Thursdays are talk to interesting people days (about blogs or products) and it doesn’t get much more interesting than a fashion designing suburban working mom covered in tattoos…You know pregnant, with a 4-year-old running around while running a business and so cool you wish she’d ask you to sit with her during lunch…yes THAT interesting. I love Maz from Caffeine and Fairydust ‘s wit and passion for things. She has agreed to answer some questions for me, so today I’m cool by association
-Tell us a little about your family…
I am married to my crazy skateboarding & craft beer loving husband who is my best friend and greatest love – together we have a gorgeous almost 4-year old girl named Mikayla Rose and I am currently pregnant with our little boy who is due on the 19th of December! We have two rescue cats – Rhino and Green Pepper and a rat named Tinkerbell.
-What do you do when not blogging?
I am a Fashion Designer working with companies such as Truworths, Foschini, Queenspark and Poetry, I also do some Textile and Graphic design when I have the time. At the moment I am loving being a full time mommy on maternity leave. I have also recently started selling unique vintage furniture, home decor, art and jewelry sourced/made by my talented mom! You can have a look here – https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Vita-%C3%A8-Bella/305776452961056
I am also playing with the idea of maybe starting a kids clothing range, but we will see….
-What made you decide to blog?
I have always enjoyed writing as a sort of therapeutic relief, blogging is something I have always wanted to try. Cindy from 3Kids 2Dogs 1Old House greatly inspired me – I love her writing!
-What was your concept behind the blog?
O gosh… Chaos. I am not quite sure myself. It is sort of a journal for my family documenting my pregnancy and life as a mom in general. I am just telling my stories and giving my opinions – if it helps someone or if anyone can relate to my posts that’s great! I am no expert and I try not to give advice as I believe every single persons’ situation is different. I write about what I believe in and enjoy – which is my family, good food, fun things to do, fair treatment of animals, promoting cruelty-free products, etc.
– Where does blog name come from?
I have no idea, my mind works in weird ways. It just came to me… It’s the same when I design ranges/garments. Sometimes I dream about them, sometimes it just pops in my head…
-Did you find yourself nervous at prospect of letting people into your life in this way?
No, I have always been very open about my life. I don’t really care if people know what my secrets are. I am proud of my life and what I’ve achieved. I have been through quite a journey and I have much to share still!
-Do you ever worry that your child will be like “mom why are you exposing my life?”
I am always very cautious about the pictures I share or what I post when it comes to my little one, so not really. Obviously when she is older I will have to respect her privacy and be even more careful about what I write.
-Does your family read your blog?
Yes, my husband and my mom are my biggest fans!
-What do you hope to achieve through the blog?
So much! Currently I am running a series that promotes products that do not test on animals – I really wish more people will care about this. It is absolutely senseless to support a brand that still mutilates and terrorize animals in order to do their research when you have so many alternatives. I also want people to be a bit more open-minded and realize that even though I am tattooed and a little bit eccentric – I am still just a person with feelings like everyone else. I also love it when people respond to my posts so happy that they are not the only ones going through something similar to me.
-What do you think about the blogging culture in South Africa?
I am very new at this, but one thing I have notice and absolutely love is how supportive all the Mommy bloggers are of each other. It warms my heart! ♥
-What do you think makes for a “good blog”
I guess that is different for every person, I personally like blogs that are honoust and to the point. I enjoy a more relaxed style of writing.
-How do you personally measure success in the blogging world
By the response and interaction from the readers on your actual articles. To me stats don’t mean much.
xoxo
Maz
Caffeine and Fairydust
Oh man! This just made my day!