What do you reckon? We've completely switched up my previous white and mint theme for a brand new style featuring custom illustrations, we've added categories - seriously, how did I manage to write a blog without categories for so long?! - and hopefully made it easier for you to navigate and enjoy Meg Says. I really hope you like it as much as I do!
I knew I wanted to incorporate illustration into the new blog design and my brain was giving me one name and one name only - Polly Fern. Polly and I have been friends since high school - we used to sit together in Science and she got me through many a snooze-worthy lesson! - and it was clear since our early teens what a talent she had for art. Since leaving school it has been a pleasure to see her grow as an artist, she's built such a reputable name for herself and I feel like I could burst with pride when I see her work in magazines! Her website demonstrates her skill as an illustrator and ceramicist, and I'm always browsing her shop - when my friends start having children I think the custom illustrated letters would make the most beautiful gift to be framed in a nursery. Do make sure you also check out her Instagram as her posts always make my day, whether they're of her stunning artwork or her adorable canary family! I couldn't be happier with the illustrations, Polly did such a fantastic job of making them very 'Meg' and it feels so special to have had a friend create them for me.
I found that it was quite tricky to portray who you are as a person through 'things', but I thought long and hard (with your guys' help, also!) and think we did a pretty great job. We've got a lipstick, as anyone who knows me knows that a nice lippy makes me a very happy lady and along with my signature Chanel perfume, both show my love for all things beauty and generally being a little product junkie. I couldn't not have a cup of tea, as I live off the stuff and it's such a comforting, enjoyable part of my daily routine. As you might've noticed it's actually a cup of coffee, simply because what looks better - plain, tan-coloured liquid or pretty, intricate latte art? I thought the latter so we went with coffee, but it signifies all of the hot beverages that get me through the day. Then we come to the camera which stands for pretty much everything I do online - capturing photos for my blog, filming myself chatting away for my YouTube videos, snapping images for Instagram and basically sharing my life with you all. It brings me so much happiness and I couldn't do any of it without cameras.
Every detail of the illustrations was given a lot of thought and we incorporated references to different aspects of my life that maybe aren't immediately clear. For example, M.E is a huge part of my life but I couldn't figure out how to represent it - medication seemed too 'in your face', and little sleeping Z's was an idea that I toyed with but I felt it was 'too cute' to represent a disease. Then, my very good friend Ali suggested that I have a spoon, as in the chronic illness community many refer to themselves as 'spoonies' because of The Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino - here. Something clicked and suddenly it all made sense; I already had the coffee cup, and all it needed was a silver spoon resting on the saucer as a subtle nod to my disability that isn't obvious but represents my illness and sends a big hug to all of my fellow spoonies. There are also a few other meaningful touches that I'll be keeping to myself, and I love how personal that makes it.
As for the genius behind the design of the blog, it's all down to the lovely Serena from Pretty Wild Things. I seriously can't tell you what a pleasure she has been to work with - she's professional, talented, thoughtful and generally just a very kind, thoroughly lovely person! I really could sing her praises all day however we're going to be running an exciting giveaway together in the near future, so I'll talk you through how brilliant she's been and let her introduce herself to you then - and whilst you're waiting for that post, definitely check out Serena's YouTube channel, vlog channel, design website and blog.
I'm so happy with how it has all turned out and can't tell you how enthused I feel - I've gotten my blogging mojo back, I've fallen in love with writing again and I'm really passionate about improving my photography skills to make Meg Says the best it can possibly be. Bloggers always describe their websites as "their little corner of the web" and I completely understand why - it's homely, which sounds funny when you strip it back to the basics and know that you're talking about a virtual location on the world wide web, but it is. It's your space to be yourself and talk about the things you love, and if that wasn't already fab enough, add to the mixture the fact that you get to share that love with your Internet family. Magical stuff.
So, this post is a communal 'CHEERS!' to the brand new www.meg-says.com, a heartfelt thank you Polly and Serena for making my blogging dreams come true and a group hug to everyone who takes the time out of their day to see what I have to say.
I would honestly love to hear your thoughts on redesign so do feel free to leave me a comment if you'd like to, and I hope you have the best day.
