Wash Your Hands - my tips for self-isolation

I have now officially been in isolation for 17 days! Since I last popped on here New Zealand has closed their borders, the number of Covid-19 cases began to rise and then as of 9 days ago, the rest of the country joined me in self-isolation. This is such a crazy time and it's funny how quickly I've created a new normal, a routine that involves staying inside my strict 'bubble' and trying not to go insane! So, now that we're all in the same boat, I thought I'd share some of my top self-isolation tips! As it's been over two weeks for me now, I've started to figure out the ins and outs of what quarantine means for me!

Once the alert level was raised to 4 here in New Zealand, the second half of my family was finally able to return home. This at least renewed some sense of normality back into my routine, but it's still pretty odd. Like everyone else, I have no idea when I'll see my friends again and I'm also separated from Ben indefinitely, which has probably been the hardest part of this whole experience. I thought I'd be reuniting with him after a two week trip to Los Angeles, then it became four weeks, with my self-isolation and now...I have no idea how long it will be.

Like many people right now, especially those with existing mental health issues (hellO), this whole situation is so overwhelming. It's hard not to get caught up in all the negativity surrounding us and enter that doom and gloom headspace we all know so well. Having a (relatively) strict routine has definitely helped me stay a little saner during all this madness.

I wake up at around 10:00am, have some breakfast (usually toast or fruit salad) and then I settle in for some solid Animal Crossing time. Thank god for the release of Animal Crossing, this game has been keeping me entertained for hours and it's also a nice escape into a world where you're biggest problems are having enough bells to build a bridge and recruiting your favourite fluffy-faced villagers! I allow myself Animal Crossing time until the 1:00pm press conference, where we get the latest stats for Covid (always slightly depressing) and then it's work time! Usually, this is a great time to have a shower too.

As a creative person, it's super important for me to be making things every day and keeping those creative *juices* flowing. Currently, I'm working on a secret design project for something REALLy exciting, making sales through my Depop store and taking timer cam photos of my outfits to post on Instagram. What a life. Having small projects like always getting dressed and taking a fun picture of my outfit keeps me feeling (slightly) normal.

It's also been vital for me to get outside at least once a day. Obviously, this is made slightly more difficult now, with restrictions on how far we can even venture outside of our neighbourhood. But, even just going for a stroll around the block makes such a difference. Plus, there are so many dog walkers out at the moment, which means many cute DOGS.

Being confined to the company of only those in your isolation 'bubble' can be difficult. But as we've been told so many times it's about physical distancing, not social distancing. Every day I make it my mission to reach out to as many people as possible, whether that's a grandparent or family member or a friend that's also dying of boredom in their own isolation bubble. Video chatting with Ben several times a day and playing Animal Crossing with Fran and Matt reminds me that there are still people out there. We're all in the same boat so we might as well make use of all this free time!

The world right now is a crazy place and as we're trapped inside for the foreseeable future, it's important to focus on the positives. Make this time as productive as possible, but also allow yourself to do things you enjoy, relax, spend time with your *bubble* family. We will (hopefully) never experience anything like this again in our lifetimes, so I plan to make the most of it! I also want to say THANK you to all of those amazing people who are still supporting my store during this time. I've had an insane amount of sales over the last week, with every customer understanding that I might not be able to ship their orders for at least another three weeks. I'm not sure if the drive to shop online is from boredom or that rush that comes from purchasing something new, but I'm not complaining! For now, stay safe, wash your hands and enjoy your isolation!

Bella 🌼

Business In Self Isolation

Hello! It's been a hot minute since I jumped on here and wow have things changed. The last time I updated this blog I was in the process of organizing my trip to California, filled with excitement and a few snuffles from a head cold but completely unaware of what the next two weeks would bring. Nothing could have prepared me for how incredible, scary and hectic my trip ended up being but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I'll be writing more about my experiences and the wild things and people that I encountered during my time in the States, but for now, I thought I'd address the elephant in the room. Since leaving for America 15 days ago the world around me has completely changed. Covid-19 has created challenges left, right and centre for pretty much everyone in the world. I don't think a single person could say that they haven't felt the impact of the virus in some way. It's so scary and huge, and it can be hard to know what to do with constant information being thrown at us from every direction. I am by no means an expert and I'm still super fortunate to be in the position I'm in, where the virus hasn't completely changed my way of life. But, I'd love for this blog and all my platforms to be a safe space, where I can share positivity and creativity during these crazy times.

