Posts Tagged: blogs

Site Spotlight: 12 months, 12 styles, 1 Year of Fabulous

By IN Site Spotlight

My Year of Fabulous: Holly in Mod clothingToday in the Site Spotlight is Holly Hester of My Year of Fabulous, a blog about the personal style journey she kicked off in January. The process is revealing, informative and (best of all) very funny. (Plus, how many style bloggers also have an IMDB page?)

About Holly

My professional background is in sitcom writing.  I’ve written for shows such as “Ellen,” “Drew Carey” and “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.”

After having kids I decided to quit the sitcom business and become a stay-at-home mom.  My husband and I moved to a farm in Northern California and we absolutely love it except one thing – my clothes are completely disgusting!

Three kids, two goats and one pig later, I have somehow slipped hopelessly into fashionless mom land.  I decided to start a blog in 2013 called, “My Year of Fabulous” where I try to look as fabulous as possible every single day for a year.

My hope is to inspire myself and other moms to climb out of their fashion ruts and throw away those big, bad, mom jeans forever.

About My Year of Fabulous

Each month I pick a style (rock and roll, Euro chic, Mod, etc) and I do my best to totally embody that style for the entire month.  My belief is that you can’t really find what style works for you unless you live in that style for a while.

Also, much to my surprise, I’ve discovered that people treat you differently according to the style of clothes you are wearing.  In Euro chic strangers opened doors for me.  In rock and roll, all the sketchy people at the skate park finally said hi to me and in Bohemian I was treated like a fun-loving, irresponsible twenty year old that just happened to have three children.

What she writes about

I write about how each style makes me feel and how inexpensively I can find each style – I’m a mom on a budget so most of my shopping is done at consignment and thrift stores.

Besides, since my kids and farm animals ruin most of my clothes anyway, I want to be in something that’s cute, but something that can get stained without me bursting into tears.  I also write about motherhood and life on a farm.

Her favorite posts

Site Spotlight is an occasional feature that brings you a new or noteworthy style and fashion blog.

I’m thankful for you

By IN Try This Thursdays

Try This Thursdays: A weekly series bringing you something new to try in your working mom style life, like an item to wear or buy, a specific outfit combination to discover in your wardrobe, or even a thing to do.Today is Thanksgiving here in the U.S., when we take a day to give thanks for all of the good things we have, and eat entirely too much turkey and stuffing.

I’m thankful for many things in my life, but as a blogger I’m particularly thankful for you, my readers.

Thank you for visiting, for subscribing, for commenting and for sharing.

Most of all, thank you for reading.

Try this today: Give thanks. Your life is richer when it includes gratitude.

[Thank you to all of my Style List email subscribers who let me share news and tips with them in their inboxes. Want to join us? Sign up today.]

Friend Friday: The geek girl’s guide to (fashion) blogging

By IN Fashion Beauty Friend Fridays

Screen shot of @closetcoach Twitter pageThis week for Fashion Beauty Friend Friday, we’re talking about technology, specifically the tech behind our style and fashion blogs.

1. What are the tools you use to blog?

In my life as a blogger, I use a lot of different tools, for different reasons. They fall into these main groups:

