Why has this blogging lark been so hard to get started?.........

Hello and welcome to my blog! For my first post....... The message is in the title- Why has it taken me so long to get this blog started? And why is it not as easy as it looks to just sit down and get on and do it?.......

A lot of you reading this will know me through my Instagram feed @hornsby_style where I post pictures of my home and interiors that I love. I also use my Instagram page to showcase small businesses and am co-founder of the UK interiors hashtag #sassyhomestyle. The instagram interiors community is a great place to be, I have met and chatted to so many inspirational and supportive people over the last eighteen months and am continually thankful to all of my followers for engaging with me and liking and commenting on my posts.

I've been thinking of ideas and putting pen to scraps of paper for the last year trying to come up with my first blog post and to let you know what the theme and content of my blog will be, well obviously interiors i hear you say, but it has to be 'new' and 'inspiring' and you have to 'engage with your audience' and that's a lot to think about and take onboard!

I take my hat off to all you successful bloggers out there because this blogging lark is not as simple as it looks, its not just writing down what you think or what makes you tick in the hope it will make others tick too, its not as simple as posting a photo of your home or interiors you love and talking about it for a couple of paragraphs like I do on Instagram. You have to set up a website for a start, I must say I've found Squarespace great, and then its about really connecting with people so they come back and read your blog again and again and hopefully subscribe to read what you have to say each week, and that seems like no simple feat when you're just getting started with it- well not for me anyway!

Those who know me well would probably be surprised at this, I can chatter on until the cows come home, I can strike up a conversation with almost anyone, anywhere, as my kids will attest to when they ask, "who was that Mum?" and I reply "oh I don't know just someone I got chatting to in the queue at the supermarket last week". I can have messenger conversations with people I've met through social media platforms about family stuff or interior styling for days, but this is different, this is going out there to you all, its not private messages or people you may never see again- its out there on the good ol' web for all to see!

So why do it? Well I guess it's because I do like talking to people, I do have a passion for this interiors lark and, if I'm honest, it's now to prove to myself (And my 'A' level English Language teacher) that after thinking about doing it for so long- I really can do this! That's another thing that surprises people, I really struggle with self confidence at times, you wouldn't think it for a minute if you met me but isn't that often the case that those that appear the most outgoing of people hide those issues with self belief so well?....... It didn't stop me taking my clothes off for an instagram interiors hashtag I hear some of you say, but thats a story for another day!

*Yep....... It won me a fabulous print from the fabulous #styleithappy ladies though, and I did actually have clothes on behind there honest!*

So here I am, I've given up my 'day job' selling houses to concentrate on my passion for all things interior. I've felt for a while like I've had lots of little balls in the air but no time to make them there balls any bigger- If you get what I mean! To follow my interiors path something had to give- I have so many ideas, and am lucky to have various styling jobs come my way, but just not enough time to do everything- sound familiar? It's time to concentrate on the Interior styling opportunities, the photography print collections that Ive been wanting to do for months, the Sassy Homestyle Workshops that we want to hold next year and yes, you guessed it, .....The Blog!

*I think they were worth the wait.......*

So, what's it all going to be about I hear you ask, well there is still lots to finish off at 'Chez Hornsby' which I'll be documenting here as it happens. We moved in three years ago and after carrying out both ground and first floor extensions and extensive renovations I've been slowly getting each room finished, I'll be discussing the hows, whys and wherefores of some of the rooms in my home, how I managed my kitchen on a tight budget and why it took me two years to decide on the entrance hall tiles!

Alongside my own renovation stories I'll be chatting to other renovators in my 'Renovation Magicians' blog section. There will be lots of design inspiration and styling guidance along the way in the 'Shazzas Style Tips' section including interior trends, styling inspo and hints and tips on how to get the latest looks on a budget, including a few ikea hacks no doubt! There will be new product reviews and I'll be chatting to some of my favourite interior designers and business owners and getting their take on things for you too in 'Style Saviours'.

I really hope you will join me here each week and if you have anything you would particularly like me to cover, or want to get involved then please just drop me a line!