Talking: Update on Spring Blogging Workshops

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Just quickly wanted to update you on the Springtime Blogging Workshops, here in Shanghai! So if you're not local, skip over today's post and I'll bring you my Megan Nielsen T Shirt later this week!

In January, I was knuckling down the details for a Springtime Session of Blogging Workshops... that I wrote about here... and just wanted to announce that my workshop is now included in the Mini March LitFest (along with a bunch of other actual authors & interesting talks!)... ! So happy! Our first workshop will be about Food Blogs (there are AMAZING foodie bloggers in Shanghai! The restaurant scene is - as you can imagine - diverse & plentiful!) and my first guest will be the delightful Nancy of Plus Ate Six. We'll host a little Q&A with Nancy and run over some ideas that make a good food blog!

Thank you again for your comments about Blog Ads last week! I'm firmly on the fence about them, however with some time, we'll see. Food Blogs are a great genre to start our 2016 workshops, because M on the Bund is a very beautiful setting - the view from its balcony above - and the menu changes with the season... but it's also a very photography focussed blog genre... while recipes & foodie talk is great for sharing information... photography in food blogs can be critical to a successful following & professionalism... what do you think? Do you follow food bloggers as well as sewing bloggers? Personally, I google up my most of my recipes... so find a lot of new bloggers this way. Would love your thoughts!

But! Have a great week, and I'll catch you soon!

Talking: Blogging Workshop & Ads on Blogs

Hey there, if you read my blog in a browser or through bloglovin' you'll see I've added some Google Ad things and an Amazon Ad thing recently just in the side banner bit of my blog. Of course, this has nothing to do with sewing (however I hope they're showing content that relates to sewing or educating ones life), but a little to do with what I'm up to in Shanghai.

This year, I've been elected (lol) Blogging Workshop Guru by the Shanghai Blogging App group, and personally requested by the awesomely gorgeous Michelle at M on the Bund & Glam Bar to run the workshops with them... it's a lovely setting and perfect for afternoon gatherings (Um, and cocktails at night time!). But while I've been blogging (and working in media making & content creation for around 14 years), I haven't really tried affiliated links or ads, and lots of bloggers or potential bloggers are keen to talk about monetizing. Some even begin without a following... and some use it to grow a following. BUT, while in my heart I'm very 'independent' and that's what happens from working at a place like the ABC with strong ethics/values and editorial policies... I'm feeling like there are gaps in my knowledge.

So I'm testing out the things... testing out the ads. But I'm curious about your experience? Are you into them or dislike ads on blogs? I have been happy just writing and sewing and not really into earning money from this blog. Sometimes I think about starting a new blog (oh really, maybe I have done that already?!) that exists entirely about products and ads and monetising just so I can learn more about it... but it's not really me. So a little here and there, to check and to help point people in that direction when they ask.

I really enjoyed Heather's How to Monetize Your Blog post a few years back... and have shared that with people here. I know it's not for everyone, but if you're thinking of starting a blog - especially in Shanghai - what could be the goal posts for you? I like knowing what's out there. If you've had experience with making money from your blog, do share!

Also, the photo above in the cafe features my Beats by Dre Headphones - I won them in my Husband's work lucky Chinese New Year raffle game... but thought I'd link to them here through the Amazon Affiliate Links program and see what that means. Disclaimers are good, right? I like when bloggers let people know what they're linking to in blogs...

Happy week to you! xoxo

Talking: Spring Blogging Workshops

Hey! Happy Thursday! I'm keeping busy this week and have been really *happy* for I've got lots of personal stuff going on and I'm loving Shanghai to bits. Not being in full time work is still very different for me (especially this week as everyone here and online returns to work), and now that I've got a few extra curricular activities happening, it's even weirder. I think I've become a freelancer. And a board member. And a voice over artist. (!)

I'll get to it all, but firstly I wanted to let you know about the Blogging Workshops I'm hosting!

Late last year, my friend Liv & I co-hosted a workshop for the Shanghai International Literary Festival... we only expected 10 or so people, but when more than 20 peeps confirmed their attendance, we were so happy! I've been working alongside the Shanghai Bloggers Society (my friends Line & Nando who started the app last year) to bring a springtime series of monthly blogging workshops to Shanghai from February..... AND our home will be again the lovely M Glam Bar at the famous Shanghai insitution M on the Bund.

I wrote up plenty more information on the workshops, and we'll have dates confirmed soon... but leave me a note if you need more info now... it's going to really fun!

This week I've also been confirmed a spot on the Expatriate Professional Women's Society (the EPWS) as the Commercial Sponsorship Chair! It's very exciting because I've never sat on a board before, but really love the organisation's commitment to personal growth and support of women of all ages in their career. They helped set up the Mentor Walks program (that I was a mentee last year for) here in Shanghai and they are an amazing group. So excited to be involved. If you're an expat woman in China, it'd be great to get connected with them.

AND, I also did my first voice over in Shanghai! Working in radio for many years, I've had some experience with studios & production ... so it was great wearing the headphones again and working with producers here. I love it! I totally forgot I did these kind of things in Australia all the time, we recorded promos and didn't even think twice...! And then this morning, I had coffee with the comedy club guy in Shanghai, so have rekindled my passion for comedy again... he invited me to be a judge for the upcoming festival. SO! I'm reconnecting with my passions, my skills and it's funny to remember how varied my interests were and are... so to replicate my Melbourne life, I just need to start working at a radio station with musicians again and it'll be complete!

OK, so that's all my news this week! A big week for little old me! What about you!? What did you get up to? Did you return to work from holidays? Extending your time away until late January like Australians tend to do!?

Talk soon and do get in touch if you're in Shanghai and keen to know about the blogging workshops!

xoxo

About Me: Hello!

