Meet Alex – and her sister Mila! They’re also known as Harry and Lexy, which makes me think they’re having entirely too much fun while cooking up some delicious-looking recipes at Harry & Lexy’s Workshop. Now let’s learn some more about this dynamic blogging duo.
Bio: My name is Alexandra and I’m 27 years old. I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the loveliest family in the world! My sister Mila (Harry) moved to Germany when I was twelve, so I thought “I’m going to learn German so I can go to my sister when I grow up (meaning when I turn 18). So I did but it turned out Germany wasn’t place for me and I didn’t feel very happy there, so after 2 semesters I moved back home. Oh, in case you don’t know, Bulgaria is a small but wonderful European country on the Balkan peninsula. I graduated there and moved to the UK without knowing anyone or anything about living here. 3 years later, I can finally say that although I’ve had a lot of difficulties, even suffered from depression a few times (sad but true), I’ve finally found my path and my happiness.
What do you blog about on Harry & Lexy’s Workshop?
I blog about something that everyone needs (and gets excited about) – food. All sorts of food, really, you can find recipes for salads, soups, mains, lots of desserts and drinks. I love all holidays so you can find a lot of holiday-related recipes as well (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc.). Just a few days ago I started a new section about blogging tips and tasty food photography as I would be very happy to share my knowledge and help other bloggers too!
How long have you been blogging? What motivated you to start?
I’ve been blogging for 4 years now with a few long gaps as I moved to the UK and needed some time to adjust. Prior to that I was studying 2 different subjects at uni simultaneously (Economics and Travel Management) and couldn’t dedicate a lot of time for blogging.
When I was a kid I was such a fussy eater, I was eating like 5 things in total (not counting desserts as I have a sweet tooth) so when I started discovering that other types of food actually taste pretty damn good, I started experimenting and trying different things and it turned out I love cooking! At first, my blog was just a hobby, something I wanted to see if I can do and enjoy but it grew into something so much bigger. I have an older sister (Harry from the blog) so when she went to study in Germany I missed her immensely. My best friend was taken away from me. But although thousands of miles away, blogging helped us stay together and feel closer to each other. We had something that was completely ours, a place to share our dearest moments and the things we like doing. Now, a couple of years later, we have learned a lot about cooking and recipe developing and want to share our recipes with everyone that is looking for an inspiration.
What is your favorite part of blogging?
Wow, this is a difficult question! I like taking pictures, looking for new ways to improve my blog, and adding content upgrades, but my favorite part is when I read the comments people are leaving, especially the ones saying that they have tried our recipes and love them, it makes me feel useful and truly happy!
What is the hardest part about blogging for you?
English is not my mother language. I moved to the UK about 3 years ago and I’m still learning and improving but it is difficult writing in a fun and engaging way when slang is eluding me. I keep thinking if I were born in an English speaker country, it would’ve been so much easier for me. But yet again, if that were true, I probably wasn’t going to be the person who I am now. So yeah, I’ll keep learning and I hope I’m doing a good job.
Who is your favorite blogger – and why?
My favourite blogger is Irina from Sunshine’s Kitchen (http://sunshineskitchen.com/en/) as she is the first food blogger that I discovered and fell in love with her recipes. Her blog was my true inspiration for Harry & Lexy’s Workshop!
What do you do for fun when you aren’t blogging?
I love traveling, reading fantasy novels, playing squash, trying new things like scuba diving, white water rafting and horse riding, and dancing! *shy* and pole dancing as well 🙂
[clickToTweet tweet=”Meet IBA member Alex of Harry & Lexy’s Workshop. They blog about the most delicious foods! #food #yummy #recipes” quote=”Meet IBA member Alex of Harry & Lexy’s Workshop. They blog about the most delicious foods!”]
Tell us one fun fact about yourself.
I’ll tell you three. I have a picture of all the men from Lord of the dance and me in the middle on a rooftop terrace. A “Caution, wet floor sign” fell on my head once. When I was little, I thought I could fly and kept jumping from the sofa on the floor while waving with paper made wings. In the end, I learned how to fly. Just kidding 🙂
What did you do before you began blogging? What skills do you have?
Blogging at Harry and Lexy’s Workshop is still not my full-time job but this is my dream, so intend to work very hard until I achieve it. I’m a data analyst which sounds a bit boring but it actually isn’t! I’ve been in the travel industry for 8 years now, I’ve worked in different travel agencies but my favorite job was when I was working on a fantastic cruise line!
Have you been published anywhere else either online or in print?
I’m working on 2 books at the moment – food photography for bloggers and an e-book dedicated to cookie recipes. I’ve also been interviewed by a newspaper back home (Bulgaria) called Home & Family and I was also invited to participate in Master Chef Bulgaria but I had to decline as I no longer live there.
What do you hope to achieve with your blog and online presence?
I want to help people find the right recipes for them, make it easier for busy mums to cook simple but delicious food. I want to become a full-time blogger so I’ll have the chance to dedicate even more time to writing, recipe developing. I want to share my knowledge about blogging, give useful tips and grow my blog to a lifestyle one, a place where everyone can find useful information. I’ve also started a second blog – The Baking Theatre – that is divided into 3 categories – Holiday Recipes, Kids Recipes and Fondant Modelling and everyone, no matter if they are a food blogger or just a hobby chef or housewife, can share their own recipes. I want this to be the go-to place for ideas and inspiration, for toddler and kids recipes, for decorating techniques where everyone can share and learn.
A big thanks to Alex for being a part of the International Blogger’s Association and for sharing her love of fun, food, and friends with us. Head on over to Harry & Lexy’s Workshop and be sure to follow along.
Until our next member interview and feature,
Haley & Kimberly