  • Blog post creation and publication. These tools are the nuts and bolts of getting a blog post up and running.
    • WordPress. This blog runs on self-hosted WordPress; my host is HostGator. Within WordPress, I have several plug-ins, but the ones that are key are Akismet for catching spam comments; Google Analytics for WordPress to insert my GA code into every page; WordPress SEO to easily manage title tags, descriptions and keywords; and Yet Another Related Posts to add related post links at the bottom of every post automatically.
    • Google Docs. I write my blog posts in Google Docs, then copy and paste them into WordPress. I do this instead of creating the drafts in WordPress itself because I have some recurring pieces of text and it’s easier to grab them and re-use when I write several posts in one place.
    • Picnik. I’ve been using Picnik to edit my personal style photos. Sadly, Google is absorbing it and it’s disappearing as a stand-alone service in April so I’ll have to find another online photo editor.
    • Polyvore. For advice posts, I frequently create associated collages of garment ideas in Polyvore. It makes a good-looking, original image with automatically generated links to the products, plus being on Polyvore provides another way for me and my blog to be found.
  • Blog promotion. Once a post is published, I promote it to offer another way it can be found.
    • Bit.ly. I shorten my post links here, then auto-post them to …
    • Twitter. Who doesn’t use Twitter? It’s so key. Don’t forget to use hashtags!
    • Facebook. Another given. A zillion users can’t be wrong.
    • Pinterest. The new popular kid, based both on usage stats and breathless “ZOMG Everyone Is Using Pinterest!” posts that seem to appear daily. This isn’t a huge traffic driver for me yet, but I think it’s worth building a following and community anyway, plus it’s fun and great for inspiration.
    • Quora. Haven’t heard of it? It’s a question-and-answer site populated by lots and lots of really smart people from all walks of life all over the world. I try to visit once or twice a week to answer questions in the fashion-related topics. Every time I do, I look up and suddenly an hour has gone by.
    • Google+. I haven’t quite gotten into the rhythm of this one yet, I confess. (I’m not really in love with it.) But it’s unavoidable now that Google has changed the way it ranks pages to include shares and other social signals from Plus.
  • Mobile. Crossing over between creation and promotion are the apps I use on my iPhone.
    • Instagram. I tend to use this one mostly for fun, but I follow a lot of fashion folks here, too. Talk about inspiration.
    • Pinterest. Sometimes the only way I find time for it is by surfing it via the mobile app.
    • Twitter. Ditto.
    • WordPress. I rarely use it on the phone because it’s so cumbersome to write a post that way, but I have used it to generate a draft of an idea I had while on the go.

And then there’s Tumblr. I’m not sure where it fits in these categories. For me, it’s sort of a third space in between my blog and Twitter: content that’s too long for Twitter but not worthy of the editorial treatment of a full blog post.

It’s also another way for me and my main blog to be discovered.

2. What technology item is on your wish-list?

I really need to get a timer and proper tripod for my digital camera so I don’t always have to rely on the hubby’s availability for photo shoots. My daughter could even help with that!

3. Through the barrage of posts, tweets, pics, poses, messages, etc., how do you avoid becoming a slave to the constant infiltration of information?

Very carefully–and it doesn’t always work.

First, I try to be targeted. For each channel, I try to have a specific reason for using it, such as direct promotion, community building, inspiration, or SEO.

Then, I try to be scheduled. I set aside certain times of the day or days of the week for using each one. It’s the only way I can keep Twitter and Facebook and Pinterest and Quora from being a total time suck!

  • That’s how I use my blogging tools? What about you? Are there any I’ve missed?

[This post is part of Modly Chic’s Fashion Beauty Friend Fridays.]

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Site Spotlight: Unique geek chic with Fashion For Nerds

By IN Site Spotlight

Audi of Fashion for NerdsThis month in the Site Spotlight is Audi of Fashion For Nerds. It’s one of my favorite personal style blogs because Audi’s fashion sense is so utterly her own. She has a way of pairing items that is unexpected and original while also remaining wearable. I’m always inspired to try something new after reading her posts.

About Audi

I’m a 42-year-old scientist who works for a small start-up biotech company that is working on novel therapeutic treatments for cancer. I live and work in San Francisco, and am passionately fond of my city and its culture. I would describe my lifestyle as having an alternative bent. As a hobby I make hats, and sometimes sell them through Dark Garden corsetry here in the city.

I also occasionally do custom projects through the Etsy shop that is now mainly run by my husband Mark, who makes leather accessories. I enjoy San Francisco’s unique nightlife and events, dining out, travel, and live music. Mark and I share our home with a chuckwalla lizard and 2 beautiful pit mix dogs.

About Fashion For Nerds

I started Fashion for Nerds mainly because at the time I was working for a company where most of my coworkers weren’t concerned with clothing as a creative outlet, and I wanted a place to connect with other people who shared my interest in dressing for fun and self expression.

For the most part the blog is a daily lookbook, which allows me not only to catalog what I wear for future reference, but also to get feedback from others.

Often I try to dissect each outfit and explain how I put it together or how I could style it differently, and occasionally I write tutorials about specific topics such as showing tattoos (or not) for job interviews, layering, shopping, etc.

