Little Lavender Line Pick-Me-Ups

‘It Comes And Goes In Waves’

If you know me then you will know that I am someone who loves a quote and finding those little words of wisdom on days when you aren’t feeling so great. It was this that made me think about my work and how I could incorporate the two elements together to bring forward a photography typography range with some pick-me-up phrases and sunset scenes to create 5 little pick-me-up greeting cards.

It Comes And Goes In Waves : perfect for those with a love of those rolling waves

From Find Me Where The Waves Are to Life Is Better At the Beach, This Must Be The Place to Go Lightly and It Comes And Goes In Waves, there is a little something for everyone to let them know that you are thinking of them!

Go Lightly : perfect for those Breakfast At Tiffany’s fans

Find Me Where The Waves Are : perfect for those with a love of vitamin sea

Little-Pick-Me-Ups are now available for purchase on Etsy individually or as a set. Which would you choose to send that someone special, and are there any phrases that you would like to see for future card designs?

Welcoming Winter Wonderings

“Winter is not a season, it's a celebration” - Anamika Mishra

I can’t believe that we are into mid-November already! It’s been a busy few weeks at Lavender Line HQ and getting ready for Christmas at the studio! If you follow @LavenderLinePhotography on Instagram you will have seen that the decorations are well underway and will be available for purchase very soon!  I have also been working on a winter print series which means you will soon be able to add some of your favourite locations in a winter style to your home decor!

Below is a sneak peek of some winter scenes coming to Lavender Line Photography next week!

‘Amsterdam Nights’ - Coming Soon

‘A Radio City Christmas’ - Coming Soon

‘Winter Wanderings’ - Coming Soon

There is also a very special Limited Edition Winter print ready and waiting for its new home! ‘In The Air’ was taken on a flight back from a magical trip to Stockholm and captures my first Scandinavian sunset.

There are just 5 available for purchase and a special coupon code below to make for the perfect gift this Christmas, don’t miss out!

‘In The Air (Somewhere Over Stockholm)’ - 16x12” Limited Edition Print

A Moment With Lavender Line

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” -  Anita Desai

I’m taking a different approach to Wanderlust Wednesday today and sharing some best selling prints that have made their new home in countries such as America, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden to name a few. It’s what I look forward to most;  seeing what print has caught the attention of the client, the story behind their print purchase and the country that is next to pin on my sales map. It makes it even more special when it is a print from home and seeing the love that people have for our beautiful coastline as well as the memories it holds. It’s a feeling that will never get old!

Below are just some of those LLP favourites!

Whitepark Waves : A touch of those Whitepark Bay waves to give that hit of vitamin sea!

To The Pier : It’s a written rule that you must stand here to appreciate the view when visiting Ballycastle Beach!

Golden Hour Mournes : A must-visit sunset location!

Ballycastle Blues : It’s hard not to fall in love with North Coast views like this!

Do you own a Lavender Line best seller? I’d love to see how it has settled into its new home! #LavenderLineAtHome

Calendar 2023

Goodbye October, Hello November!

It’s that exciting time of year when I reveal the next calendar to hit Lavender Line Photography! Calendar 2023 marks what I think is now my 5th photography calendar and made up of 12 Lavender Line Northern Ireland favourites. From Ballycastle to Ballintoy, Portstewart to Downhill… there is a little something for everyone with a love of the Emerald Isle! Not only a Calendar, but come the end of 2023 you will have 12 5x5” mini scenes to display proudly in your home decor. A perfect way to add a touch of Northern Ireland!

Why not add a touch of Northern Ireland to your 2023!

From Pans Rock to Portstewart

No January blues with Calendar 2023

Calendar 2023 is now available for purchase here or if you are in the Belfast area then why not come have a browse at Lavender Line Photography HQ! Don’t miss out, limited stock!

Happy Halloween!

It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus! 🎃

‘I’m so glad I live in a world where there are October’ - L.M. Montgomery

Happy Halloween! Trick or Treat?! 🎃

Don’t miss out on 10% off all Lavender Line Photography purchases made today on Etsy to celebrate this spooky holiday! A perfect excuse to add some of those favourite Autumn/Winter scenes to your home decor!

Be sure to save you free Lavender Line Photography phone wallpaper below, the perfect Autumn meets Winter image for those lock screens! 🍁

Lavender Line Photography Just Turned 7!

