Advice...

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Since starting Bagful of Notions in October, I've been asked by a few people what inspired me to start blogging and if there's any advice I can offer.  I have a passion for writing and I think I found a knack for it back in sixth grade.  My teacher, Mrs. White, was a positive force and influence; she made me feel like I had a voice.  It's important to have those sorts of moments in life, because it drove me to study journalism in college.  My background/education is in news writing and television production (media, if you will) - even though it's something I don't pursue professionally here in Australia, I'd like to think my blog serves as a medium to get people open to trying new things.  Plus, it's an added bonus that I get to talk about makeup here instead of writing about the depressing goings-on of the world.  Do not think of this as denial on my part, better yet, think of this as a healthy version of escapism from life in general.  An oasis of makeup, beauty and my inner monologue. I received an e-mail late yesterday from musings about muses asking me the following:

 

I'm only starting out and would love some tips if you have any??

- Kahla

 

My thoughts began to flow - here is what I responded with…

  • Know your audience, better yet, who is your target demographic?
  • Read blogs similar to your own for ideas and for things you might want to avoid
  • Take awesome photos - macro photography and lighting are keys to success
  • Be original in an extremely saturated market - set yourself apart from others
  • Market your brand via social media; e.g. Twitter, Instagram, etc.
  • Bloggers are always offering words of wisdom, read what they have to say about how they got started
  • Comment, a lot!  And make sure it's pertinent to what you just read.  Never go to someone else's blog and say "visit me here...."
  • Guest blog - I did!
  • Post as much as you can
  • Never give up, that's what I've been told.  It can take a while before you start to see any benefits from the fruits of your labor
  • Stay informed - read about cosmetics and visit beauty counters.  Get to know artists and don't be afraid to pick their brains
  • Be willing to invest time and money, but keep your life in mind
  • Be a cheerleader for bloggers you admire and get to know them
  • Always give credit where/when credit is due.. never claim something as your own when it's not

 

I have no idea what my readership is like and that's ok; I'll worry about analytics and search engine optimisation when the time is right for me.  Until then, I'll harass (kindly) the likes of Karen, Christine, Lilit, Holly and Sasha in the comments section on their sites.  They serve as a compass for me and inspire me to be a great writer.  Blog with your heart, remember that your Mom, Dad or both might be your primary audience to start and be the original drummer who goes as wild as Animal.

Organization at its finest

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What's a girl to do when she has nothing planned for a two week holiday?  Still confined to the indoors thanks to my heavy dose of antibiotics, I turned into a cleaning and organizing machine.  I was growing tired of fumbling through my cosmetic bag and lusting after something a bit more substantial.  The Makeup Box Shop has a myriad of options, but I am not spending hundreds of dollars for plastic drawers!  The company is Australia-based, so I am a bit confused as to why they sell them at such insane price points.  Am I being unreasonable here? With the free time I had last week, I hunted around for a cheaper alternative.  My makeup collection has grown exponentially since starting this blog and, well, my bag was not getting any bigger!  During a quick pit stop at Lincraft, I found an assorted amount of plastic storage systems typically used for notions!  Fate was knocking and the options were cheap!!  I plunked down $15 and skipped on my merry way home.  The goal here was to preserve my makeup by keeping it in a cool and dark place; I am all about longevity when it comes to my makeup as it has been a huge investment - I make no bones about it.  I also didn't want my makeup to go rogue or smash into smithereens if it accidentally fell out of my bag.

My Vera Bradley cosmetic bag will still remain a staple, but it will only make an appearance whenever I travel.  I can't part ways with my roots!  I finally broke down and purchased this bag the night before I moved from the U.S. to Australia via Amsterdam and Singapore.  I warned you there was more to my Vera story.  From November 2008 to September 2010 I worked at Vera Bradley part-time - keep in mind this was a second job; I held down a full-time job working for a glass and glazing company just outside of Boston.  I come from very humble pie beginnings; I practically killed myself by working through college and then I somehow always managed to hold down a second job as a means to support myself and to also pay off my education.  College, by definition is a place where you get a piece of paper telling you you're "smaht" (had to throw the "Boston" accent in there), and then what?  Bills pour in for the next 10 (if you're lucky) to 20 years, reminding you of the "best" years of your life.  Truth be told, the best thing to come out of my four years at Suffolk is my bestie Diana; she reads this lil' blog and has been my cheerleader through thick and thin.

Forgive me for the nostalgia, but my only forms of communication with the lovely Miss D and MB for that matter have been via Facebook (damn you!), Twitter and e-mail.  And I'd like to apologize for only being able to track down this photo; a lot of my possesions were given away, sold, thrown out, moved or stored in a box - which reminds me, I need to have that lone box shipped!

Wordly possesions can be compartmentalized, organized and stored to your liking, but I can never shake the bonds I've made, have and will make in the future.  Until then, I will just admire my super cute (notions) makeup organizer.

My new KitchenAid Mixer

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Holy Crap!  I definitely did not expect to see this under the tree this year or ever.  It's something I've been wanting since I noticed my Nana had one in her kitchen; she only used it when the holiday season rolled around and that's what made it so special.  The holy grail of kitchen artillery now sits upon my counter. Luckily I had a stick of butter conveniently squirrled away in the fridge, which allowed me to make more baked goods and test out my new toy.  As I was baking last week, Scott was dying to run and grab this beauty out of the closet in order to make my life a bit easier.  Patience won out on his end and I mushed on with the old wooden spoon.  Thankfully that spoon is now soley reserved for stirring pasta:)

Cue the music!  Dun dun da da dun da da da da da da dun dun dun…

I feel just as giddy as Max from 2 Broke Girls when Caroline bought her the purple oven.

Oh, and for the record, my cookies came out way better than I could've ever hoped for!

Baking cookies

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In lieu of writing about makeup this weekend, I decided to bake.  It's been awhile since I made cookies for Scott; what better time to do this than the lead up to Christmas - only seven days left! First, I asked Scott what he'd been hankering for and then I added in a few other options. Here's a list of the cookies I baked:

If you happen to be one of Scott's or my co-workers, then you are in store for an awesome treat!

After indulging in cookies a bit more than I should today, I think it's time for me to go on a walk. Bon appétit!