Happy Interior Blog Recommends: Blog Boss

Today's blog recommendation is a very special one. It is not a new product to decorate or furnish your home, but it is something to boost your blog and blogging skills (if you are a blogger of course). It's now almost three years ago that I embarked on the journey of blogging on Happy Interior Blog. It was not without any thoughts and hesitation that I started my blog. I raised many questions to myself: Will I have the time to do it with a full time job? Will I have anything interesting to tell? How will I be able to stand out of the existing blog crowd? How will I create content on an ongoing basis? How will I motivate myself all the time? Many questions, many thoughts!

It was then that I decided to attend an e-course called 'Blogging Your Way' by one of the leading decor bloggers worldwide, Holly Becker of decor8. This online course has really made me realize that a real blogger lies within me, that there are tangible tips and tricks how to answer all those raised questions and how to make your way in the bloggersphere. I was motivated and I felt ready to kick off. The result is this very blog that you are reading right now. A blog that brings joy and happiness to me every day. And I hope that a bit of this happiness shines through to each and every of my readers.

Now if you are a blogger and you want to boost your blogging skills, I want to recommend the new advanced course by Holly Becker called 'Blog Boss'. Lessons on marketing, writing, monetizing or work-life-balance are part of the course's curriculum. The e-course will start on October 10th and lasts for one month. You can read more about it and register HERE.

I really recommend you do this course if you feel like you want to take your blog to the next level. In this sense: Happy hump day and happy blogging!

Photography via decor8

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5 Happy Blogger Inspirations: We Are Social

Today's '5 Happy Inspirations' post is a bit different as you might notice. I am not presenting five happy home decor or furniture finds, but five happy and incredibly inspiring (not to mention successful) bloggers and friends. I've met them at the imm Cologne furniture fair at the 'We Are Social' panel this Monday. Five bloggers who inspire me ever since I started blogging. Five bloggers who managed to turn their blogs into businesses and who are real social media rockstars. And I am pretty sure you know all of them!

1. Holly Becker, the epitome of a design blogger and owner of decor8, one of the most inspiring and charming persons out there in bloggerland. I met Holly back in 2011 for the first time at her book party in Munich and attended her 'Blogging Your Way' e-course prior to launching my humble Happy Interior Blog. Holly reminded us all to speak and blog from the heart. Be open and think of what you want to share with the community out there!

2. Will Taylor, the colourful Mr. Bazaar of Bright.Bazaar, is one of my long time blogger friends or better yet blogging bro'. We share so many interests and likes that we call ourselves brothers separated by birth. It was great and refreshing to see him talk about the huge success of his blog and how we can boost our social media presence through smart networking. One tip I liked: look around your networks, ask for help if you have questions and don't feel intimidated. Its through collaborations that you can grow your blog.

3. Costas Voyatzis, the stylish and creative man behind the super successful Yatzer blog, came all the way from Athens. I was beyond happy to meet him and speak with him in person - he is such a cheerful and cool guy with lots of design knowledge and a refined aesthetic. He compared social media to cooking - it is about the ideas, ingredients and skills that you have to put into a good meal or a good blog. I loved his reference to a 'digital breakfast' - our common habit of checking all our social media accounts first thing in the morning. 

4. Steffi Luxat, the beautiful lady behind the über-cool German blog Ohhh...Mhhh... had a fabulous idea for her presentation. She asked her blog readers to send in short videos and tell us why they read her blog. It was absolutely lovely and touching to see how a blog can influence people and make them happy! Share things that make you happy and that will make others happy!

5. Micle-Mihai Cristian, the mastermind of the internationally renown blog Freshome, is a super cool guy with lots of personality. I enjoyed the way he presented his visions and the story how Freshome has become a platform for 40 million readers. He was very down-to-earth and highlighted the importance of tools to track your performance and detect areas that grow so that you know what works for your readers. I enjoyed speaking to him and have great respect for this guy!

Last but not least - here is one of my favorite slides from the panel discussion with five important reminders for every blogger out there - this was part of Costas' presentation. Oh and not to forget: I've met so many blogger friends from all over the world - old and new friends - during the event. I am so grateful for all the positive energy that was present! Thanks to each of you!

Photography by Igor Josifovic (excuse the poor photography due to unfavourable seating and difficult light)

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Ideas For A Happy Weekend

Currently I am in a crazy state of mind. I am a bit overwhelmed and excited for all the upcoming events and news. But let me give you a short insight into my frenzy: Yesterday I was telephone interviewed by one of Germany's national TV station for an upcoming online coverage of the furniture and design show imm in Cologne. Which leads me to the second point. On Monday I am off to Cologne to indulge in two days of furniture design and interior trends. Moreover, I will meet oh so many fellow bloggers and friends there. In my official day job function I will host a blogger lunch with some of my greatest blogger friends such as Holly of decor8, Will of Bright.Bazaar, Chedva of Rooms & Words, Nic of Luziapimpinella, Ricarda of 23 qm Stil, Clara of Tastesheriff and many more. After the lunch I will attend the blogger panel 'We Are Social' with Holly being the key note speaker and other superstar bloggers from Freshome, Yatzer and others. And then I will head over with some of my blogger friends to attend the Future Living Award hosted by Siemens Home Germany and Architectural Digest with the internationally renowned Italian architect Matteo Thun as a key note speaker. The next day I will visit a few exhibitors as part of the new German lifestyle blogger network blogSALON and I will meet up with Veronika of Modenus and her BlogTour Cologne crew. Oh, I am so, so excited! So much to do, so much to see, so much to learn, so much to take with me. But first I will enjoy the weekend. Oh and on Monday I will share with you some of my favorite shots from my holiday trip to Paris. Alors mes amis, have a happy weekend!

Photography via Selectism

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Loving "Decorate // Lust auf Wohnen"

I'll say it straight away: I am so lucky to be friends with some of the most wonderful, inspirational, and successful design bloggers like Mr. Bazaar aka Will Taylor from Bright.Bazaar or the one and only Holly Becker from decor8blog. Last week, I had the unique opportunity to meet Holly for the very first time in person right here in Munich. She was over to launch her best-seller Decorate as a German issue (Lust auf Wohnen by publisher Callwey) and hosted a little and intimate get-together of creative people in a cute little store named Nostalgie im Kinderzimmer. 

I was so happy to finally meet Holly in person. We've known each other for a year through Twitter and Facebook and it was incredible to meet face to face. It felt like we'd known each other for a long time and instantaneously we felt like real blogger friends. We joked around, posed with our iPhones for Instagram, and had some interesting chats with other guests regarding networking and the German blogger scene. Moreover, Holly's husband Thorsten was there (who also happens to be one of my online teachers over at Blogging Your Way) so I used the opportunity and chatted with him on photography and copyright issues. Very interesting and lots to learn! I also happened to meet some interesting guests like the wonderful Eleanor from e.m.papers, a super creative American stationery designer living in Munich.

Despite the fact that I was in such a rush due to my daytime job, I so enjoyed the lovely get together with Holly, Thorsten, and their guests  and even got my Decorate copy signed. Bliss!

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