behind the blog: sam ipsa loquitur

I'm so excited to have Sam here this week for Behind the Blog. Sam is just about the cutest person on the internet. Not only is she gorgeous, she's a smarty pants (future lawyer!) and hilarious. You're going to love her.

Tell us what motivate you to start blogging. Were you following a lot of personal style/fashion blogs before you started blogging?

Last summer I found a picture of Blair from Atlantic-Pacific on Pinterest and I'm pretty sure my eyes bugged out and did that cartoon heart thing. I'd never even heard of style blogs, and even though I instantly wanted to start my own, I felt stupid - I don't live in San Fran, I don't know any professional photographers, and I wear a wholelotta Target. It wasn't until I came across blogs like J's Everyday Fashion, Blondie, Esquire, and Hello, Gorgeous! that I realized it doesn't matter what camera you have or where you take your pictures or where you shop - it's your style and what you have to say and the fact that you put yourself out there that matters.

Which blogs do you read every day?

My entire blog roll! I do love the big blogs, but my very favorites tend to be the girls who are just running around after work taking pictures in empty roads ;) A tiny, tiny fraction of the blogs I'm loving right now are biscuits&NAVY, Dainty & Decadent, Here(and)Now, fleurani, workday.weekend, Mix&Match Fashion, Fash Boulevard, Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Shoes, Marionberry Style, Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins, Along the Lines of Style, Because Shanna Said So, Clarabelle, lynette marie, and of course miss Frannypants (oh, you didn't know? That's her given name) because she's sassy and I dig sassy. 

This feels exactly like telling your third grade crush you've been doodling their last name on your binders. *Gulp*

Who takes your pictures? What cameras/lenses do you use? Have you ever been "caught in the act" of taking these pictures?

I have a Canon Rebel XS that I got on eBay for a serious steal, it was like $250 with the kit lens and a camera bag and an SD card. I use a cheap tripod from Amazon, an even cheaper remote from Amazon, and for a few weeks I was using an external flash I picked up used for $100 before the puppy smashed into my tripod and knocked the whole setup over. Luckily the flash was the only casualty, besides the puppy. 

JUST KIDDING. The flash is fine. (Just kidding, seriously.)

No one catches you in the act of taking your pictures when you're just a nerd taking pictures of yourself in your bedroom, but then again... you're a nerd taking pictures of yourself in your bedroom. Upside/downside.

What programs do you use to edit and upload your pictures? You often times make collages of outfits - what program do you use for that?

I use iPhoto for some basic cropping and then pixlr.com for resizing, watermarking, and collage-ing.

Do people in real life know about your blog? What were their reactions when they found out about your blog?

My ex-boyfriend was the only person I've told about the blog. My mom and grandma and aunt would worry about stalkers ("You put your face on the internet?! What if they recognize your lamp through a window and figure out where you live?!"), my girlfriends aren't really all that into blogs, and style blogs and Pinterest are foreign concepts to boys. I tried to explain Pinterest to a guy friend once, and we got halfway through my super-professional expert tour and he gave me a confused look and was like "so... how do you win?" I quit. I give up. Go back to Madden.

Many fashion bloggers hop from one trend to the next. How do you try to stay on trend while working within your budget and closet?

I'm never like "oh yeeeaahhh, I'm gonna find me some burgundy (not oxblood)/peplums/wedge sneakers/printed pants today!" I tend to just buy what makes me happy. If something is "trendy" now, I make sure I love it enough to wear it even when it's not. And if I can I like to find little incarnations of particular trends that are still office-appropriate, because I realize that next year I'm going to start have 40-hour workweeks just like all you other big kids.

Putting yourself on the internet comes with the expectation that not everyone will always love what you are wearing and writing. Have you encountered any of these criticisms, and if so, how do you handle it?

Every comment I've ever gotten has been so sweet and positive. I got one criticism of my photography (yeah... that was bound to happen!) but she left me a bunch of tips and it was so constructive. Honestly though, I've had people in prison say fairly horrible things to me at work so I'm not sure how rude blog comments would affect me.

