Style Diary is Two!

Jacket- Forever 21, Dress- JCPenney (old), Heels- JustFab (similar), Purse- Francesca's

It has been two years since I first hit the publish button on this blog of mine! Last year, I put on a special outfit to commemorate the occasion. That gold Juicy Couture blazer I had on is a rarely worn but greatly loved piece in my closet. This year, my fur jacket felt like just the piece to round out my second year of blogging. I'm still waiting for a real life occasion to wear it, but this will do for now!

I have scaled my blog down a lot in my second year, totaling 77 posts in 2014 as opposed to 236 in 2013. At the beginning of this year, I made the decision that blogging needed to take a backseat to the more important things in life. I found that when I tried to post four or five times a week, my posts and outfits were lacking originality and creativity. Creating content purely for the sake of consistency is hard. It wore on me. I wanted to post things I was proud of- things that I loved. I can honestly say that every look I have posted this year is one that I wore in real life (with the exception of the one above) and 90% of them were shot the day I wore the outfit. Doing my outfit shoots this way makes life so much easier for me. I typically only spend about 30 minutes a week shooting as opposed to a few hours!

This year, my boyfriend shot almost all of my outfits, so I owe him a big THANK YOU. Sometimes, because I want to make sure we get the right shots the first time, I make the situation a little more stressful than it needs to be (#honestmoment). He was a great sport, and I think that maybe, just maybe, he has grown to enjoy taking pictures for me. I love that he is a part of this little hobby of mine.

To those of you who have stuck around over the past two years, I owe you a big thank you as well! I truly appreciate those of you who take the time to read and comment. It's so cool to have a hobby that can connect you with girls all over the world!

One Year of Blogging

Blazer- Juicy Couture (old, similar here, here), Blouse- Express, Skirt- Target (found on store for $11.98 clearance!), Heels- Windsor

Photography: Shutterberry

One year ago, I made my first post on this little blog. You can go read it here. But if you decide to keep reading some of my first posts, just promise you won't make fun of how silly I looked posing in front of my full length mirror taking pictures on my cell phone. I've come a long way from that.

I probably have a similar story as most for how I decided to start this blog. I like fashion, I like shopping, I like reading other blogs, and I like Pinterest. A lot of my time revolved around fashion in some way, but that time felt wasted. I thought it would be cool to document my outfits in a place where I could go back and look at them, as well as share them with others. I created Style Diary as a creative outlet.

In the past year, I have met so many great blogging friends, reviewed items from several fashion companies, hosted and co-hosted seven giveaways, been featured on Aeropostale and Bisou Bisou by Michele Bohbot's Facebook pages, published 245 posts, gained over 1150 followers, had almost 100,000 pageviews, and learned a lot about myself.

So what have I learned from blogging? Style blogging, to be more precise.

1. It's hard to develop "personal style." Since I started this blog, I have begun following infinitely more style blogs than before. I look at the Fashion page on Pinterest more often. I subscribe to twice as many fashion magazines. I gain inspiration from all these places for my own looks, and sometimes I wonder how unique my style really is. But in the end, I've never said every outfit I post is incredibly original. They are, however, a compilation of things I love, put together with inspiration drawn from anywhere I manage find it.
2. Blogging takes a lot of time. Planning, outfit shoots, designing, and writing all take up a good portion of my free time, but I don't mind it. It's a good use of my time since I am creating something I am proud of. 
3. I actually enjoy writing, which is why I have integrated more posts like this where I do more writing than posing.
4. It's easy to get lost in the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality. I have to make sure I keep my focus on what I'm creating and be proud of it, instead of just trying to keep up with everyone else.

I want to say a huge thank you to all of you who take the time to read my blog. It really means a lot that I am able to share my style with you!

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