‘Be more than you ever thought you could be’ - E Russell

Goodbye July, Hello August and what marks Year 7 of Lavender Line Photography! I still at times find it hard to believe that I run my own small business, let alone hitting up that lucky number 7 milestone!  I would like to say that it’s all been smooth-sailing and just as glamorous as what Instagram can make it seem like being your own boss, but each and every year has come with its own set of challenges and new learning curves in a world that is ever-changing… and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I can honestly say that there is nothing else that I would rather be doing!  There is no better feeling than getting to do what you love every day and knowing that your work brings joy to others; whether it be an image posted and shared online, a photography print displayed in a home of a special time and location or capturing a special moment or occasion.  That feeling of knowing just how powerful a certain capture of mine can be will never get old, it is something that I appreciate so much and will continue to appreciate every single day.

So, how did it all begin? Below are some little facts as to how my journey into small business owner started!

• Ever since I can remember I have always had a love for the arts, whether it be painting, drawing or making. Though my main background was predominately Textile Crafts (creating unusual catwalk-like jewellery pieces), photography was always an important element within my work during my school, foundation and degree years.

• After University I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to take my career and felt somewhat creatively burnt out after back to back years of study and projects. I found that photography was a good escape from the burn out and so I started to photograph little aspects from everyday life.

• Interview after interview, rejection after rejection, I found it almost impossible to find a creative job and fell into that catch 22 that so many of us find ourselves in when stepping out into the real world…. not enough experience!

• I started focusing more and more on photography and documenting my trips away, creating mini series after mini series of work. I enjoyed looking at places from a new perspective and challenging myself on how to capture the beautiful scenes in front of me. Could this be my new career path?!

• I decided to sign up to some business classes and business workshops at North City Business Centre to see if the small business world could be for me. It was here that I was assigned a business advisor who helped me put together a business plan and gave me a piece of advice that has always stayed with me; ‘always think two years ahead!’

• With a business plan, a business name decided on (my favourite colour and part of my second name) and just £200 in my bank account I decided to step into the unknown and Lavender Line Photography was born!

Lavender Line Photography HQ - My dream studio and one of my proudest achievements in being a small business owner (Year 5)

It has been an incredible 7 years of business so far and one that I don’t think I could ever really have imagined even in my wildest photography dreams!  From capturing important moments to selling my work internationally, having my dream studio space at Portview Trade Centre to making new friendships with other small business owners both near and far who continue to inspire me daily. I count myself very lucky and very fortunate to call this my job!

Here is to 7 unforgettable years and to another exciting work year ahead with all things Lavender Line Photography! Thank you for your continuous support and following along on this journey!

Hello Midsummer!

‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are’

Happy Summer or should I say Glad Midsommar with today being the official Midsummer date!

It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year again! Though the travel industry may be at an all time low with the horrible cancellation of Summer holidays and putting most of us off planning anything at all, I am excited to see what this Summer has in store! I am so ready to chase those Summer sunsets wherever they may be and to create a new series of work!

Coral Nights, Carnlough Northern Ireland

If you follow my Instagram account you might have seen an exciting new product launch last week; Lavender Line Photography Phone Wallpapers! We decorate our homes, our workspaces and even our planners with pretty pictures and words of inspiration, so it seemed only natural that we give our phones that same treatment too. After all, it’s the one thing we look at umpteen times a day whether we like to admit it or not!

Stay Wild Ocean Child, Whitepark Bay Northern Ireland

For a while I found it difficult to want to change my phone screen wallpaper as I had put a special photograph in place back in July 2019 when I lost my Little Miss of almost 17 years.  It wasn’t until a phone upgrade in February 2022 that I felt it ok to change to something new, and so ‘Coral Nights’ was used to bring a touch of that golden hour vitamin sea to my lock screen.  It got me thinking about our phone screens and how we use certain photographs to get through certain times, a small comfort that is always at hand. 

So I decided to create a wallpaper series to bring a mini escape to those day to day routines of ours!  

Find Me Where The Waves Are

Escape The Ordinary

Good Vibes Only

And Breathe

Which wallpaper sums you up best?

