Have you checked your denim stash lately? Chances are, it’s probably in need of an update, especially when there’s a handful of fresh new trends that are influencing your denim. From bell bottom jeans to denim dresses and skirts – denim is making a huge comeback, and that’s for sure! This season is all about reinterpreting denim in fresh new ways, and I couldn’t be more excited! Grab your denim pieces out of your closet now, and start wearing them, of course, all season long!
But now, as promised, I’m going to answer all of your questions you have asked me on social media and via emails. I decided to share a bit more about me and my blogging career since so many of you have asked me questions in the past. At first, I was quite hesitant to open up since the online world, at least to me, is not always the safest and nicest place. But you are all so amazing which is why I decided to let my guards down and share more about who I am, and what exactly motivated me to blog. Enjoy, and thank you again for all of your questions and your tremendous support. You guys are seriously the best.
How do you start a successful blog, and gain honest followers?
It all starts with choosing your blogging platform first. Some bloggers prefer Blogger vs WordPress. You really need to decide which of the platforms work best for you (I prefer WordPress over Blogger but that’s just me). Next, find your niche. What is it that you really enjoy? Blog about something that you’re passionate about which is followed by embracing your uniqueness and use it to STAND OUT when starting a blog. The followers will come as you engage with them! Don’t think that they will find you! You need to put in some leg work as well! Engage with fellow bloggers, especially the ones that are starting out like you. For instance, I heavily relied on Instagram to find fellow bloggers. I would hashtag “styleblogger”, for example, and this gave me the opportunity to find fellow fashion bloggers.
What keeps you motivated, and where do you source your inspiration?
YOU, aka my readers.
Without you I certainly wouldn’t blog. I love connecting with all of of you, and support your blogs as well! I’m a big believer in “Women supporting Women“. Most of my inspiration I draw online, either from Pinterest and/or flipping through VOGUE magazine.
Have you considered acting for TV/movies?
In fact, I have. It has been a childhood dream of mine. For many years I played leading roles for our hometown theater. Interestingly, though my acting passion went away as I got older, and I chose a different, YET similar path in design and fashion instead.
How do you take such gorgeous flatlays on Instagram?
Lighting is key, and a good background is a must (I prefer a solid white background). Now all you need to do is use your visualizing senses. Position your items nicely (no negative space!), and remember that often less is more. I also love to use filters to make my flatlays pop.
If you had to dress in one silhouette for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
It would probably walk around in dresses for the rest of my life. It’s much easier since it is a one-piece garment, and I love a feminine look, always.
How do you find the time to blog consistently?!
Yes, blogging consistently is hard, but it’s essential for building an influential platform. It’s important to set a schedule that you stick with. For instance, I carve out dedicated time to work. I take all of my blog pictures (3 outfit posts for the week) on Saturday and edit them the same day. Each photo session lasts about 5min which is great because I really wouldn’t have the patience to stand/pose for much longer + my son is always with us. On Sunday I write all of my content for the week. So, again it’s important that you stick to a schedule that helps you to stay focused.
Do you block out a certain amount of time daily for blogging and social media?
Yes, I have a set schedule, always. My Saturday mornings are dedicated for pictures, and my Sunday evenings for content. My social media are mostly pre-scheduled as well. I’m a huge fan of Hootsuite.
How do you balance motherhood and working?
It’s all about managing your time wisely. I always make sure that I have nothing going on after work (I also have a full-time corporate job) so, that I can spend quality time with my son and husband.
Who takes your fantastic pictures?
My husband, he’s fantastic.
As always, thanks much for reading, and have an amazing weekend!
SHOP THE POST
DRESS: Choies c/o ) | SUNGLASSES: Illesteva via Neiman Marcus | BRACELETS & EARRINGS: What Would V Wear (available August 10!) | NECKLACE: Tiny Tags c/o | SHOES: Nordstrom
Wow this denim dress is gorgeous! Love the side cut-out detail. I’m also a huge fan of hootsuite, it always saves the day!
http://www.duchessoffashion.co.uk
Absolutely loved the dress and the way you stylied it ! gorgeous as always !
