Confessions of a Blogger - Inspired Living SA

Spruce Lifestyle {Confessions of a Blogger}

Sam & Ilaria from Spruce Lifestyle

Today on Confessions of a Blogger we meet blogging duo Sam and Ilaria, the creative minds behind Spruce Lifestyle.

Hi we are Sam and Ilaria – two regular girls and lifelong friends. We met in school at the age of 14. We have lived together, worked together, cried, struggled but most importantly laughed and continue to laugh together, and we are now on our very exciting blog journey together. We are passionate South Africans and are both currently living in Johannesburg, our City of Gold.

When did your start your journey as a blogger and why? We officially launched Spruce Lifestyle on 1 October 2014, but the idea behind our blog started a year before that. Sam had been reading blogs for about two years, and introduced Ilaria to them and we both fell absolutely in love with the idea of having our own blog space. Being in corporate jobs (in the financial services sector), we both felt we were becoming somewhat “one dimensional” and needed to find something to live outside of the box. Over the course of a few months, and many discussions, the idea of our blog started to develop (amongst a few variations) and one morning over a cup of coffee in the sunshine, everything about Spruce was decided!

If you are not blogging where will we find you? As we both have full-time, demanding day jobs we spend most of the time during the week at our offices. In our spare-time however, we both love to shop (we can spend hours browsing clothing shops together), eating good food, walking our dogs, trying to keep fit and spending quality time with good people.
Tell us a little bit about your space on the interweb and what you blog about. Spruce is our take on all things life, style or lifestyle orientated. We like to think of Spruce as an extension of our own personalities; a place celebrating inspiration, beautiful things and the simple pleasures of life. It is also a personal view into both of our lives – both as individuals and as two best friends (17 years and counting!) – and because of that, we want it to feel as open and authentic as possible. The best thing about being a ‘lifestyle’ based blog is that we have a chance to write about a wide range of things; anything that we feel fits within our space, anything that excites us or interests us. We chose a template that reflects a sense of happiness and lightness (almost like champagne bubbles) and we hope that each and every post conveys that sense too!

What do you think makes a blog successful? To start – it needs to be visually appealing and the content needs to be interesting, and remain interesting, while being easy to read. Successful blogs, in our opinion, convey a personal element; we know the blogs we keep coming back to are the ones which have that personal sense and ability to connect with readers. As readers and lovers of blogs we want to feel like the blog we are reading is accessible and engages with its audience across various forms of social media.
Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? We are both very determined people and that has ultimately been the driving force since day one of this blog. We both have a sense of what is possible, and what milestones we want to reach, which has been the motivation to continue going, continue building and continue wanting to succeed. Secondly, it is the small pieces of feedback that we receive from our readers; it shows us that people are reading and enjoying (most importantly) the blog, and are wanting to engage with us. Every time one of us feels down, there seems to be some sort of encouragement and it has helped us push ourselves and want to carry on. Lastly, this blogging journey has been so different and new to what we know, and we understand that we both have so much more to learn in this space, which acts as a motivator in itself.

What have your biggest blogging challenges been? The initial set-up! Ilaria did this all by herself; with no help. We had bought a template but to get it to where we wanted required a huge amount of patience and trial and error. Getting our name out there in the blogging world has been tough. There are still a large majority of South African women who don’t read blogs on a regular basis so for us it has been about getting people into the blog-reading frame of mind.
What do you love most about being a blogger? The experience has been an eye-opener – of note! We have been exposed to a world we didn’t really know existed. Having our own blog has been amazing for both of us in developing ourselves, our creative sides and allowing us to look at life in a different way. The broad-nature of our blog means we have been required to really think about things differently (is this bloggable?) and take control of what we put out.

What has the journey taught you about yourself or in general? Has it changed your life in any way? Both of us can lack self-confidence at times so putting ourselves out there has really pushed our boundaries, and challenged us to be more accepting of ourselves. The journey has also forced us to experience more (which has been the most wonderful part) and start looking at things through a ‘blogging lens’ to incorporate cool ideas into our everyday lives.
What are your Top 5 SA Blogs: Vanilla Blonde, Inspired Living, In My bag, Lip Gloss is my life, All Dolled Up.
If you could give advice to anyone starting a blog, what wisdom would you impart? Don’t be scared – JUST DO IT! Don’t procrastinate too long, a blog can evolve (which is the most exciting part about the blogging) and as long as your first attempt is a fairly good attempt of where you want to be, it will work out! Don’t be disheartened by a lack of reciprocation of your efforts – if you keep on setting new goals and loving what you do, you will get there. Be true to who you are, always.