The first day of the year, and I’ve got a little news for you. I’ve been putting off updating my ‘About Me’ section of the blog because since moving to Shanghai, I’ve felt so many changes, and I was waiting to see where those changes shifted in real life and online. And you know what? I’ve outgrown myself as Veronica Darling here… and (yay!) for the first time online, from now on I’m going to update my blog as Amelia… my real name in real life!. Because there’s no real difference these days between online and real life, but there was when I started writing online in 2001.

And so HEY, my name is Amelia and it's lovely to meet you again here! I know it might be a bit of a surprise to some of you and might take a little while to get used to seeing the change, but for as I’ve grown so much in the 8 years of writing in this space, I’m sure you have to. A lot of you are real life friends, and a lot of you I’ve met through this blog! So it’ll make real life catch ups & emails a little less confusing from now on!

So why have I had a super hero sewing blogger name all this time? (hee hee)

When I first started writing online (in 2001 - ahem!), it was while I went to university and I wrote all the time with different pen names, mostly for academic writing & research. We loved our weblogs and one that I contributed to was recognised as a successful collaborative project in academic circles. An award winning digital writing project. Haha! But my electronic writing and academia work created a little fear of putting my real self out there. My Writing Voice was (and still is!) a bit weird and self aware, so starting blogs with different names did help me write more freely.

So why Veronica Darling? When I started writing this blog in 2007, as a crafty adventures diary, I'd been working for the ABC for a while as a radio producer. And if you’re not Australian… the ABC is a government funded media organisation and is best known for being a valuable & trusted news body… and mostly because it’s completely unbiased in it’s approach to content. In my first job in radio, any perceived conflict of interests had to be noted in my yearly assessment…it was all a bit serious! I had to declare my community theatre involvement and that was sometimes discussed as a conflict. So in my first job with the ABC I didn’t want to have any external conflict of interests as I worked on building my career, myself, my radio world and at the same time writing about sewing & being crafty here, it felt better to write as Veronica Darling instead of my own name. Nowadays, things are a bit different online, but I also don’t work for the government anymore! I’m not even in Australia! So I can’t see any conflict of interest anymore! HA!

2016, the year of Amelia @ Veronica Darling? Where to from here?

Of course, I’ve been thinking about how I’ll be ‘called’ online here… mostly because more and more I’m meeting people in real life and on the email and social media chit chat, and it’s become a little confusing getting called Veronica here in Shanghai when it is a pseudonym and not my real name. "Amelia @ Veronica Darling"… maybe "Amelia / Veronica Darling"? Whatever, it’s a personal change… but I won’t change all my usernames or anything too drastic, this will still be Veronica Darling’s blog space.

Little big news I guess, but not really! My life here in Shanghai has become really interesting and lots more new people are reading my blog, and as I’m meeting so many people now through the blog too, I thought it’s probably the right time to update myself and to reflect myself a little clearly… and so, HELLO! I feel shiny & new!

Wishing you a happy new year festival and all the best for your 2016!

xoxo

Wearing: A Winter Grace Kelly in Sneakers AKA Personal Style a-Changing

As a non-style blogger, I came about thinking of personal style this past month … as like a lot of sewing bloggers, I really enjoyed Bimble & Pimble’s Sewing Themed Photo a Day Instagram Posts… called ‘bpsewvember’ … and after posting a day on the subject of ‘Style’, I just started thinking and thinking of this self expression and where I sat with it right now.

In my wardrobe these days I’ve built up loads of colour on top of my usual black base… and last week (especially these photos) I’ve started to feel a little Grace Kelly in Sneakers. SHOCK. Would she EVEN wear sneakers, she’d deffo do shorts and slacks… but Skechers? No. Yellow Skechers? Definitely not!

But I love the stripes and capes and flick of the hair. I even wore stud earrings pretending they were pearls. I felt great with this everyday style.

I know this is not consistent though, Grace Kelly in Sneakers is just a quick and satisfying look for a couple of days. I’ll start to feel too Mummy (not with these Skechers though) soon, and wear a mini skirt. I’m just so moody with dressing up, I can’t find a consistent style for me.

Is that my current style? Inconsistent, but colourful modern vintage? Being in a city with so many modern feels and vintage throwback (Shanghai has a huge deco influence in places) can adjust style. I don’t really embrace my vintage pin curls as much here in Shanghai… it’s so easy & cheap to get a blow dry at my local hairdressers… but when I do pin curl, I feel most myself and individual. But it feels ridiculous wearing sneakers with pin curls!

How do you feel about changing your style… ? Personal style is so… personal. Right? I know I’m lacking in winter boots, so when I get those, things will just go right out the window! (And as I post this, I *did* get some boots. Gold Boots. G.O.L.D! So we’ll totally see where my personal style is headed soon… so yes, I’m a-changing again!)

xoxo

Talking: Self Publishing Basics in Shanghai

Lately, I've been doing a lot of talking (not uncommon!) but in particular ... about self promotion, personal online presence, blogging, social media. And I've been invited to do some group talks and workshops around Shanghai. If you've been reading my blog for a long while, I've often just left my writing here to be about some personal stuff but always sewing and creating stuff. I don't see myself being a 'ALL IN' or 'MY WHOLE LIFE' kind of blogger, but rather someone who loves the digital space, and appreciating the slow craft of sewing and how it's helped me find my true writing voice.

Reflecting on writing here and self publishing somewhat regularly for 8 years, or so, is a hard task for me... I am very outgoing and have flashes of shyness so sometimes being truly person here on the blog doesn't come as easily as saying how much I love floral fabrics or shopping at the market for supplies. But, of course, when I'm not sewing much and doing other things, it's hard to write about sewing and I have SO many things to tell you about right now, about our lives in Shanghai... so for a while maybe I am turning to personal passions and stories from my life here.

So, that's what I've been doing, helping people gather up their toolkits and their writing skills and get online to capture their world here... I've been talking about HOW you can self publish: write a blog, get on instagram... write & share thoughts on twitter... all that stuff. We've had lots of discussions here and there about basic social media and blogging that I look at my blog here and I'm doing ALL the things I say not to do. I AM currently typing this in the CMS and not in Evernote... I have suggested to some new bloggers to write outside of the content management system, as it helps the writing flow rather than "I have to write this quickly and press Publish right away!!!!".

