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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

5 Tips for Posting Regularly on Your Blog


There seems to be no end to the amount of blogging advice out there (all of which I somehow completely missed when I started my blog), but there is no such thing as too much good advice. After recently reading a few of these posts myself, I thought it would be good to share how I, as a casual lifestyle blogger, blog.

If you are a full-time blogger, making regular posts is a must. But, if you are a casual blogger, you have a little more freedom to create posts based on our own personal schedule. However, you want to post frequently enough that readers still know you are around; after all, no one wants to start following a blog only to have the blogger drop out of site for months on end. This can be tough when your blog is more of a hobby and not your top priority, so here are my suggestions for keeping regular content flowing on your blog.

1. Assess your life. The first step is to assess your life and lifestyle. Not in an existentialist "what am I here for" kind of way, but in a "When do I anticipate being the busiest, and when do I have the most free time" kind of way.

2. Write when you have the most time. Once you know when you anticipate having a lot of free time, you can plan ahead by writing the bulk of your posts then. Obviously, there will be situations that come up that can't be anticipated that may rob you of your time, but, in general, try to write as many complete posts as you can when you have the time.

3. Schedule your posts. Now that you have a months worth of posts written, it's time to spread them out, especially during times when you know you will be very busy. This is where the post scheduling feature comes in to save the day! I try to post at least once a week on this blog, so I use the post scheduler to post for me during the times that I'm super busy and can't post content myself on a weekly basis.  

4. Write out your post ideas. This has been something that I have seen time and time again on blog advice posts. Now, I'm not too good with jotting down ideas when they come to me, but I when I do get an idea for a blog post, I create a draft post in blogger. In this draft post, I make sure to include the title (or perspective title), and then a few sentences in the post body to remind me what the post is supposed to be about. This is a great way to accumulate post ideas for when boughs of writers' block set in.

5. Hang around the neighborhood. Even if you can't post as regularly as you might want to on your own blog, try to keep up with other blogs and comment frequently. Not only does this let people know that you are still around and part of the blogging world, but it's a great way to stay connected with the goings on of your favorite blogs and get new inspiration for posts.

I hope these bits of humble advice help you and give you  all some ideas on how to keep those blog posts coming!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Avon Nailwear Pro+ Nail Enamel: Coral Beat


I got suckered into buying a bunch of nail polish from Avon a few months ago just to get free shipping for orders over $35 (these kinds of promotions get my hard earned money every time), so I will be reviewing the polishes I bought. I thought I should brighten up my nail polish collection a little and went for the Nailwear Pro+ Nail Enamel in Coral Beat.

The color is great, and I like the way it doesn't clash with my skin tone the way some light orange colors do. I applied the usual two coats and a top coat, but the polish only lasted the typical 5 days before chipping and cracking. The great thing about this color is that it matches my Steve Madden satchel pretty closely!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Throwback Thursday: Sammie - From the Bottom to the Top


Aaah, this brings back memories! Hi guys, I've been feeling super nostalgic lately, so I decided to post this song from my younger years and start a new series at the same time!

I remember when this song came out when I was in 5th grade (wow, I feel so old now!). I was absolutely in love with Sammy, and I had my mom download at least half of the songs from the first album on Napster back when it was free and illegal (boy, I'm really showing my age now).

Enjoy!

Friday, December 5, 2014

Review: The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Butter

*Disclaimer: All products have been purchased by me for my own personal use.*

In March, The Body Shop was having a buy 1 get one half off sale online, so I decided o get my money's worth and get 4 products, since I had enjoyed their tea tree facial exfoliate. In this purchase, I bought the Tea Tree Facial Cleanser, Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion, the Mango Body Scrub, and the Pink Grapefruit Body Butter. On a note that is completely off topic: for the Body Shop to be such an environmental conscious company, they do waste a lot of paper in their packing materials!

For this post I will be reviewing the Pink Grapefruit Body Butter. In case you missed it the first time around, you can read my review of the Tea Tree Facial Cleanser and Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion.