Daily Dose of Design: July 2015

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Happy Tuesday + Happy Link Up Day!

I hope everyone's week has gotten off to a good start! I've been super busy this past week but I bought myself a new planner so I'm officially getting re-organized! I've also been working a lot on updating my bookshelves in my bedroom. They desparately needed an update and getting them just how I like them has been super challenging but SO fun also! I've bought so many decor pieces trying to mix and match things and it's finally coming together!

On Saturday, I got the chance to work with a company to style a jewelry space that I can't wait to share with you guys! It'll be coming up in the next couple of months and it's been super exciting for me. This week is going to be much more low key, so expect some exciting posts coming your way! : )


Until then, here's this weeks link up and featured posts!

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Easy Strawberry Banana Smoothies from A Cowboy's Life

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Accessorizing with Metallics from Life with Rosie

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How I tripled my Pinterest followers in 10 weeks from The Caramel Dream

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7 Unique & Delicious Campfire Meals from Lexi Michelle Blog

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DIY Natural Cocoa Butter lip tint from Wise Wife Soaps

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Facebook for Bloggers: Tips from My Life Well Loved

Now that you've had a chance to look at these awesome posts, let the party begin!
Please be sure to link a blog post, not a Pinterest link; you want to make sure others are visiting your blog, not just re-pinning!

The Guidelines Are Simple to link up:

1. Check out our profiles on Pinterest; if they interests you, consider liking our boards and/or following us.
2. Share the party on your social media. More visitors = more eyes on your posts!
3. Add any family friendly blog posts or pins (maximum of 3)
4. Share the love; view, pin, or share at least 3 other links on the link up!
5. By linking up, you agree to allow Painted Teacup and Daily Dose of Design to share your links and photos (credit is always given to you) on our blogs and social media sites. You also agree to allow us to contact you via email to inform you of future link-ups.

Chantal and I will comment/pin/share all links to one of our Pinterest boards!

Happy linking! Thanks for joining, we'll see you again next week!
Link Up will run from 8pm EST Tuesday – 11:59pm EST Thursday


Be sure to pin this image to your Pinterest boards - more pins will give more eyes onto your links!

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Monday, July 27, 2015

Favorite Summertime Looks!

There's absolutely nothing I love and think about more than long, hazy summer days. Living in New York, we unfortunately only get this kind of weather for a few months and trust me when I tell you I soak up every bit of sunshine that I can! There's so many things to do in the summer time and outfit planning in the summer is so much fun. This is the time of year that I love to plan outfits and mix and match colors and patterns. A few months ago, I shared a similar post detailing my favorite springtime looks and had a great response so I figured I would do something similar with summer outfits!

Here's some of my go-to outfit inspirations:


Running Errands:

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Striped tee// Sunglasses// Bracelet (similar)// Tory Burch tote// Denim capris// Tory Burch Miller sandals// Kendra Scott earrings

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Plaid shirt (under $10!!)// Statement earrings// Cuff bracelet// Urban Decay eye shadow// Essie nail polish// Reversible tote (under $50!)// Tory Burch sandals// Sunglasses// Kendra Scott ring// White denim shorts

Depending on the time of day I'm running my errands, I can sometimes still get away with wearing capris before it gets too hot - which I love! I could live in crop jeans. These looks could just as easily be worn for anything you do during the day! I try to change up my outfits as much as possible because I have way more summery outfits than I do summer days!


A day by the pool:

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Cover up tank// Ray-bans// Floppy straw hat// Striped beach towel// Kendra Scott cuff// Tory Burch sandals// American Eagle denim shorts// Beach tote// VS Bikini


Shopping Day:

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Tory Burch tote// Kendra Scott Druzy earrings// JCrew marbled tee// YSL #8// American Eagle denim shorts// Tory Burch Miller sandals// Kendra Scott ring// Sunglasses// Essie "Saltwater Happy" David Yurman bracelet (1)// David Yurman bracelet (2)

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White tee// Tory Burch sandals// Michael Kors watch// Reversible tote// Sunglasses// AE crop denim

If you couldn't already tell, shopping days are my favorite! I try and make these days ones that it's raining or not great weather to do things outdoors! I always use a tote as my bag when I go shopping - even though it's an annoyance to carry around, I have a much greater chance of loosing a small wristlet or just my wallet! I also like to have a water with me and put smaller bags in if I don't want to carry them.


Out to dinner:

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Pink linen sun dress// Kendra Scott bracelet (1)// Kendra Scott bracelet (2)// Urban Decay lip gloss// Kendra Scott ring// Tory Burch wedges// Michael Kors watch// Kate Spade tote

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Michele watch// JCrew linen tee// Kendra Scott statement necklace// Kendra Scott earrings// Essie "Blossom Dandy"// Rebecca Minkoff crossbody// Kendra Scott cuff bracelet// Tory Burch wedges// JCrew colorful shorts

I go out to dinner a lot in the summer and depending on the restaurant, I love dressing up an outfit! I also love switching it up from using a tote or a cross-body - I love the way a dressed up shorts outfit looks with wedges and a cross-body and also think a cute sun dress with a larger tote looks gorgeous together! You can never have too many sundresses for summer; they're also very easy to dress down for a casual look or dress up for a dressier evening look!


Workout gear:

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VS Tank// Lilly Pulitzer tumbler// VS sports bra// VS yoga shorts// Nike Roshe

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Duffle gym bag// VS tank// VS yoga capris// VS Pink water bottle// VSX sports bra// Fitbit Flex

If I'm going to work out, I'm gonna look cute doing it! I get any kind of workout gear from Lululemon and Victoria's Secret. I've been shopping mostly at VS for workout clothes lately because I love their PINK workout gear and their newer VSX line! These clothes are so comfy and you can easily mix and match these racerback tanks with shorts for the beach or the yogas for a day of relaxation. My FitBit is also an every day essential, especially for working out. I love wearing it all the time, but I never have liked the way it looks on my wrist if I'm going somewhere that I wear nicer jewelry to. Well thank god for Tory Burch as usual - her variations and styles that you can make your FitBit look adorable on your wrist!


Summer party/event:

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Navy shift dress// Kendra Scott Rayne necklace// Rebecca Minkoff clutch// RayBans// Kendra Scott ring// Michele watch// Wedges

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Silk chiffon summer sundress// Rebecca Minkoff clutch// Essie "Picked Perfect"// Kendra Scott bracelet// Alex & Ani (1)// Alex & Ani (2)// Alex & Ani (3)// Alex & Ani (4)// Pearl stud earrings// Lace wedges// Michael Kors watch

Summer is also a time with lots of parties, events and weddings that you need cute outfits for! Shift dresses are so in style now and there's so many cute ones in different colors and patterns that are perfect for summer events. I also love a good arm party as you can tell with all of my bracelet picks!!




What's your favorite outfit for the summer?

XOXO

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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Weekend Roundup + 11th Link-it To Me Party!

Welcome to the 11th week of the link-it to me link party - and my 4th as a host! This is so much fun and something I look forward to every single Tuesday (next to PLL, of course!) Chantal and I love reading each and every one of your posts so much and we're going to start sharing them more than we've been more than commenting that way you have an extra chance at seeing an increase in your traffic. We love going through each week and picking our favorite posts to feature and I really have learned a lot from your posts along with finding amazing DIY's and finding new bloggers that I can keep in contact with!

This past weekend was so much fun - we had family in from all over the country and spent the weekend at the beach along with a super fun BBQ with everyone that came. I love long beach weekends and actually am thinking about spending some extra summer time here for a while!

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My mom and I even made our own sangria for the weekend which we've never done before, but I'm SO glad we did because it turned out amazing! We added so many different fruits; straberries, grapes, oranges, apple, cantaloupe, blueberries and kiwi:

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You can shop this gorgeous sangria pitcher here! It looks like glass but is easily movable because it's really plastic! The best part - it's under $10!!


Also, I've been updating my Blogger's Picks page a lot lately - especially with the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale that's going on! Here's some of my favorite things right now:



Okay - link up time! Here's this weeks featured posts:


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Free printable planner pages from Becoming Christine Smith

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Low calorie peach pops from Stephanie Rose Knows

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Craft room tour from Eat Pray Create

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Summer salsa recipe from Home made Zagat

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Copycat Anthropologie confetti mugs from The Montessori Moms

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Pasta with white bean Alfredo sauce from Harmony and Happiness



Now that you've had a chance to look at these awesome posts, let the party begin!
Please be sure to link a blog post, not a Pinterest link; you want to make sure others are visiting your blog, not just re-pinning!

The Guidelines Are Simple to link up:

1. Check out our profiles on Pinterest; if they interests you, consider liking our boards and/or following us.
2. Share the party on your social media. More visitors = more eyes on your posts!
3. Add any family friendly blog posts or pins (maximum of 3)
4. Share the love; view, pin, or share at least 3 other links on the link up!
5. By linking up, you agree to allow Painted Teacup and Daily Dose of Design to share your links and photos (credit is always given to you) on our blogs and social media sites. You also agree to allow us to contact you via email to inform you of future link-ups.

Chantal and I will comment/pin/share all links to one of our Pinterest boards!

Happy linking! Thanks for joining, we'll see you again next week!
Link Up will run from 8pm EST Tuesday – 11:59pm EST Thursday


Be sure to pin this image to your Pinterest boards - more pins will give more eyes onto your links!

 photo 5ca306eb-4bf1-4aa8-9fdc-2f2a14a0a367_zpsiihhbjk2.jpg


Friday, July 17, 2015

Capturing a Coastal Design

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Since summer is in full swing as we reach mid July and spending endless days on the beach, there is nothing better than a breezy seaside escape. As I'm off to the beach for the day, I'm realizing just how perfect a chic and coastal look is for a home! Whether you're steps from the beach or hours away and just want a beachy look for your home - there's ways to give your home this elegant and nautical look with some simple tips!

I wish I could live here at the beach with this elegant feel all year round! Although, living in New York makes that pretty difficult in the winter months but I do grasp onto every bit of Summer that I can every year. When I think of coastal decor, I think of fresh colors and textures; whites, light blues and natural textures all give off an easy living, airy and bright vibe.


Here's some gorgeous pieces to add to your fresh, elegant and coastal look

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Woven canopy bed// Chevron woven pillow// Starfish table lamp// Nautical rope sphere decor// Turquoise anchor pillow// Seashell and sand decor// Nautical rope wall mirror// Coral bookends// Coral candlesticks// Rustic Ottoman// Seahorse table lamp


White and Airy: some people consider keeping decor and furniture white to be boring, plain and something that hasn't been given much thought, but this is far from true! Most especially in a coastal themed home or room, white is a very important color! White is refreshing and clean - so keep your furniture or furnishings, kitchen cabinets, and pretty much anything else you can think of - a clean and fresh white. Pairing white with warm, wood accents in the flooring and some navy colored decor can make for a gorgeous nautical yet sophisticated theme!

Classic Nautical Decor: the timeless nautical theme is my vision of perfection for a coastal themed home. Navy, roping and white will give off the coastal feel... while adding pops of turquoise (my FAV color!) gives a room vibrant pops of unexpected color. Shimmery turquoise accents resemble the water, so you and your guests alike won't be able to take their eyes off of these gorgeous accessories!

Fifty Shades of Blue: after adding your pops of turquoise decor, go crazy with different shades of blue throughout the room(s)! This is the absolute perfect color to use in a beach home and this is easy to do since there are so many gorgeous shades - ranging from sky blue to a deep navy, you can't go wrong with balancing hues of blue! Pairing these blues with white and wood textures will also give the room depth and an extra seaside feel.

Woven, wicker details: nothing says beachside like wicker and woven furnishings! While this isn't ideal for every room, wicker furniture on a beach home's balcony or in a sun room with bright colored throw pillows will give a space an extra beachy feel! You can also try implementing things such as blinds, rugs and table decor with a woven texture.

Dress it up: the best part about coastal living with a nautical theme is that every room can look different while still giving off a beachy vibe. If you have a super casual and nautical themed living room, try dressing the bedroom of your beach home up a bit! Use things such as coral, starfish and seashells as decor to dress up a room making it more elegant! You can also add antique bottles like these for an extra chic feel!

Unfinished wood: using elements of unfinished wood and shiplap is such an elegant look for a coastal home. Aged and distressed wood is natural and a perfect element to add in decor, furniture and finishings also. I also love the way a textured wood coffee table or headboard looks!