Anyways, just letting you know that I'm still here! And YES I will update my 'About Me' page soon, and YES I'd like to publish about 3 of those blog posts I have saved in the drafts folder. YES, I have stuff to say about Sewing School recently! YES I love reading your comments, and YES, I have read your blog post, but haven't left a comment. Building, engaging a community, sharing stories... etc etc etc... so much of the basics lends itself to marketing... but from my personal career (which has its strong base in storytelling instead of 'selling stories') I just don't know the buzzwords or the marketing terms.

So, if you want to see what I'm doing day-to-day, follow on Instagram! I'm keeping very busy there, so if you prefer slow paced blog posts, stay here, but if you're missing my little face, follow over there AND here! Hee hee!

Hope you're keeping well anyways! Love from Shanghai!

Seasons Change: Happy Autumn!

Thank goodness Future Islands wrote Seasons (Waiting On You) because now when I feel like the shift in temperature, the wind a little chillier, and the sun a little less strong... I have this song in my head.

And so we're feeling the autumnal vibes around Shanghai this week, especially after a sunny holiday in Australia. The weather here makes us cough a little more, as our lungs and noses adjust to the pollution level... because that air in Australia is just so clear. And through this season and climate change (and that red moon last night), I am again confronted with all the millions of possibilities and choice of this fantastically great city!

Last night I went to the comedy festival, the FIRST Shanghai International Comedy Festival, and will represent an Australian colleague today at a comedy discussion forum. I'm overjoyed to be meeting new people and sharing some stories about Australia's comedy industry. Also my friend and I are constantly working over new projects and we'll be at the Shanghai Literary Festival next week (!) talking about using social media & blogging as ways to kickstart your writing and finding your voice. Lots of things happening here!

But, sewing friends, the biggest 'Sewing in Shanghai' news for me is that I started back at SEWING SCHOOL on Monday nights with Teacher Catherine at Couture Nomad! WOO! I'm halfway through a skirt already, so I'm buzzing along with the sewing machine! Yay! The TRICKIEST thing for me has been finding the right transition outfits for this weather, and if I could find the time I'd go through my wardrobe to get some actual plans happening but for some reason I still have jumpsuits on the brain! Can we still sew jumpsuits in winter? LONG trouser jumpsuits and more woven short shorts versions with thick winter tights? I don't mind shorts in wintertime!

Hope you're having a great week! I'll be back soon with my Oliver + S Art Museum Trousers I made for my boy (who doesn't want to wear them now unfortunately!)... talk soon!

Hanging: Some Shanghai Bloggers Events

September has been beautiful and busy here in Shanghai. Lots of events, people in town visiting and it felt like Design Week, Photography Week, Art Week, Fashion Week (and so on) was all at once! My evenings were so full up and it was really great meeting people outside of my usual social circles. I love hearing people's stories! As always, people with different cultures & nationalities are in Shanghai, so over the space of a week, I was hanging with Mexicans (my girls!), eavesdropping on two Danish women from different backgrounds (one Chinese Danish!) and giggling with Chinese Australians while talking about kite surfing with a New Zealander! And that was just one day.

This year, I joined the Shanghai Blogging Society with their newly launched App (now with about 50 bloggers, but we started with 20) and I feel instantly connected to a bunch of new people and great ideas. If not for blogging, I’d not have met Line, nor Marta, nor Sandra this year or been involved in these different (and new to me) events.

Shanghai has SO much potential: for networking, for ideas, for entrepreneurial things, it’s actually dazzling how much is on offer here. I knew it’d be a bustling city (with 24 million people living in the city, you’d expect so!) but I am surprised how generous, friendly and warm people are… from local Chinese through to international business people. And I can’t honestly imagine a place where I’d be talking with people from all walks of life, from all levels of society, and from so many different parts of the world. As a sewing blogger, I do tend to read mostly sewing blogs… but when I need particular things I go on the hunt for new blog genres… from food and cooking, to fashion, to travel ideas. And being in a new city, I spend a bit of time googling & bing-ing (when the VPN doesn’t work as well) Shanghai and ‘Where to buy/find’ type topics.

So when there are blogging events on, I try to get to them! So great chatting about life in Shanghai with other people face to face!

The first event pictured above was A Fashionista Dinner, held through the new ‘MEET’ function of the very awesome Bon App! app (a generously planned out - great for taxi hopping around Shanghai - restaurant/foodie app) where anyone can join public dinners and meet new people. It’s a must for anyone new to Shanghai! Line from Shanghai Bloggers (pictured with me in my maxi dress) hosted the event with Sandra from Style by Asia and I was a co-host representing the bloggers of Shanghai… it was easily the best co-host event for me because I love talking with people and it was a popular event, a full house! The event was at a very gorgeous place just back from the bund called Light & Salt, and it was a fantastic vegetarian meal especially mapped out us veggie types!

Shanghai Bloggers & Style By Asia next organised a panel discussion on creativity, and a bunch of the Shanghai Bloggers came along to the Hay Concept Store in Shanghai… it was pretty interesting to hear about creativity in China but also how designers have adapted to the Chinese demands… Danish furniture is very popular, but changes the textiles from wool to linen for the Shanghai climate & to suit consumers. Lots more to learn about Chinese culture, but seeing how many people are in China, and how they love buying and being consumers… it’s no wonder lots of brands and businesses are hoping to come here. I was talking to someone working in New Zealand trade department (I see a lot of NZ butter, milk, and cheese here) and she’s just showczased a bunch of different coffee blends, not really expecting much, but younger Chinese groups were totally into it. Coffee (Starbucks is EVERYwhere) is getting to be more popular here, especially in Shanghai. Lucky for me! I can now find a great latte or flat white in several spots around the city! And that’s NOT including Starbucks. YAY!

