Thinking of starting a blog but stuck at square one? Are you a relatively new blogger who isn’t sure if you’re on the right track? A veteran blogger who is due for a bit of a brand shake up? Or, are you just here because you’re a regular reader and wondering why I’m asking so many questions? All of the above and beyond are welcome, because this is for YOU! Heck, I should be doing more of this stuff – it’s for me too!
I’ve been trying to properly compile my advice for newbie bloggers after a few email inquiries that I’ve left unanswered (I’m so sorry if I’ve not gotten back to you). I understand that overwhelming feeling, as I pretty much felt the same way simply trying to summarize my thoughts on the matter! The trick, was Adam asking for a co-worker the other day. All he had to do was say that she was fresh on the blogging scene and was hoping for some insight from me. I spewed out the below information, with Adam’s guidance. He’s actually really talented at coming up with content, I just don’t think he realizes it yet. I’ll have to just keep tricking him into collaborating on posts.
Below is what I (we) came up with. It doesn’t cover the specifics or tech side of things, but rather some general suggestions and questions to ask yourself in those early phases. Please let me know in the comments below if you have any further questions, or another post that you’d like to see.
Sometimes, I’m really on top of my outfit planning. When the mood strikes, I’ll retreat to the bedroom, style up assorted pieces from my closet, dance around to some fun tunes, and snap photos of the looks for future reference. Those are usually the ensembles that I’m extra excited to wear, often with specific occasions in mind. On an ongoing basis though, this is not the norm. There are countless mornings that consist of just staring at my closet, half asleep, thinking what the heck am I going to wear today?
Depends on my mood, of course, but this is also usually when I don’t want to put much thought into things. I just want to throw on something comfortable that still makes me feel relatively put together. This happened just the other day and this outfit is what I threw on. It’s nothing ground breaking, but I realized that there are a few key tricks to appearing slightly more polished – even if you’re really not!
Truthfully, I never let the long cardigan live up to its full potential. Within my wardrobe, I’ll admit, that I felt a little stuck in regards to styling this particular piece. It’s not as though the word ‘cardigan’ ignites excitement. A long, duster length on a cardigan – now that’s fun! I consulted with my “personal stylist” (it’s just Pinterest you guys, the best outfit inspiration), and saw a similar combination to this. When I realized that I had all of the items to make it happen, I was also pleasantly surprised that it worked on me!
I’d never really given the long cardigan a fair chance, but it really is such a versatile piece. That long line is incredibly flattering and I really liked layering it over a button up. Pairing it with a Canadian tuxedo AND with a faux leather pencil skirt, I’d say that the duster cardi has earned a top spot. I’ll be doing a winter capsule wardrobe, and I have a feeling this one will definitely be a part of that!
This exact outfit is essentially what I wore for a week straight over the holiday break. Mixing the old with the new and staying relatively neutral, I loved the ease and comfort of these pieces together. Looking at this simple, casual ensemble, I realized that the reason it worked so well, is because it’s all the winter classics together. Veering away from all black, it’s all about adding a hint of winter white (it’s actually a creamy blush, but let’s not get too picky), a slight pattern, and a bold pop of colour!
I hunted all last season for the perfect knit sweater and was so happy to have found this one from ASOS – for under $50 too! It’s the EXACT length I’d been hunting for, a slight crop but enough to cover everything up comfortably. I’ve already worn this sweater way too much, it is my favourite winter purchase so far!
I still feel like I’m easing into the year and we’re almost two full weeks in. These goals are set for all of 2017 and beyond though, so really, what’s a few days delay anyway? I eluded to my recently adopted simplified lifestyle here and will expand on that soon (I really want to properly sort my thoughts out for the post), but for now, I’ve narrowed down a few things I’ll be focusing on personally and in business this year!
Last year, my new year’s goals and intentions were quite different than anything I’d set to accomplish in the past. You see, I used to make cliché empty promises to lose weight! Take better care of myself! Stop being late for things! Save money! And not surprisingly, without any sort of action plan, things never worked out for me. At the end of each year, I’d be 5 lbs heavier, still late for everything, have an apartment full of unorganized papers/crippling clutter, and be in even more debt. Then, I’d feel bad about myself for not changing any of these things and carry over the resolutions into the next year. It was a vicious cycle that lasted for pretty much all of my twenties.
In November of 2015, I’d hit a wall. I had finally pushed myself to a place where change wasn’t a question, it was a necessity. Burnt out completely, the weight of all these ignored promises compounded into the need for me to go back to the basics. My goal for 2016 was to completely reinvent myself, to strip my life down to the fundamentals and build it back up. Which compared to what I used to say each January, seemed like a very tall order. It took the entire year (and is always a work in progress), but you guys…I did it!
