Links à la Mode

Happy Friday! If you haven't already seen, one of my posts was chosen by Independent Fashion Bloggers to be featured in this weeks Links à la Mode. It's a real honor to see my blog listed with so many amazing bloggers! Check them out. There are some amazing writers out there!

A Stylish Salad

Edited by: Jess of Fresh Jess

This is my last turn as editor for Links a la Mode, and what a treat it’s been! I’ve read hundreds of blog posts and discovered some wonderful reads I would never have found otherwise. The IFB community is a true gem on the interwebz. There’s a salad in this week’s picks that reflect the entire IFB palate: thoughtful perspectives to incite dialogue, a peek into some of fashion’s biggest events, helpful tips to better your blogging or style, and outfit posts that truly reflect personal style. Some posts are fun and cheeky, not taking fashion seriously. Others are passionate and conversational. All of them reflect IFB as a community. IFB is an invaluable resource for networking and furthering our skills as bloggers, and I’m glad to be here. I’m glad you are too.

Links à la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup For February 28th:

• Aesthete: Lighten Up, Suzy Menkes
• All Things Kate: Haters Gonna Hate
• Awkward City, Population 1: NYFW ‘13: All of Your Wildest Most Terrible Dreams
• Collections and Volumes: Pushing the Envelope
• Elle Yeah: London Fashion Week Diary A/W ‘13: Day 1
• Fashsin City: Barren Boho
• Fleur d’Elise: 5 Tips for Better Blogging
• I’m an Airhead: I Love You Blair Waldorf
• Informed Style: My Informed Style: What to Wear for Paris Fashion Week
• Laura Valuta: Style Post
• Living After Midnite: Room for Style: Fashion with Complementary Colors
• Lollie Shopping: MAGIC Market Week Las Vegas Recap
• Look Sharp, Sconnie: I Support Swag; Pros and Cons of “C/O”
• Nicole’s Revolution: Fashion Friday – OOTD Kid’s Wear
• Pish Posh Perfect: Well-Organized Closet: Ways to Maximize a Small Space
• Sara Constance: How To: Night and Day Outfit
• Simply Frabulous: Unique, Innovative, Brilliant. Prada AW13
• Spy Girl: Tech Tip: Using Google Images Search with Pinterest
• The Stylist: 15 Fashion Bloggers Then and Now
• Under a Veil: Zoon In: Etro SS 2013 – The Asian Legacy

SPONSOR:

Shopbop New: LA’t, Steven Alan, Golden Lane Bags, A.N.D jeans., Ivy Kirzhner, Chrissie Morris, Blazers, Haus Alkire, NSF, Linea Pelle, H by Hudson

5 Tips for Better Blogging

Many of these tips you've already heard, like "host a giveaway to draw an audience" or "Use Twitter to promote". The problem you may have run into though, is many times you don't know how to draw the traffic to your giveaway or where to find linkies, lists of useful tags, etc. Here, I've compiled a short list of my favorite tools and resources. I hope it's useful!

1. Improve your Page Rank
You know that famous blogger that has a thousand comments? Well, don't skip leaving your two cents! Leave a nice comment and make sure to include a link to your blog. More than likely, the famous blogger has a higher Page Rank than you, and leaving your link can actually help improve your page rank!

This html link code works in most comment fields

2. Expand your tag vocabulary
I use Google Keywords tool to make sure I'm using the most efficient tags and labels in each post.

3. Giveaways Linkies
You might already know this, but giveaways can really help to get your blog noticed. Sometimes it's tricky getting the word out about the giveaway, though. I've had really good luck with linkies hosted by sites like Tight Wad in Utah and, if you're giving something away that's from an Etsy shop, you should definitely submit your link to the Etsy Giveaway Blog.

4. Edit your photos. For free!
You don't have to spend hours or even splash out the big bucks for PhotoShop. Just little tweaks like upping the contrast or adjusting the colors can make a huge difference. I use Pixlr.com, which is amazing. It's easier than Gimp and has way more feature than the editor in Windows Photo Gallery.

5. Tweet efficiently
Maybe I'm just bad at Twitter, but I'm always kind of at a loss as to what hastags to use to promote blog tweets. I'm getting better at, but when I have a Twitter block, I use this list of hashtags for fashion bloggers from Natasha over at One Woman's Style Evolution.

If you found these tips helpful, you might also want to read this post about promoting your fashion blog.

♠

Blogger's Tool Kit: 4 must-haves & a giveaway

BLOGGER TOOL KIT by fleur-d-elise on Polyvore

Here's a short list of the basic items in my "blogger's tool kit". They all help me stay organized and encourage the flow of ideas.