OK, so I took few photos at the Hay event, but I loved my blogger gift bag! Especially the Lanehouse Apparel gift… I got to meet them too, so will hopefully get a ‘Made in China’ blog post about them soon because their gear is CUTE and very street and I would like to show you a different side of Shanghai… urban and hip hop wear is VERY popular here! Would you believe it! Hearing some awesome MCs rap in Chinese is AMAZING! If you're interested, Style by Asia has write up here and Line at Shanghai Bloggers wrote this up about the week.

Have you got a blogging network in your town? I’ve never really hung out with other bloggers before being in Shanghai in mass… so it’s kinda fun hearing how other people write their blogs… at the Hay event I talked a lot to Marta (Marta Lives in China) and Gosia (Shanghai City Girl) and it can be such a personal thing… writing a blog… and an eye opening & social experience for others! BLERGS HEY?!

What! It’s Autumn!?

August & September are busy months now in our family & world… it’s taken me a little while to find a rhythm to our days and weeks! Birthdays and parties and then visiting friends and relatives have made me soooooooo happy! I’ve pretty much eaten and drunk all the dumplings and wine and as I catch a moment to myself this morning, I’m like: IT’S now autumn/fall. It’s almost OCTOBER!

We’ve been in Shanghai for one whole year so I know how to handle the season changes… but it still feels like it should be gearing up to summer holidays as Australia tends to have a season change around now and then it’s all GO til Christmas. But in China, we’re all busy with school days for Felix and crazy work hours for my husband, and then it’s the Chinese Golden Week holidays and we’ll be travelling back to Australia for a short time. The year’s broken up so different in China to Australia, not to mention the northern/southern hemisphere thing!

This week, I’ve also been workshopping a workshop (!) for the Shanghai Literary Festival… which will be in November! My fellow Shanghai Blogger & good friend Olivia and I hope to run through some ideas for new & potential writers and how they can use blogs and social media to help them develop their voice and content. While I write this blog, I also sometimes update my own personal journal… and tend to write & journalise my day and life in Evernote… not for anything but to document my thoughts. Over the years with my job in Australia, I’ve gained so many storytelling skills across so many different platforms and mediums, it feels like I have the experience to share this now… At the time with daily deadlines on a radio show you just plough through and be the best you can be… and having the space and time here in Shanghai to reflect on that now has been really weird. I have a career full of radio, writing & storytelling experience… so when we were asked to get together a workshop for the festival, at first I thought… "Oh No What Do I Know"? But storytelling and leading teams and helping people be the best they can be as storytellers is kinda what I do. And people tell me I do this well. Gah! I’ve spun around this idea that I’m a creative strategist… and I actually feel creative for the first time this year. Gah x 2! So weird to get self aware but being away from usual, everyday Australian life, has really spun the questions for me, Who Am I and What’s My Identity!?

!!!

So, I wanted to show you my finished Kim Dress this week, but now it’s Friday and it’s still not hemmed! So here’s my birthday party photo from the start of the month wearing my other By Hand London dress! I love my hair style! Melinda my Chinese hairdresser nailed it! Vintage style in Shanghai!

Over the next month, I have some ‘Made in China’ type posts to show you, some ‘What Have I Been Up To in the Blogging World of Shanghai’ type posts and a few ‘Scenes from Shanghai’ posts… and I’ll hem that Kim Dress now before picking up Felix from school so we can take some photos this afternoon to show you next week instead!

Hope you’re well! Thank you SO much for all your lovely birthday wishes to Felix! He's had a great time turning three! We're off to the park now! And Happy Friday to you xoxo!

Breakfast Blogging in Shanghai

I never really thought I’d be sitting in a cafe in Shanghai, having soup noodles for breakfast and a very delicious latte, while Mariah Carey sings ‘I can’t live (if living is without you)’ on the stereo…. and a song I sang at the Eisteddfod (the performance contest/festival in our area, growing up) …. we just don’t know the funny places we’ll be in life, and what memories will pop up with particular songs or music.

When I started singing with my teacher Faye, I was probably 14 or 15 years old and sometimes I didn’t really think I could sing well, but after a lot of performances (Barbara Streisand’s The Way We Were was the first song I ever sang alone in public) and theatre shows… I finally felt very good about my voice. I didn’t think I would be just a ‘singer’ or a performer… I loved doing it, and I loved being in plays, but my theatre group was a special group that you only find once in a while and you know I started my radio career and somewhere in your twenties you sort of focus on just one or two things instead of being kinda good at lots of things. I certainly pursued my radio career once I earned proper money, plus it was incredibly challenging and a performance to learn in itself. Radio is hard.

But as I find myself floating around this new city, I have a full time job as the parent of a two year old… and as we go along we’re all feeling really confident about being here. My little child is settling in really well, so maybe he can go to his school a few more mornings? And as it’s summertime, I don’t have my Chinese class or sewing class, so I’m here blogging in the cafe.

So I especially feel this week, I’m taking stock of who I am, what I want to do, what I can do and how I love to be in this world. I feel so lucky to still, in my 30s to have as many choices as I did in my early twenties. I know I’m not going to be a stage performer again or sing Mariah Carey ballads on stage ever again (maybe that’s a good thing, for my little lungs could never belt it out as much as her) but I feel so open to all the great things I could be doing.

Blogging is a great connection to ‘you’, how you feel and how you present yourself to the world… but it’s a great way to explore your world and yourself in it. Of course, being a sewing blogger means you can create something and write about it… but I like writing in this space about myself occasionally and little things in my world. I write so much outside of blogging these days, being in a new city can do that to you.

Now the radio is playing ‘Time After Time’ by Cindi Lauper, which is the song I sang at my brother’s wedding… so it’s probably time to wrap up today! It was his birthday on Monday, so Happy Birthday from Shanghai to Wagga little brother - Xiao Didi (in Chinese!).