BUT there's a special little circle of hell Missouri (Jayhawk joke!) reserved for you anonymous (and not anonymous) internet trolls hiding behind your computer screens with your "I don't like this at all, what were you thinking" and "that shirt makes you look like a beluga whale." I don't know what it is about the Internet that makes people think it's cool to blow off their manners, but if you can't find a single thing you like in a post, don't comment! I've seen this go way beyond clothes- it should go without saying, but you are not entitled to judge other people's personal lives (or how they spell their name - true story) or demand to know everything about them just because they blog. You're not angsty and cool and enlightened, you're rude. And mean. And a liar, and pathetic, and alooooone in life and mean. (Had to.) 

What has been the best thing to come out of blogging?

I got my girl time back! I lived in my sorority house for two years in undergrad, and then in a house with two roommates who love clothes but have totally different style... and then I came to law school. Alone. Three hours away from my undergrad girls, and eight hours away from my best friends from high school. I've gotten really good at solo shopping, but style is supposed to be analyzed and shared and tweaked and talked about and I missed that so much before I started blogging.

When it comes to promotion of your blog, what methods do you use? Do you spend a lot of time commenting on other blogs, pinning your looks, doing link ups?

Commenting on other blogs is my #1 favorite thing about this whole thing, so that's a big one. I also do a lot of link-ups, again, because it's one of my favorite ways to find new blogs to follow. The only real social media I keep up with is Twitter (tweet me! let's make sweet 140-character one liners with each other) and although I'm a total Pinaholic, I don't tend to pin my own stuff. At least not yet!

What tips or suggestions do you have for your fellow bloggers?

Am I qualified for this? I think the very best advice I have is that you have to LOVE to blog. Not like it, not love the IDEA of it, not love the POSSIBILITY ($$$) of it, you have to love to blog. And there is nooottthhhiinnngg wrong with posting iPhone/full-length mirror pics. You don't have to be fancy, just be real.

Oh! Turn off your word verification for comments! Having to delete spam every hundred comments is worth saving us all the squinting and hemming and hawing over whether that's an 8 or a 3. Go check your settings right now, we'll wait. (Cue Jeopardy music) 

And while we're talking about comments, remember: every time you leave a "want to follow each other?" comment, a kitten dies. Probably. I have no way of knowing that. But just in case, stop it.

See, I told you you would love her. Go show her some love and then come back next week for Respect the Shoes to be featured!

along the lines of franish

Another day, another polka dotted shirt. I recently bought this shirt for $8 during the after Christmas sale at Banana Republic while we were in Alabama. I really liked it on Jenni a few months ago, but never actually saw one in our local store. After taking a look at what my closet has a lot of and what it needs, I realized that I don't really own a lot of hot weather clothes - no t-shirts that aren't sports t-shirts so adding a polka dot tee made sense (so I tell myself).

And after seeing Audrey's recap of the way she wore hers, I have 5 new outfit ideas for it!

Bloggers: the reason I pretend I know how to dress myself.

Cardigan: Banana Republic Outlet  {similar}
Tee: Banana Republic  {similar}
Scarf: Target  {on sale in stores}
Jeans: Urban Outfitters  {exact}
Watch: Boccia
Earrings: Tiffany & Co.  {exact}
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}

When we were on vacation last week, my sister Viktoria and I drove up to Birmingham to meet up with Whitney from Along the Lines of Style. Whit was one of my first blogging friend and we've grown close over the last 6 months of blogging. Since we had never actual met, we were both about actually nervous about meeting face to face ( I said that must be what meeting someone from online dating must feel like). Turns out I had nothing to worry about - Whitney is as sweet, pretty and funny as she is on her blog (and if you want to see what she wore, read here!). I'm so thankful that at a time where many of my "real life" girlfriends have moved away that I'm making new ones...even if they are spread out all over the country and I only know them through pictures and emails.

like a diamond

Happy New Year's Eve! We're being awesome and staying in to eat homemade tiramisu and watch movies instead of going out, so I wore my sparkles to work instead. I've been wanting to try the sparkly tank/collared shirt/blazer look ever since I pinned this look when I first joined Pinterest. I was double inspired when Jessica instagrammed a dressing room picture with a similar look. Although I've had this tank for over a year, I've only worn it a few select times because really, how often can you get away with a sequin covered torso?

