//Confessions of a Fashion Blogger// How I Blog

What a coincidence that in my last post for COFB II talked about how I manage life, school, and blogging and then last week rolled around and all of it went out the window as tests were scheduled, presentations due, and projects needing to be finished. Life sure is funny that way! Therefore, it just goes to show how ordinary my life is and how even in the midst of seeming like I have it all under control everything goes askew:) However, it is another week and I thankfully had time to go out and take some pictures for today's post. I thought I would share with you all today a little of my journey in starting this blog, how I have begun to get my name out there and how I reach readers. Nonetheless, you know I can never get onto the real topic until I have rambled for a short while, so for a quick rambling I have to tell you of a heavenly discovery!!!

As you all know, I am currently in college. Of course like all colleges, mine has a Library which I hardly ever frequent because I would much rather stay in my room to study than go to the library. However, last week I went to the library looking for a book for one of my classes, somehow I manages to stumble upon the isle with all the fashion books and boy was it all I could do to stop myself from doing a little happy dance in the isle. I started pulling books off the shelves and skimming through them as my mind and eyes soaked up all the fashionable goodness before me. As I made my way down the row I noticed shelves of red and black volumes lining the shelves from top to bottom.....of course I wondered what these plain bound volumes could be......oh was I in for a surprise as I began to read the words on the volumes, VOGUE, Harper's Bazaar, Good Housekeeping, McCalls, and many more. I immediately realized that these volumes were filled with all of the magazines past prints!!!! It was then that I tried not to squeal in excitement!!! Thus, I have all the VOGUE magazines (and others) dating back to the 30's (and even earlier) carefully printed and bound into great volumes. That isle in the Library is sheer perfection:) Okay, I warned you I was going to ramble but I just HAD to share this discovery with you:)

Shirt: Old Navy (last winter)
Sweater: Thrifted
Pants: Made (1940's pattern)
Belt: Sister's
Broach: Minnie's Menagerie
Ear Rings: Walmart ($1)
Books: Thrift Books (best online place ever)
Lipstick: Estee Lauder "Parallel Red" (mom's old lipstick)

Therefore, on with the topic of today's post: How I Blog!

Well, let us start from the beginning.....I started this blog to share what I love: Fashion and Vintage!

Honestly when starting a blog there are soooooo many things to think about such as: what I want to focus on, who my audience is, what my blog will look like, what colors I want it to be, how I will advertise it, and how I will get my name out there. For me it has been a learning process the entire time and I continue to learn more as I go along. Therefore, I will break my blog process down into a few categories: Blog Design, Posts and Pictures, Organization, and Getting Your Name out there. 

#1- Blog Design: I am a very creative person and as a result my mind is constantly brainstorming new ideas (my brain always has a lot of tabs open) therefore when it comes to the over all look and feel of my blog I am pretty nit picky about it. I love when I visit a blog and I fall in love with it because of the colors, design, and template! Honestly, the overall look of a blog is the first thing a person notices, and to me it is one of the first "moments of truth" so to say in selling your blog to a potential reader (that sounds very business like). I have always been fascinated by graphic design and good quality layouts, so for me, my blog always has to look as professional as I can get it (without getting a custom design). I have loved learning the basics of coding and making custom headers.....it has actually made me think quite a few times about getting a second minor in graphic design (that would be such a fun degree....). 

Therefore, if you are a new blogger reading this, or are thinking of starting a blog I encourage you to brainstorm all the different aspects to a blog so that you can create a cohesive whole that reflects your blog. I remember when I was first contemplating starting a blog, I actually emailed two of the first bloggers I had ever started following and asked them for tips as well as ran some of my blog names by them.....it never hurts to ask:)

#2- Posts and Pictures: What is a blog without good posts and what are good posts without good pictures!! Again, I will admit that I can be nit picky about this area of my blog too. Good quality pictures to me always reflect a person who takes the time to capture good pictures (having a nice camera is always a bonus). I will admit that it has taken me up until just a few months ago to really figure out how to take the best pictures I can....granted it is often a little more challenging to capture pictures that are the quality and focus I want since I take most of my own pictures using a try pod and sometimes I am still not satisfied (it takes practice). Therefore, if you have someone who has a nice camera and is good at taking pictures utilize their talents!! 

