Derby determines and lifestyle blogger Ainsley Gray aka @life_with_oaksandolive has extra than 27,000 followers on social media community Instagram.
But how did the Alvaston mum-of- entice such a lot of followers, why did she have become a blogger and what’s subsequent for the small commercial enterprise ambassador?
“I essentially simply started out sharing images of my life whilst Oakley become born,” said 28-yr-vintage Ainsley whilst asked how her massive reputation as an Instagrammer occurred.
Ainsley, who’s married to her childhood sweetheart Daniel, 30, a self-employed joiner, gave beginning to son Oakley, now -and-a-half of, in 2014.
“I have usually been creative. I even have a diploma in high-quality artwork and I work as a visual merchandiser inside the fashion industry,” she says. “When Oakley turned into born I simply desired to proportion photographs of him, photos of my journey thru motherhood. It’s satisfactory to percentage photos but it’s greater than that.
“The artist in me likes to have a feed of quite snapshots, however, being a mother it’s critical to me to be realistic and relatable. Sometimes my photographs appearance stunning but below is a caption giving the complete honest reality – toddler tantrums, a screaming baby or something that day has introduced.”
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Through her Instagram account @life_with_oaksandolive, Ainsley, from Alvaston in Derby, started out shopping independently, discovering small businesses, in particular, those specializing in youngsters’ garments and products.
As a result, she found herself working with those brands and reviewing their merchandise.
“I love buying and the use of small, impartial corporations, lots of which don’t have an internet site or a store, or some using Etsy, and I enjoy reviewing products and assisting to raise their profile,” says Ainsley.
“I commenced to acquire plenty of packages inside the post and it got to the point where it became like a complete-time job, so I’m a good deal more selective about what I will evaluation now. I ought to be as I still have a task and children to look after. I clearly respect groups who see me as a logo ambassador, however, I am keen to pick products which might be important to me and my family.”
As an end result of her success on Instagram, Ainsley determined to installation a weblog.
“I turned into approached by using a lovely woman who’s a web layout and advertising consultant who presented to design a weblog for me so she should expand her portfolio,” she says. “I changed into thrilled with what she created and he or she showed me how to see running a blog in a distinctive mild and how I should make a process out of it if I desired to.”
Ainsley gave birth to her daughter Olive on New Year’s Eve 2016 and on the grounds that then has been thinking about her career.
Your priorities do alternate when you have the family,” admits Ainsley. “I love my job as a visual merchandiser and might be going again to paintings while my maternity leave involves an end. It ticks the creative box, however, when you consider that having my children, my existence has changed and perhaps now I’m not as acceptable to the early mornings and the journeying as I was. I experience the task but I experience now that there’s something else I need to strive.”
And that’s how Ainsley’s concept of the Mama Meet & Market event came to fruition.
“The possibility came along and I just notion ‘Right, permit’s have a go at this’,” Ainsley tells me excitedly.
The mum-of-two held her first Mama Meet & Market in September at Makeney Hall Hotel, Derbyshire.
The idea at the back of the event changed into to create an opportunity to carry mums (and dads) collectively from all over the UK to meet with like-minded parents along with their children with a number of unbiased stallholders, an area for toddlers and infants to play and a corner for parents to have a far-wished cuppa and slice of cake.
The event covered a variety of stalls from homemade desserts and treats to kids’ garments and toys to quirky items. There turned into a toddler analyzing and sensory corner and mother and father may want to treat them to afternoon tea.
“It simply totally handed all my expectancies,” stated Ainsley. “We had around 400 to 500 humans via the doors and I hoped for 250 at first-class.
“It was excellent. I had such high-quality comments that right away all of the difficult work and attempt that went into it become worth it.
“For a while now I actually have solid friendships with such a lot of ladies and mums that have sold not anything however mild into my parenting lifestyles. Some I have shared pregnancies with, a few we have been there for each other thru tough times and first-rate milestones and I desired an excuse to make it all feel more of a fact instead of a digital one.
A little idea that began in my head got here to fruition in an exquisite way and I simply may want to by no means have anticipated its fulfillment to this extent.
“The stallholders have been brands that I had worked with or bought from because I knew if they had inspired me then they could make an effect,” introduced Ainsley.
“The intention was to create an event that would be appropriate for both dad and mom and youngsters but using small, independent organizations who may want to sell what they do. A lot of people got here who stay locally, however, I also had humans from London come alongside. It became simply amazing.