1. Notebooks & Pens
I keep a notebook and pens with me so I can write down post ideas or make notes on things I read in magazines.

2. Page Markers
Great for marking pages in those huge September issues! This set from Semikolon comes with page markers in 12 different colors; perfect for color coding! You can also write on them.

3. Calling Cards
These are so important! They're key to promoting your blog and networking. You can make them yourself or order a custom set. Pixelimpress on Etsy has some great options at a reasonable price (50 cards for $25).

4. Magazine Subscriptions

I treat these like textbooks. Actually, better than textbooks. I actually read them! A couple times a week, I pack up my "tool kit" and the latest issues of Vogue and Bazaar and head to a cafe to "study". If you're not a fan of the traditional magazines, like Vogue, I would recommend Nylon, PaperMag, or Lumiere.

And now for the giveaway!

I have two (2!) prizes this time! 

How to enter:

1. Like Fleur d'Elise on Facebook +1

2. Leave a comment telling me which prize you prefer +1

3. Tweet about the giveaway +1

Make sure you check off each entry on the Rafflecopter Widget below! If you don't, I won't be able to count your entries.

Sorry, the giveaway is only open to U.S. and Canadian residents. Postage is too expensive :(

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Featured on...

Had two nice surprises today! 

Surprise #1 I've been featured on the blog Fashion & Ice

To read the article click here!

A big thank you to Fashion & Ice :) I'm quite flattered!
♠

Surprise #2 I finally found myself on the Alexis Magazine website! My looks have been featured alongside a lot of amazing fashion bloggers; Ebba Zingmark, Blake Jacobson, and Aminta, just to name a few :)

Click Click Click!
♠

things to come

“I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it” 

― Thomas Jefferson

It's been one of those weeks where I've been alternating between bored and excited. My husband was out of town all week, so the evenings were slow and my dog just doesn't get the jokes on 30 Rock.

On the other hand, I've started nannying for a new family. The little girl is about 18 months, so the action is pretty much non-stop when I'm with her! I've also been working on two exciting projects. One is with a local boutique and the other is international (!). I can't say too much about the projects right now, but you won't have to wait too long. They'll each get a separate post sometime this coming week! What I can say, though, is that I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of both; the local one especially. I got to work with some really lovely people and hope to work with them again in the future.

I hope your weekend is filled with the same kind of lovely weather that we're having here in Seattle :)

Flattery & Features

Two lovely ladies have featured me on their blogs this week! I feel linking back to their blogs in the least I can do!

The first: Bella at Citizen Rosebud

Bella is a trend-setter, not a trend follower, and we are lucky to have her here in Seattle :)

Click here to see her Seattle Bloggers meet-up post.

The second: Lisa at Fashion My Legs

This is a new blog and I am the very first post!!

A big thanks to both bloggers for featuring me :)

Update: I've been featured a third time this week! Check out my picture alongside many, many other stylish ladies over at Strumpfmode 

Twitter Tuesday Interview

The lovely Collette of Statements in Fashion has chosen me for this weeks Twitter Tuesday feature!! I am flattered, honored, and feel so lucky that I get to call her "friend". She is a lovely lady and so inspiring. Every time I visit her blog I learn or discover something new. Regardless of the interview, you really must visit her blog!

Click here to read the interview!

F21 Feature

Finally, all that money spent at Forever21 has paid off. LOL! j/k! But seriously, they were so kind as to feature me on The Skinny, which is Forever21's bloggity blog.

I am featured alongside 3 other lovely ladies, all of whom have much better picture quality! (I think it is high time I educate myself in the way of taking-nicer-photos). While I'm doing that, why don't you check it out!

hello there!

Oh goodness! This always happens. I go on vacation and my whole flow is completely interrupted. It takes me weeks to get back into the swing of things. I'm surprised I am even back on my regular work schedule. And, of course, breaking my camera on vacation doesn't help in the blogging department. It's just the LCD screen that's broken, but it still makes it hard to take pictures since I can't tell what it's focusing on and I can't use any of the menu options. These pomegranates were photographed just 2 days before the fateful drop. I have never seen them "out in the wild."

We had a wonderful trip, my feet felt quite nearly fantastic, and I was even able to go shopping at Zara! We don't have any in Seattle, so it was a real treat. I'm a little disappointed in the quality, but I'll leave that topic for another post.

Hope you are all well! xoxo

New URL!

