New Blogger Tips & Intro to Blogging Greatness

As some of you know, I recently finished up teaching a course for beginning bloggers. It was a great experience for me, I met some awesome people and got them to revamp their blogs and some just start out. But I feel like in blogging, you are always learning. It's an every-growing community and as we established these blogs, I feel like I learned just as much from my students. Especially one student, Nan, who started writing a comedy blog for the 65+ crowd. She's hilarious and so insightful and I'm excited to see where her blog goes.

With that in mind, I think the November Blogathon prompts for Thursday and Friday (both of which I'm doing today) were right on point to what I've been thinking a lot about recently when it comes to blogging. So here we go!

If you could tell your novice blogger self 3 tips...

1 - Build a community.
I really just started writing this blog so my family and friends would read it and know that I was having fun and was safe while living in downtown Pittsburgh. I have had other blogs before and this one was not started to get lots of page views, it is not created to be SEO friendly, even though at the time that's all I was doing in work. But when the greater Pittsburgh community started to catch on to what I was writing and more people became followers, it started to find a bigger purpose for this space. Which was nice and I'm glad to see that a lot of those early followers continued to read even when I moved out of the city, because my content has certainly changed since then. But those followers, bloggers and non-bloggers, have really opened a lot of doors for me and while that wasn't my intention, I really appreciate it.

2 - Fellow bloggers are not your competition.
I do not like that a lot of bloggers are just in it now to monetize and a lot of "How to Start a Blog" posts are dedicated to making money off your blog right away. I feel like doing that leads to you being unauthentic and leads you to not make friends with other bloggers because you view them as your competition. That is dumb. Blogging is supposed to be about the community not the advertising dollars, and while those are nice, hating a fellow blogger in your niche is pretty lame.

3 - Allow yourself a break whenever you need it.
I hear about blogger burnout too much. If you've followed along here for a while, then you know that I believe in giving myself mini-breaks from blogging whenever I feel like it. I wish more bloggers were like that, because readers can tell when your heart isn't into it and I never want that feeling to come across to my readers. Give yourself time off if you want/need it.

Now skipping over to Friday's prompt - Introduce 3 bloggers you follow and why.

Sarah Hartley | Midwest Muse | Sincerely, Sara
Photos are the property of Sarah, Jessica, and Sara, respectively.

Sarah Hartley - Sarah has made an appearance here a couple times, and she will always be my first blogger pick. She's one of the first bloggers I really started to follow consistently and I like that she's built a community that has followed her from fashion blogger girlfriend to mommy of the cutest little boy, with the perfect husband. I like that she's become more open over time to sharing about herself and now I cannot even believe how transparent she is with her readers. She's really grown and it's been an amazing journey to watch unfold over the screen. She's got great style, a fresh sense of humor and plenty of baby pictures to show off her cute little man.

Midwest Muse - Jessica is amazing. She has the best style that I have ever seen, has the best taste in music and generally just doesn't give a shit what people think, and I LOVE it. Jessica takes a week off from blogging and doesn't really need to give an excuse as to why because her readers pick up right where she left off. She changes her hair drastically on a whim and still knows how to style it better than anyone who has had that hair for years. She's basically a unicorn living in Ohio and I cannot get enough of her and her blog. Also, her photographer boyfriend takes the most gorgeous pictures of her that her whole blog just looks like an indie magazine you need to be reading.

Sincerely, Sara - I found this Sara through reading Sarah Hartley's blog and have to say that I'm glad I did. Sara is someone I admire because she is so consistent and her blog reads like she wrote it just to you. She has clear goals about her future and her blog, she tells you upfront what she blogs about and when, and she is always producing quality content in her niche. She's making the rest of us mid-twenties bloggers look unorganized and I actually love it because she is just so good. She's also a bookworm, so always one to recommend good reads.

So, who are your favorite bloggers?

And what wisdom would you share with new bloggers?

Fashion Forward Fridays: Zooey Collection

Made on Polyvore.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that I love Zooey Deschanel, so when I heard she was releasing a clothing line with Tommy Hilfiger this week, I was all over it. Although the collection, to Tommy from Zooey, only allows for sizes 0-14 I am still in love and wanted to be sure to make mention of it for a Fashion Forward Fridays post. Below I've included some of my favorite pieces of this beautiful, and obviously very Zooey-inspired, collection. Think mod, Peter Pan collars, pleats and nautical themes. Zooey is calling it "modical" which, you'll see, fits the collection perfectly!

All photos from Tommy Hilfiger.

What are your favorite pieces from this collection? Oh, and if you're looking for some more fashion, head on over to Sara's blog where I am guest posting today! You should remember Sara from this year's Fashion Week, and today I'm on her blog with three looks inspired by the novel, The Fault In Our Stars, so head on over and check it out! And have a great weekend!

This is NOT a partnered/sponsored post, I just really love this collection and wanted to share it.

Fashion Week: Wrap-Up & Winner Announcement!