Thanks to Sam and Ilaria from Spruce Lifestyle , for sharing a bit more about their lives and blogging journey with us!

If you would like to find out more about Spruce Lifestyle and connect with Sam and Ilaria – pop over here:

If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.

Be Inspired, Blogging, Interviews

Hayleigh from Hayls World {Confessions of a Blogger}

~ Hayleigh from Hayls World ~

On today’s Confessions of a Blogger we meet the lovely Hayleigh from Hayls World. Let’s take a look inside Hayls World…

Hey guys my name is Hayleigh, but my nickname is Hayls. I live in sunny South Africa & I run my own business with my best friend. I love blogging about all sorts of wonderful things that happen around me and I absolutely love and enjoy topics like beauty, business and places or events. I’m a trained musician, like I actually have a certificate and all, but by trade I am a designer slash Jill of all trades!!

When did you start your journey as a blogger and why? It was at the beginning of last year (2014). I had gone into a checkers and was not very happy with the state and service of the store. By the time I had finished in the store I was fuming and was going to contact the head office. I arrived home, furiously punched out a letter of dissatisfaction and was ready to send! Then when I started reading through it I realized how unpleasant I sounded, how many mails they must get like this and how I was probably just having a really bad day and was taking it out on them. I deleted the whole thing, never sent it and decided instead to write a really awesome letter to a brand I love, and just leave the whole thing on a better note! A couple of days later the brand responded to my mail and in turn surprised me with a huge box of goodies. Once I got stuck in and started playing with my goodies, I just had to show people, I had to write about my fun and I guess the rest is history 🙂
Do you blog fulltime or do you have a regular 9-5 as well? Oh my goodness I wish I could blog full time hehe, but nope. I currently run a small Design & Marketing business with my best friend and business partner Mike. I must admit though, I am terribly lucky as a lot of my work is done on my PC and the Internet so I am constantly behind my Mac. This then gives me time to stay up to date socially and post very regularly.

Tell us a little about your space on the interweb and what you blog about? I am on all the main social networks you could say, and I have my blog. I was fortunate enough when deciding on my blog name, to find it was available on all those platforms so I am basically Hayls World everywhere. I originally started out by blogging about my nail art, but as I ventured deeper into the online world, I discovered so much more about the beauty community I had never expected and so from there I went onto makeup looks, product reviews and also YouTube videos. So I guess you could say my blog is about Beauty and some snippets of my life. I have also been on a “lifestyle change” if you will for the past two years and I plan on brining that into my blog once I’ve figured out how. I’ve also got a travel video planned for the near future.
Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? I think my passion. I have always been quite self-conscious about my looks and body, but since changing my lifestyle habits and venturing into the beauty world I’ve discovered a whole new part of me that is far more confident. Every time I do a nail art design now or new makeup look, the responses I get and communication from other bloggers is so inspiring and uplifting it makes me want to keep going and do more! I truly enjoy it and naturally want to be blogging all day.
How important do you think it is to have a niche blog and would you consider your blog to be a niche blog? That is a great questions and I think its super important to have a niche blog! With so many bloggers and people in the world now days, you have got to stand out! I would not say my blog is a niche blog at the moment, but oddly enough it’s something I’ve been working on. I’ve had some amazing advice from an incredible man in the beauty industry on how to stand out and hopefully with time and practice I develop and create my own Niche.

