Q+A (Tattoos, Livingroom Rug, How I Make Money Blogging)

Hi, friends! I’ve been wanting to do a Frequently Asked Questions / Q+A post for awhile, and I’m finally getting around to it. 

Look at me being all productive during spring break. 

🙂

OK, short and sweet today. Thanks for stopping by and please let me know if you guys like this post! Maybe I’ll make it a monthly thing.

And, if you have any more questions you want me to answer, please email me or comment below…

XO

(This post contains affiliated links.)

Q+A

WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR LIVING ROOM RUG? 

This might be THE question I get the most. We ordered our rug last year, and while most people thought we were crazy to get a white rug in our living room, I can tell you we LOVE it. It’s from one of my FAVORITE home stores, Serena & Lily.

HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY BLOGGING? 

First, let me say that I didn’t start blogging to make money. I started it as an outlet for my creativity and to use my brain for more than just mothering. I often get questions from new bloggers wondering how to start monetizing their blog. And here’s what I tell them: don’t do it for the money because that takes time. To discover your niche. To find your voice. To curate. So, create, create, create and then promote, promote, promote and in time, you’ll start making money.

My main source of income is from sponsored posts. Anytime I’m sharing a sponsored post, I write a disclosure at the top of the blog post. My second source of income is from affiliate links. Depending on the affiliated link, I make money if you click on it, or if you purchase something. I will also disclose if I use affiliated links at the top of the blog post.

(If you’re a blogger and want to know more about making money, I shared more tips in this post.)

WHY DO YOU RARELY SHOW YOUR FACE IN YOUR PHOTOS?

Easy answer? Because I’m tired of seeing photos of myself. I can only take so much of myself, and I can safely say I’ve reached that limit. Also, I want you to be able to imagine yourself in the clothes. Because when I post style photos and blog posts, it’s not about me. It’s about helping you find your style and sharing ideas on how to style different pieces.

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

Gulp. I’m 37. Yep. North of 35. 3 years away from….. Nope. Not going to say it.

WHAT’S YOUR CURRENT WORKOUT ROUTINE?

Let’s use the word “routine” loosely, OK? I try to workout 5-6 days a week. My favorite workout right now is a combination of HIIT treadmill workouts and Tabata strength workouts. I try to do that 3 times a week, and it’s the best workout I’ve ever done. We also just got a Peloton, which is awesome. I try to plan my workouts for the week every Sunday, and if I write it down in my calendar, I try my hardest to stick to it.

WHY ARE YOU USING SHOPSTYLE NOW INSTEAD OF REWARDSTYLE?

As you can guess, this is the question I get most from other style bloggers. rewardStyle has been known to be more selective, while Shopstyle has historically been where bloggers start out when they decide they want to start monetizing their sites. Well, that’s changed in the last year. I switched to Shopstyle in the fall and I LOVE it. The biggest reason has been my rep. If you’re a style blogger with rS and you feel like you want to change it up, email me and I’ll share your info with my rep. She’s been SO helpful in securing campaigns, studying my analytics and just overall support.

HOW TALL ARE YOU AND WHAT SIZE DO YOU WEAR?

I’m 5’6″ and wear a 25/26 in denim, an XS/S in tops and a 2 in dresses.

WHAT ARE YOUR TATTOOS AND HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE?

The second most-asked question I get. I have 5 tattoos (3 of which I’m going to have removed). I can’t say I regret my decisions, because I was fully on board at the time, but now at this stage of my life, they don’t have the meaning to me that they used to. I have FAITH on my left wrist and GRACE on my right. I’m getting GRACE removed, mostly because I hate how it looks. I got FAITH when I lived in Atlanta, and I love the font, the size, everything. I got GRACE in Chicago a couple of years later and I’ve never loved it. The font is wrong and it’s a weird size for me. I also have a cross on the back of my neck (that I’m going to get removed), a little design on my lower back (yep.) and a star on my foot. I’m also planning on getting the design on my back removed (probably because of the whole “tramp stamp” thing). I got it in college. ‘Nuff said, right? The star on my foot was my first tattoo when I was 18. That one stays. 🙂

HOW DO YOU FIND TIME TO BLOG WHILE STAYING AT HOME WITH YOUR KIDS?

Oy. You guys, this is the question I ask myself every single day. It’s my greatest daily struggle: how to juggle working from home and “staying at home” with my girls. Thankfully, I have an amazing babysitter who comes a couple days a week to watch the girls. I try my hardest to be present in whatever I doing, whether it’s playing with my kids or working on the blog. That’s much easier said than done and some days I’m better at it than others. I wake up early every day so I can work in my office for a couple of hours before the girls get up, which helps a lot. My biggest challenge is not having a set in stone schedule, because I LOVE a routine. But, I try to roll with it each day, give myself some grace and appreciate my full plate.

WHAT’S YOUR SECRET TO GETTING BACK INTO SHAPE AFTER HAVING A BABY?

I promise, there is NO secret. It’s hard ass work. And a lot of sweat. And stopping after one cookie. And eating a lot of veggies. But, it’s the best thing I’ve done and continue to do for me, and working out makes me a better mama and wife and daughter and friend and person. So, losing the baby weight wasn’t ever a choice. I knew it had to happen, and I put in a lot of sweat to get there. I’m planning on sharing a postpartum fitness update soon, so stay tuned….