I just received this polka dot popover from J. Crew Factory and I'm really excited about it - I think it'll quickly become a favorite in my closet. I ordered it in 2 different sizes and have decided to keep the large. If you are interested, I also have a medium and would be willing to sell it to you for the price I paid ($32 which includes shipping). It is currently $48.50 online. If not, I'll return it back to our nearest factory store but thought I would put it out there since it's currently $20 more expensive than what I got it for. Just send me an email at fhasselhof (at) gmail (dot) com if you're interested!  Sold!

Blazer: J. Crew  {exact}
Popover: J. Crew Factory  {exact}
Tank: Express  {save, splurge}
Jeans: American Eagle  {similar}
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}
Bead Necklace: Wal-Mart  {similar}
Gem Necklace: Forever 21  {similar}
Watch: Fossil  {very similar}
Nails: seen here

via Instagram

Happy New Year! Can't wait to see what 2013 brings for all of us :). Linking up with the pleated poppy.

6 months of 2012: a review

Well, all the cool kids are doing it, so I felt obligated to do it too. Don't worry, I won't show you every.single.outfit of the year because if you cared that much, you know where the archives are ;) I only started blogging this year, and spent a good 2 months of that time as a "hiding in the bathroom faceless blogger" (my first real world post is here! such a baby) so it's really only a "best of the last 6 months" kind of roundup. Either way, here's a list of the best, worst, and wtf was I thinking of the year:

Favorite Outfit of the Year: This outfit is my favorite for several reasons. It has my new favorite purse in it, I really like this (new to me) color combination, and it has the perfect feminine/masculine vibe going on that I've realized is what I tend to gravitate towards. Plus the photography gods were on my side that day so overall, favorite.

Biggest WTF of the Year: This pattern-on-pattern monstrosity. In theory, not too bad since pattern mixing is all about staying in the same color family. Unfortunately, this is just too much, too bright, too overwhelming. You live, you learn. I'll stick to little pattern mixing instead.

Biggest Regret Purchase: Although these pants were only $20, I've only worn them one time. I don't really love drawing that much attention to my legs so bright green pants weren't the smartest purchase for me. I think this was one of those "everyone has colored jeans, I NEED THEM TOO" purchases. I've definitely learned my lesson.

Favorite Manicure of the Year: Although extremely simple in design and execution, I love this manicure and hold myself back from recreating it every week.

Biggest Learning Experience: I'm a huge fan of and participant on GOMI. There are some really smart and sassy ladies on there, and I love going to place that allows me to feel sane when looking at some of the more out there blogs. I've met some of my favorite bloggers on there as well. That being said, being on an anonymous site doesn't always mean you're anonymous. I've learned that as unoffensive as you try to be on the internet in general, you aren't going to please everyone but for every 1 person who dislikes you, there are in general 10 that do like you. My face and thighs aren't those of a supermodel, but I think I can add a little bit of value to "fashion" blogging as a whole in a normal girl kind of way.

Most Pageviews of the Year: This post about a little trick Bri taught me has 3 times as many views as the next highest viewed post. I hope all of the repins on pinterest have helped a lot of other women with the art of layering ;)

Favorite Thrifted Item: I'm pretty new to thrifting. My mother, literally the most stylish woman I know, is a huge thrift store person, so it's almost embarrassing to admit that reading blogs motivated me to finally go to a thrift store. I haven't purchased that much, but this mustard cardigan is my favorite. I'm unsure what the original brand is, or how old it is, but I love the color and fit, so I don't even care.

