6 Years of Blogging

This day 6 years ago I nervously asked my dad if it'd be okay if I started a new blog. A proper blog, with pictures and my name. I had previously had other blogs where I scanned drawings at best, or posted two sentence long posts about whatever was in my head that day. I didn't think he'd say yes (no idea why not), but was completely delighted when he did. It was my chance to create a space where I could put up all the things I loved to create as a young teenager.

I've had some trouble trying to import old blogger comments, so unfortunately I can't show how things really went in those early months, but I had the support of old internet friends, some of whom are still mutuals, and it was just a nice time. I started with a simple "hello world" and went from there.

I've never been a consistent blogger, honestly I think few of us are. Life always gets in the way for the many of us who blog as a hobby rather than a job or source of income. I've always blogged for the fun of it, for the chance to showcase my writing in recent years as well as photography. This little spot has grown with me, that's for sure. If you ever want to look back at some of my older posts, you'll see how much more slapdash and short they are. Many of the travel ones are just long streams of photos with little commentary. It's funny what changes, and of course, what stays the same.

It's hard to say what exact highlights are. I did a couple of guest posts earlier on in my blogging career that I was so delighted with, but unfortunately a photobucket incident means they're not very readable anymore. Getting sent things by companies like Printiki and CaseApp has felt very reassuring and rewarding. Getting comments and really beautiful responses from long time and short time readers has been really special. Every single comment fills me with such joy, as I feel like I've made an impact, big or small. The 112 bloglovin followers I've amassed and the 50 blogger followers are really something to celebrate (if we pretend that there are no annoying bots on bloglovin lol) and I want to let you know how much I appreciate your choice to follow my journey.

Blogging is not an easy game. Readership comes and goes, staying relevant is never easy. All the social media stuff can be and feel so tedious. I've been very lucky to have received only helpful and kind comments, but I know that the internet can be a darker place too. Nevertheless, it always feels worth it.

So, here's to the future of Zu Hause! I have so many more posts planned. So many more ways I want to share this space with you, and I hope you'll join me for the ride. Thank you so much for reading this, and for being a part of my blog's story. It would not be a blog without my wonderful readers and friends.

Anna x

Don't forget to check out my recent post with CaseApp for a giveaway!

In Honour of My Dog's Fifth Birthday

Daisy is a complicated dog. A dog who does her own thing. She's a golden retriever without many golden retriever traits. She doesn't like children (though she tries her best not to get annoyed at them. only sometimes works) and she doesn't like people in general. If she puts her head on your chin, even if all she wants is bread and not your cuddles, you're a chosen one. Whether you like it or not, you're part of the family now, her inner circle of maximum 10 people.

We don't really know why she's like that. We got a golden retriever because they're friendly and good natured. But we love her so much and project a goofy personality onto her which she shows us when she's in a good mood. Highlights of her day are the Bread Dance, a wiggle in the kitchen when she wants her favourite snack, a run around the park with her dog friend, Lola, and a sneak onto the couch or around the whole house when she thinks she'll get away with it.

She rarely licks or approaches people for reasons of affection. Which is a shame, because she's so pretty that people always long for it. Sometimes she wants a scratch, usually just the food you're eating or preparing. She's a dog of her own agenda. She can do tricks like beg, sit, paw, crawl, but when she is instructed to do them and she doesn't feel like it, she'll just lie down in protest.

When she was a puppy she used to run around in high speed circuits when something amused or excited her. She does that more sparingly now, but people are always surprised to learn how old she is because she's incredibly sprightly. She plays in the garden for hours on end, chasing various items around the garden and then chasing her new and old dog friends when she sees them.

She's always going to be a bit of a mystery, and never going to be the good, placid, affectionate golden retriever we had anticipated. Taking care of her is a huge task I wouldn't ask of anyone she doesn't know well. Nevertheless, we love her so much, and her goofy antics forever light up our days. And seeing as I can't be with her today (not that she'd have any clue that it was her special day), I'll wish her an internet happy birthday and share these cute pictures of my big puppy from 3 weeks ago to you!

Happy Birthday, Daisy!

Anna

p.s. daisy has an instagram for anyone who wishes to see more of her!

Giving my iPhone a Makeover with CaseApp + GIVEAWAY

I have had the same case for my phone for years. My black, heavy duty case completely predates my latest iPhone, but I never changed it because I wanted a case that would protect my phone, and if it meant it was a bit boring, I just had to settle for it. This all changed when I got in touch with Caseapp and they offered to let me try out two cases of my choosing. What's more is that I got to customise them anyway I wanted to- score!

Not only are the phone cases cute, but they're protective. Literally exactly what I was looking for. I decided I'd get one of their pre-made designs, "Whales in Blue" in matte and very excitingly, upload an image of my own, what I call "Purple Bear Sketch" for want of a better title. It's a design I've had on my hands for ages without anything to do with it, and to be able to hold it in my hands, my very own personalized phone case! On its first outing, my friends complimented it very enthusiastically. I can now happily thank my black phone case for its duty and continue to use my CaseApp cases for ever.

I was really impressed with how quickly CaseApp sent me my products, and happy with how easy the whole process was. Uploading my own design was easy and intuitive, and the choice of pre-made designs was vast. I think the little whales will be so cute for any nautical/seaside day I have! The whole process took 6 business days which was really great. I would totally order from CaseApp again (also got to say it, this isn't a sponsored post. They sent me the products but these opinions are all my own- really genuinely pleased with the experience) and they were even kind enough to give me a discount code for YOU! That's right, with this discount code you can get 20% off your purchase with CaseApp, be it a laptop skin, iPad skin or phone case. There are so many options.

the code: ANNASZUHAUSE20

And now for the part you've all been waiting for, the giveaway! This is my first giveaway, and I'm just so excited about it because we're nearing my 6 year blog anniversary and I'm delighted to be able to give back to you with the help of CaseApp. The winner will win 1x Custom product from Caseapp. You get to choose the product, but I'm more than happy to provide the somewhat exclusive purple bear design if you so wish (so we can twin!). All you have to do is follow my blog, either through bloglovin, blogger or e-mail, follow CaseApp on instagram and enter using the gleam app which I've linked to below. There are some bonus entries too! The competition ends at midnight the 6th of September GMT. The winner will be announced on the 7th of September, so get entering! So much excitement.

Best of luck!

Anna

Zu Hause + CaseApp Phone Case Giveaway