DIY projects, party planning and entreating ideas (out in June)
Deliciously Ella: Awesome ingredients, incredible food that you and your body will love by Ella Woodward
An Instagram (and blogging) sensation – Ella’s gorgeous picts of her fresh, simple and healthy meals was of course a book waiting to happen. This book has been a bestseller almost overnight as has her app. If Ella and her amazing picts and recipes doesn’t encourage you to eat better nothing will. Ella shows how to make even ‘bad’ food good. No wonder her second book is already planned to launch in January 2016! See cover below.
Read more: Deliciously Ella
Pretty Honest: The Straight-Talking Beauty Companion by Sali Hughes
If I am honest – as a blog I don’t really like the layout and how it flows. But, as a beauty journalist/blogger Sali is top notch. Her blog on the Guardian is much more user friendly and just as straight talking as this book. A beauty companion like no other – and the perfect book to keep on your bedside table to dip in and out off (if you can put it down!)
Read more: Sali Hughes Beauty
Design Mom: How to Live with Kids by Gabrielle Stanley Blair
Design Mom is the sort of blog you read and get totally lost in. As a mother of 6, a designer and probably one of the biggest and most influential mum bloggers around – its really the warmth in Gabrielle’s writing that makes it like you’re chatting with a friend at your kitchen table – and therefore additive.
I am awaiting this book (as it is published in May here) but I have seeked out snippets and know it’s a room-by-room guide to stylish living, organising your space, living with kids and DIY projects. Basically, a modern day mum-manual.
Read more: Design Mom
Do you have a favourite ‘Blogger’ Book?
Great post – and lots of inspiration here, I'm off to check out those links 🙂 thanks! #sharewithme
I love this post! Some of the blogs I've never heard of and here you have me desperate to add all their books to an amazon order!
…Your blog by the way is delightful 🙂
Its great that bloggers get to put there blogs into press isn't it, I couldn't get hold of the blogging magazine would have loved too though x
Awww amazing people who had made their mark not only in blogging but publishing. Inspiring stories! #sharewithme
Oh i am off to have a look at all these books x #sharewithme
Oh I love all of these and I so want to get my hands on few that I don't already have. So many inspiring bloggers out there. It's amazing I am newbie too but love blogging so much. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me #sharewithme