Subtle Stripes: is it just me, or do navy and white stripes remind you of Vineyard Vines, days at the beach and endless summer nights?! There is nothing more nautical than navy and white striped decor. Throw pillows, rugs, blankets, coffee mugs, upholstery; you name it and you can likely find it in a navy striped pattern! If you're feeling super bold, try an accent wall with striped wallpaper!


Beach homes should feel sophisticated, have a cottage/inn feel - yet elegant all at the same time. Using these tips will help get you to that shabby chic and beachy look and will keep you feeling like it's summer all year long - even if it can't be where you live!
P.S. I highly recommend checking your local Home Goods especially this time of year for nautical home decor! My Home Goods has aisles upon aisles of gorgeous coastal accessories!



XOXO

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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Link-it To Me Link Party #10 - Officially a host!

Another Tuesday, another link-it to me link up party!! This past week was the most successful one yet and Chantal and I had SO much fun reading through all of your absolutely amazing posts! Seriously - it took us a good 10 minutes deciding which posts to choose to feature because there were so many good ones! I'm so excited that Chantal has asked me to become a host with her for this link party - I have so much fun with them and really can't thank her enough for making me a host with her and her awesome link party!
Make sure you follow Chantal on social media: Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter


Life lately: This past Friday I went to Taylor Swift's 1989 Tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and it was hands down one of the best nights ever! We were a group of 8 people - my sister, mom, her best friend Cassie and her mom, sisters, cousin and I. All of us went to her Red Tour at MetLife two years ago (to the date actually!) and it was beyond amazing. I've always been a huge Taylor Swift fan and Friday night proved she really never fails to disappoint and ALWAYS outdoes herself! We had such an amazing time and I could go on and on about it but there will be another post for that! ;) I've also been super busy getting ready as we have family coming in from out of town for the week followed by a big get together on Saturday. My mom has had me doing all sorts of things (including painting the porch and cleaning the back deck, among a million other things - seriously!) but it's going to be lots of fun so I'm glad I could help. Today I took some time to cool off after cleaning outdoors in 93 degree weather to hang out by the pool and took the time to plan out some posts, write some guest posts coming up and get my blogging life organized! I found some awesome options for FREE printable blog organization tools that you can read about here!


Another super exciting thing going on is what I told you guys about yesterday - an Amazon gift card giveaway!! I teamed up with Chantal again for this giveaway which is super exciting as it's my first "real" giveaway on Daily Dose of Design! There's a lot of simple ways to enter so be sure to check it out and enter! There's so many things I would put $20 on Amazon towards, especially with Prime Day being tomorrow!!



Here are this weeks featured posts - which like I said took a long time for us to choose! There were SO many amazing posts and I seriously cannot wait to read this weeks!


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Pineapples + Pearls from Peaches and Salt


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18 No Bake Sweet Treats from Dreaming of Living


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Dorm Room Style from My Life Well Loved


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12+ Summer Drink Recipes from One Mamas Daily Drama


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Kids Activities: Wet & Wild Water Sponges from Live Randomly Simple


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Guilt Free Chocolate Brownie Batter Oats from Treat Yourself Sweeter



Now that you've had a chance to look at these awesome posts, let the party begin!
Please be sure to link a blog post, not a Pinterest link; you want to make sure others are visiting your blog, not just re-pinning!


The Guidelines Are Simple to link up:


1. Check out our profiles on Pinterest; if they interests you, consider liking our boards and/or following us.
2. Share the party on your social media. More visitors = more eyes on your posts!
3. Add any family friendly blog posts or pins (maximum of 3)
4. Share the love; view, pin, or share at least 3 other links on the link up!
5. By linking up, you agree to allow Painted Teacup and Daily Dose of Design to share your links and photos (credit is always given to you) on our blogs and social media sites. You also agree to allow us to contact you via email to inform you of future link-ups.


Chantal and I will comment/pin/share all links to one of our Pinterest boards!


Happy linking! Thanks for joining, we'll see you again next week!
Link Up will run from 8pm EST Tuesday – 11:59pm EST Thursday



Be sure to pin this image to your Pinterest boards - more pins will give more eyes onto your links!


 photo b100719b-389f-450d-8006-0cb865c042d9_zpswy6nb5io.jpg





Monday, July 13, 2015

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!!

