Self Portrait: ‘Flash’ by Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | http://www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

Self Portrait: ‘Flash’ by Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | http://www.bonnie-rose.co.uk
Hello everyone! My name is Crystal and I blog over at The Happy Type, where I focus on encouraging and empowering women to live a life they want and deserve. I’ve never done a blog take over, so getting to take the reins of A Compass Rose is beyond rad. For my first blog takeover, I wanted to bring the issue of self-love up for discussion, because I know that it’s an issue that far too many women struggle with.
Myself, included.
When I was younger, I used to look at the beautiful glossy images of supermodels inside of the fashion magazines at the supermarket. The women inside the magazines were beautiful, perfect, flawless and they all seemed to be living absolutely fantastic lives. I used to stand there and dream about the future, because I was certain that one day I would be one of them. I wouldn’t be a supermodel, but I was positive that I was going to turn into a beautiful woman, foot-loose and fancy free in the world. My belief that I would blossom into a beauty was absolute, or at least it was until the world had something to say about it.
I once spoke up in class that I was going to explore the world and go on adventures like the beautiful women in Vogue when a teacher asked what we were going to become when we grew up. I remember the look on my 3rd grade teacher’s face as they tried to make sense of what I was saying. “Like a model?” they asked gently. I laughed and meant to clear it up telling them, No, not a model. I didn’t want to be a model, just a woman. A beautiful woman. I never got my chance to reply, because my classmates all started to laugh at the idea that I could follow through on what I had shared. I wasn’t pretty and models were beautiful, what was I thinking? I was too fat, too short, too plain looking to be a model. My teacher silenced the students, but the damage had already been done, and I started to look at myself differently.
My 3rd grade experience was just the first of many events that started to chip away at the self-love I had once embraced so readily. Little-by-little the absolute believe in my beauty was damaged and ripped away from me by callous and casual comments by family, friends, enemies, the media, and those beauty magazines started to become painful reminders of my imperfections. I started to shy away from cameras, because I didn’t think I was pretty enough to have pictures taken of me. If a camera came out, I ran the other way and I was content to be BEHIND the camera, not in front of it. But something happened that began to change my relationship not only with photography, but myself.
About a year ago, I opened up a little vintage clothing shop, but I needed a model. I had recently moved to a new city and didn’t really know anyone to ask to model for my project, and that only left one option: I had to be the model. I can’t even begin to describe the apprehensive nature I approached my camera with. I knew what to do BEHIND IT, but what was I going to in FRONT of it? At first it was incredibly rough going, I used to take a whole mess of shots and delete them in frustration. I even cropped out my face in those first photos because it made them easier to put out there for the public.
But without my even noticing it, I started to see a beautiful woman. All those hours staring at photo after photo started to reveal things I loved about myself. I stopped seeing all the things that were wrong with me and started to see myself through new eyes, through a photographer’s eyes. My confidence grew not only in front of the camera, but in life. I stopped being so self-conscious because the camera had revealed what I had known all those years ago. I had become the beautiful woman I had anticipated as a child, and nothing would ever again shake my belief in my own beauty.
The reason that I share this is because I know that I’m not the only one to have struggled with self-love. I hope that sharing my own thoughts on self-love will help another woman think about how she sees herself and why. Every woman is beautiful and while outside influences can sometimes overtake us and change how we see ourselves, it doesn’t change the fact that you ARE beautiful You just have to remember to take the time to see it. Embrace yourself in all your imperfections, because that is precisely what makes you a beauty.
How do remember to see your own beauty? Has there ever been an instance in which you forgot your own beauty or was there a moment of clarity when you finally realized it? I know my own moment of came while I was sitting in front of my computer screen really looking at myself, and I’ll never forget the feeling of freedom that came when I truly saw myself.
I love Pinterest. It is perfect for creatives like me when planning upcoming photo shoots. With the holidays approaching Pinterest is wonderful for planning out ideas for holidays like Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas. There are just so many ways Pinterest can aid people in their life with their specific needs. As of yesterday Pinterest has added a new aspect to pinning that is just perfect for those who travel and people with wanderlust. I introduce you to a new type of pin called Place Pins that enable you to map out the locations of all the items you share on your pinterest boards.
What does this mean? | So let us say for example you are traveling and you take a photo of the museum you visited. As an expat or travel blogger say you post about that trip and you pin images from your blog to your pinterest board. You can now add the museum’s location to a map on your board connecting to the photos from your blog post! Pretty interesting, yes?
Planning a Future Trip? | Even if you are not traveling and you are just fueling you wanderlust addiction you can now create better pin board for your trip planning. Search for the locations you want to visit and then you can find pins and add pins to highlight the specific ‘must-see’ spots!
SEE ALSO: Pin it Forward UK with 16 Tips
What You Can Do
How to Make a Map & Add Place Pins | I have made a map this morning and I would like to show you all how easy it is to do!
First log into your Pinterest account, go to your boards, and select the board of your choosing. If this is your first time to create a map you will be greeted with a lovely notification showing you how you can add a map to your board. Whether or not you get this notification all you have to do is select ‘Edit Board’ and you are on your way to completing your task!
Once your Edit Board form is open you can now look for where it says ‘Add a Map?’. It will say ‘No’ and all you have to do is click it so that is says ‘yes’.
As seen in the image above it now says ‘Yes’ and is highlighted in red. You can also choose to edit the board further at this time if you need to make any updates or corrections. Remember if you decide to delete your board, your actions cannot be undone.
