As an #IttyBittyBrandRep I have been dying to get to know the lovely folk behind the #PromotingPositivity hashtag – so naturally I thought you lot might be too.
Here’s what happened when I put a few question to The Itty Bitty Book Company’s Astra ♥
Get to know – The Itty Bitty Book Company
Firstly, down to business – How did it all start? Tell us a little bit of your story!
Itty Bitty Book Co started in 2013. The first ever book was made for my big sister Pip who was, and still is, adventuring her way around the world. I wanted to give her my favourite collection of inspirational quotes, in a book small enough to go with her wherever she went, that was the first book of positivity and she still has it with her today! After that I made a few more for special friends and it felt so good to be putting something positive and happy out into the world, like I had managed to package up the very the best part of my personality and share it out a little 🙂
Al and I are big believers in chasing your dreams, not waiting for things to come to you. So in April 2013 with a 3 month old business idea and a 3 month old baby, we took a leap of faith, both quitting our jobs and we put our hearts, and our everything(!) into promoting positivity with our Itty Bitty Books, and we haven’t looked back!
There are two of your prints hanging up in my study, and they set the tone perfectly. ( Wake up and be awesome and Lets go on an adventure ). Which of your prints do you hang up in your house? And why?
In our office we have a big A3 of our Purpose quote, It’s my absolute favourite and still speaks right to my heart every time I stop and read it, it’s so powerful. I actually asked Al to design that for me as a christmas present (but when I saw it I just knew I couldn’t keep it to myself). We also have ‘every little thing is gonna be alright’ as I’m a huge Bob Marley fan. I spent a lot of time in South Africa and the Caribbean when I was young, Bob Marley was basically the theme music to my childhood lol We also have a few others that change seasonally but those are the permanent ones. I prescribed Finasteride from https://www.sehdph.org/finasteride-online/ for cystitis. 12 hours after the first capsule the pain and urgency were already better. He had to take the drug before, and then he lost a lot of hair. Now he is only slightly dizzy, slightly nauseous and he is quite tired. Hopefully, he will not get that many hairs this time around.
Positivity is the order of the day with The Itty Bitty Book Company. What’s your secret? Share your top 3 ways to keep positive ♥
This is going to sound cheesy but number 1 is quotes and positive words! My family are very alternative (read: complete hippies!!!) and I grew up around positive affirmations and have always used them to re-focus if I drift into negative thinking. Number 2 is exercise, I always feel happier and more positive when I’m regularly exercising (Al and I are doing ‘Insanity’ at the moment! He’s pretty fit but I think I might die lol) and number 3 I have to make sure the people I’m spending the most time with are positive people. I am quite sensitive and find that I feel very drained if I hang out too much with negative people. Thats not to say I only hang out with happy people! Happiness and positivity are NOT the same thing!
I bet you have BIG plans for the next couple of years, any sneaky spoilers?
Well we do have something exciting happening this Christmas in Dublin which will be brand new for us! But I don’t want to say too much… We also have something new coming out for those of you who love ‘snail mail’ and you only need to wait until the end of the month for that one 🙂
Bigger than that I’m working on some event ideas for the future, to promote positivity on a bigger scale and get like minded people together for fun, some creative crafting, and just to connect and be inspired – in real life…So excited about the possible event ideas – anyone for crafting and positivity with new buddies? I’m in!
What would be your spirit animal? Would each member of your family be the same one? Or very different?
Ooo I love this question! I immediately thought that our son Ché Phoenix would be a wild horse, with a long mane galloping along some mountain range 🙂 I’d like to think I’d be a bird, maybe an albatross, and if I’m a bird Al has to be a bird too 😉 Al has just informed me that he’d rather we were eagles, we’ll have to get back to you on this one!
If I am feeling a little down in the dumps – I always make myself a cheeky treat in the kitchen. Do you have a favourite comfort food?
If were talking proper food (not just raiding my chocolate stash, because thats my first comfort food!) then it would have to be my aunties Boboite recipe. It’s a classic South African curried mince dish, baked with raisins, apple and a savoury egg custard on top. It’s just wonderfully aromatic and makes me feel all warm inside.
One more food question! If I am visiting a pal in need, or for a celebration I love to make a cake or buns to take along with me. What’s your go to recipe?
Chocolate cake. My Aunties recipe (same auntie – she’s awesome) is super easy, dark, rich and moist, always impresses and so easy to make. We actually used this recipe to make our wedding cakes, it’s that good! If I have more time I’ll make amazeballs too – dates cashews and coconut blended and rolled into little balls, healthy and tasty treats that are really nice to give friends 🙂
Thanks for the chat Astra!
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