You probably haven't noticed, but Blogger is now redirecting you to a new web address! I splurged on a fancy new domain name! Ok, it only cost $10. But now it's mine!
The new address is http://www.fleur-d-elise.net


Please update your bookmarks and such :)



Follow my blog with Bloglovin

In this look:
H&M sweater
Forever21 maxi skirt & glasses
American Apparel leather pouch
Thrifted leather belt

The blogger's tool kit

My blog posts have gotten all out of order. I'm pretty behind, too. I post pictures on Chictopia and Lookbook the next day, if not the same day I take them. It takes a little longer for the picture to end up on my blog, though. I should probably prioritize a little better, but a blog post takes a little more thought! This post was actually started long ago, but got interrupted. Many of you have probably even seen these pictures already on Lookbook, etc.

Back to prioritizing... I'm not convinced the blog is the most important place for someone to share their musings and outfits. Sure it is more personalized and presents a broader perspective of you as a stylist (chef, crafter, etc.), but it's also harder for company and fashion reps to find, unless you have a huge, well-established fan base.

Which brings me to another topic, how do you establish that fan base? Do you just wait around and hope a persons random Google search leads them here? Or even more reliable, wait for them to Stumble your blog; that could take a 100 years! That's why sites like Chictopia, Lookbook, and even Hypeed (my least favorite, read why) are such important tools! I've been contacted for features and events through Lookbook more often than any of the other websites or services I use, even my own blog! I think one reason is that these sites, or communities, are almost like having a built-in fan base. The readers are right at your finger tips. They only have to search for "stripes" or "American Apparel" as opposed to entire sentences that magically have something to do with your blog. It still takes some work, but you are definitely more visible within these communities. Think of the internet as the ocean, and fashion communities as a smaller inlet or harbor connected to the ocean. It's much easier for the big fish (clothing companies, magazines, etc.) to catch the little fish in a smaller body of water, instead of trying to track them down in the ocean. Ok, so that's not a perfect metaphor. Unless we're talking about Anna Wintour, these bigger fish I speak of aren't actually gonna eat you, but you are part of the fashion food chain now!

The next thing to do is attract the fans you've gained in fashion communities to your blog, which is where you are going to show people that you have the brains, style, and charisma to make it in a sea of other fashion blogs. This is something I'm still working on; my writing skills are not as strong as I'd like them to be, I run out of topics, and I need to find a photographer I'm comfortable with, but I am 100% dedicated to this blog and drive can make all the difference. If you work hard at something you are passionate about, you will at least enjoy the ride, even if it doesn't get you exactly where you wanna be.Check out my latest feature on STYLEPANTRY.COM!!!

In this outfit:

Thrifted United Colors of Benetton sweater

Forever21 skirt

Chloe Prince Calf flats

Vintage purse

Unexpected

Tonight, out of the blue, American Apparel contacts me on Lookbook.nu. Turns out I'm featured in their What's New section of the website. Click here to see the look featured on American Apparel.com I'm the 12th picture down.


I'm so excited!!! Just wanted to share the happy news with you all. Have a great weekend!

Faux Fall

I really wanted to dress for Fall, but it was 80 degrees out, so I had to fake it. It seems like I’ve done a lot of this this summer. For the magazine shoots in July we had to dress for Fall, and even though it wasn’t very hot, it was incredibly muggy and very uncomfortable wearing jackets and hats. I learned, though, that adding some key pieces-a hat or scarf, maybe a jacket just on your shoulders-can really make an outfit look seasonal without making you too miserable, plus you can take them right off when you’re done shooting. So for any of you ladies (and gents) who live in warmer climates where you don’t get cold weather even in January, why not style those looks anyway? This whole blogging thing is about developing your styling talents, so why not push yourself and experiment in areas of fashion you’re not as experienced in? This goes for everyone in cold climates, too!


For me, styling is like playing dress up; I can go wherever I want and be whoever I want just by changing my skirt. Today, I’ve decided to go to Post-War Paris. Where do you want to go?

In this outfit:
Vintage wool beret
Vintage velvet midi skirt
GAP t-shirt and cardigan
Xhilaration flats

Birthday, giveaway, and big news!

Today is the one year anniversary of Fleur d'Elise! It's been a great year :) I have met so many wonderful bloggers and connected to so many amazing blogs and communities, thanks to this blog.

Some Stats:
In total, I've posted 131 blogs articles (not including this one)
Gained 104 followers via Google
Since I started using StatCounter.com in April, I've had over 4000 visitors

Here is a picture from my first post

This is from my second post


The past couple of weeks I've been immensely busy with work and planning my wedding reception, but I've been thinking about the blog and all of you a lot. Mostly I just feel guilty; I've neglected something I really care about, but sometimes it can't be helped! I've also been trying to figure out how to my measure my blog's success now that it's a year old. Is it the number of followers? The number of comments? The number of affiliates or official recognitions? It would make more sense that success is a product of all those things, and not just one.