Favorite DIY of the Year: My tube bracelets are my favorite thing I've made this year, with my flannel scarf coming in as a close second. I made them in gold and silver, and reach for them almost every single day. Plus the materials cost less than $10 and are super easy to make - cheap and easy: sounds good to me!

Most Worn/Favorite Purchase: My favorite purchase of the year is also my most worn (makes sense, huh?). My J. Crew Schoolboy blazer, which was a birthday present to myself, is the most expensive piece of clothing I own, but I know the cost per wear will eventually be less than a lot of my cheaper pieces of clothing.

So that's it! I hope 2013 brings me the foresight to make smarter purchases to fill the holes in my closet, to still expirement with my clothes, and to continue to have fun with this little hobby.

under the sea

A little sea inspired manicure for the week by the sea.

Blue: Essie Mezmerised
Blue Glitter: Julep Ivy
Green Glitter: Julep Harper
Ring: borrowed from Karoline  {adorably similar}





Linking up with the Nail Files and Mani Monday

behind the blog: chic on the cheap

This week's Behind the Blog features Lyddie from Chic on the Cheap. Lyddie always looks fashionable and put together while not spending a lot of money. She has some great insight about blogging and shopping so I'm really excited to have her here this week!

Tell us what motivate you to start blogging. Were you following a lot of personal style/fashion blogs before you started blogging?

I was not following any blogs when I started! Chic on the Cheap didn't even start out as a personal style blog, it was more about shopping and for a while I was doing weekly "outfit under $100" inspiration collages.

It wasn't until a personal style blogger commented on my blog and I visited hers, saw what she was doing, looked at her blogroll and had the realization that daily outfit photos would be a direction I'd enjoy taking the blog in.

Which blogs do you read every day? 

Well I try to read them all. I always look at the blog of anyone who leaves a comment at mine, and leave a thoughtful comment if I can. Especially if I see its a blogger just starting out, because that is when getting comments is the most meaningful.

  

Who takes your pictures? What camera and lens do you use? Have you ever been caught in the act of taking these?

Usually I take them myself, with a tripod and remote. Occasional I can coerce a friend or family member into taking them, which is ideal for more public settings.

I've definitely been caught in the act, or rather, I don't try very hard to do it in secret. I've got plenty of stories ranging from funny to frightening, though usually people just ask me one of three things:

Are you a model?

Do you want any help taking those?

I'm not in that, am I?

Presently I'm using a Canon 60D (I love that it has a pivoting screen, it helps so much with the self portraits) and I rarely take off my 50mm 1.4 prime lens. Ideally I'd like to shoot wide open, but it's too hard to get critical focus when relying solely on autofocus, so I usually set it to 2.8.

Do people in real life know about your blog? What were their reactions when they found out about your blog?

Yes, everyone knows about the blog, and I even have all my posts feed into my Facebook account. Sometimes I'll run into a friend who I haven't seen since high school in the grocery store and they will tell me how much they love looking at my outfits.

The premise of your blog is finding create style without spending a lot. Where do you find your greatest deals? What advice do you have for those hoping to find amazing pieces for less?

It's no secret that T.J.Maxx is my favorite place to shop, and I frequently browse the thrift and secondhand stores in my area. Of course you never know what you will find, and you definitely have to dig.

When I'm looking for deals online, amazon is my go-to source for shoes.

Gap/Old Navy almost always have a coupon code for 20 to 30% off and it's easy to get free shipping. Old Navy has a LOT of J.Crew dupes floating among their offerings. Since you can return to a brick and mortar store, it's a safe bet.

JCPenny definitely made some big strides with their recent revamp; on CyberMonday I stocked up on brightly colored pencil skirts, for $10, $14, and $17 with free shipping, how could you go wrong?

Many fashion bloggers hop from one trend to the next. How do you manage to stay on trend without breaking the bank and just blindly following each trend?

I try not to blindly follow each trend, but let me tell you, after seeing everyone wearing it, it's hard not break down and buy into it. Right now it's the animal sweaters. I'm trying to stay strong and remind myself that I'm an adult woman do not need a fox on my chest, no matter how cute it looks layered over a gingham button down and red pencil skirt.

