how to become a successful blogger

I have some really exciting news to share with you guys! Since I started my blogging journey, the whole experience has been a series of ups and downs and wondering when success will start knocking on my door. I read countless articles from other bloggers talking about what led to their success and what I needed to do differently. Years later, I’ve come to figure out that each blogger has their own journey, including you.

Being a Dallas fashion blogger means I have more competition than I could ever dream of and very little space to fit in. My little corner of the Internet is my favorite place to be and something that still inspires me everyday! However, I understand what it’s like when you feel frustrated and no one is giving you answers or any help whatsoever. With the moderate success I’ve seen, I’d like to share my knowledge with new bloggers who are stuck, need advice, or simply would like someone to look over their content and social media profiles. In an effort to help other bloggers like myself, I’m offering up my expertise with some free consulting for new bloggers! That’s right- free!

Blogging involves collaboration, partnership, and often enough- mentorship. If you’re new to the whole fashion or lifestyle blogging scene, then I’d love to help you. You can drop me a line on my new consulting page (here.) I look forward to chatting and helping you grow!

dallas fashion blogger

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galentines day ideas

Oh my goodness, Valentine’s Day is only a week away and I’m so excited! I love love love this special day not because I like to eat pounds of chocolate (but I do), mostly because I absolutely adore the color pink and giving little gifts to my girl friends. I’m usually a pretty creative person and my favorite things to pick out are themed gifts. For this blog post, I came up with three gifts you’ll love to give to your gal pals!

Coffee themed gift

I’m a coffee lover and anyone who gets me a cute mug is automatically my favorite person. Coffee isn’t just something you sip at your desk, it’s a ritual in many cultures, something to be savored. I can totally get on board with that! My coffee ritual would include a little journaling and a delicious smelling candle like the cute pineapple one above!

Mani-Pedi gift

Who doesn’t love a fresh manicure every once in awhile? Painting nails can be really relaxing for some people including me, that is until I end up screwing them up by smudging an almost dry nail. Such is life, right? This bright red Essie nail polish is perfect for Valentine’s Day. Include a little nail kit and some hand cream and you have an adorable Galentine’s gift!

Baking lover’s gift

Some people just really love to bake. I wish I were one of those people. Unfortunately, I’m more of the ‘place and bake’ cookie kind of gal. For the special friend in your life who loves to throw on an apron, cookie cutters and sprinkles make the best gifts! And can we talk about how cute that dish towel is? It goes so perfectly with the whole theme!

If you find yourself going to a Galentine’s day party, don’t show up empty handed! Create a thoughtful gift that any gal pal would be excited to receive. Enjoy!

*this post contains affiliate links

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valentines gift ideas

Only a few more weeks until Valentine’s Day! Most of us girls get excited for this special day (unless you’re my mom who’s too practical for all of it.) I wrote this post specifically for you gals to share with your guys. It serves as a little “guidance” for them so they have a few ideas of what Valentine’s gift to get you. We all love the flowers and chocolate that’s a traditional part of the season, but in recent years men, including my boyfriend, have upped the ante a little.

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Last Year, David got me a really cute Kate Spade bag for Valentine’s Day and then took me out to dinner! While not every guy is going to want to put down the cash for a designer hand bag, he knows I’m a fashion blogger and that Kate Spade is my favorite brand ever. In my gift guide, I’ve included gift ideas in a variety of price ranges for however big your Valentine’s Day will be! Remember to send your man the link to your favorite item!

dallas fashion blogger

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what to wear this weekend

Wahoo! The weekend is almost here and I’m already planning out what Dallas events and restaurants I’m going to Saturday and Sunday. Of course, any great weekend starts with a great outfit! I tend to re-wear things a million times and mix n match different items to optimize the amount of wear I get out of it. So in short, yes you’ve seen this Marley Lilly monogram baseball hat and yeah, you’re probably going to see it again!

pink rayban lookalikes

what to wear in texas

Weekend Plans in Dallas

This weekend is the Super Bowl and I’ll be finding myself surrounded by crazy football fans (including David). Besides the craziness of the weekend festivities, I plan on making my weekly shopping trip to Trader Joe’s and Target followed by finding a new restaurant to try here in Dallas. I have my eye on a Dallas Middle Eastern restaurant! I have a secret love affair with kabobs and saffron rice. I’m hoping this place called Nora on Greenville Ave has the best of both!

Luckily, this city is fairly casual so I’ll be able to wear this outfit (again) and go from errand running to enjoying a lunch or brunch with friends. Thanks to the Texas weather, I’ve been able to go back and forth between wearing strappy sandals (link to Valentino Rockstud dupes here) and Sperrys. It’s so nice to live in a place where snow boots aren’t needed! If you were following me last winter, I lived in Kansas City and believe me this outfit wasn’t possible to wear until late April. The saying “everything’s bigger in Dallas” applies to the temperature as well.