For instance, 104 followers is a drop in the bucket when compared to the fan base of other more established bloggers, but I am lucky and flattered to have everyone of you. I'm also thrilled to share some awesome news with you: I've been contacted by Glamour for a street style photo shoot and I am a finalist in Marie Claire's What I Love About Me Contest! I am not guaranteed to be in either magazine, but the simple fact that they would even be interested in considering me for publication is completely awesome! As stressed as I am this week, I am feel completely blessed. Thank you all for your support and readership. I would not have come so far without it.

And now for my official THANK YOU! It's time for another giveaway!

One lucky reader will win this necklace and vibrant lipstick. The necklace is from Forever21 and features a Goldstone pendant and I've added a pink ribbon. It's very similar to a bracelet I made back in January. The lipstick is a Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Siren. It's a gorgeous, creamy orange-red and is one of the colors I recommended in this post. It's a fantastic shade for Summer and will look stunning with dark and muted colors this Fall.

Ok, so to enter:
Follow me via Google or BlogLovin' +1
Like Fleur d'Elise on Facebook +1
Link to my blog/giveaway on your blog +2
Remember to leave me a comment with your name and email and links!

The giveaway will end in one week. Good luck!

Versatile Blogger

First, I must apologize, because I believe one of my blogger friends has already given me this wonderful award, but I didn't remember till just now! I am sorry I am so feather-brained.
Second, the beautiful and talented Ashley over at StyleCurrent has bestowed this award on me again and written the most wonderful things about me. It made me cry. (Stay tuned for a post dedicated completely to Ashley's amazing sense of style!)

Seven things you might not know about me:
1. I was a ballet dancer from the ages of 3 years to 9 years. I even danced in the Nutcracker!

2. I really, really like bugs & spiders, and have since a young age. I am still thinking about becoming an entomolgist when I grow up. I have all the gear and even pin my own beetles and have spiders in preserving fluid.

3. I have fighter pilot vision. I will be so sad when my eyesight goes, because I won't be able to draw itty-bitty anymore.

4. I lived in Basingstoke, Hampshire for 7 months and I've been there on vacation 2 other times. England is my first true love.

5. The only thing I'm allergic to is shrimp; the little tiny cocktail kind. I puke a lot. The strange thing is that I can eat every other kind of shrimp and shellfish in existence.

6. I have a short attention span. Seven things is too many.

7. When I was little I used to plan huge reenactments of Disney movies. I would make my little sisters dress up like mermaids and we would perform Little Mermaid songs for our dinner guests. I also spent the 2 weeks before my 7th birthday rehearsing Beauty & The Beast and assigning parts to my guests, but it never happened. We didn't have enough kids for all the parts.

And now to pass the award along!

Haiku Ambulance: Zoe is so nice and so cool! Gorgeous, talented, funny; what more could you want! Her blog is always a pleasure to read, so make sure you don't just gawk at the great outfits! Read!

This Charming Style: Harriet has such a unique style and great personality. Definitely a Style Icon!

Papillon Chouette : I'm lucky to know Angie. Like all the girls on this list, I wish I knew her in real life! She's a great writer, as well as having a style all her own, so I encourage you to read her blog!

RedPoppy Fashion: Tanya is an amazing local blogger, who I completely admire. She's insightful and has a great eye for fashion. She also makes gorgeous hats!

RAGS against the MACHINE: Terri is a great writer and has such a classic sense of style!

Statements In Fashion : Collette is so inspirational. She is talented and incredibly hardworking. She is also gorgeous and has a great sense of style. I think she is an important voice in the blogging world, and you should be paying attention to her!

Gather 'round class

It's time for sharing!

Time to rethink this ol' blog. As much as I love changing outfits and posting photos about my indecision, it's high time I share my other hobbies and thingies that I'm fond of. I wasn't sure exactly where this blog would go when I started it, but I definitely believed that, at some point, it would involve my craftiness.

I've been changing outfits since I figured out how to open a dresser door. The next things I learned to do were drawing and making. Again, thanks mom, for the things you subjected me to as a child. Subscriptions of Victorian Magazine and Martha Stewart cookbooks were always around. My mom made Croquembouche for my sister's baptism, which is a bit higher than I aim, but inspirational nonetheless. Anyhoo, Martha Stewart's beautiful creations are cemented deep in my memory (and of course, I have a subscription).



My point IS, I'm gonna start blogging about the stuff I make! I am more prolific in the Winter, so it makes sense. Fashion in the Spring, Summer, and early Fall, and crafts and as much fashion as I can fit in, during the dreary months.

A How-To post is coming very soon :)