blogger belinda graham

Belinda's developed a creative streak since starting her blog renovate & decorate



The other end of the room belongs to baby Layla - such a gorgeous name


Zak's room indulges animal prints - a big hit with mum and me!


Belinda's son Zak is a happy little chap



Belinda spoke about getting one of these chairs for months
in the real living office - good to see she finally got one!
Belinda - happy at home



I have to say that I was completely floored when Belinda Graham said she was starting another blog. After all, it seemed like only a matter of days after she'd given birth. She was either Superwoman or completely crazy. A little bit of both, perhaps. To give you some context, I had only given birth the week before and was wondering how on earth I'd ever exit the abyss that is those gruelling early days with a newborn. But in many respects it doesn't surprise me. Belinda and I have worked together for a few years now at real living magazine. This girl is a real go-getter... and a great blogger! I'm totally addicted to her TWO blogs - renovate & decorate and mini meez.


What five words best describe you? Busy, mulittasker, patient, dedicated, supportive.
What's your proudest achievement? Professionally, being deputy editor of real living (which you'd also now know all about!). I can't tell you how chuffed I was holding the launch issue in my hands and knowing I was a part of it. Watching it evolve month to month makes me so proud! Personally, becoming a mum. I think any woman who's had a baby or two will quietly feel smug about it - just having a shower in your first week at home makes you feel like Superwoman, so anything else is a bonus. I'm not quietly smug, though. I babble too much about it all...
Who inspires you? Anyone whose success in life hasn't been reliant on luck. I witnessed my parents build two successful businesses from nothing (seriously: nothing. I've since discovered there were nights us kids ate bread for dinner and mum would have nothing... and yet we didn't have a clue! Had the bestest childhood ever.) and am in awe of that.
What are you passionate about? Babies and interiors. Ever since I can remember I wanted a gorgeous home to play decorator with lots of happy babies running/crawling around. I used to spend my spare time building homes for my Barbies out of blocks and books (how? Open to the middle and place it pages-side down on the floor. Little Golden Books were particularly brilliant for this!), drawing floor plans for dream homes and ripping out pages of things I wanted from magazines. And I was a pain for my parents when it came to decorating: I made them buy white paint for my room cause I refused to have the yellow they decided to paint the whole house in) and would always change my room around. And the living room. I was helpful when it came to assembling furniture though - that was my job! I still move things around way too much and am halfway through a never-ending renovation. You may have noticed I also like to waffle on about all things babies and interiors so luckily for my family and friends, I do this with my two blogs (
renovateanddecorate.blogspot.com and minimeez.blogspot.com) so they don't have to listen to me!
What's the best lesson you've learnt? That if you want something bad enough there's always a will and a (legal!) way. Or as my hubby would say: no one ever drowned in sweat!
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Oh I wish I could sound all impressive and intelligent and say the Dalai Lama or something, but I'm going the frivolous route and saying a celebrity: Audrey Hepburn. Love her, her movies, her style, her grace, her heart. I'd just bask in her glow and maybe steal her Salvatore Ferragamo shoe wardrobe. Sadly, I know enough about her to know they'd fit me!
What are you excited about? Watching my babies grow. Every tiny thing they do is fascinating and I love seeing their little personalities develop. My son, Zak, is the funniest, most adorable child and I can't wait to see how Layla will turn out!