I hope you all enjoyed the 2nd Annual Chels & the City Fashion Week! I have really enjoyed hosting Sara, Toni, Danielle, Jessica, and Meagan. Thank you, ladies for allowing me to interview you and being such a vital part of this week. You five are amazing and I am so glad that I am able to call each of you a friend. I really mean that. These five and the relationship I've built with each of them over the last year or two has been incredible and just goes to show how great blogging can be if you put in the time and energy it deserves. 

And thank you, sweet readers, for sharing this week with your friends, coming back everyday to see the next featured blogger and interacting with us through commenting and entering in the giveaway. You all are what makes blogging worth while and I'm sure I can speak for all of us in saying thank you so much for following along this week! But now onto the part you all have come here for, the winner of the $50 Target gift card is....drum roll, please...

JENNA DILLON! CONGRATS!

Please email me at chelsandthecity(at)gmail(dot)com by Sunday at 11pm to claim your prize!
If prize is not claimed within this time frame, a new random winner will be selected.

Thank you to all who entered for making this week such a success! Have a great weekend!

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Fashion Week: Meet Sara of Sincerely, Sara!

Let's get it started! I'm so excited to bring you the 2nd Annual Chels & the City Fashion Week! In honor of two years of Fashion Forward Fridays, there are some fabulous ladies lined up to be featured this week and I hope you come back every day to meet them! Along with meeting some fabulous ladies, you have the opportunity to win a $50 Target gift card, so that you can get a jump start on your spring wardrobe - after being inspired with this week of fashionistas I'm sure you won't have a hard time spending it. So sit back, grab some coffee, enter the giveaway and enjoy meeting some great bloggers!

To start us off is Sara of Sincerely, Sara. I've been following Sara's blog for a little over a year and love her comfy-chic style. She always makes fabulous inspiration boards of outfits based on popular books and movies and is such a down to earth lady, you cannot help but want to follow along with her blog. Every time I visit her page I feel like I'm sitting down for a coffee date with a friend. I really value her opinion when she does product reviews because she seems so honest and up front with her readers. And she's also in the process of writing a novel (or two, or three) so you know her writing is fun to read too! Enjoy!

All photos provided by Sara.

How would you define your style?

It’s so hard to put into words what my style is even though I know it so well! I would say that it’s colorful, comfortable, simple, and has a dash of nerdy chic! I do mix it up sometimes and can lean towards feminine, boho, and urban styles, but in a way that’s me.

Where are your favorite places to shop?

Since I just graduated from grad school and only work part-time at the moment, I don’t have a lot of money to spend on clothes, so my favorite places to shop are Target, Forever 21, H&M, Old Navy, American Eagle, T.J. Maxx, and Marshall's. But even if I made a million dollars I would still shop at these stores.

What are some of your favorite pieces or go-to pieces in your closet?

I seem to have an endless amount of cardigans in various colors! An endless amount of something is probably too many! When I don’t know what to wear, my go-to outfit is a cardigan, blouse, jeans, and flats. For me, it works every time and never fails to make me feel put together.

My other go-to pieces are scoop neck tees, dark wash jeans, blue dresses, and flats.

Where does the inspiration for your outfits come from?

I generally get outfit ideas from other bloggers because these girls are just so chic! If it’s not from bloggers, then it’s from what I find on Pinterest, or in magazines, or just out and about in the world. I also love finding inspiration from the characters I see on TV or in movies because they’re styled so well (Jess from New Girl and Mindy from The Mindy Project for instance).

If someone asked you for style advice, what would you tell them?

Be true to yourself and what you like! When I was in high school, I didn’t branch out and try new styles because I was afraid of what people would think. I thought that they would believe that I was being fake by not wearing what I normally wore, so I wish I’d had more fun with my clothes then. Fashion is supposed to be fun and make you feel good, so wear what makes you feel like you!

When and why did you start fashion blogging?

I started blogging in November of 2011 initially because everyone kept telling me I should do it because I’m a writer and writers are supposed to have blogs. Well, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to blog about at first, but then after a few months I decided to blog about the things that I really love, so now I write about fashion, books, inspiration, and sometimes my thoughts.

How has your style grown or changed since you began fashion blogging?

I don’t think my style has changed all that much since I started blogging, but I would say that I’m more willing to take some fashion risks and try new things now. I’ve also learned the importance of accessories (scarves, necklaces, bracelets, belts). They really do finish an outfit and make it look more put together.

What advice do you have for bloggers just starting out?

Make a list of the things that you love and would be happy to talk about endlessly. The top 3-5 things are what you should blog about, whether it’s architecture, shoes, beauty, science, or all of the above. When you love something people respond to that; we all just wanted to find like-minded people. There’s a big chance that someone else loves the same thing you do, and would be more than happy to have the chance to talk to you about it. What I’m really saying is: be you because you’re awesome and other awesome people want to be your friend!

Sincerely, Sara | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

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