Something I've realized about trends is that many don't ever really go away. Animal print is never going to be out of style. Maybe a leopard fedora won't always be the best choice, but I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing my leopard sheath dress for years to come.

Putting yourself on the internet comes with the expectation that not everyone will always love what you are wearing and writing. Have you encountered any of these criticisms, and if so, how do you handle it?

I've never had anyone be especially cruel, which I am very thankful for. As for the occasional disapproving remark, I can usually just laugh. 

What has been the best thing to come out of blogging? 

The blog has become a big commitment in my life, it's an entity that I have complete control over, and no one to answer to other than myself. It feels great to have that. When I started, the goal was just to have a creative project, a reason to get my camera out.

Now it's become this wonderful social entity - I've made friends, many just on the internet, some in real life.

And then their is the concept of monetization; it would be pretty amazing if the blog could be my day job. But for now, I'm still pretty ecstatic when I get an offer to review a product for a company.

When it comes to promotion of your blog, what methods do you use? Do you spend a lot of time commenting on other blogs, pinning your looks, doing link ups?

Yes. Yes to all. I promote every way I can, while trying my absolute best not to be annoying. You can definitely over promote! But really, the goal is to have great content so that others will want to promote you.

What tips or suggestions do you have for your fellow bloggers? 

Having an expensive camera is not going to make your photos better. Having a couture handbag is not going to make your outfit better.

It's easy to look at some of the heavy-hitter style bloggers and convince yourself that all you need is one particular material possession and your blog will be an overnight success.

I can't tell you the secret to getting your blog to go viral, but I'll remind you to blog because you enjoy doing it and not because all you want is a bigger number of followers.

(but if you do figure out how to get your blog to go viral, let me know.)


Thank you so much Lyddie! Next week Sam from Sam ipsa Loquitur will be featured - you're going to love her!

December Budget

1. Target Sweater {seen here}: on sale for $13
2. Julep Clutch & Nail polish: $30 - $20 credit = $10
3. Thrifted Wool Sweater {seen here}: $3
4. J. Crew Excursion Vest {seen here}: $110 x 30% off = $77
5. Madewell Tote {seen here}: $168 + 30% off + monogram fee = $135
6. Thrifted Cardigan {seen here}: $3

= $241 - $230 sold on eBay after fees = $11

This month I did go over budget, but I knew I was doing a lot of selling on eBay so I consider it a trade-off for my closet and budget.  I mentioned that I sold a smaller purse in exchange for my new Madewell tote, which is a purchase I've been contemplating for a long time now. I feel that a large tote bag is something I'm going to get a lot of use out of, which I can't say about the smaller green crossbody I sold (which I've only used three times in the 6 months I owned it). The vest was a purchase I've also been thinking about for a while as I wanted a thinner vest for layering in the winter, so I'm glad I bought it while I could before it sold out, but still during a sale. I realized that on days that I'm pressed for time when getting ready, I always grab for my dark grey v-neck sweater, so buying the Target sweater only made sense (plus it's so soft and so inexpensive). The Julep clutch was a Christmas promotion that had 1 sparkly clutch (something I didn't have at all but realized I would like in my closet), 3 nail polishes and a few little extras. The two thrifted items have already born worn a ton in the short time they've been in my closet, so I'm happy I got quality pieces for such a small amount.

Overall, I'm really pleased with how this month panned out. I sold some items that hadn't gotten any use in months/years, and have added pieces I know will be worn a lot. Next month I intend to buy some of the holes in my closet -  black pumps for interviews coming up (somewhat of a bummer to spend money on something I won't get a lot of use out of right away but something I need), possibly a black blazer that Audrey recommended, and I'm going to be on the look out for suede boots if I can find some in a decent price range. If not, that'll have to wait until February.

So how did you do this month? Did Christmas shopping mean you didn't spend much on yourself, or did the post holiday sales help you score some great deals? Link up below! Please make sure you link back so your readers can discover other budgetting bloggers.