INDULGING IN CHILDHOOD ACTIVITIES VIA AMAZON!!! | CREATE A HOUSE WITH AMAZON | IN COLLABORATION WITH AMAZON UK

I’ve spoken numerous times during I’m NOT Disordered’s eleven-year-long existence, about my Nana – my Mum’s Mum – and usually this has been about her love for my writing when I was younger. She used to absolutely love my little, short stories about animals – usually Horses – going on adventures, and my Mum has said that my Nana would often ask her on the phone when the next story was coming! She used to laugh and smile at all the bits that weren’t even necessarily that funny or weren’t even meant to be funny! She and my Mum were my greatest supporters – not just in my writing, but in my life too! And I don’t think I’d be a blogger without having had their encouragement at that vital time in my exploration and development of my enjoyment, ability, and passion for writing and we all know how grateful and privileged I feel with my blogging career…

Writing short stories wasn’t the only creative activity I enjoyed with my Nana when I was growing up though, we would also create little ‘houses’ together. We’d get big bits of paper and catalogues full of toys and furniture and clothes and we’d cut bits out that I liked. My Nana would draw a sort of ‘floor plan’ of a house and we’d glue the back of all the furniture and toys and stick them into the ‘rooms’ I wanted them in. The only, most annoying, bit of the whole activity would be when I liked something that was in the same spot on both sides of the paper! I hated having to choose one and so, this is something which I’ve cleverly and gratefully been able to avoid in this collaboration with Amazon UK!

I’m proud of absolutely all my collaborations featured on I’m NOT Disordered, but this one has proven especially special and honourable. I’ve come to see it as really unique and creative – qualities which I recognise as being so important for online content, now that so many people are becoming ‘Bloggers’ and ‘Online Influencers.’ It almost feels like everyone has a blog these days and – despite me viewing other Bloggers as allies and not competition – I recognise that if I want for, I’m NOT Disordered to continue gaining readers, its content has to be different from all the other blogs out there. And I don’t want for this to sound like some sort of chore that I resent in any way; in fact, it’s quite the opposite! It's an aspect of blogging that I absolutely love, enjoy, and, in all honesty, really appreciate! It’s almost like an excuse to be creative! A reason and a motivation to let my imagination run wild! I love it!

So, I absolutely love that not only does this collaboration allow me to indulge in a childhood activity that I admittedly miss so much – though, nowhere near as much as I miss my Nana who sadly passed away a number of years before I’m NOT Disordered was created. It’s a huge weight in my heart is the thought that she hasn’t been able to ‘see’ what my writing and creativity has become. That she hasn’t ‘seen’ just how popular and successful they are. And I try to cling to the mindset that she’s still looking down on me and is proud of all that I achieve, but it isn’t the same as if she’d been here asking when the next blog post was coming… And the thought of not being able to call her now and say “you’ll never guess what I’m doing in my next collaboration…” is almost heartbreaking. So yes, I hope she can still see this somehow and know that she will never be forgotten. That I will forever enjoy all that we did together and that it will not only stay with me forever, but also that it will shape me forever.

In this collaboration, I’ve put together some of my absolute favourite furniture and home accessory items from Amazon.co.uk into collages (using Canva.com and their ‘White Elegant Best Friend Photo Collage’ which can be found in a search of their ‘Photo Collage’ templates here) of each room for an entire house, I really hope you like the thought behind this collaboration and that it is perhaps inspirational in reminding you of lovely, childhood activities you indulged in with loved ones, who may or may not still be here… And I hope that instead of missing your childhood and being filled with a sad belief and conviction that you can never do these things again, you are instead filled with creativity, imagination, and light. That you’re filled with ideas and thoughts of how you can do these things again – whether that means getting creative and using technology or engaging in similar activities with your own children… Enjoy!