What have your biggest blogging challenges been? Another great question and I’d have to say its been about my space and lighting.Trying to find the space to take pictures, arrange my background for video’s and product shots have really been a challenge! All my shots have to be coordinated around the sun. I often have the most time to do blogging and pictures in the evening, but the sun is obviously nowhere to be seen, so it leaves me frustrated because I either have to scramble in the morning when its full-on sun rays coming through my window or over the weekend when I’m just keen to chill out or visit with friends and family hehe. But all in all it’s not that bad and I have found a routine. As soon as I’ve saved up for proper lights I will feel a huge stress fall away!
What do you love most about being a blogger? I love the outlet of creativity I get to experience. I have never been a numbers, “desk full of papers” kind of person. I am “artsy fartsy” to the max, so being able to blog, create nail art and experiment with makeup allows me the release my personality naturally craves. It takes my mind of the important matters haha, and allows me to de-stress, calm down and get back to balance. I also love how many friends I’ve made, the different people and brands I’ve connected with and how accepting everyone is in the community I find myself.
If you had to choose a favorite social media platform, what would it be and why?This is a hard one J but I think it would have to be Instagram. I love how instant it is to post and interact with people, its also far less cluttered compared to other social platforms like twitter and Facebook with adds everywhere. My close second would have to be YouTube though as I love to see what other videos people come up with, their creative genius and ideas. Also posting my own videos is always thrilling for me.
What has your journey as a blogger taught you {about yourself or in general}? Has it changed your life in any way? I have learnt many things, but mainly that I am capable of achieving my blog goals if I set my mind to them and focus. It is my hobby at the moment, but also my passion and would one day love to blog full time! I’ve also learnt people are so much more open to your content, you make real friends online and its not all bullying or hate out there. In fact there is a lot of positive people out there engaging with you, sharing your content and just being very supportive, so I’ve learnt its not as scary as some make it seem or as you build it up to be in your mind.
If you could give someone wanting to start a blog any advice, what words of wisdom would you impart? Hmmm what would my advice be… 🙂 I think to make your blog name simple, memorable and relative to what you’re going to blog about. Sometimes I’ve seen a person I like on Instagram and want to connect to their Facebook page, but forget their blog name, or the spelling is a play on words I cant remember, or it is so long I forget the other half of their blog name. It sounds very critical or I have a head like a sieve, but its just one thing I would recommend. The rest will follow over time, you’ll amend your blog look, your theme, content etc, you’ll discover all of that as you go, but your “brand name” if you will, will stay the same for as long as you blog, so you want it to be positive from the get go.

Thanks to Hayleigh from Hayls World, for sharing a bit more about her life and blogging journey with us!

If you would like to find out more about Hayleigh and connect with her – pop over here:

Blog link: www.haylsworld.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/haylsblog

Twitter: @HaylsWorld

Instagram: HaylsWorld

If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.

Be Inspired, Blogging, Interviews

Candice Ying Sun from Beautyqueen8 { Confessions of a Blogger }

Candice Ying Sun from Beautyqueen8

Today Confessions of a Blogger features the lovely Candice Ying Sun from Beautyqueen8, a blog “all things beauty” related.

I’m Candice Ying Sun a 26 year old joburger who is beauty obsessed blogger who loves all things beauty, easily distracted my shiny objects and hello kitty.

When did you start your journey as a blogger and why? I had a passion for all things beauty and I loved the idea of sharing my knowledge to the world as a hobby.
If you are not blogging where will we find you? Probably at a shopping mall looking at all the beauty products or clothing. I also love watching series.

Tell us a little about your space on the interweb and what you blog about? I mostly blog about beauty products but I’ve branched out and done lifestyle and food too now.
What do you think makes a blog successful? Being honest, doing what you love and not being too obsessed or fixated on numbers or stats. Also interacting and relating with readers.
Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? My passion for blogging and sharing it with the world. Sure I don’t always feel like blogging somedays I simply do it when inspiration strikes. It shouldn’t be a chore.
What have your biggest blogging challenges been? In life there will always be bullying and critics who are jealous of you but you just need to hold your head up high and be the bigger persons. Also sometimes blog posts can take days to complete but in the end it must be completed.
What do you love most about being a blogger? All the amazing people I have met through this platform and all the knowledge I have gained.
What has your journey as a blogger taught you {about yourself or in general}? There will always be negative people and critics but in the end the only opinion that matters is your own. Has it changed your life in any way? I have learnt to be more open minded and not to judge a book by it’s cover.

What are your top 5 SA blogs? Well obviously my own. I visit lots of other blogs often but I must say lipglossismylife.com, notanotherpoppie.com, lovemarylu.com, onestilletoatatime.com and veiledbeauty.co.za
If you had to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom would you impart? Just do what you love and the benefits will roll in. And don’t be too fixated on numbers and stats.

Thanks to Candice Ying Sun from Beautyqueen8 , for sharing a bit more about her life and blogging journey with us!