• And Breathe

• Escape The Ordinary

• Find Me Where The Waves Are

• Good Vibes Only

• Stay Wild Ocean Child

I will be continually adding to the wallpaper collection to bring new quotes and images, but if there is quote or image that you would like to see then please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

A Drop In The Ocean

'The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul’ - Robert Wyland

Wednesday 8th June marked World Oceans Day, a day when the importance of the ocean is brought to our attention with the hard hitting facts of climate change, pollution and its devastating impact.  This year I wanted to promote the campaign 30x30, a campaign designed to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.  By signing up and supporting this movement it is helping to bring forward the issues of climate change and how protecting just 30% of our oceans can help lead to a healthier support system.  After all, in a world that is built up of 71% water where would we be without it?!

‘For her the ocean was more than a dream, it was a place she needed to visit to find herself’ - Jose Chaves

As someone who has a real love for the ocean and whose work is heavily inspired by it, it is important to me that I help in any way that I can.  Though I am just one person, if I can inspire someone to change their way of thinking with a post or a photograph then I know that I have done my job right!  That is the beauty of social media, how people are made aware of current issues and how it enables them to help in their own unique way.

It is my goal this Summer to create a special ocean print that when purchased its proceeds can be donated to World Oceans Day, a beautiful touch of vitamin sea that people will have displayed proudly in their home knowing that they have helped protect the ocean.

I also wanted to give a quick shoutout to Balscadden Bay Baths (Howth) and their very simple, yet effective beach cleaning scheme. They have supplied bags and ask that each visitor collect 3 items of rubbish before leaving the beach on the climb back up. It is little acts like this that create a positive impact and one that I would like to see more beaches doing in a way to tackle pollution.  I had thought that I had taken a photograph of their system, but unfortunately not… next time though!

Balscadden Bay Baths, Howth

Love From Stockholm

It seemed only right that after an unforgettable trip to the beautiful city of Stockholm that I create an exciting new photography series based on some of my favourite Stockholm scenes! From Gamla Stan to Sodermalm, first morning light to colourful night and many cobbled streets and lakes along the way… there is a little something for everyone!

Introducing the newest city print to the Travelling Squares Series; Hello Stockholm!

Love From Stockholm : Sodermalm Moments

Love From Stockholm : Stockholm Nights

Do you have a favourite print or would you like to see a certain scene added to Love From Stockholm series? These are just some of the prints available to purchase for your home decor or to gift that someone special with a real love for this beautiful city! Be sure to check Love From Stockholm on Etsy to see more!

Love From Stockholm : Stockholm Pinks

Hello Again Travel, Hello Stockholm!

Lagom : not too much, not too little, just right

After almost three years with no foreign travel I was finally able to tick the beautiful city of Stockholm off my bucket list!  I don’t know if it was due to my love of ABBA or that simple Scandinavian lifestyle that I’m drawn to, but something about Stockholm was calling out, and what better to have kickstarted travelling again with somewhere completely new!

A city filled with colourful and characteristic architecture, cobbled streets leading from island to island, a culture that encourages you to find life’s balance and that all important tradition of Fika! Stockholm is a city that everyone needs to visit at least once in their lifetime to experience that high vibing energy.  Although a second Winter had hit during my April visit with temperatures dropping to -6 (I’m sure nothing compared to their actual winter temperatures) I couldn’t help but notice how re-energised I felt.  It was so easy to switch off from the real world and focus completely on the surroundings of this beautiful new city and dreamy islands. I don’t think I’ve ever come away from somewhere feeling so happy and so sad all at the same time because I did not want to leave its way of life!  There is something to be said for just how special a place is when you feel like you have left a piece of your heart there and turns out that Stockholm is that special place for me.  I can now see why so many decide to up and relocate there after their trips!

Postcard stories from beautiful Stockholm

Although I did not get to experience a proper Stockholm sunset, I did get to see it blanketed in a light (and unexpected) covering of snow, making my trip even more special and giving me a reason to visit again!  I would love nothing more than to explore more of its hidden gems and more of Sweden itself, maybe rent out one of those cute little red houses to watch a sunrise / sunset on one of those many lakes…

Now to visualise… and for Belfast to start a direct route!

Ticked off my list:

ABBA Museum ✓

Vasa Museum ✓

Fotografiska ✓

Gamla Stan ✓

Djurgarden ✓

Royal Palace ✓

Stockholm City Hall ✓

Still to tick off :

Sunset at Skinnarviksparken

Stockholm Archipelago Cruise