It is the most wonderful thing, as a passionate blogger, to scroll down a shortlist of award nominees and see your name! 

My heart was in my chest when I refreshed the BritMums site for the 10th time (Yes I was honestly that excited/hopeful and I'm not ashamed to admit it!) to see if my blog had been lucky enough to get through the the shortlist for the Brilliance in Blogging Awards 2014. 

I fell off my chair when I saw I have been shortlisted in both the Photo category and Outstanding!

You have no idea how much this means to me! I literally danced around the house like a loon and whilst I hold out no hope of making the finals, I mean have you seen the competition this year, (Yikes) I wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you!

I love giving flowers as a thank you present so I have created some free downloadable wallpapers for your mobile phone!

My photos for you. I am calling this the Spring Collection and if you like them, I will upload some other variations as the seasons change. There is a bright and light version depending on your preference and all you need to do is click on the photo to the download link and it's yours.

The last photo is my current iPhone wallpaper and is from a DIY post I have to share soon.

The wallpapers are big enough that they should fit all phone display sizes, but if you have any trouble let me know and I will fix it!

Blogging is a part of my life I couldn't live without. The community, the support, the encouragement and the inspiration. 

I have been overwhelmed this weekend after speaking at the Blogs Up North conference Blog On. Overwhelmed in the best way possible by the incredible thanks and appreciation from the bloggers who attended my props and styling part of the main photography session. I am so touched and am grateful for every single happy tweet and message. I'll be posting later in the week all about the day and you can get your own copy of my Props and Styling Cheat Sheet if you missed the conference.

All I have ever wanted from my blog is to make people happy. Happy when they read it, smile at the silly photo shoots I take and inspire others to get as excited about photography as I am.

Congratulations to everyone who made the shortlist this year and good luck! You can see the full list here.

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who voted! I am through to the Finals in the Photo category and can't wait to celebrate with all the Finalists in June. We have all done so well to reach the Finals!

ps. If you download the wallpaper let me know! 

Check out all my other free downloadable wallpapers here! 

A wonderful thing about blogging is working with like minded creative people. And I am thrilled to introduce my new sponsor Red Lilly.

I love featuring a company or product in an imaginative way and when Red Lilly got in touch I jumped at the chance to promote them, their site is bursting with affordable homeware and accessories, especially as I got to keep the most darling set of wooden filing drawers!

I have been a long term fan of Project Life and have quite a collection of the beautiful product range, I use them for all sorts. In fact everything other than photo albums! I use them in little social media photos, for postcards and stick them to walls for inspiration. And I have desperately needed somewhere to store them all!

These drawers are perfect and they've found a happy home in the living room.

Project Life is the modern way to scrapbook. To cultivate a beautiful life and record it.

How many of you reading this take hundreds of photos but rarely print them? And I don't mean photos for a gallery wall, or on the fireplace, I mean traditional albums that we all love pouring over when we visit our parents and grandparents.

Before Ollie was born I religiously printed hundreds (probably getting on for thousands) of photographs and painstakingly scrapbooked each album with stickers and embellishments. But since having two demanding boys, my albums have sat unloved, tucked away in a box, instead of displayed for us all to enjoy.

Sammy has 5 albums in his bedroom which he looks at all the time. His first holiday, his first Christmas, first birthday and beyond lovingly curated. But I seem to have run out of time lately.

Hooray for the easy way to album your photos! I adore the slip in sleeves that snap into place in the lever arch files. There are loads of different ways to display your photos and add the pre printed cards and scrapbook papers. Of course you can add extra embellishments if you fancy but I prefer to use just the cards. There are so many different sets - there will be a style for everyone!

I was very lucky and my brother and sister in law brought back a suitcase full of products as my Christmas present this year but you can find Project Life online and in Hobbycraft.

But they have been swilling about in the bottom of a large drawer, getting crushed and bent and that wouldn't do at all!

I have always lusted after a set of drawers like this. To complete our modern heritage feel to our home. Vintage mixed with modern and classic pieces with texture and strong colour palettes.

There are 6 drawers which fit A4 papers or 6 sets of mini cards perfectly. I ordered mine with blank colours and patterns at the top, prompts to write memories and recall moments and quotes finishing with an empty drawer at the bottom for photos.

I set a New Year's resolution to print photos every week, and so far I have failed. 

I am guilty of taking 10 pictures when 1 would do. One of the children on the swings not 10 from different angles. Project Life makes me pick the best of a big bunch and I've started with New Year. Our celebrations with our best friends at my in laws. 

The start of 2014 and the start of my Project Life adventure.

It may only be 2 pages but it's a start! I'd love to see your collages and layouts if you are already a fan of Project Life.

And the start of a beautiful relationship with Red Lilly. I shall be sharing my favourites from their collections each month so make sure you check out my current favourites.

The tickled pink tea light set £12.75, the wooden Four in a Row game £6.95, has Sammy's name written all over it and I am in love with the Emerald and Gold Hambledon Ring! And at £11.50 how could you resist?!

Have you stuck to any of your resolutions you made in January?! Go on you can tell me.... ;)

Oh April! How are we already 4 months into our tenancy in Weston-super-Mare?!

April has rushed by in a wave of chocolate, eggs and suitcases.

We've travelled to see family and friends almost every weekend, which while wonderful, has taken it's toll on this house. There is washing everywhere! We clearly have too many clothes!

We are out of routine and out of sorts. And now we are well into party season with Yasmin's Flamingo First Birthday at the weekend and the countdown to Sammy's fishing 5th birthday at the end of May. I am still debating whether Ollie genuinely means it when he says he wants a pink party in July!

We came to a bit of a cross roads in April. That something has to change with our house situation, that we need to be settled, for Rich who is on the cusp of greatness with the launch of the tea company and me allowing my work to take over the house.

So we had to take things into our own hands, to make something happen.

Have a listen to my latest podcast. (If you don't have time to listen to the whole thing skip to about 13 minutes!)

This is why we had to take things into our own hands. A dream house.

I asked all the boys in this house to write down what they wanted from a new home.

Then I wrote down mine. 

The trouble is our dream house fits all the criteria! For everyone! So promise me you will have everything crossed for us that we have some great news to share in the coming week. We are well aware nothing is certain, but nothing ventured nothing gained. And perhaps next month instead of a photo of me and mine in front of the garage in Hutton, I will have a photo of some white gates in the background.

I'm showing you me and mine, now show me you and yours!

This family portrait project was created to inspire everyone to capture their family, just as you are. And this is us. Tired, weary, still smiling.

Link up your lovely family photos with us and make sure you head over to Lauren's blog to catch up on her adventures with her sweet boys this month! A fellow Queen of her castle!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.dearbeautifulboy.com/2014/04/me-and-mine-april.html" title="dear beautiful" target="_blank"><img src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll320/looby_boo/meampmine-button_zpscc9f6437.jpg" alt="dear beautiful" style="border:none;" /></a></div>