Have a wonderful day ahead !
Nina
xox
http://www.titritmode.com
Another new and stylish outfit, Vanessa!
And yes.. I really enjoy reading your post, thanks for letting us know more about you as a person. It’s going to be an inspiration.
xoxo
Jhem | JhemSays.com
This dress looks so nice on you! Also, I loved learning more about you and what you’ve done to become a successful blogger. Thanks for sharings your tips!
Have an amazing weekend!
xo
Pam
http://www.thegirlfrompanama.com
You look absolutely amazing! I love your answers to these questions – so sweet 🙂
http://www.qustomquinns.com/blog
I love this post! I haven’t been blogging as long as you have, but I would still echo what said about interacting with followers and finding other bloggers. When I first started my blog, I thought people would find me, but it isn’t true at all. You definitely have to put forth the effort. On a different note, your jewelry is so amazing. And you always look so damn good in your photos. Loving the denim today!
–Samantha
http://www.BesosFromAmerica.com
You’re just incredible Vanessa, this outfit is perfection! I have a similar pair of heels, though I love the thinner stiletto-style of heel on these mules. The denim dress is perfect and you certainly have the figure for it! 🙂
Ps. great tip on leaving no negative space in flatlays – it’s an art I’m only just starting to learn!
Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice
x
Love learning more about you Vanessa!! Plus, you pull off the denim dress so well! Gorgeous! I hope to see you soon!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Vanessa, you look gorgeous (as usual)! I am also loving the denim comeback. I feel it caters to many different styles and decades, since we see influences from both the 70s and early 90s becoming more popular again. I love the dress and the way you styled it with the pop of red in the bralet, such a great contrast!
It was great getting to know you a little more! One thing I already knew is that you truly are a loving and sweet person and it’s crazy that I can even say that without having even met you in person! You’re so down to earth and supportive of other bloggers, including myself, and I truly admire and appreciate that. Thank you! Great blogging advice; my husband is also my photographer! It’s so funny to think back when we first started taking pics to now; he’s come a long way! We used to argue all the time, haha! Now we just flow and we know what works for each other.
Much love and success to you, my love…you are one who truly deserves it! Have an awesome day and weekend 🙂
XO,
Jalisa
http://www.jalisasfashionfiles.com
Great post Vanessa. Love your answers to the questions. They were really helpful.
Mich x
howshe-seesit.blogspot.co.uk
I really love this dress and thanks for sharinf. Like you said, blogging is not easy. You can’t expect people to just find you. You really do have to work for it. Have a great weekend, Vanessa!
http://the-party-dress.com
What a great denim piece!! I love that you can layer different things under it to create different looks! So beautiful on you!
Thanks for sharing about yourself! I love learning more about great bloggers that inspire me! Have a great weekend!
-Kara
http://www.everydayk.com
It’s really nice to get to know you a bit better, dear V.! I loved to know that you had leading roles at the theater and I also believe in women supporting women, though sadly many are competitors, in a spiteful way, not even fair. But when we find a nice girl like you, that is genuinely nice and supportive, then it’s so nice and proves what you said – women can and should support women! I loved your outfit now, I love denim, and the shoes together are so nice! You know you look amazing and every picture is more beautiful than the other! Hope you have a very nice weekend, dear V.!
DenisesPlanet.com
One, you look stunning! Two, love learning more about you! I think it’s so awesome to open up more about yourself and share these little tidbits. You do such an awesome job engaging with your readers and I absolutely love your style. xx
Audrey Adair | http://www.happilyaudrey.com
Of course you pulled off this denim dress perfectly! You could be wearing a paper sack and look lovely. It’s always, at least to be, the way you style things and this is no exception. The shoes and the little pop of color underneath are so sweet. And I always enjoy learning more things about you. My favorite part is that you schedule your activities so carefully so that you can focus on time with your family. I think that is the challenge for working moms and I have no doubt you do beautifully. You are such a lovely, confident, inspiring woman! I’m so glad this little social media thing connected us! Happy Friday love!❤️
This dress is stunning! I am in love 🙂 You are a model dear!
Would you like to follow eachother on G+ & bloglovin?
RedLip&Love
Hello Vanessa, and I liked that dress denim. It is an ideal and elegant cut. You look gorgeous with. I wish you to have a good weekend. A hug.
You look stunning. I really love your dress. You’ve inspired me to pull out my old denim dress from the 90s and styling it with some nude pumps and a funky bracelet 😉
xo Natasha
freeurcloset.com
Vanessa, I can only agree with all of these commenters here. I haven’t met you either and I can already tell how beautiful you are, inside and out. Your heart to support others is so beautiful, and I truly wish more women and bloggers were like you! You inspire me every day! It was so nice to learn a bit more about you – I’m so impressed how you do it all, and I wish more and more success! You totally deserve it. Let your shine radiate across the globe! 🙂
xoxo, Jess
What a chic dress!! It looks so amazing on you!! You have a killer figure!! Love it!! Have a great weekend girly! (:
xx Olivia
http://www.hellooliviablog.com
I love learning more about bloggers! There are some good tips in here as well! It must take a lot of balancing to work fulltime, blog and have a family! Good for you for making it all work! I don’t have kids yet so I don’t know how to do it all but I am sure I will learn when the time comes! Have a great weekend Vanessa!!
Danielle
http://www.blushblossom.com
What a stunning denim dress. I love that you gave a few of your blogging tips. It was super informative. I want to try scheduling my posts in advance too!
– Liz Lizo
http://www.LizLizo.com
I love this post, Vanessa, these were some great questions! It’s so interesting to hear how other bloggers handle the photo, editing and content schedules! And so fun your son gets to come to every shoot 🙂 P.S. This is a darling dress, you look gorgeous! Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!
xo, Rachel
http://www.ablondesmoment.com
Such a wonderful post, love! You are so talented and creative – thank you for sharing all of these wonderful tips! I’m also obsessed with your dress, you look amazing!
Hailey
http://www.themiddlecloset.com
I love the shiloutte of this denim dress, it is so unique. I like how you added the pop of red with the polka dot bralet. Adorable!
I love this Q&A so much! I am very impressed with how you answered these questions and your work ethic. I can’t believe you take your photos in one day and edit them too. What program do you use for editing? I use Lightroom. I Iike that you dedicate Sundays for writing post. I just started that too, but I am still doing tweaks or finishing things up during the week.
I would love to see a day in the life post from you. Thanks so much for sharing.
http://laceandpearlsblog.com
You’re lucky to have good weather to take all pictures on Saturday))) I should try this schedule too, hope it’ll save some of my time))
Looking gorgeous Vanessa, love this denim dress with a peaking red top!
http://www.StripesNVibes.com
BlogLovin
That is such a unique dress! But it is so gorgeous on you! Love it! Great blogging tips too. 🙂
Love this Denim Dress Darlin Soo Chic:) Love it Very Much:) Enjoy Your Weekend:) Kisses and Hugs
Ps: Dont forget to comment on my last post: what Makes You Happy❤️ Love you
Soooo gorgeous denim outfit!!!
You look really Beautiful!! XXX
http://www.travelera.es
Vanessa, what a lovely and informational post! I’m sure you’re helping many people, including myself and to know little bit more about you makes us love you even more! I am swooning over your denim, so sexy but yet sweet at the same time! I adore how you put your husband and son first, which is exactly how I live my life as well. All about getting those posts ready on the weekend girl so we can dedicate more time to them! My husband and oldest son take many of my photos too and I’m so grateful for that! I am sure we may see you in pictures one day! I too love to act, don’t really do it anymore but back in high school and college, I was all about it! My oldest son was even a model when he was a baby and toddler. What I love most about you is that you stay true to who you are, you have a passion for other people and your beauty shines from your outfit posts but more importantly from your words! Happy weekend to you my love!