If you would like to find out more about Candice and connect with her – pop over here:

Blog link: beautyqueen8.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautyqueen8blog or https://www.facebook.com/candiceyingsun

Twitter: https://twitter.com/candyangel88

Instagram: @ricebunnyc

If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.

Be Inspired, Blogging, Interviews

{Confessions of a Blogger} Chantelle from Cocktails and Memories

Chantelle from Cocktails and Memories

I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter and those of you still on holiday, are enjoying the break! It is Confessions of a Blogger time again and today we meet Chantelle from Cocktails and Memories. Chantelle is definitely a blogger after my own heart, with a passion for photography, wine and travel – among other things!

Hello world! I am Chantelle & I am a lifestyle blogger over at Cocktails and Memories. I am a passionate, talkative 35 year old living it up in the city; eating, laughing and exploring. By day I am a marketing manager, by night I am a wine drinking series-buff, an avid reader & a chronic wander luster with an unnatural obsession with One Direction. I am also a wannabe photographer and wish I could pursue it full time. I harbor a secret dream of being a full-time blogger & photographer.

When did you start your journey as a blogger and why? I entered the cyber world in 2006; many years ago before blogging was a “thing” I started the blog as an anonymous writer, to get my un-edited thoughts out there, without the risk of offending anybody. Somewhere it became less of a personal journal for venting and evolved into a journal chronicling my life and the special people in it. I find writing very therapeutic and my blog will be an online journal which will be accessible to future generations in 5, 10 years’ time; a testament to how we lived and a visual feast of what my world was like.

If you are not blogging where will we find you? You will find me spending time with my boyfriend or friends, at a movie or out to dinner (building up my Zomato status) I am also on a mission to have a picnic in as many spots as I can, so a sunny spot on some grass is a safe bet too. I like to use any opportunity I can to use my camera, and I love exploring Johannesburg and the surrounds as much as possible.

Tell us a little about your space on the internet and what you blog about? I have no dress or make-up sense, so I am a lifestyle blogger. I blog about the travels I have been lucky enough to embark on, adventures I get up to in Jozi & abroad as well as any other random things that pop into my head from time to time.
What do you think makes a blog successful? Keeping your identity. With so many blogs out there, nobody wants to read a clone of another one. I am not in a competition to out-do another blogger, I find that tends to be the case so many times that blogs end up becoming a recurring loop of the same products and events.

Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? The hope that I will inspire readers to want to explore the world around them and beyond. A fulfilled life is a happy life.
What have your biggest blogging challenges been? Lack of time. Having a full time job with long hours is difficult. I really struggle to find the time to blog.
What do you love most about being a blogger? Our sense of community. We all like pretty things. Our blog is our pretty place on the internet; our virtual lounge where we invite readers to sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and visit a while as we share our tales. We regale each other of our adventures, we share a laugh as we recount the happy moments and we commiserate together during the challenging or sad times.

What has your journey as a blogger taught you {about yourself or in general}? Has it changed your life in any way? I have learnt that it is really important to remain positive. When writing about a problem you may have, nobody wants a “Woe is me” attitude. When you change your mindset, you become a happier person. Blogging has also taught me that it is very important to set schedules for myself, I can very quickly let deadlines run away from me and I need to be as disciplined in my personal life as I am in my work life.
What are your top 5 SA blogs? Purple Lips and Perfect Smiles (http://purplelipsandperfectsmiles.blogspot.com/), Vanilla Blonde (http://www.vanillablonde.co.za/), Tables & Thyme (http://tablesandthyme.co.za/), Meghan Silva’s Blog (http://meghansilva.blogspot.com/), Becoming You (http://www.becomingyou.co.za/)
If you had to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom would you impart? Make a schedule for your posts. Never use pixelated images. Comment on blogs you read (something I am trying to do more of!). Remain true to yourself, blog about what you choose, not what you think others want to read. Most of all, enjoy it.

Thanks to Chantelle from Cocktails and Memories, for sharing a bit more about her life and blogging journey with us! I definitely think it is important to leave comments on blogs we read – something I am also trying to be better at!

If you would like to find out more about Chantelle and connect with her – pop over here:

Blog link: www.cocktailsandmemories.co.za

Twitter: @CocktailMemory

Instagram: Chantellelr

Zomato: @JhbPrincess

If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.