Talk soon,

xoxo

P.S as I’m formatting & about to publish, the cafe radio is playing ‘Close to You’ by the Carpenters… ANOTHER song I sang at the Eisteddfod when I was a teenager. I sang it frequently to little Baby Darling when he was born too. Isn’t it funny when a cafe radio plays out songs from your life! WEIRD! xoxo

Made in China: Shanghai Bloggers App

Moving to Shanghai last year has been quite inspiring for me, but also incredibly challenging. Learning a new language, leaving our friends and family and putting my radio career on hold for a bit; these and many other things are all contributing to the ups and downs of our new life in China. There are over 24 million people living in Shanghai, with around 150 000 foreigners (I think around this many in 2011… so maybe more now) and without speaking or reading Hanyu/Mandarin, you can float around in a little English speaking bubble by yourself.

But earlier this year, I started hunting down other bloggers in Shanghai, and came across Line Fricke’s blog Shanghai Habits. I then got in touch after seeing her Instagram post about a Shanghai Blogging Group… and last week, we all joined together to help Line and her project partner Nando Fonseca launch their new project, the Shanghai Bloggers App. My blog, along with many other wonderful local bloggers, are all featured on the app, and there will be many more blogs and features added soon. Personally I have never really joined any blogger meet ups or hang outs in the sewing community or the overall blogging community… in Australia, I didn’t find the extra social time I guess… but here in Shanghai, I feel so happy to be connected to such a great bunch of bloggers in this vibrant city!

Photo Credit: Blank Shanghai and you can see Nando and Line on the far right!

Because I’m really keen to showcase some different & interesting ‘Made in China’ ideas and projects (rather than stereotypes from what we know of that term in the western world), I asked Line and Nando some questions about their app, the blogging society and being in Shanghai… and you’ll see my fascination growing (as it has done since I got to Shanghai) with creative people’s passions and what makes them creative. So it's a different blog post for you this week!

Line, from Denmark, came to Shanghai in 2012 having never been to Asia before and up until a short time ago she worked with corporate events. Nando is from Colombia, and for the last five years has run his own credit company, and he ventured to Shanghai in 2013. Together, they first came up with the idea for the Shanghai Bloggers App after talking over how difficult it was for bloggers to reach readers, and as Nando points out, he saw two main problems, “It was very difficult to find the bloggers in Shanghai, even when I was spending a quite amount of time searching. The second problem was the amount of time it took to read them.” So he began thinking about an easy way to flick through and read blogs on his phone (mobile works best here!), like a reader or Bloglovin’ but just for Shanghai blogs!

Photo Credit: Blank Shanghai


Photo Credit: Blank Shanghai

The app is completely a DIY project for Nando! That’s also one of the reasons it’s a ‘Made in China’ feature this week on my blog! Not only did he learn to code over a period of 6 months, he built the app himself, and discovered it’s not that difficult. WHAT! It’s just like all the wonderful online sewing resources, but for code! He found tutorials and helpful information out there online, which saved a load of money and time. DIY for the win here! They’re both now committed to the Shanghai Bloggers project, and hope to see it become a must-have app on all phones here in Shanghai!

"​I want to see Shanghai Bloggers become a window for the readers to see the city,” says Nando, and for the app to be "the first source of news and information for curious expats that want to explore the city or just want to have fun reading all this amazing stories from our bloggers.” Definitely the personal stories and the variety of blogs that are involved can offer newcomers and travellers a lot more than a tour guide or map-type app. Personally, I went though a lot of apps when I got here, and never really settled on one I liked… many local apps in English are not updated regularly, so you don’t know if businesses are current and things change a lot here in Shanghai, and quickly!

Photo Credit: Blank Shanghai and it's Melissa from The Pursuit of Snackiness

Of the expat community here in town, Line believes sharing information and telling stories is easy! “Everyone loves to share and kind of ‘show’ they are a Shanghai expert in some field. In general the expat community is very kind,” she says. Nando notes, "I have been amazed since I arrived in Shanghai, how the expat community is willing to help each other and share information etc. and how curious we all are about information of the city. With the right tools, and the right people, sharing information in Shanghai can become an easy task.”

Moving to Shanghai has been a whirlwind of information gathering, and there’s so much to take in. I have been swept along with the new-ness of being in the city, but also so inspired by the crazy cross culturalisms, the new and the old surroundings, and the contrast of communism and consumerism (Shanghai is the financial hub of China, but in a communist country). But also, there’s such strong creative vibes here… like any big city, there’s street art, beautiful independent art galleries peppered through downtown and the Former French Concession and massive international art spaces (the Shanghai Biennial was here over wintertime) and I’m sure so much more I haven’t had space or time to discover.

So I asked Line and Nando about creativity, and whether they feel like creative people… Line says "Yes I do. I find it in taking it easy and taking time to appreciate life around us and small moments everyday. My challenge is to express my creativity and ideas - whether its verbal or in design.” and Nando adds, "I consider myself a creative person, but my surroundings helps me a lot. Living in a city full of people with great ideas and new things going on everyday is definitely a source of inspiration."

I think we can feel creative by taking the time to appreciate our lives and what’s around us. No matter where we are in the world, but it certainly helps being in Shanghai for us to get motivated and see how different our lives are here than back in our home countries… or it is for me.

Photo by Blank Shanghai

And here’s a couple of questions that I hope to ask everyone that I talk to about the topic 'Made in China'...

What's something Made in China that you're amazed by? That you love?

LINE: I am absolutely fascinated and a bit obsessed with Traditional Chinese Medicine. Currently studying it every weekend and hope to start blogging and sharing about it to get more western people hooked. It's all about balance, holistic health and long term sustainable solutions in regards to our health - not short-term quick fixes.

NANDO: ​Authentic things made in China, like food!

What can you do or find in Shanghai that you can't do or find anywhere else?

​LINE: Such a mix of ​West vs. East, Old vs. New and Charming vs. disgusting.

NANDO: People full of new ideas and a great expat community. And REAL Hotpot!

