10 tips | on better blogging + winners

first of all:
I am no expert on blogging....far from it in fact. I haven't been blogging long, but I have learned a lot. And, so in honor of my first blog-anniversary [which was a few weeks ago] : here is a collaboration of my tips for being a better blogger.

1. Blog only for the Glory of God.
This isn't what you were expecting huh? *chuckles* Well, it isn't exactly what is normally one of the tips that people post, but I feel this is really the most important! Everything about your blog should be to the Glory of God, do your best, be an example of a Christian....
I don't mean you have to post Bible verses all the time, but just follow Romans 1:6- "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (to read a really good article about blogging go >>here<<, page 8)

2. Be genuine and authentic 
God created you to be who you are in Christ, not in yourself. so be authentic. don't go along with the trends that the popular bloggers are doing. If you aren't a fashion person, don't become one and post all your outfits on your blog, if you aren't interested in photography, write instead of trying to post a lot of pictures.

3. Turn off the music
I used to have music on my blog on autoplay, but I every time I went on my blog, I would have to turn it off, just because it could get irritating.  If you do have music on your blog, make sure it is soft music, with soft voices if you want vocals. I do like if you have music on your blog that I can play myself, I like seeing how the blogger's style reflects their taste in music. And I like discovering new artists and songs. 

4. Use correct grammar
to me, there is nothing more annoying than reading "u wudn't want to c that".  use good grammar and punctuation. now, I'm not saying you have to capitalize every first word in the sentence and everything, I don't like using capitals very much myself. and don't over use capitals like this: "I JUST HAD THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! WE WENT SHOPPING AND BLAH-BLAH-BLAH." instead use italics and bold, or larger font size. and and be careful about the 'extras' such as !!!!!!! and ??????. I mean its okay, in moderation. And use spell check! For two reasons, it will eliminate typos (i.e otu instead of out) and it perfects your spelling.

5. Have a simple, but elegant design
a blog design is one of the most important things in being a better blogger. it helps portray your temperment and character. make sure you have good color choices (neon green/pink/orange are okay, in *keyword here okay?* moderation). make sure your design flows (i.e. margins are correct and straight) and please, please, please have readable font! 

6. Take off word verification
if you want comments take off word verification. so many times, I type out this long comment and then I click publish, and most likely I'm off the blog, but I have realized that they have word verification, and I lost my entire comment. so, please take it off, especially if you are hosting a giveaway through commenting. if you need help on that... comment and I will get back to you asap!

7.  Don't beg for followers
We've all gotten those comments... "I like your blog, come follow me..." and trust me it is annoying. instead of begging for followers, put your link at the bottom of your comment. I go to every blog link if you leave it for me.  :) 

8. Comment on other people's blog
okay, I don't mean comment "this is soo awsesome" on every post you read but, comment on people's blogs. nobody hates comments. 

9. Post frequently
I know life can get busy at times...trust me, I know, but still try to keep up with your blog, or if it is just too busy, post that you are taking a little break. Then at least they know you haven't dropped off the planet. But don't feel like you have to post every day. 

10. Be respectful
be respectful of other people's blogs and opinions, if you disagree, you are more than welcome to say so, just say it nicely, remember at the end of every blog/computer screen there is a real person. 

so, there you have it! These are just my personal tips, I'm not saying the are the best, but they are just things I base my blogging on.

for other good posts on blogging:

//lucia's//

//hannah's// 

//grace's//

// katie's //

// jocee's //

What is your tip on blogging?

*photos via pintrest*

p.s. the winners of the giveaway are:

Talia is the winner of the camera necklace

Alicia is the winner of the rosebud earrings 

congrats, girls! I will get an email sent out to you asap!

our picnic adventure [part 2 | wordless]

our picnic adventure [part 1]

photo by trish

I had been wanting to have picnic since the beginning of summer and I finally got it done. I brainstormed about it for two weeks and then 

Trish and I lugged a giant picnic basket full of food, dishes, props, and such all the way down to the lake and despite the random bursts of wind and rain we had our picnic. Then we finished it off with a photoshoot which will come in part two :)

and I just wanted to say thank you for all of your sweet comments on the relaunch! you guys are amazing! 

p.s. I guest posted over at this lovely blog yesterday!

in reckless abandon || giveaway

well, when I was planning this relaunch I decided to throw giveaway into the party. that always makes it more fun right?

|| shop || facebook || blog || 

charm topia is donating this adorable camera necklace! [and I should mention whoever wins this is going to be super lucky! I've always wanted to win a camera necklace!]

|| shop || || blog ||
amy is sponsoring these hot pink earrings.. aren't they so cute?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

in reckless abandon || relaunch

*so excited!!!*
well, lately I've been finding change. If you've known me before I hate change... but I've been running into good change. I've been learning about who I really am, and I'm finding how to be authentic. I had a couple of tough times the last couple of months and honestly, I lost confidence. I was looking through my pictures and saw all the flaws... there were so many, I felt like I would never become the photographer I wanted to be. I started searching, asking God if I really was who He intended me to be. And I found a part of myself, and a bigger part of God. I've been thinking about a relaunch for a while and but I wasn't ready for it yet. I am now. 



I've been rethinking my purpose for some time now... the last few weeks have been spent musing over such things and writing pages of what I want my life to be. what I want to leave behind.

"Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was meant to do... Maybe it's the same with people. If you lose your purpose... it's like you're broken. 

-from the movie Hugo

I don't want to go through life and not make an impact... I don't have to be famous, I just want to impact the people I come in contact with on a daily basis. I want people to remember me after I'm gone, I want to leave a legacy.

"I want to leave a legacy 
How will they remember me? 
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough 
To make a mark on things? 
I want to leave an offering 
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically 
And leave that kind of legacy"

-Legacy [Nicole Nordeman]

I will no longer be doing "I ♥ Friday". Instead I will start doing just more inspiration posts [from pintrest] but they are going to be more random, instead of every Friday. I am starting a series called just happy things where I want to document all the little things in life. It is almost like a one thousand gifts idea. Also, I want to start a monthly photo challenge and post more DIY's, tutorials, and just different posts.

so welcome to the "new" blog. the "new" part of me. 
and thanks so much to the lovely Grace Anna who designed the new look! She did an amazing job! 

and since I adore making these I made myself a new brand board!

*photos via pintrest*

p.s. if you would want a brand board, I would love to have fun with it! email me.

p.p.s. a super super cool giveaway coming later today!!