Due to the rapidly evolving situation, I was forced to return to New Zealand several days earlier than I'd planned. This decision was mostly made by my parents who were (rightly so) pretty concerned about me being on the other side of the world while this was all going down. So, I reluctantly packed my bags early and thank god for my flexible flights, made it home safe. I'm so lucky that my parents made that decision when they did as every day that goes by Kiwis returning home face more and more challenges. But, I'm home, I'm safe, I'm in self-isolation for 14 days, and in the grand scheme of things, that's not a big deal.

So, as I begin my self-isolation I've started to brainstorm how I can best make use of my time. As someone who's struggled with mental health issues, staying at home for more than a day can affect me hugely. Too much time stuck in my own head is never good, especially at a time like this. I really don't wanna let myself get to that point, so it's super important for me to stay busy. Luckily, I have plenty of creative projects that I want to get started on and a whole lot of content to start posting from my trip.

As I come to the end of my second day in isolation, I can say that I'm doing well. First off, I'm physically healthy, which is the most important thing right now. But, mentally I'm doing much better than I had expected. Obviously, it sucks not being able to see Ben for another two weeks and my family has had to split up too, in order to self-isolate. So, it's just me and Dad (and Jock the dog) at home right now, which is a little different to what I'm used to. My Mum and Brother are staying somewhere else for the 14 days, which is a challenge for all of us, but nothing we can't overcome.

But I'm determined to make this period of my life productive, so here is my game plan! After doing a poll over on my Instagram and speaking to a few of you directly, I've decided to continue with my Depop store as normal. This was a decision that I mulled over for quite a while, uploading clothing drops and talking about fashion doesn't really feel 'right' at the moment. But, I've come to the conclusion that there is no right or wrong, this is all new and nobody really knows how to deal with it. I'm staying informed by watching the news several times a day and making sure that I'm getting the latest information, but at the same time I want to try my hardest to live life as I normally would. Everything is different and we're making so many compromises right now, I want to cling onto some of the things that make me most happy in this world. And one of those is my store!

So, please understand that I'm in no way ignoring or being insensitive to the current state of the world, I'm just doing what's right for me. On the plus side, that means fresh new clothing drops for all of you and I have some really funky pieces coming your way in the next couple of week. Your next question will probably be, how the hell are you planning on shipping items in quarantine? The answer to that is I have no clue. Either I give the pieces to my Mum who isn't in isolation and she can ship them or I simply wait for the 14 day period to be over. Either way, your order will arrive with a bonus gift to make it worth your while in these crazy times! Here are some groovy new pieces you can expect to see on the store in the next few weeks...





I also have grand plans to finally start a Youtube channel! One thing that kept me grounded whilst in America was binge-watching Devyn Crimson's videos. If you don't know her she's an absolute babe from Chicago who has the coolest retro-inspired style. Her videos focus on fashion, makeup, music and all things 60s/70s, which I'm obviously very into (see Devyn here). But this did make me think that I'd love to start making videos myself. Videos where I'm actually talking and showing you all behind the scenes, the clothes I found in LA, chatting about my experiences and I guess giving you all a bit more of my personality? This is something a lot of you seemed really keen for so I'm going to sit down and (attempt) to film my first video tomorrow. It might not be pretty and I'll probably make a fool of myself but what else am I gonna do for 14 days?!

Other than that I plan to take long (solitary) walks, watch plenty of Netflix (just started Bloodline with Dad, it's so good!) I want to read more, write more, take photos and maybe even paint a little, something I haven't done since the start of last year. I'm really trying to see this self-isolation period as an opportunity to learn new things and challenge myself creatively while I have time. We also found out that we're moving house in June (more on that later), so I'll be keeping busy with selling furniture and picking up pieces (online) for my new space!

During this uncertain time, my DM's are always open if you want to talk, I know that for a lot of people life has changed dramatically and it's hard to imagine feeling normal anytime soon. But I strongly believe that we will get through this, as humans we're pretty resilient and I don't think Covid-19 is going to be the end of us. With that being said it's so important right now to practice social distancing, stay home if you can and try to see this as an opportunity to better yourself in a world full of awful, scary things.
Stay safe everyone and watch this space for exciting things to come!

Bella 🌼

Surprise! Deluxe Exhibition 2020

Surprise! This is the most random, last-minute exhibition I've ever put on and I honestly can't believe it all came together. But, here it is; my second exhibition with Deluxe Cafe on Kent Terrace is officially open!