Furthermore, on the topic of pictures, I also know bloggers who don't take pictures for their blog but utilize stunning and charming pictures from pinterest and the most unique gifs to illustrate the topic of their post. It is definitely a different approach but I quite envy their talent for finding the most perfect pictures and gifs that I can't help falling in love with:)

Before I leave this section I must say that well thought out posts are quite beneficial.....not that I always think my posts out......I usually just sit down and write words (which sometimes works). There are so many different types of posts be it post about life, thoughts, beauty, reviews, DIY, outfit posts, and fashion. The options are endless!!! However, always take into account your audience when you sit down to write a post and think about what they might want to hear:)

#3- Organization: Let me just be honest and say when it comes to blogging for me, I am not the most organized person:) LOL! Many bloggers keep a blog planner where they plan out all their posts for the month, few months, year, etc. and it is all just soooooo organized!!! I am NOT one of those bloggers. Granted, I am not a full time blogger just an off and on part time blogger on top of everything else. Thus, I might sometimes jot down a post idea in my planner and brainstorm different post I might want to share, but half the time I just decide what I want to write on after I take pictures. Granted, I don't just randomly go and take pictures though....the ensembles that I capture are usually about the only thing really thought out:)

#4- Getting Your Name Out There: I have found that the main question for new bloggers and even for bloggers who have been around for awhile is how to get your name out there! How do you get new readers and broaden your audience. There are definitely many ways to do this and each blogger has their own preferences, but today I will share with you my choices on the matter of networking. When I first started blogging the main way for getting my name and posts out there was to create a board on pinterest specifically for my blog and pin a few pictures from each post with a link onto the board. However, after being around for awhile I discovered Bloglovin which links all of your post directly to our account on Bloglovin and offers another way for people to follow your blog (if you don't have a Bloglovin account you should get one). Of course there are always your social networking sites to network with! My personal preference is to use Instagram and post a picture from my latest post onto my account, and a lot of bloggers use this approach:) Honestly, there are so many options for getting your name out there, some work for some people and some don't work as well. The last thing I will say is that it has always proved beneficial to comment on the post of my fellow bloggers and leave my blog link in the comment, that way if they read your comment they can check out your blog! Now, I am not meaning to comment only for this reason, but if you are going to comment on a post you like then go ahead and include your URL. 

Every blogger is unique in their own way, and each blogs differently. However, this is how I blog:) My little ole blog has only been around for about a year and still has room for growth, as any blog might, but I hope that you maybe learned a little something about a fellow blogger (me) or even gained new ideas in which to apply to your blog.

I can't leave today's post however without talking a little bit about my outfit! I was simply dying to wear some plaid and thought this shirt would look great with my mustard sweater vest and high waisted khaki pant that I made last year. Granted, it is still in the low 80's and high 90's over in my neck of the woods but I decided to disregard the temperature for the pictures and really for most of the day:) You know me and my love for mustard :) so this ensemble will definitely be a go to this fall in a number of variations! I was originally going to wear the sweater and top without a belt but once I put it on I realized it needed a little something and the belt did the trick. I would put this ensemble in the late 1940's with a nod to your scholarly plaid trends which are currently in right now:) 

Purse: Goodwill
Book: via Thrift Books 

I know this post was a bit lengthy, but I wanted to get all the information I could in. Good luck to any new bloggers who might be reading this today and welcome to the team. Of course hello and thank you to all of you other bloggers who so faithfully follow me and my adventures as I follow yours. Until next time:)

What are some of your favorite fall trends?

What do you think of mustard and plaid together?

Is it cold yet where you are?