Stunning Vanessa! I would not be able to pull off a dress like that lol
Hope you have a wonderful Friday! 🙂
xx Arwa
dottedbow.blogspot.com
Great post, and I love the denim dress…it is such a unique design!
You look amazing as always! I love your cuff! Have a great weekend Vanessa!
~~Megan~~
http://www.poshprime.com
The dress looks perfect on you!
http://www.spring2spring.com
Oh, love the pops of color!
Carrie
http://www.wearwherewell.com
Vanessa, I really loved your post. I actually just started a fashion blog a couple of weeks ago. I love your tips. Especially about styleblogger on instagram. I would never have known about this hashtag so thanks. I love the denim dress and the way you styled it. I’ve bought some new denim for the fall but have not gotten a dress or skirt just yet. Your post is inspiring me. I did get a suede skirt which I posted on my site this past week. Check it out if you get a chance.
Kathy
http://www.glamsimplified.com
This denim dress is a stunner I love the plunge neckline and side cut-out detail. I love your honesty and openness. It’s so great to learn more about you. You’re a beautiful person both inside and out. Love ya!
http://doreensstylediary.com/
You are always an inspiration! Looking beautiful!
God bless,
XO, Claire
http://www.littlemissfashionqueen.com
Seriously, this is amazing! I love everything about this look and that dress is outright fabulous. Thanks for sharing. I will have to find you on IG hun.
Let’s follow each other on Bloglovin’?!
xx Falasha
Bite My Fashion ll Instagram ll Bloglovin’
I so enjoyed reading more about you! Always like hearing others blogging tips and stories. The denim dress is so chic! Great post
http://leftbankgirl.blogspot.com
This is a very unique dress!
xo | The Fashion Forecast
Loving this denim dress on you! Such a gorgeous piece and so unexpected with the cutouts! I love all these answers and how honest and true they are! Loved learning a bit more about you!
Denise | Fashion Love Letters
Happy Friday Vanessa! First of all, you look fabulous in that denim dress! And those heels are sleek and sexy 🙂
Second- thank you so much for sharing all your blogging tips, they are very helpful. It’s funny how some bloggers don’t like to share their tips with others, which I just don’t understand. Anyhow, I’m truly impressed with how you balance and manage it all. Inspiring! Also, I so need to take a page from your book when it comes to photographing outfits…I take more than 5mins 🙁 and even longer than that when it comes down to editing them. And even though, I have gotten better at it, there is still room for improvement. lol I’m so glad I discovered your blog, I’m always excited to see what you’re wearing and checking out you ever growing jewelry line.
BTW- my mom loved her bracelet so much that she took all of mine!lol
xo, jackie
stylemydreams.com
Omg you look fabulous!!!
|| D I A N A ||
http://www.TheNeonFactor.com
Wow that’s amazing that you take all of your photos on Saturday and each outfit only taking 5 mins! That is major skills! I always blog an outfit the night before but I should really try to do EVERYTHING on the weekends like you do! Thanks for sharing this!!
Tina
http://www.justatinabit.com
The side detail is on point! Makes it all that more chic V xo
Oh wow, you’re a mum, for some reason that stuck with me the most whilst reading this post! Very inspiring that you are balancing it all! Also that denim dress is the business, I dont see a cut like that everyday and its a nice alternative to denim jeans or a skirt. You’re wearing your cuff right, its fab! have a gd wkend!
Enjoyed learning more about you Vanessa 🙂 This denim dress is such a funky shape, I like how you can see the bit of the polka dot bandeau underneath. It really brings out the red in the bangle too
Rachel xx
http://www.thedailyluxe.net
I love this dress so much!
It’s so gorgeous!