Your map is now created! You will see this notification to let you know you can go on to the next step.
Pinterest may also let you know that you can now add a place to your map. Why? This is so you can search for pins from specific locations.
You will see that your pins in the board are now moved over the left of the screen and the map is to the right. But wait! You do not have any Place Pins created or added to your board! Go to the top of the screen where you see the grey pushpin with a + symbol next to the text ‘Add a Place’. Click this.
Now you can add a place. You do this by simply searching in the What’s this place called? text field and locations will start popping up. Choose the one that best fits the location you want. You can even change the city later if you need too.
Since I am an expat located in Bath, England I have decided to add this as my first pin location. As soon as I add this in I find a long list of places, so I select the one I want from the list. Really simple! It will now show up on your map as seen to the right of this image.
You will also start seeing all the photos of pins from that location on the left of your screen. You can start adding to it immediately from this page! I decided to add a photo to Bath from my photos taken at the Royal Crescent with my heart shaped umbrella. Scroll down to the image below to see how it has bee added:
My new pin with my photo is now added to the location. However remember that this is added to your board. So for example I added this one to my ‘Autumn Holidays’ board which would not be the right place for this pin. Case in point be selective to which boards you add maps too and what pins are going on the map. The rest is simply all about having fun pinning! But do not take just my word for it. Here what another Expat & Travel blogger has been saying about it on Twitter today:
While you are at it, why not follow me on Pinterest too!
Q: What do you think of Pinterest’s new Pin Maps? Will you be adding this to your boards? If so which ones?
One of the fun things about being involved with a theatre group is attending script readings. Last night my theatre group, Bath Drama, had a rehearsed reading of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. As with the reading I was in last month (A Letter from the General), it was a rehearsed reading that the actors had prepared beforehand. Directed by Judith Howard, the cast of eight brought the show alive with the farce and witty dialogue of Oscar Wilde.
“A trivial comedy for serious people. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff are two men that are both pretending to be someone they are not.”
Q: “Have you ever read or seen the Importance of Being Earnest?”
ACR |Travel Tip: Sometimes you do not have to travel far to feel like you are getting away. Even ‘playing tourist’ in your own backyard can be a fun way to see the world with eyes renewed. While you are dreaming up your next vacation, fuel your wanderlust by sharing the close destinations near to where you live!
This week for Travel Tuesday I wanted to share a nearby town to Bath, called Bradford on Avon. It is a lovely place to visit if you are coming to Bath for a visit and quite a number of great places to see within the town. I am looking forward to sharing my favourite spots in Bradford on Avon with you and I begin with a walk down to the canal. You can walk, ride bikes, or even float down the canal in a canoe or kayak. This is something my family took adavantage of along the canals near our home outside of Bath this past summer. You never know what you might find or who you will run into when visiting the canals. Though I secretly hope to run into Johnny Depp’s character from Chocolat.
We were surprised upon finding one of the cutest cafes along the canal in Bradford on Avon and stopped in one evening just for desserts. At the Lock Inn Cafe you have a vast array of choices of where you can choose to sit and eat. Perhaps the picnic tables out front or nestled inside the pub. There are also many great places to choose from outside that can either be great for soaking up the rays of sun, or when you need a little shelter from the rain and cold. What could be more romantic than sitting in the cafe’s own canal boat for a dinner for two? My boys chose one of the cute cabins that holds one table each and we were glad to find that heating was also provided to keep us all toasty.
We rested our feet and enjoyed a pot of tea as you do when you are living in England. We each chose a different dessert and then we shared them in twos. Despite the cold the boys opted for ice cream and my husband and I chose a crumble and spotted dick both covered in warm sweet custard. While the desserts were simply lovely, the Lock Inn Cafe has a wonderful array of foods for any time of the day. Which means we will just have to go back to the canal to try out some of their other menu favourites when we are next in Bradford on Avon.
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* Photography by Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk
Today is my true love’s birthday and to wish him a happy birthday I am sharing the next installment in recapping our 10th Anniversary Vow Renewal from August. I want to thank my friend Miriam and her lovely family for being with us to celebrate in Wales and for taking such amazing photographs. We have not seen all the photographs from the big day yet and I am so excited to have these sneak peek images to share with you on ACR. What better way to continue telling our love story than with a look at the one who holds me heart.
Before I get too sappy I have to say the first thing that pops in my mind when I look at these photographs of my husband getting ready.
‘Suit up!’ – Barnabus “Barney” Stinson (HIMYM)
The colours I chose for our vow renewal could not be farther from the colours we had at our original wedding in 2003. We went from dark blood red and white (my husband wore a black suit) to shades of grey and ballet pink. I loved my the tie and pocket square he found to match his new suit that he got for the occasion, a grey suit from Zara men. Although the suit is not pictured here it leaves you with something to look forward to in the posts to come.
It sometimes it hard to believe that we have been together for so long and married for ten years. Let alone that we are now both in our 30’s celebrating the next decade of our life together. Sometimes it feels like it has been a long time and at other times I feel like we are still just the same twenty and twenty one year old newlyweds, ready to find our way in the world. We have been through so much in ten years. Today I am even more happy to be sharing our life together living the ex-pat life abroad together with our sons. It sometimes feel like we are living a fairytale and I look forward to many more beginnings in our story together.