Can’t believe Alex and I were in London and Ireland almost a YEAR ago! Where on earth does the time go? Instagram and photography are such a huge part of my travels (and life in general, really), so finding great places to explore and document can really make or break a trip. I was recently looking back at all the amazing snaps we took on our winter visit across the pond and decided to share a few of some of the best photo locations we shot at around the city.
Though, pretty much ALL of London is Instagram worthy, I’ve also included a few specific ideas for your travel itinerary. So, if you’re headed there soon, be sure to bookmark this one!
Whenever I’ve watched one of those movies where a series of silly and exaggerated events takes place over just one night, I always have to point out that, “yeah, that stuff just doesn’t happen in real life.” But, I’m here to admit that I was wrong. In fact, my year started out with one wild overnight Adventures in Babysitting-esque adventure. Let me start from the beginning.
Our New Year’s Eve was a quiet and slightly snowy one. We met up with some of our friends at their family cabin on Bowen Island. To give you an idea, Bowen is a small island, just a 20 minute ferry ride from West Vancouver. There’s really just one main road, one main street with shops and a very West Coast island feel. If you’d like, you can watch my Bowen VLOG to get a better sense (note in the video how outrageously tall all of the trees are). A real sign of the times (#thisis30), we were there with our friends Tessa and AJ, who have a 5 month old, Pia and Jim, who are expecting their first any day now, their friends who have a 9 month old, and then us with our pup. We rang in 2017 in our pjs with Cards Against Humanity while the babies slept, laughing at how much life has changed. Our running hypothetical scenario was about pregnant Pia going into labour on NYE while we were isolated on the island. A very probable scenario, we compared possible solutions, like doctors and midwives on the island, or a helicopter lift to the hospital. We all eased Pia and her husband Jim’s worries with these options, assuring them that her water likely wasn’t going to break anytime soon.
The next morning, I was woken up by Reg launching himself onto the bed and attacking my face with snuggles, as he and Adam returned from their morning walk. “It’s really windy out there today,” Adam pointed out, as I desperately tried to fend off our hyper dog. I hopped out of bed enthusiastically at the notion of a large pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen and followed my boys downstairs. The cooing of our youngest house mates echoed throughout the recently renovated open concept living area. The gorgeous oversized floor to ceiling wall of windows showed off that delicious winter morning light, covering the nearby Sunshine Coast in an almost reflective golden light. I grabbed my camera and decided to step outside, hoping to capture the stunning view for the gram. I’d barely turned the door handle, when it went flying open, nearly blowing me and the door away. I hesitated, thinking that maybe without shoes or a coat on, being outside in this wind wasn’t the best idea, but of course decided to just be quick. When I stepped back in, Adam turned to me and said, “Reggie won’t eat his breakfast. I wonder if he’s not feeling well.” I looked down at that scruffy little pup and pointlessly asked him what was wrong. You could hear his stomach gurgling and we chalked it up to be a sore tummy.
Everyone had a leisurely morning, and we started making breakfast around 10. Someone pointed out that since it was a holiday, the ferry times were noon and 3:10 pm and we all agreed that the later one was our best bet since we were mid cooking and still had to tidy the cabin. Reggie kept pacing around, stopping in the oddest spots to stand super straight, tail between his legs, then he’d lay down somewhere, only to become restless again. “Maybe something bad is going to happen,” AJ declared, “dogs know these things. People say that their dogs act strange before earthquakes and stuff.” We all looked at each other and agreed, but shrugged it off, saying that he probably just ate something weird.
As we were cleaning the place, I was overcome with anxiety, and noticed that Adam was as well. We just couldn’t figure out why we were so nervous about catching the 3:10 ferry home and decided together that we should leave extra early to ensure we got on the boat. We loaded our vehicle, helped tidy around, and then awkwardly left in a hurry before our friends had loaded their kids into the cars. Our drive to the ferry terminal from the cabin is always a winding one, but there were tons of extra obstacles on this particular afternoon. We had to go extra slow to swerve and avoid oversized branches and other debris that littered the road, as the huge trees exaggeratedly swayed from side to side above us.
After that flu-like whatever it was (slash is, definitely still fighting a virus) and being stuck in survival mode on an island (more about that debacle tomorrow), I am feeling mighty behind on, well, everything. I am only now, January the third, able to sit down to sort out some of my goals for the next 362 days and reflect back on 2016. While I’m at it, I should probably take down all our Christmas decor before we become THOSE people.
Inspired by this Van Mag article and thought it’d be fun to try my hand at a few fashion related changes to keep in mind this year!