Yes, the food in Shanghai is absolutely incredible and I haven’t even eaten hotpot yet!

with Kimberley Tai - from Gre3n

So, today, I want to send a big congratulations and thank you to Line and Nando, for creating their new app and including little old Veronica Darling (now sewing in Shanghai!) and I look forward to connecting with more bloggers and Shanghai locals now! Happy reading and writing to all. *gush*

If you know of anyone visiting Shanghai or moving here, please send them to Shanghai Bloggers for details on the app, and you can find blogs for everyone! There are foodies, photographers, cartoonists, artists, scientists, stylists, fashion lovers and many more… people from all around the world all writing about their passions and life in Shanghai.

Notes: All the photos by Blank Shanghai are by Eric and Gloria, and the photos on my camera with me in them are taken by Combustion SH

I'm part of the Shanghai Bloggers App, but am under no obligation to post about it! I want to share with you things from my life in Shanghai though, but don't fret (if you do fret!) because we all know this is a sewing blog, not a blogging blog!

Meeting other bloggers is fun, why didn't I do this more often earlier!?!

PAM: Updated URL // Bloglovin' // Disqus

Hey there, if you don't mind, I'd love to talk P.A.Ms: Personal Administration Matters! (with photos of flowers from the local flower market in Shanghai to help balance the admin-ish mood)

My friend Myf shared this term "PAM" with me years ago... & because a woman called Pam is always amazing, having a little nickname for your personal biz really helps... so today, I have a bit of a blah post, but a PAM post is needed everynow and again!

My PAM today is to let you know that I've actually updated my url to a DOT FREAKING COM. I have no idea why it took me so long! I've also let the Bloglovin' support crew know too, and have connected with Feedburner (have no clue about that yet, but #learningshit is my motto in life) and now I seem to have Disqus issues... only because my usual Admin settings have changed and blah blah blah, I've tried to sort that out... So today, I thought I'd let you know that I'm in a pickle while things get sorted out...

WHADDAYA GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Look! More flowers to make this blog post all nice and peaceful!

So I wanted to share the way I updated my url for the custom domain... I'm not sure if you're interested but I first read Heather Lou's straight to the point post (she can write SO well that woman!) on Upgrading Your Blog... and then clicked through a few links while googling and found:

Get Your Own Custom URL - which I'd already got in 2009 (LOL - there's almost nostalgia about this year right?!) but I read through how they'd suggest it.

The Wonder Forest (which has LOADS of blogging tips) has a How to Set Up a Custom Domain in Blogger post which was also good (There's a lot of suggestions to use 'Go Daddy' domains, I'd never heard of them, I can't stop thinking of Eartha Kitt's 'My Heart Belongs to Daddy' and that makes it creepy).

And the xoMissE's How to Smoothly Change Your URL was also so good because there are different steps and suggestions if things aren't working out. Actually Elaine is super helpful and has lots of different blogposts explaining what's what... I'm occasionally a forward thinking but more often than not a bit of a cheater with my knowledge... I was a researcher/producer for ages, so if I don't know something, I just have to work it out right away. So I flicked through lots of Elaine's posts on the prep you need to do to change your URL, to How to Install Your URL on Blogger and then onto talking about subdomains. I even looked over her post on Bloglovin' in case I had missed something there. She is a whizz. Thanks Elaine!

But yes, first check (if you use Disqus) that you're ok to use the Domain Migration Wizard (what a name!) and then let Bloglovin' know (if you use that too!). Blogs hey!?

I hope hope hope it all gets sorted soon!

YAY for writing on the web!

Made in China: A Creative Series

Hey! How was the weekend!?

Today, I wanna talk about this blog, and maybe some areas where I’d like to take the blog… AND see what you think!

I’m brimming with blog content ideas, and I’m trying not to bombard you with too many too soon (and at the same time try to set up my blog as having regular posts again)… but one thing I’ve noted after being in Shanghai for a short and quick 6 months: There is just SO much creativity and so much create-ing in this town. In the English speaking world, I am overwhelmed, and I’m only seeing these amazing glimpses in the local and (tricky for me, but maybe one day) Chinese speaking Shanghai art & fashion scene. 

So, as I started to plan my sewing projects and to ‘get back’ my sewjo mojo and body love (to make my own clothes & feel happy!) … I have started to also say ‘YES’ to all things, and because I’m not working my usual radio job here in China … I also have the independence and time. For the first time in my life perhaps… to do whatever I want to do.

And I guess, with publishing & choosing blog post content, what do you think about this? Some sewing makes & pattern reviews, & fabric market tours  … of course, I am sewing again and want to show my hand made things (because I will need your feedback on fit issues, and perhaps colour & fabric choices. I have lots of worries now that I’m outside of my vintage/second hand fabric & pattern comfort zone! I’ll show you what I’m talking about soon!) … (back on track! Train of thought is so busy!) So, I’d like to see if YOU’d like to see some of the things in the art/fashion/creative world here in Shanghai? 

Some of the things will be fashion (my first post will be all my photos from a Collection Launch from an established artist - a painter - and a Chinese fashion designer collaboration that I was invited to last week) and maybe design and maybe ethical & local fashion designers… or maybe ethical & sustainable fabrics from China (my big puzzle at the moment and how I’d like to be sewing eventually… as I create my slow fashion world) … 

Obviously, I’m getting more and more excited by being a sewing blogger again… but just wanted to check in with you… 

Have you been reading my blog for a long or short while? What are your favourite blog posts from me? 

Are there sewing bloggers you love, and I don’t read? Please share!

What is the best thing about reading straight up sewing blogs? What's missing from the sewing blog world?

You totally can tell me anything, or nothing, I do love hearing from you… if you’re not into comments, please email veronicadarling @ gmail . com … remove the spaces (if there’s still spammers or whatevers) … as some of you lovely readers have over the years! 

At the moment, I’m just so happy thinking and sewing and writing and instagramming and I want to pique your interest from time to time… I’ve been blogging for a LONG time now, so it seems. So nothing too crazy will happen and anything I do here on the blog, you’ll hear about it long before it does happen. Like eventually I will set up my veronicadarling.com instead of the blogspot address. Because I did get that registered in 2011. 