Does anyone else have a serious Amazon obsession?! Since I'm a student, I have Amazon Prime free for 6 months and I'm really not sure if I should consider it to be dangerous or a blessing! If I'm considering buying something and it's eligible for Prime - I seriously don't think twice about it!

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Here's some of the products I bought on Amazon in the past few weeks that I highly recommend checking out:

Acrylic jewelry box: I bought this case for jewelry storage and I am loving it! I just started to organize it but it is most definitely one of my favorite products I've bought on Amazon - it even has spaces to hold lipsticks!

Donut pool float: this is my absolute favorite thing I have ever bought - period! I float around in my donut float every single day which I'm sure you've seen on Instagram!! I love these foodie pool floats and after loving my pink donut so much, I also purchased the Pizza float!

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I also purchased this iPhone case when I first got my iPhone 6 in the pink and gold color. Let me tell you - do not ever spend a fortune on a protective and still pretty phone case again! This Spigen case is SO protective and super cute also! I can't even tell you how many times I've dropped my phone and there isn't one scratch on it! I loved it so much that I bought it in the teal and white too!



The list of my top Amazon products could go on forever and ever but before that happens, I'm SO excited to tell you guys that I'm giving you guys - my AMAZING readers a chance to WIN a $20 Amazon giftcard!!! I can't even begin to think about the hundreds of things I would put an Amazon giftcard towards! I teamed up with Chantal from Painted Teacup who is also the host of the Link-it to me party that I've been lucky enough to co-host!

All you have to do is enter in the various ways below! The only mandatory entry is that you enter your email address, but tweeting and following Chantal and I on Facebook and Twitter are optional entries which give you more chances to win! If you already follow us on Twitter or like our Facebook pages then click that you follow or that you are a fan, and you will still get the credit for that entry. Another huge bonus: you can tweet each day for 3 extra entries per day!!

The giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on Saturday July 18, 2015 so be sure to get those entries in! Are you eying anything on Amazon that you'll buy with this giftcard if you win? I'd love to know since I'm an Amazon addict and always am looking for a reason to purchase things from Amazon! ;)
Thank YOU all so much for being a reader on Daily Dose of Design - this is truly my way of saying thank you so much whether you've been reading since I began in January or are a brand new reader! I really appreciate it and best of luck!!

XOXO


a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Friday, July 10, 2015

Useful Tips & Resources for Bloggers!

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I still am finding it hard to believe that Daily Dose of Design is 6 months old already! I've learned so much about blogging already and I continue to learn more and meet new people every single day - which is definitely my favorite part about being a blogger! With everything I've learned comes the hundreds (seriously) of articles and posts I've read about blogging, things to do and not do, ways to grow your blog, the list goes on and on. I still consider myself a fairly new blogger and I wanted to put together a guide for you guys that would be helpful whether you're a new blogger or have been blogging for years! While I'm definitely no expert, I think I'm starting to get the hang of what's useful, what isn't and what you should use and when you should use it.


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Here's some resources, tips and websites that have helped me along the way that I think you'll find useful too:

Blog design: over the years I taught myself HTML and coding to get through creating my tumblr themes and editing them (I'm a perfectionist that can never get anything to be within my idea of perfect). I still would love to create my own blog design one day, but until I can find the time to learn some more HTML needed, I decided a few months back it was time to get my blog professionally designed. As a newer blogger and college student, I definitely don't have the hundreds of dollars to spend on a blog design. That's why when I found Theresa from Always in Bluhm Designs I was SO excited. Having my blog designed was one of the best things I ever did for my blog and I highly recommend using Theresa if you use the Blogger platform. If you're on Wordpress, you can just as easily search Etsy for designers who cater to WP users!

Social media: I've always been a social media junkie, but being a blogger has really made me realize just how important social media outlets are for your blog and for promoting your blog and your content. I mostly utilize the typical outlets - Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook - but there's so many outlets out there that it's hard to keep up! There's also insanely helpful apps you can have right on your phone that'll organize your blogging life. Check out my post on that here!

