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)

On Tuesday I shared what I learned in my first year of blogging. Today I am covering what I’ve accomplished along with my plans for the future.

Accomplishments

• Finding a Photographer For the majority of the year, my husband took my outfit photos. Recently I decided to step it up a notch and hire someone. My husband was doing an awesome job, but he wasn’t really feeling it and sometimes it was a struggle to coordinate a time to get photos in. It was time to hire a professional. I started working with Michelle a few months back, and I am so glad I did. She is awesome to work with and is amazingly talented.
• Site Upgrade Lace & Pearls recently upgraded to a self-hosted site. Migrating the site was very time consuming and took about a month to complete. Lucky for me, my husband created a test site so I was able to keep the live site active while I worked on the new one. I got the theme from 17th Avenue. This site has the sweetest templates. I highly recommend it.
• Blogger Events I attended my first blogger/fashion event last month and it was a complete whirlwind to connect with bloggers in person. I found comfort in our similarities  (not telling our peers that we blog or how people don’t understand what we do as bloggers).  Madeleine, who I met at the Fashion First event wrote this post on things bloggers are tired of hearing. It’s hilarious but unfortunately true for some.

What’s Next:

• Product Development I am currently focusing on defining my niche and trying to come up with a product that I can develop for my brand.
• Photography/Editing Photos I need to master Photoshop stat! In all seriousness though, it seems like everyone and their dog is an awesome photographer. It is time for me to step up my game and learn how to use our DSLR and Photoshop.
• Continued Learning In addition to photography, I am also taking some eCourses on blogging and developing a business. I’m excited to take this site to the next level after I implement what I learn.
• Blogger Conference I would love to attend a blogger conference next year, either Simply Stylist or Alt Summit. I think it would be an awesome opportunity to network and continue learning.

Lace & Pearls would not be what it is without all of the love and support from you guys. So I felt it was only appropriate to include a list of thank yous.

Thank Yous

• Mom You’re my biggest supporter since day one. You have read every post and have left a comment on the majority of them. Thank you for always being present not just with blogging but also in life.
• Jason (the backbone of this blog) You have endured everything throughout this process and have worn multiple hats (photographer, editor, web developer). Lace & Pearls would not be what it is without your hard work and willingness to help. You’re unbelievably patient and have taught me so much.
• Linda You are the second person to subscribe to my blog  via email (my mom was the first), and though we have never met I am grateful to have your support throughout this journey. I remember being tickled when you left a comment, it might have been the first comment that I received that wasn’t from my mom. When I told my mom,  she was like oh that’s my friend Linda. Thank Linda, you’re the best!
• Mil & Jules From South by Northwest. Your friendship is one of the best gifts that I have received since starting this blog. Not only are you two smart, beautiful, and funny, but also compassionate and supportive. I need more friends like you in my life. Love you both!
• Michelle For upping my photo game and capturing my personality in the best way. You’re an amazing photographer! I look forward to working with you more in the future.
• Everyone else There are so many people who I am grateful to have connected with. I would love to list everyone by name but don’t want to leave anyone out. So I am sending one big thank you to anyone who has read, commented, or engaged with me in some way.  I read every comment and respond to each one. Many thanks to you all!  Sending a big hug.

Shop the Post:

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!

Shop the Post:

Let’s connect: Instagram | Twitter| Bloglovin