With my flight to America coming up next week, the idea of creating a whole exhibition before I leave was somewhat insane. I was expecting to have my work back in Deluxe sometime later this year, but when complications with their current artist, my name jumped the queue! So, with a neverending to-do list already crippling me I decided to take this on board too. I'm so pleased with how the final exhibition turned out, especially given the time frame I had to work with. With eight of my favourite pieces from 'Through The Kitchen Window' on show, it's probably one of my favourite collections yet!

'Through The Kitchen Window' is my latest body of work, exhibited at Colombo in Martinborough recently (here) and in terms of sales, definitely my most popular series yet. Focusing on colours, textures and patterns from the 70s, this collection looks at several interior and exterior spaces in Wellington. I shot most of these images as my obsession with retro style was just beginning and creating these pairings gave me a whole new appreciation for that kitch style that's so unique to the 70s.

As the space I had to work with at Deluxe was much smaller than Colombo, I had to select my absolute favourite pieces from the collection to have on show. So I settled on 'Crocodile Rock', 'Gold Dust Woman', 'Yellow Submarine', 'Keep On Truckin', 'Hotel California', 'Nostalgia', 'Brown Sugar' and 'Through The Kitchen Window'. These pieces hold such a special place in my heart and they're images that I'm truly proud to have taken.

I'm super lucky and so grateful to have my work recognised by Deluxe again and just having my work out there means the world. But, obviously, it's great to make a few sales along the way too, so if you're in the area, make sure to pop into Deluxe before my exhibition comes down!

You can find Deluxe Cafe at 10 Kent Terrace in Wellington
See their Instagram here

If you want to read more about 'Through The Kitchen Window' or see the pieces for sale at Deluxe
See my blog post here
Instagram here

Bella 🌼

One Week Before America - Colour Study

One week. In fact, six days until I leave for my big adventure. As you may well know, I leave for Los Angeles on the 5th of March, for a solo trip dedicated to op shopping, taking photos and creating (hopefully) awesome content. If you want to read more about the specifics of this, see my original post here. But, for now, I have six days to prepare myself and I'm currently lying in bed with a nasty head cold, so that's great.

This cold really couldn't have come at a worse time, but I'm trying to stay positive. I've been slowly ticking things off my to-do list as the days count down and now I'm left with a few major tasks to complete before I board my plane. This experience was going to be stressful and scary enough as it is but add a nasty cough and runny nose into the mix...not really sure what to expect. I just hope that my flights are relatively drama free and I make it to my Airbnb in one piece. I don't think that's too much to ask?

As for everything that I'll be leaving behind for two weeks, most of my Depop and blog related business will be on a temporary pause. Of course, feel free to still purchase items or message me with any questions, but just know that I might take a little longer to respond and nothing will be shipped until I'm back on the 20th! I'll try my best to keep this blog as updated as possible but my main focus will be to stay present and be out and about as much as possible while I'm in the US. So, what's the best way to stay up to date with my travels (if you feel so inclined)? Instagram. If you don't follow my main Instagram account, go do it. I'll be posting tons of updates and images over there and maybe even some fun thrift hauls as I go?

I'm still very much in the process of sorting out my itinerary and I think a lot of it will end up being pretty spontaneous. But, I'd love to hear any suggestions if you've been to LA yourself (vegan eats, vintage and thrifting), just flick me a message! But as I'll still be recovering from this bloody cold I think I'll be taking it pretty easy during the evenings. I want to fill my days with as much op shopping, photographing and eating as possible before I retreat back to my Airbnb as the sun goes down.

It's always bittersweet going on holiday or leaving Wellington in general as I'll be leaving my other half behind. As university starts next week Ben couldn't come to LA with me and even if he could I think this always needed to be my trip. So, it'll be sad saying goodbye to him, but it's also nice to know he'll be waiting for me back in Welly, probably wishing I wasn't coming back with two giant suitcases full of clothes he'll need to photograph! But, as scary as it is, I'm honestly so excited to be by myself. I've always loved being alone and especially as I would technically consider this a business trip, it will be amazing to be in charge of all my own decisions.

As I sit here in bed with my Berocca, coughing up a lung, I am still filled with excitement! I can't wait to be in my all-time favourite place again, soaking up the sun and experiencing a whole new side to travel, all on my own!

Bella 🌼