I love to read blogs. Seriously. My favourite activity (apart from netflixing and paper crafting and yoga) is getting lost in reading blogs. I was once at a point in my life where I couldn't start to work in the morning without having browsed my favourite blogs for an entire hour. I worked on that (I had to with my current job starting very early), but I still really enjoy diving into the personal stories and visual narratives that blogs can tell.

I had a huge crush on A Beautiful Mess a couple of years ago. Elsie's and Emma's blog was actually the starting point for me to get into scrapbooking. Branching out I discovered Elise's enjoy it blog (love her writing so much), Design Love Fest, Paislee Press and many others.


In 2012, I was working as a geographer in urban studies and I got the chance to spend some time in London at the Goldsmiths College. I took a class on urban photography which grew into a passion of mine.


During my time in London I took so many images so I started a blog as a way to share them with my fellow students (and a potential audience). The Urban Display was born! After blogging more or less consistently for about a year, I stopped eventually because I was unhappy with the results. Why was I sharing these images? How could I add value to someone else's life with my photos? In the end, in my opinion unless you're really good at and extremely passionate about (urban) photography, no one will read your blog. At least, that's my experience. Long story short, I quit blogging and started scrapbooking. Which was a fantastic decision after all!


So why start again now? There are three reasons for me. First, I really enjoy sharing what I create on instagram and I value the creative and encouraging community there. As a way to share my projects in more detail (and with better photo quality) I think of this blog as some kind of gallery. Second, I'd like to use my blog as an archive for my paper crafting adventures. Posting here is meant to make me more accountable and actually take more time to sit down and create. The third reason points more into the future. I've always dreamt of becoming part of a creative team and at some point, I'd love to submit an application (favourites: Ali Edwards & Paislee Press - a girl can dream right?).


As a way to show my appreciation for the blogs I enjoy the most, I'd like to include a short list here with my 10 current favourites (in no specific order):

1. Ali Edwards (so much fun! However I didn't discover until last year how amazing everything she does is)
2. Caylee Grey (inspiring, motivating & leaving me envious of her creativity)
3. Cocorrina (for design and illustration inspiration)
4. Azzari Jarrett (for the most beautiful photography and project life)
5. Into Mind (for personal style and minimalism)
6. Create Share Love (for Andrea's well organized approach and because she participates in all my favourite scrapbooking projects)
7. Copper & Gold (for Ines' minimal project life style)
8. Scattered Confetti (for Kathleen's colourful style)
9. Kaisa Creates (for Kaisa's perfect taste)
10. In A Creative Bubble (because I would like to have everything Geralyn designs)

Hi and welcome to The Urban Display! I'm so glad you're here.