  • Pinterest: ever since creating pinnable images for each of my posts and posting them ALL over my boards and group boards, I've seen huge traffic growth. I'm talking a difference of hundreds of pageviews per day people! Seriously, Pin Groupie will be your best friend. You can narrow your search by Pinterest category and I've found some seriously awesome group boards to join that way. Being a part of group boards that have a lot of followers = more blog post views! I try and set 30 minutes aside once or twice a week searching pingroupie for new group boards to join and it's been super beneficial to me! You'll be amazed at just how many group boards there are out there! 
  • Instagram: nowadays, who isn't obsessed with Instagram? I know I am and I only made my blog's account two or so months ago. I highly recommend making your blog it's own Instagram ASAP! It's a great way to meet new bloggers and it's also a great sharing source as well. Be active and utilize it; like other blogger's pictures and leave comments as you would on blog posts - it's a great way to connect! You can also Google hashtags that bloggers in your niche use and tag ALL of your photos with them. For example, #blogpost #fbloggers #lbloggers. Even more of a chance to have your posts reach new people!
  • Facebook: even though it seems as if Facebook isn't as popular anymore, in the blogging world it's the complete opposite! No if's, and's or but's - make your blog a Facebook page! I post on my blog's Facebook page nearly every day. Always post a link to your latest post and stay active for those who like your page. Facebook is also a great resource for growing your blog and meeting other bloggers as well - joining Facebook groups is one of the last things I ever would have thought to do, but believe it or not - they're INSANELY worth it! These groups usually have daily threads where you can interact with other bloggers and exchange comments, likes, follows, etc. My favorite group that I'm a part of is Show Your Blog Love and I highly suggest asking to become a member!

Utilize free workshops and programs: so many successful and popular bloggers offer e-courses dedicated to different blogging aspects; growing your audience, making your blog more attractive, pretty much anything you need you can find a course on! These bloggers spend a lot of time creating and maintaining these courses so you can expect to have to pay for them, however they can be really, really helpful! From time to time some of these bloggers offer either free courses or free mini courses (enticing you to purchase the full course and also giving it a chance to see if its one for you). Dana Fox recently offered a free "blogging bootcamp" course that was sent in 7 emails in 7 days and they all had little tips for you to implement on your blog. Super helpful advice and I would recommend one for sure!

Edit your pictures: when I began blogging, I took all pictures for my posts on my iPhone 6 - which is supposed to have great quality, right? I was always proud of my pictures until I got myself a REAL camera and compared my phone pictures to my camera pictures. Good quality cameras are pretty expensive so if you aren't in the market for one of these yet, there IS ways to successfully use your phone! Even with using my camera I still edit my pictures and try to use the same brightness and contrast levels for all of my post pictures. I use Photoshop CS5 to edit my pictures, but there are tons of websites that will work perfectly if you don't have Photoshop - PicMonkey and Photobucket are two editing websites that both will do the trick! Moral of the story - always edit your post pictures and try to stick with a theme for all of them. This is something I learned recently and it makes sense; either make all of your pictures bright or make them all dark - it looks better than trying to mix both! I also have found that "pinnable" pictures are usually ones that have light or white backgrounds to them. For example, this is my best performing pin to date and I have a feeling it's because of the bright background!

Guest posting & creating quality content: these two aspects of blogging go hand in hand because you should always only post quality content and always look for opportunities to guest post - and create quality content for those guest posts also! I've both reached out to and have been contacted by bloggers with guest post opportunities (that you can read here!) and it's a great way to expand your reach. I was lucky enough to do a whole series of guest posts for Tracy at Nest Full of New while she was on vacation. Creating quality content on your blog is important - and creating quality content for your guest posts is as well since this is readers first glimpse at your work and what they can expect to see if they decide to visit your blog. Take your time creating your content - make a draft, edit, take breaks (if you can) and take time working on images for your post. Going back on my posts from March and comparing them to my posts from June shows a HUGE difference and is something I'm super proud about!


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Having a pretty notebook/planner is also super helpful in keeping your blogging organized! I found this adorable notebook that doubles as a planner in Home Goods a few months ago and have been using it ever since! I also have a planner that I write out my post dates in - which I highly recommend doing!

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Are there any blogging resources you use and have found very helpful?
XOXO

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