The Rococo Style
such an amazing Outfit 🙂 Love the style of the denim Dress 🙂 Makes it unique and extraordinary 🙂 Liked to read the Facts about you, too 🙂 Always enjoy knowing more about other Bloggers 🙂
http://lovelyattitude.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXgCA_WBZujFxoMV1kXg_9g
So gorgeous ! Loved your outfit !
I’m in love with this outfit!ù
xoxo
Ale
NEW POST ON MY BLOG: http://fashionteenagerss.jimdo.com/2015/08/04/playsuit-day-by-night/
I love Q&A’s 🙂 And I adore your dress! Absolutely styled perfectly! 🙂
xx, Ashleigh | Fashion in Flight
You’re lucky to have a husband that catches your good angles
Yet he’s lucky to have one amazing model as his wife Xxxo
You’re always looking sooo fabulous
loving the jean dress hun xx
itsjustwinnie.blogspot.co.uk/
Really nice dress, it looks amazing on you doll!
Florals&Smiles
Twitter
That denim dress is so cool and I am loving the peek of the polka dot bra! It is so cute
Dresses & Denim
That denim dress is TDF, Vanessa. You look gorgeous. Happy weekend, doll.
kisses
Lenya
FashionDreams&Lifestyle
you look so gorgeous! that dress is just perfect. Wish I could carry such dresses like you!
Hello V Love this post, is very inspiring and I love to get to know you better!! I need to get more organize, scheduling my blogging time!!
Have a great weekend
Glamoury Armory Blogat weekend.
Vanessa, this is such a beautiful denim dress. The red with polka dots adds a fantastic touch to the look! It is wonderful learning more about you! I’m still figuring out the time management, so it’s helpful to read your strategies and tips. I would have love to have seen you in a play! 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!
xo, Bry
BrightonHill.Naughty&Nice
I love denim dress!kiss
What a great post V, thanks! and that denim dress is a must have :)xx
http://www.artbecomesyou.com
That dress is amazing! I love how low cut it is on the sides!
Melanie @ meandmr.com
I just stumbled upon your blog and I love it so much!!! Your style is amazing… Actally, amzing is an understatement wow! I love how you styled the denim dress! 🙂
http://juanamaua.blogspot.com
I just stumbled upon your blog and I love it so much!!! Your style is amazing… Actually, amazing is an understatement wow! I love how you styled the denim dress! 🙂
http://juanamaua.blogspot.com
So lovely!!
<3
http://www.adelaacanski.com/
Gorgeous denim dress, love the red detail too 😉
Really? Your husband takes your photos?! They are so great!
Hugs from Athens!
http://beautyfollower.blogspot.gr/
Firstly I love the dress, I think it’s one of my favourite outfits on you!! Secondly I really enjoyed reading this post and finding out more about you and how consistent and dedicated you are to your blog. Hope you have a wonderful start to your week xx
I truly love the polka dot top, it looks so pin up! <3
Lazy Penguins
You look incredible! I’ve never seen a denim dress like this before and I love it, it’s very sexy.
Bella Pummarola
Love your Q&A session, the social media management tool is so helpful, I def have to check it out. You look amazing as usual, have a beautiful week ahead!!
xo Sheree
http://poshclassymom.com
IG: @poshclassymom
LOVE this denim dress, I don’t think I’ve seen one as gorgeous as this. And I loved reading your answers, it’s always great to see what goes on behind a successful blog 🙂 xx
http://www.tongue-in-chic.com
This is such a perfect look! You look amazing! I really like your dress!
Have a lovely day 🙂
http://anatkoren.blogspot.com/
I like the color of your dress http://www.2015bagshoeshop.com
NICE LOOK！
I like the color of your top!
http://www.2015shoplvbags.com
Very pretty! You’re right, it is simple but it is chic and stylish! You look amazing too! =)
http://www.lvbagukshop.com
love! totally jelly that I can’t rock color like you xoxo
http://dayinmydreams.com/