About her audience

I think my blog appeals to women who are wanting to add more flair to their outfits, are looking for different ways to style the items in their closets, or are trying to infuse their corporate or academic wardrobe with individuality.

Because I don’t have kids, I have the time to focus on things like fashion; as a result, many of my readers tend to be working moms who have spent years putting their own desires last and are ready to turn that around. That was an unexpected surprise for me, and I love it; I think it’s great to connect with people whose lives are very different from my own and to think that they might take something useful away from what they see or read on my blog.

I think my blog also appeals to women in their 40′s and 50′s who still want to have fun with clothing but who have the obvious constraints of work, being active and busy, and having to live within a budget.

I enjoy challenging the typical expectations of how a woman over 40 should dress but at the same time I have no desire to pass myself off as younger than I am, and I think this is a particular challenge for many women in my age bracket.

Her favorite posts

[Site Spotlight is a feature on the third Thursday of every month that brings you a new or noteworthy style and fashion blog.]

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Thanks to Audi for participating in this month’s Site Spotlight, and thank you for reading. Did you like this post? Please leave a comment or share it with someone else; just use the handy sharing widget below.

(Want to get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff? Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)

Thank you for a great year

By IN Fashion

THANK YOUWhen I started this blog, I wasn’t sure if anyone would read it. It was mostly a personal exercise in two things I love, fashion and writing.

Especially at the beginning, post writing often felt like a conversation I’m having with myself, or maybe with my trusty little MacBook Pro.

Then a few people came. And a few more. Then a lot more. (Not famous blogger levels, mind you, but constantly-surprised-by-my-stats levels.)

So here you are. (And you, and you, and you.)

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for being here today, if it’s your first visit, or your 100th.

Thank you for your comments, or for following me on Twitter or Pinterest, or for liking my Facebook page, or any of the other ways you make this fun and make me feel like I’m doing what I set out to do–help other working moms and other busy women look great and feel great.

You made 2011 better than I could have imagined the day it started.

I hope your 2011 had its joys and surprises, too.

Let’s have a 2012 full of beauty and delights of its own. (I have something special in the works I think you’ll really like; I can’t wait ‘til it’s ready to share with you.)

Here’s to the journey, and looking fabulous along the way.

[Photo credit: Flickr user psd] 

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Thanks for reading. Did you like this post? Please leave a comment or share it with someone else; just use the handy sharing widget below.

(Want to get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff? Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)

Site Spotlight: Style as identity from BiblioMOMia

By IN Site Spotlight

Amy of Bibliomomia

Amy of BiblioMOMia

This month in the Site Spotlight is Amy L. of BiblioMOMia, a style blog that proves that fashion, motherhood and academia are not mutually exclusive. (Smart girls love shoes, too!)

About Amy L.

I am a 29-year-old perpetual student raising an adventurous toddler.  I live in a house inside of DC with my husband (The Doc), my son (The Pup) and my two wild pooches, and no one is more surprised than I am that I started a style blog.

I am working on my Ph.D. in literature; while I have spent lots of time in the classroom as both student and teacher, I just made the decision to write my dissertation from home full-time so I can focus all my energy on my ideas and on my child. I am an academic, I am a mom, and I love shoes – and many people seem to believe that those three things cannot coexist.

When I’m not writing, reading, or thinking about writing (or being distracted by my real life), I like to collect folk art and dream of travel.  I’m also a master of the Crock Pot.  I have also recently become a contributing writer for the blog Ain’t No Mom Jeans, where I’m doing a series on Southern Gal Style.

About BiblioMOMia

Academia, motherhood, and style are not opposing subjects.  A major part of my identity is revealed through my clothing choices, whether I am presenting a paper at a national literature conference or taking my son to the Zoo.

The purpose of BiblioMOMia is to help myself – and maybe even other people – understand the foundation of these multiple re-fashionings of my identity.  Clothing is an exterior marker of self–pretending that what you wear doesn’t matter (as both academics and moms like to do) ignores a big part of who you really are. [H: Love this! Love!]

BiblioMOMia is not an outfit-of-the-day blog, although I certainly post a lot of daily fashion choices.  My larger interest is discovering ways to help women like me realize that style doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming or belittling, but that finding your personal style can be empowering, practical, and illuminating.