*breathing deeply* Because now I have time to do some things just for me again.

After a little drunken chit chat here and there at the fashion launch, I thought about how oftentimes in the western world we think of things that are "Made in China" as being low quality or not as good as local made products (wherever you are in the world, we love locally made stuff, right?) and so I was thinking... we are in China now... there has GOT to be some wonderful & unique things that are 'Made in China'... I will be looking more about fashion, DIY, art, culture and design more than iPhones... and try to get off stereotypes! And so...

My first "Made in China" blog post is accompanied by photos here that are taken on my camera, by a then 4 (almost 5 year old) called Freyja! We’ve met her family here in Shanghai, through friends in Sydney, as they just moved a month or so before us. Freyja’s mum is Olivia Martin-Mcguire, a photographer, and my new Shanghai friend and blogs here.

(photos by Freyja in Shanghai, Aged 4)



*** just a quick note, now I'm about to publish, I'm a bit nervous 'deciding' things for the blog now that I've written all the above. I know you won't mind, and I know it's just me being silly. I keep thinking 'What Do I Know?' I'm just some dickhead who is fine about posting gawky photos of herself, but writing real heart felt passion blogpots, makes me itchy & self aware. ***

(And then you know what, I am passionate about stuff like this, so I can do whatever, right?!)

Love to you and have a great week!!!

ShangHAI THERE!

Why HELLO!

It's been a while, right? I'm so glad I actually told you what was coming up, because otherwise it'd be a bit DUR what happened to Veronica Darling and her little darlings Husbie & Baby and all the sewing? The SEWING?! What happened to all the stash!? Time has gone so uncontrollably fast!

Well, the greatest thing is that we are A-OK and living in Shanghai, China, not Melbourne, Australia as last year. We moved in September and are SLOWLY settling in... there are a million reasons, but it takes a long time to get into daily life (for me, anyways) in China. It's amazing, crazy, sad without friends and family, but happy to make new friends, and all those other things... like getting lost without knowing the usual places to go but then amazed by other places that you accidentally stumble upon. The whole world as you know it is upside down. (We did not speak ANY Mandarin before we got to China - only Thank You = Xie Xie) (It's really hard moving to a new city without speaking the native language - well done to you if you've done it, WHAT! It's such crazy & scary thing.)

But, we are living our lives, right?

The challenges are very rewarding, and I'm high-fiving myself for the most simplest things... every day.

SO, hello again, I've missed writing here, and I've missed reading about your own creative selves, and while my life starts to settle Gretel, I'll start to split up my writing into different areas for different themes... more on that soon...

I started this blog as Veronica Darling to find a writing voice and to document what I sew and create. I've been doing this for a while now, and I'd like to keep going, because it's really still important to me to be ethical, sustainable, to reuse, recycle and redo where I can in this regard. Circumstances have changed in my life (new jobs, new roles, new houses, new countries) but of course, I'm still a creative-type that needs to keep going and doing and being.

There's a whole lot more I wanna talk about here, but for now, I'll say HELLO again, and see you around soon!

xoxo Veronica Darling

Little Things: Make You Feel a Whole Lot Better

Here are some little things that are making me feel great right now:

* Champagne in Springtime (to celebrate a little boy's birthday!) - The real stuff as I am his only mother after all!

* Darling Blogger Fonts and Geek Fairy Buttons (to the right hand side!) & Kira at Her New Leaf's ideas on how to get some social media buttons on my blog! A little update on my blog template make me feel nice! I'd forgotten about these things for a while, so it's nice to change things up! Thanks to lovely free advice & graphics online!

* The Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire having new music!

* Lunch with my old and soon to be new work colleagues

* Planning some Adults Only events for the future

* Darling friends who reach out and love our boy

* A little gardening in the sunshine

Hope you're having a gorgeous weekend! I'm feeling very spring-ish right now! Those new beginnings are bubbling!

xoxo

Tossing Up Blog Ideas

Wow, Baby Darling must be doing some growing today, as he's had 3 naps and still going on his third one right now! I've just done some internet catch ups, spruced up the blog a bit and actually wrote some ideas down!

So yep, after a bit of googling around... the main reason we blog (and blog well I guess) is we are passionate about a subject and then you kinda get on a roll. It's just like writing, right? They say 'write about what you know' etc and as I'm not a professional writer, who knows if this is right, right. (*shuddering* at my ridiculous LOL there)

BUT, I love writing my blog and THANK you for understanding my confusion and refocus and all that. Of course I'm not going to stop sewing or creating, but yep, it's just what to write about when I'm not sewing... or when I'm striving to sew. I'll always strive to sew as I'm a Positina Turner who strives at everything... EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE RIGHT?

OK, so these are some of the things I'm passionate about (above piccie in my own writing - wow, is my handwriting tricky to understand?):

Melbourne Places - I love my town, so maybe I'll write about it!

Pregs Fash - Zoe and I had a big email chat recently because - YAY She's Pregz - DIY maternity is tricky but good when you find the right patterns for petite mummies. I have lots of thoughts!

Mama Lyf - because you know, I'm living it and am super interested in feminist parenting approaches and just generally loving being a Mum!

But when I kept writing ideas up - and there's a page two of notes as well WOW - I kept writing "No Frills". If I write about what I'm passionate about, I think I'm into real life inspiration & lifestyle blogging... not the 'white walls' style I've mentioned where everything is just perfect and photographic! So I'm hoping this no frills and no glamour is part of my new approach here and there... Of course, I love taking photos, and tend to have a nice style of photographing things (I THINK SO!?) but I'm going to try and be modest and show my reality as well... so we'll see. But you get me right? Some lifestyle and fashion bloggers show glimpses of themselves and that 'perfection' isn't real to me.