Be Inspired, Blogging, Interviews

{Confessions of a Blogger} Charlotte from The Stilettomum

Charlotte from The Stilettomum…

Today on Confessions of a Blogger we meet Charlotte from the Stilettomum. I remember connecting with Charlotte from the Stilettomum, on social media, shortly after I started blogging in 2010, which is actually the same year she started!

Hi I’m Charlotte and I’m the brain behind The Stilettomum. I blog about everything and anything. My moto is taking on life, love and parenting one stiletto clad step at a time. I finally married the love of my life on 27 December 2014. We have 2 children, Amandalynn age 8 and Lorelai age 5. We stay in Brackenfell in the Western Cape. From 8 -1 daily I am a Personal Assistant to Advocates at the High Court and in the afternoons I am a typical soccer mom.

When did you start your blogging journey and why? I started my blogging journey in March 2010 after I returned to work after maternity leave. I had two reasons for starting the blog, my first was that for my eldest daughter I scrapbooked almost every day of her life, but now with two children I knew I would not have the time and I felt I needed to capture the life of both my children equally. My second reason was because I wanted to say so much about my journey the parenting forums was not really the place. I started out my first blog as Scaredmom for 2 years before I was transformed to The Stilettomum.
Do you blog full time or do you have a 9 – 5 as well? As I mentioned in my intro I work half day. After 10 years of working very long hours I finally landed a half day job which enabled me to do more of my first love, being a partly stay at home mom. I pick the kids up from school, give them lunch, drive them to their activities and this also gives me the time to be more involved with their schools. I am THAT mom, the one who has made sure that she has a seat on almost every school committee and knows more or less everything that goes on at school.

Tell us about your space on the interwebs and what you blog about? I blog over at The Stilettomum (www.thestilettomum.wordpress.com) my catch phrase pretty much sums up what I blog about “Taking on life, love and parenting one stiletto clad step at a time”. Parenting is my main focus and I have blogged about pretty much everything that goes with that. At a stage there was a lot of Maintenance and custody post on my blog as that was what my life revolved around and I hoped by speaking up and sharing that more people with keep fighting for the rights of their children. Currently the blog is more about me and how I handle parenting and its challenges than anything else.
Being a blogger is not easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? My motivation are the people who follow me, I don’t mean as in the amount of people who follow me, but when I meet someone that I didn’t know followed my blog and they tell me how they have read my blog and they think I am brave and strong for all that I have been through and how my honesty give them courage.
What have your biggest blogging challenges been? To keep being honest. I have looked around at the other “successful” parenting blogs and I see a lot of sunshine and daisies. I want to be a success, but I want more than anything to be honest as my blog is after all for my children. It’s hard not to get sucked up in the madness of it all.
What do you love most about being a blogger? The events are my favourite. For me it’s like being invited to a celebrity VIP event as some of the bloggers I have been following for years and meeting them is like meeting Sarah Jessica Parker in person and she knows who you are.
Do you have any blog related or social media pet peeves? Sub tweeting. Yes I have been guilty of this, but when groups of people subtweet about one person, it kills me. I want to rip them all a new one, but I step back and switch off.
What has your journey as a blogger taught you? Has it changed you in anyway? Blogging has helped me find my voice. I think the name of my first blog Scaredmom sort of explains where I was in my life when I started, 5 years later I have learnt to be confident in the decisions I make and that I am in control of my won happiness. It has also changed my life in a way I could have never imagined. I use to live in a bubble and with blogging I have met so many new people, some of them are now very good IRL friends and it has opened so many doors for me as I have been able to work with so many awesome brands.
If you have to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom you impart? Be honest. Be kind, be open and be honest. Decide what kind of blog you want to have and work towards it. Find 2 or 3 blogs that you like and would like to be like when you grow up, mimic the way they do things, follow their example.
In three words tell me what blogging means to you: Freedom, life, memories

Thanks to Charlotte from The Stilettomum for sharing a bit more about her life and blogging journey with us! You looked absolutely gorgeous on your big day! If you would like to find out more about Charlotte and connect with her – pop over here:

Blog Link: The Stiletto Mum https://thestilettomum.wordpress.com/

Facebook: The Stiletto Mum https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stilettomum/181973921888836

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thestilettomum

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thestilettomum/

If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.