New book out, and possibly my longest post ever!

Hello everyone! I have a big blog post today, it's long! So I hope you've got a cup of tea handy :)

Firstly, I am thrilled to announce that The Glam Life is here! In my books I love to provide compelling inspiration and fun mindset changes, and The Glam Life is no different - except that everything in your life will be run through the filter of G L A M. It's epic :)

 

Don't wait another second to transform into a creature like no other - the beguiling woman of your dreams! Yeah!

If you pre-ordered you should have already received your Kindle copy ; thank you for doing this and I hope you are enjoying the new book immensely.

If you don't have your copy yet, or would like the paperback, you can find both here on my Amazon affiliate link.

And for an Amazon alternative, the eBook is available in my eStore here.

If you are already reading The Glam Life , please let me know what you think!

As already mentioned last week, The Glam Life has been percolating in my head for over six months, and I felt like I had been struck with a thunderbolt when I first 'got it'. It truly did feel like it had been delivered into my mind like a Kindle pre-order arriving automatically lol!

And now she's here, all polished up and ready to step into the real world, haha did you see what I did there? With the pretty red shoes on the cover?

 

The photo of me at the top was taken in Wellington, at the QT Hotel. In October we had a little mini-break there for a couple of nights and it was such fun. We looked around on foot by day, and had nice dinners planned each evening. We don't usually book restaurants before we leave home but we did this time and it was nice to relax because we didn't have to find a place to eat, it was all taken care of for us.

Wellington is such an invigorating city, it's little and compact and full of charm. I loved that most people had a really unique point of view with their personal style.

We rode the cable car and found a bespoke perfumer (Fragrifert Victorian Perfumery) which was so interesting (I bought samples of all his fragrances as I couldn't choose...), did a little clothes shopping and had cocktails too.

It's so nice to pack your nicest things, plan fun outings and have a little break from everyday life even though my favourite thing in the world is everyday life and being at home. And it doesn't need to be far away either, Wellington is less than four hours drive for us.

I think it's so important to have frequent treats to look forward to, like a mini-break, or smaller things like a massage or meal out. In fact I booked a massage with a new lady as a reward for completing The Glam Life. She is so popular I couldn't get in for two weeks, but that gives me more time to look forward to it.

 

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I had a reader ask me about my office space, so I thought it would be fun to share it. My office is my happy place. I actually took the photo through the window as I was going out the front door to take the dogs for a late afternoon walk. It is such a small room it's hard to get it all in a photo, but this is most of it! I have my makeup there on the left as you can see: I put it on at my desk because the natural light is nice, and I can listen to something inspiring on YouTube at the same time.

You can see my ladybasket to the right, where I have my iPad, book, journal, pen, phone etc, to carry from my desk, to my bedroom, to the living room.

The doggies have a bed at my feet in the corner of the desk. Oh, and it's a standing desk too, it goes up and down when I press the magic button! So sometimes I stand when I get sick of sitting.

And you can see my feminine gallery wall too! I mentioned this in 100 Ways to Live a Luxurious Life on a Budget (tip no. 77).

I am so grateful to have a cozy nook like this. When I started writing my books seven years ago I sat at the dining table with my laptop. We all need to start somewhere, so don't let a lack of space stop you from writing your book or creative project.

 

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My husband and I decided we didn't want a home like everybody elses, so we started choosing decor based on what rung OUR bell. Not many people would have striped paper all down the hallway, but we love it.

We got the idea from fancy hotels and homes; they often feature stripes in their look. To us it looks 'rich', but to others it might look crazy! Even the paper hanger looked at us when we showed him what we wanted him to put up... But surely it must be more interesting than working with boring papers?

I love simplicity in style, but in this home we are all about the wow-factor, the pop, the fun.

I really want patterned carpet too. Like a hotel or casino! I love the queen's carpet (tartan) at Balmoral castle in Scotland, which I think would look great in our bedroom. In the hall I'd have some kind of paisley or small pattern, with a border. And in our living areas, I think leopard would look AMAZING. I couldn't find leopard carpet anywhere though, I wonder why! Surely there is a big demand for it? But if there was a big demand I probably wouldn't want it...

I tell you, it's tough being next-level. Availability always needs to catch up with my desires!

(I also 'need' a neon sign on our living room. I think that would look fab.)

Are you with me? A fabulously crazy everything home decor? Or simple and calm... I do love my home to feel calm, but I love surrounding myself with what I love too.

 

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And here is Sweet Daphne and her profile - what a shape she is :)

When she came to live with us over four years ago she was quite... thin and now... she's not. I know she was probably underfed, and she came from a puppy mill via the local SPCA, but now she is making up for it with gusto.

She is the keenest eater I have ever met. Always ready for food, she creates her own 'food frenzies' where she starts dancing around like it was your idea to give her a treat (it wasn't).

She has stolen whole camemberts from the coffee table when our backs were turned for thirty seconds and my mother once lost the icing from the top of her Christmas cake slice which was on the DINING TABLE. Clearly Daphne didn't have a taste for the cake as that was left behind.

She is the sweetest dog I have known though, and the sookiest. Her name is appropriate - Daphne - because Sweet Daphne is an actual thing (a beautiful smelling winter flowering plant). The SPCA named her and it suits. She is a sweetheart!

People that don't know Daphne think she is a boy, because she is not the prettiest dog around. Even when I had her dressed in a hot-pink fleece top one day when it was cold. A woman actually asked me why my boy dog was in pink? (Daphne also had a pink collar and leash.) Take a guess, lady!

My brother thinks this is hilarious and has started calling her David. Poor Daphne, she puts up with a lot!

Anyway, she loves her new life, and, as you can see from the photo, fits in with our decor perfectly! And I love that I never have to coax her to finish her dinner. Her bowl is licked clean in seven seconds flat.

It seems pets are either one way or another - finicky eaters or vacuum cleaners~

 

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And look at this! I'm telling you, I was doing a happy dance in my office when I saw it - two of my books, no. 1 and no. 2!

Thank you for all the love you have shown 100 Ways to Live a Luxurious Life on a Budget. It was such a blast to write, and has been my most popular title since it was released. (But now The Glam Life is here hot on her heels, giving her a run for her money!)

I will be writing more '100 Ways' books, it's just so fun to write something short, sharp and motivating.

What would you love to see covered? There are so many juicy topics to explore. Let me know what your ideal '100 Ways' book would be called and I'll put it on my ideas list.

 

Enjoy your wonderful day, thank you for reading down this far, I know it's long this week! And thank you for being fabulous. You are amazing if you didn’t already know it.

xx Fiona

PS. 100 Ways to Live a Luxurious Life on a Budget is here on Amazon and my new book The Glam Life here. Have fun and I hope you love them!