After scrolling through her beautiful Instagram feed and blog, we were delighted when the lovely Laura-Ann, creator of Pretty Much Me & @all.thats.pretty agreed to be in the hot-seat for this months Q&A. She's a mother of four to her two adorable boys and more recent additions, Buzz & Honeypot, her teeny tiny ponies. A self-confessed lover of all things floral and Royal, we hope you enjoy finding out a little more about Laura-Ann and her life in Belfast, Ireland...
We love your blog & social; how did it all begin?
My blog actually came about on the back of my Instagram account. I never set out or thought of myself as a blogger, but I love to be creative and found an outlet on my Instagram page, styling and crafting and photographing. I started it around 5 years ago on maternity leave with my first son Bertie, where it was just a part-time hobby and as my audience grew and different opportunities came my way over the years, I am so fortunate to now call it my full-time job. I adore creating and styling and it works well around my two little boys routine too.
Where does your love of flowers/florals (#Flaars) come from?
I have always been flower obsessed, ever since I was little. I would go to church weekends away with a lot of the elderly ladies on crafting and flower arranging weekends, it was my jam! I think I could have been doing a lot worse at that age and my mum was more than happy sending me away to arrange flowers and eat cake with old ladies! I'm not in any way a professional it's just a hobby, I did all my own wedding flowers for my wedding and made my own flower arch to get married from by getting tutorials online. It saved us a lot of money for a florist and it was a nice personal touch to our wedding as everyone knew I was floral mad (long before the days of Instagram).
What does a typical day look like for you?
The boys jump into our bed in the morning and watch TV while I get a quick shower, then I take Bertie to school and spend the morning with George at home getting the usual chores done and catch up on Instagram and emails. At the moment we are still finishing off our house build so I will usually have to meet a few builders/tradesmen or most likely have to chase them, when they don't show up! After school pick up and homework is done, we take our two little Shetland’s, Honeypot & Buzz for a walk around the country roads for some fresh air, and to get the boys outside too, and then I'll start making the tea. We will get the boys bathed and into bed and I usually spend a few hours in the evenings replying to emails or writing content/ editing photos and finish around 9pm, where I'll watch a series (currently watching Power) before bed.
Two things you can’t leave your house without are…
My phone, so I can keep on top of calls from builders/tradesmen, emails and Instagram notifications throughout the day, and George’s purple teddy which he would cry all day if we left behind, it is part of the family now.
If you can invite anyone for dinner (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
I am mad for the royals, absolutely love them. I would choose William, Kate, Harry & Meghan- or the Fab Four as they are also known as!! I have met both Kate and Meghan before and was so lucky to speak to them both and present them with some flowers, life highlight for sure!! I've also met the queen too after getting an invitation to her garden party this year ( I've videos of all encounters on my Instagram page).
Your best piece of ‘life advice’ would be…
Always be yourself. The people that mind don’t matter and the people that matter don't mind.
Something we might not know about you is…
I love Rap music, Jay Z, Kayne, 50 Cent, love them all especially old school. It's my music of choice when I'm faffing about the house or arranging flowers.
How do you balance work and family demands?
I am very lucky to have a great support network of family, both my Mum and my husband's parents help with childcare if I have to travel for a job or demands of a campaign. I'm very grateful and lucky for that and they are flexible as self-employment can be so unpredictable!
A house you’d love to visit from IG in real life would be…
The lovely Paula from Hillhouse vintage, I just love her style and know she would make the best tea and cake.
Your favourite…
Season? Summer- I’m all about the heat.
Room in your home? The kitchen/Living/Dining. I love the open planned family space and it’s the most used area of the house.
Flower? It’s a tough one between a Peony and a Dahlia.
Pony? Couldn’t possibly choose, they are my children, no favourites!
Food? Christmas sandwiches (I taste-tested all the high street ones last year - Pret came out top with M&S a close second).
Sophie Allport collection? I genuinely love them all, I love everything about Sophie Allport’s collections, they are so timeless and classic. But if I had to choose it would, of course, be the Peony collection.
Royal family member? K-Middy all day long! Adore her.
Be sure to check out Laura-Anns Instagram and website:
Do you have a favourite Instagram account or blogger, that you'd like us to interview? Let us know in the comments below.