OK - so Baby Darling is STILL sleeping! Better sit around looking at blogs, UHOH I mean get dinner ready for us!

xoxo to you

What to blog about?

Hi again! I'm going through a bit a blogging backstep at the moment... in that I'm taking a step back from this part of the internet because I kinda run out of time each week to be here, writing to you and then flicking through all my favourite blogs! Sad, but you know how life is, right?

And I guess because I'm not sewing or making anything regularly, or when I do sew there's no time to photograph it... or when I DO photograph it, it stays on my camera or stuck in a file on my computer while all the photos of Baby Darling just get the top priority!

But I do love writing and creating... so if I spend a bit of time thinking & planning, I'm sure I'll come up with a direction for the blog... it's tricky finding focus when I'm not blogging about sewing!

So I guess, my biggest questions at the moment are:

Have you changed direction with your blog before (if you're a blogger!) or seen a blog change direction well? 

What kind of posts are you interested in here, if I'm not talking about sewing? 

I have to remember too, I've been writing about sewing here for over FIVE years (and sewing for over 10 years), so it's understandable to feel a change of focus coming on... Sometimes I flick around new blogs online, and I'm not happy with the 'pretty' & 'white walls' or 'Frankie Magazine' style of blogging that's evolved online... and I just don't feel part of that world of blogging (sometimes that's the inspiration/fashion/design style of blogging). My life is freaking amazing, but blogging every inch of it makes me feel weird... and showing glimpses of it makes me feel like a faux glamorous housewife radio superstar (which in turn makes me feel weird). I just have to find a balance and feel comfortable with it all.

But yeh, we'll see... I found my voice by writing about my passion: sewing! So I'm sure I'll find my new voice! (SO CONFUSING THOUGH).

Thanks for your understanding as I work through my shizz! Love to you!

When I Was Just A Little Girl

I sing a lot to Baby Darling, and Doris Day is always in my head. I sing Que Sera Sera as he's going to sleep sometimes, really low and boring and slow and he drifts off. What a sweetie! I wonder how much he'll remember from when he is this little? It's a good saying to come back to really; whatever will be, will be. For who knows what will happen in his little sweet life?

Thanks for your USA ideas! I KNEW you'd have some good stopover spots, and yes if you're around that way, let me know... if we have time we can always have a vintage shop or a sewing chat! We'll be in California until May 20 and then onto NYC until June. Hooray! But please, keep the ideas going, I'm going to book accom this weekend!

AND, I know you're all DYING to know how disqus (still can't decide how to pronounce it!) is going in the comments, and it's amazing and working and needed a bit of time to import all the comments. I hope you don't mind using that as a comments system because it's really easy for me to write back to you and also I love commenting via disqus on other blogs... now that I'm using bloglovin' a lot more.

Please don't imagine me in my 50s dresses swanning around the house, singing Doris Day, having a perfectly sleepy baby with my red roses (The photo is from February earlier this year from my Husbie's photo collection, however aren't they beautiful?) as right now Baby Darling is talking at the top of his talking voice to the front loader washing machine as it's on the spin setting, while I drink a cup of tea and write to you from my kinda clean sewing room. I came to the computer to order some online/home delivered groceries, but realised as I paid for them they were being delivered next Thursday and not tomorrow, so I'll have to go shopping after all. And I'm not really a Susie Homemaker/Doris Day Perfection babe at heart, just a babe. Did I mention my child is in love with the washing machine right now? Learning about the world. Transfixed by the washing.

Techie Time: Disqus

I'm stuck! (Photo from my Husbie's iphone from a few years ago when the floods came to Melbourne CBD!)

Acting a bit too quick for my techie brain, I loaded DISQUS to my blogger blog and the widget seems to work but the importing all my/your old comments haven't worked?

I perhaps should have researched it a bit more, but acted quickly because I noticed while using Bloglovin reader in Chrome, I leave comments on Disqus comments quicker than Blogger ones (without losing your spot - or whatever in the freaking bloglovin thingie - SO BAD AT EXPLAINING THIS)... anyways, I thought if I preferred commenting via Disqus, as it was quicker, then maybe you'd like to too, and I quickly made the change and now I'm STUCK!

I'll ask for 'help' on the Disqus page, but for now I have a page (after I click 'import/sync comments') that says 'Sorry an Error occurred at our end'... so sorry if it's tricky to comment or whatever, and I'll get back to you soon (once I get the comments back). URGH.

And you know what else? Because of the internet I don't know how to pronounce Disqus. Is it like discuss or discus that you throw? Or Dis-kwee to sound French? I know it's not important really, but I get stuck on this too (I love correct pronunciation, and the internets makes it tricky!).

Love to you and hope you enjoyed your Easter Break if you got one/celebrated it! We ate chocolate and saw comedy and took Baby Darling to the zoo! LOLZ!

xoxo

Reading Blogs

You've probably seen around the internerds that some people are changing to Bloglovin' as Google Reader is closing down? Everyone reads blogs in different ways, and I've always been more of a 'sit down at the computer/desktop when I have spare time and click through to your blog (from my blogroll on my page - to the right there) and have a million tabs of sewing blogs open' kind of person. I then keep tabs open forever and sometimes get around to commenting or pinteresting things I like ... and only sometimes I've used Google Reader & Bloglovin to read blogs.

Maybe Bloglovin' changed recently because I have used it more in the past year or so ... and in the flurry of lots of bloggers moving over to it in the past few weeks (thanks for all the follows you lovely peeps) I have used it daily and it is a lot better than shitloads of tabs in my browser, and I've even had time to COMMENT... so YAY! In a very time poor Mama Lyf world, that is AMAZING!

Anyways, I've been on there for a bit, so you'll find me ok I'm sure... but just to remind you (and perhaps to get on there if you're not already on there for your own blog, as I'll follow you) here's a photo I took of my desktop comptur screen to get you a bit 'meta' and into it. I have also tried the app, but realised it is iphone size, and not a happy ipad size... I'm sure they'll update. 

See you around soon, where ever you read blogs!