There’s a lot more to style blogs than “look at my pretty shoes” – how about the different ways that flats and heels are viewed in your profession, or what kind of shoes to wear in the snow in public with your toddler?  I am a book lover who loves boots and happened to have a baby along the way, and I write about my closet in order to share stories and experiences from my life.  That being said … “look at my pretty shoes!”

What She Writes About

This blog is the most intensely personal project I’ve ever undertaken.  In so many other parts of my life, I find that I’m forced to be The Mom or The Scholar or The Girl Who Shops.  However, none of those people are me, not all of me at least.

I have to crawl around the library stacks in heels, and I get dog hair and goldfish crackers in my cashmere sweaters, and I have a whole closet full of shoes.  I have to find time to write at the same time as raising my son, and many of my recent posts are about discovering the tenuous balance of a work-from-home mom.

A main feature of my blog are my “Mom-ula” posts, or style formulas for fashionable moms complete with inspiration outfits – the concept is that every individual woman needs more than some type of mom uniform, but that formulas can still be a useful way to help you organize your ideas about getting dressed.

I also try to focus on the financial and emotional consumption aspects of fashion, and I therefore often participate in challenges that force me to stretch my wardrobe instead of buying something new.  Poetry is known to creep in to posts, too, as well as ideas about home décor.

As a former ballet dancer, I’m also incredibly conscious of personal and social body image, and one of my main goals – for myself as well as for my readers – is to help every woman find their best version of what is beautiful, regardless of size or shape.

I try to be funny, I try to write from the heart, and I try to be real – many of my posts are inspired by questions from my friends, family, and readers, so please don’t be shy!

Her Favorite Posts:

[Site Spotlight is an occasional feature that brings you a new or noteworthy style and fashion blog or site.]

Thanks to Amy for participating in this month’s Site Spotlight, and thank you for reading. (Get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff: Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!

Site Spotlight: Wardrobe Oxygen’s breath of fresh air

By IN Site Spotlight

Alison Gary of Wardrobe OxygenThis month in the Site Spotlight is Alison Gary of Wardrobe Oxygen, the first Spotlight member I’ve ever met in person! We both attended the DC FABB meet-up at Carbon in July. I like Wardrobe Oxygen for its straightforward approach to real-world dressing for working women and moms.

About Alison Gary

I am a 36-year old full-time working mother living and working in the Washington, DC area. My day job is as a web communications manager; after hours I am a freelance writer and blogger focusing on fashion.

When I am not working or writing, I love spending time with my family – we love to spend time outdoors, travel, and go to concerts together. I also enjoy music, yoga, cooking, and reading.

About Wardrobe Oxygen

Wardrobe Oxygen is a site where women can find realistic fashion advice and tips on how to achieve personal style, regardless of age, figure, budget, or lifestyle. After many years as a personal shopper and wardrobe consultant, I learned that there are some wardrobe staples that every woman should have in her wardrobe. By having these staples, a woman is prepared for most any event life can throw her way and also gains the perspective to find her personal style and build her perfect wardrobe.

I started Wardrobe Oxygen in 2005 as a place to organize my thoughts about personal style and fashion, not trying to be famous or acquire readers. However, over the years it has gotten quite an audience and through it I have had many opportunities to write for other sites such as AOL Patch, BlogHer, Savings.com, and The Savvy Life. My blog has been featured on sites such as Sugar Media, Forbes, MSNBC, and Get Rich Slowly.

What She Writes About

I think I am a pretty average woman – I am neither rich nor thin, I am busy and have many responsibilities on my plate. I feel this helps me provide realistic, real-life fashion advice for fellow busy women. I showcase my personal fashion with daily photographs and details of what I am wearing, but I also write articles about how to find one’s personal style, stay on top of trends without becoming a fashion victim, and how best to build and maintain a carefully curated wardrobe.

I love hearing from my readers and often use their emails and questions as blog post topics – if one woman is asking that question, it’s very possible that others have the same query!

Her Favorite Posts

[Site Spotlight is an occasional feature that brings you a new or noteworthy style and fashion blog or site.]

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Thanks to Alison for participating in this month’s Site Spotlight, and thank you for reading. Did you like this post? Please leave a comment or share it with someone else; just use the handy sharing widget below.

(Want to get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff? Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)