If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you’ll know I’ve been obsessed with Skillshare for quite some time and have been suggesting it a lot lately! Whether you’re a creative and like a bit of DIY, a designer and want to learn new topics in your sector or simply someone who likes art and learning new things just in general, I couldn’t suggest giving it a try enough! There’s always something new to learn on there, from basic Photoshop skills to how to run a successful business, and the fact that teachers are both experts and normal people like anyone of us, makes learning even easier and nicer!

Today, though, I’d love to share some more Skillshare classes I loved, but this time all around the lifestyle category: these are basically all classes that will come extremely useful in the everyday life, and that hopefully you’ll find handy and interesting as much as I did!

01 :: Happy Houseplants: Caring For Your Plants
It was probably because houseplants have always been such a mistery to me, but I’ve loved this class and found it so enlightening! Botanist Christopher from The Sill will teach you how to take care of your plants based on their variety, suggest how to pot and re-pot them and everything from what to do when leaves turn yellow, how to deal with eventual infestations and how to manage watering. This free class is something you don’t really want to miss out on if you love adding a little je-ne-sais-quoi to your flat with houseplants but are not very sure where to start with caring about them!

02 :: Easy Chocolate Making: All the Basics from Bean to Bar
Another free class and this one is a sort of chocolate-centered documentary, so whether you’re ever going to give making chocolate at home a go or not, if you love chocolate as much as I do you’ll find this class extremely interesting! Peter and Nate from Raaka Chocolate explain how they got started with making chocolate at first and how you too can go from raw beans to a chocolate bar with minimal equipment.

03 :: Still Life Photography: Make a Perfect Breakfast Picture
Photography to me is always an on-going experience, a skill I always strive to get better at. This class would be so helpful for complete beginners but was extremely handy for someone like me as well, who, with blogging, has been introduced to most photography terms already, but who is always after some smart tips to improve and get better! Ever since joining the class, I’ve been implementing some of the tricks Mariya suggests every single time I take pictures, and now I don’t really know how I was doing without them before!

04 :: Candle Making: Scent Your Way to Paradise
I don’t know about you, but the art of homemade DIY candles has always intrigued me and I’ve given it a go a couple of times already before. So hearing about some great tips from an expert was totally up my street! John will teach you how to get started with your own DIY candle, from picking the best wax for your project to deciding on the scent and everything in between!

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And that’s it! Four online classes you should really check out!
Any other Skillshare fans? x

Not long ago I’ve shared my favourite phone apps to boost creativity especially if you’re a creative or business owner of all sorts, and since some of you seemed to find it helpful, I thought I’d share my all time lifestyle favourite apps as well today! This will include anything from photography, maps and even the very best period app… so if you’re after some new gems to pop on your phone screen, make sure you check these out!

01. Wild Weather
I’m all about cute and beautifully designed apps, so if you’re wondering why the hell should anyone pay for a weather app, well, look how cute this is! I love the design and checking the weather is becoming a very pleasing habit thanks to this app: it simulates rain (which is the most relaxing thing to watch) and have even different illustrations for the same weather situation if you check different places! The cutest.

02. Love Cycles
If you’re a girl I bet you have spent hours of your life downloading and testing different period apps (and even purchasing more than one) just because you couldn’t really find the perfect one! This was me until the beginning of the year when I discovered Love Cycles: this app is super cute (again) with lovely illustrations (again) and the possibility to apply the nicest background patterns (and again), but it’s also super functional and informative with new notes and suggestions each day. It really ticks all the boxes, totally worth checking out!

03. Waze
I don’t really know about you but whether I’m in the car or on my own feet, I’m always lost. Or at least I feel lost. In a big city, I’ll admit I’ll always have my maps app telling me what to do and where to go – as well as a pre-written list of places to visit. Because I’m this boring. Waze is my favourite maps app so far, cute, simple and super practical!

04. Manual
I’m not very good with iPhone photography and I’ll admit I’m never happy (and never will) with my Instagram account aesthetic, but sometimes your phone is the only camera you have with you so I thought it was worth checking some manual photography apps. The Manual app is great, super simple to use and very intuitive and totally makes all the difference with taking photos with my phone, allowing me to adjust exposure, contrast and more!

05. Airmail
Mail apps: my boyfriend’s strongest obsession. He has tested many and many more and suggested I downloaded Airmail – you know, he’s the expert. I love the aesthetic as well as how fast it syncs and updates each time. With apps I’m all about intuitive minimal interfaces, and Airmail is perfect for keeping my many inboxes organized with different colors and icons!

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Would love to know if any of these are your favourite apps as well, or what your all-time-faves are! x

** Don’t forget to enter my Stationery Giveaway!

Check out Great Apps to Boost your Creativity

by Giada at Mode

The best thing about upgrading my iPhone after so long (apart from new emojis)? Being finally able to have enough storage to download all those apps I’ve always felt I couldn’t live without. First on the list, anything that could help with my daily life and business.

Running an online business alongside with writing this blog, most of my working days are spent doing admin work or trying to schedule things and arrange my time. I bet most of you would know how boring it can be sometimes and how easy it is, especially when working from home, to procrastinate instead. I have a little selection of favourite apps to keep me focused and organized and always keep my creativity alive I think are totally worth sharing!

Coffitivity – For: focus and creativity.
Forest – For: avoiding procrastination and keeping track of your working hours.
Evernote – For: creating lists and storing drafts.
Balanced – For: reminding you the things you need to do more when taking breaks.
Colorfy – For: stimulating creativity and relaxing.
Penultimate – For: handwritten drafts and notes.
Sunrise – For: scheduling and keeping things organized.

{ Check out the piece I wrote for Mode to know more! }
What’s your favourite app to stay organized and keep your creativity alive? x