Lace & Pearls

A Seattle Style blog. Helping women who struggle with their personal style or those who just need a fashion fix!

What I’ve Learned from One Year of Blogging

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Photos by Michelle Dorman Photography

Dress: Comme Toi (similar) | Necklace: Stella & Dot | Bracelet: J.Crew (similar) | Rings: Gorjana (similar here & here) | Watch: Marc by Marc Jacobs| Shoes: Cobb Hill (similar) |Lipstick: Bite Beauty (color Moka)

I started this blog because of my love for fashion and the need for creativity. Prior to making an industry switch to healthcare, I worked in fashion for over 10 years. When I left fashion, I missed the environment and decided to create Lace & Pearls. With blogging, I have a new-found confidence, improved my writing, and have made some awesome friendships. For my blogiversary I will be sharing what I’ve learned, and on Thursday what I’ve accomplished.

What I’ve Learned

  • Blogging Community Overall the blogging community is pretty friendly. I have made connections with people all over the world and have been fortunate to connect with other bloggers in my area. I am grateful for these relationships. Having support in this industry is the best food for your soul and finding people with similar interests is life-changing.
    • On the flip side, everyone is not going to like you, and that’s ok. If you follow someone who doesn’t reciprocate your friendship it can be hard to not take it personal. You can let it roll off your back and continue to follow them, or move on.
  • Writing is Hard I struggle with this every day, and as much as I want to be good at it, it is something that I continue to work on. I might never master it, but hopefully I will be better off then when I started.
  • Blogging is Time Consuming Blogging requires you to wear a lot of hats (writer, photographer, social media guru), doing all of these things can be extremely time consuming. I am trying to find a balance. I primarily want to be cognizant of my family and friends and always make time for them.
  • So Much To Learn There is a lot to learn about blogging. I find it to be overwhelming. I am constantly wanting the community to pause so I can play catch-up. The best thing to do when I feel this way is to start off small, and focus on learning one thing at a time.
  • Network Reach out to those who you admire and the result may surprise you. I have done this several times and have been able to connect with some awesome people. That is not to say that the outcome will always be rosy, but it’s definitely worth putting yourself out there.

Come back on Thursday for the second half of this post and to read about what I’ve accomplished and plans for the future. Thanks so much for reading!

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Let’s connect: Instagram | Twitter| Bloglovin

Related posts:

  1. What I’ve Accomplished in One Year of Blogging
  2. 3 Year Blogiversary + The Prettiest Tulle Dress
  3. How to Stay Motivated + 2 Year Blogiversary
  4. 4 Years of Blogging: Learnings and Accomplishments

Fashion First

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Photos by Michelle Dorman Photography

Dress: J.Crew (similar) | Shoes: Kate Spade (similar) | Necklace: J.Crew Factory (old) | Bracelet: J.Crew (similar) | Rings: Gorjana (similar here & here) | Watch: Marc by Marc Jacobs |Purse: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar)| Lip gloss: M.A.C in color Sinnamon

This weekend was jammed packed with blogger festivities. On Friday night I attended the Fashion First runway show. Bailey from Hot Dress Hot Mess was kind enough to extend the invite.

Fashion First is the longest running and largest independent fashion show in Seattle. This year was it’s 12th year, so the theme was 12th Year/12th Man, a nod to the Seahawk’s recent run of form. The runway show benefited the Inspired Youth Project and the Crescent Moon Foundation. The event raised a little over $100,000. It was pretty incredible seeing the community come together for a good cause while indulging in our love of Fashion. I’m excited to attend next year’s event.

Bailey is such a sweetheart and her dress was stunning and fit her like a glove. Here’s a pic from the night. My highlight of the night was getting to know Bailey, meeting Olga from Explore Your Bliss, and Madeleine from Seattle Stylista. They are such sweet girls and were a blast to hang out with. I also got to meet Britney from Pumps and Plaid, Jenn from Hello Rigby, Aika from Aika’s Love Closet, and the sweet Tina from Just a Tina Bit. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to shoot my outfit for the event but you can check out photos from it on my Instagram.

On Saturday, I meet up with Juilanna from Blush & Camo. This was our first time meeting. We immediately hit it off and chatted for several hours over lunch. She is such a doll and absolutely gorgeous and smart! I can’t wait for our next hangout. Here’s a photo from our meetup.

Now let’s talk about this dress. I love the silhouette and print. I got this dress a few years back and wore it to a wedding and unintentionally matched the wedding party. Oops! Pairing it with coral accessories was a no-brainer and I loved the final look. The cork material and coral cap on these flats are such a delight and very Kate Spade. I really should wear them more often. They can go with a lot of things and are fairly comfortable.

Shop the Post:

Let’s connect: Instagram | Twitter| Bloglovin

Related posts:

  1. 5 Reasons For Saying No
  2. 5 Year Blogiversary & A Blogging Break
  3. What I’ve Learned from One Year of Blogging
  4. What I’ve Accomplished in One Year of Blogging

6 Debt Reduction Tips

11442069295_8e5b8ac486_z[Photo credit: Lendingmemo]

My husband and I are currently in the process of paying off our credit cards (one of my new year resolutions). Getting out of debt is more than just paying things down, it’s changing your routine and breaking bad habits. I thought it would be helpful to share my experience and hopefully inspire some others.

  1. Create a Budget: My husband and I have been using the budgeting system YNAB (You Need a Budget) for a few years. It a little complex but once you get the hang of it, it’s totally worth it.
    • Challenges: YNAB encourages users to combine their checking and savings into one account and use the YNAB system to do checks and balances. The YNAB interface is your source of truth. This helps users stick to their budgets and not overspend.
    • Benefits: You can create various categories for your budget, plan for the future, and allocate your money down to the dollar in order to save.
  2. Develop a Strategy: Start with the card that has the lowest balance, and then proceed to the next. The idea is to create a snowball effect and use the amount that you used on the previous card for the next in line.
  3. Change Your Mindset and Lifestyle: This one is tough. My old self would come home from work and do a little online shopping, my favorite past time. I kid I kid, but not really. To break a bad habit try to stay busy – work out, cook a good meal, etc. Find new interests and hobbies.
  4. Unsubscribe from Retail Emails: This tip is not for the faint of heart, but for those who are serious about getting out of debt. I have not made this leap yet – how could I unsubscribe from my favorite retailers (J.Crew and Loft)!
  5. Create an Emergency Fund: During this time you will also want to save some cash. Pick a dollar amount and put that same amount away every month. Soon you’ll find that you have saved a lot of cash, and who doesn’t want that. This way if an emergency comes up, you don’t have to rely on your credit card and fall back into old habits.
  6. Give Yourself an Allowance: Nobody said you have to go cold turkey. It’s not easy to stop spending if this is the lifestyle that you have grown accustom to. Allow yourself some spending money to use however you like. Just make sure to stick to the amount you have budgeted. You don’t want to jeopardize all your hard work.

I hope you find these tips helpful. If you have some of your own advice, please share it in the comments.

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