Many years ago, my mom was talking about some guy's blog that she had read. I asked "What's a blog?" and she said it's kinda like an online journal. And I thought "Well that's stupid. Who's going to read your online journal...and why would you want strangers to read that anyway?"

Years later, while searching for fashiony stuff, I came across my very first blog read. The name was The Princess Portal, written by a beautiful girl in Australia who called herself "Princess Skye" She wrote about day dreamy thoughts, frilly dresses, tea parties and inspiring rules on "how to be a princess" and treat others with respect, dignity and spread beauty in the world through our actions. She described it as

“a lifestyle blog about discovering your ‘inner princess’ and reclaiming the magic and childlike wonder of a more romantic world view. Here you will find a way to discover your own inner strengths and develop the confidence and grace of a Princess, while gaining an appreciation of the virtues of a more beautiful way of life. I hope you’ll enjoy these daily tips, musings, recipes, guides and challenges. ”

Photo- La Vie d'une Poupee by Sabrina Wong


I read her blog for months, swooning over her mary janes and parasols. The internet search had began when I had ideas about modern/historical fashion. I have always loved historical fashion from Elizabethan to Victorian and I was looking for some inspiration to tie elements from those eras into modern fashion. Then I found Princess Portal.


One of her most loved pieces was this:
The Princess Code
written by Princess Skye
A Princess inspires others to follow their hopes and dreams through pursuing her own.
A Princess greets everyone with a welcoming smile, melting the hearts of friends and disarming her enemies.
A Princess has dignity, which protects her from the opinions and spite of ignorant people.
A Princess always looks beautiful, even when she is asleep.
A Princess aims for perfection in every step.
A Princess should be given fresh flowers everyday, even if she has to give them to herself.
A Princess grows in recognition and stature in proportion to how much she treats others as royalty.
A Princess reflect’s her inner beauty in her aesthetic choices.
A Princess goes to war against the violence of incivility with the weapons of etiquette and prodigal generosity.
A Princess lives each day from the heart, expressing herself freely and treasuring every moment.
A Princess has the right to spend her funds on beautiful things she does not need because beauty in itself is priceless.
A Princess should follow her heart and believe in her dreams, even if the whole world seems to be against her.
A Princess respects her environment and nurtures the beauty of nature.
A Princess is never too busy to give a kind word or smile where it is needed.
A Princess’s most precious jewel is Hope, which lights her darkest days and shows her the beauty in every soul she meets.


 I haven't read The Princess Code in about 4 years but reading it now, I never realized how much I took this to heart and that to this day, I try to follow this code in my life and especially in my blogging.



I adored that girl and everything she wrote. She was so sweet, creative, so stylish and inspiring. I wrote her an email once to tell her how much I adored her blog and was so thrilled to get a response! It was the most pink, sparkly candy coated piece of the internet in its time but I loved it. I read all of her old posts and never missed a new one.

Skye wrote The Princess Portal from 2006 to 2007 but eventually, decided to take her blog in a new direction with The Lost Princess. She completely deleted The Princess Portal, which made us very sad but sometimes a girl has to grow up and move on, I suppose. I scoured the internet for scraps of The Princess Portal and found that you can still read portions of it on The Way Back Machine. Click the blue circles on the calendar to see the remnants of posts.



What was the first blog that you ever read? Do you still read it today or find yourself wondering where it went?



All photos and excerpts of The Princess Portal from princessportal.com


Learn everything I know about blogging and DIY blog design with my ecourse Bloggerific: A Guide to a Beautiful, Successful Blog