Comment with your favorite things to wear during the weekend and any must-haves I should buy for my wardrobe!

dallas fashion blogger

 

 

 

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subscription boxes

If you read my blog post about my personal New Year’s Resolutions a few posts back, then you know how important my health is to me this year! Over the last year, I’ve felt horrible about my body and my self-esteem has just taken a turn for the worst. At that start of January, I decided I had to change my lifestyle, so I did. Apparently Influenster read my mind because they sent me their 2017 Resolutions Vox Box with a few fun products for me to test and share with you!

subscription monthly boxes

replaceable febreeze bottles

So one of the first things I found in my box was this neat Febreeze bottle with a replaceable bottle. I am such a fan of Febreeze that I buy the seasonal scents too! Febreeze just came out with a cool new way to sell their popular products. It’s an interchangeable bottle that you can unscrew from the spray nozzle and change out when it’s time for a new scent. Really clever and isn’t as wasteful!

burts bees protein pack

I totally didn’t see this next product coming. Burt’s Bees is known for their skin and lip healing products but who knew they also sold protein shakes? I’ve tried to cut back on fatty foods for lunch lately because they make me feel so sluggish for the rest of the day. Instead, I’ve turned to meal shakes and salads to keep me going. I haven’t tried this protein shake yet, so I’ll let you know how it tastes when I have!

healthy snacks to keep me full

A few other things in the box included a Sabra guacamole voucher for a free one to try at any grocery store (I love Sabra!), Pop Chips, Dentek tongue brush, Crispy Green banana chips, and a Orgain protein bar in peanut butter chocolate chip! I dug into those Pop Chips real fast and for 100 calories, they’re quite tasty! It’s always nice trying new snack foods that you wouldn’t normally pick out and won’t ruin your diet plan! Share with me your favorite low-calorie snack foods! I always appreciate recommendations!

dallas fashion blogger

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own!
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how to start a successful blog

I’ve been thinking about writing a blog post on the craziness that is starting a fashion or lifestyle blog for awhile. So many girls want to start a blog or have started one and become discouraged with it after a few weeks or months. When I started Witty n Pretty, I thought fashion blogging was going to be glamorous and dare I say it- easy! Oh, how wrong I was. Today, I’m sharing with perspective bloggers and new bloggers wondering what in the heck they’re doing, 5 things to know about starting a blog

Blogging is Hard

Duh! Nothing worth doing is ever easy, right? I found that out quickly and if you haven’t already, you will soon. Fashion blogging is a saturated market with tons of competition from girls (and a few guys) that have more money than you, better photography skills, and just seem to have it all together. You’ll think you have it all together one minute and the next, you’ll want to give up. Don’t. Keep going!

There are No Rewards… at First

Contrary to popular belief, fashion blogging is not a “get rich quick” scheme. It simply doesn’t work like that. Fashion, lifestyle, and beauty blogging involves tons of work with little reward at first. Personally, I didn’t reap any rewards in terms of free product until about a year and a half of blogging consistently. After that, I started getting things here and there, which let me tell you, was a HUGE deal for me.

Fashion Blogging Takes Commitment

The number one reason why most blogs fail is because the blogger gives up after 3 months. Seriously, 3 months! People want things to happen quickly and let’s be real, the things we want the most God usually makes us wait for. To have a chance at success, you must blog consistently, provide information or inspiration, and know who you’re writing to. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve scrolled through my WordPress Reader and seen posts titled something like “Sorry I’ve Been Gone” followed by an entire paragraph about their absence. Readers don’t want excuses; they want good content.

A Blogger Wears Many Hats

When I started blogging, I thought I would be a writer not a photographer, social media guru, SEO expert, website coder, public relations girl, and a marketer. I was wrong. Because it’s just me running my Dallas-based fashion blog, I have to do it all myself (with a little help from my boyfriend, David.) You will have to learn things that make no sense to you and you have no interest in. But guess what? It makes your knowledge of the industry incredibly robust so that when you do become a famous fashion blogger, you know everything there is to know about blogging.

The Comparison Game is Toxic

I think girls compare themselves more to each other than guys ever will. If you don’t agree with me, you will after becoming a fashion blogger. When you start paying attention to what other bloggers are doing and who they are, you’ll begin comparing yourself to everyone else. You’ll begin to wonder why everyone else has bigger and better followings, wardrobes, photos, brand connections, and even longer eye lashes than you. Let me tell you, this comparison game is so dangerous to your self-esteem. I’ve gotten sucked into so many times and it takes a whole lot of effort to get out. Compare yourself to no one except the person you were the day before. That’s who you’re trying to beat.

Stay tuned next week for an exciting announcement on something I’m launching for girls new to blogging or who’d like to start! You’re going to love this!

dallas fashion blogger

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