domicile 37: Behind the Blogger

Behind the Blogger: My Style 101

March 24, 2016

Behind the Blogger: My Design Journey

February 08, 2016

Behind the Blogger Series: What I have Learned about Blogging

December 11, 2015

Happy Friday and welcome to another Behind the Blogger post. I am joined by Jen from Fresh Crush, Stephanie from Casa Watkins, and Deb from Seeking Lavender Lane. Unfortunately, Ruthie had to sit this month out due to a family emergency, but please do stop by her page and show her some love and check out all her holiday projects. Sending love your way Ruthie!!

Get to know Me // Man Beside the Blogger // A Day in the Life

Today, we will be sharing "what we have learned about blogging." I have learned so much through blogging and I want to be transparent and REAL with y'all when it comes to the game of blogging. Come 2016, I will be blogging for 3 years and my blogging game has changed a lot from when I first started. I thought of different ways of writing this post, but my goal is to share with you the "reality of blogging." This is an honest perception of my blogging journey. Different things work for different people, but I learned so much from blogging with the help of these 5 pointers that I am sharing with you.

5 truths that I am sharing about what I have learned along the way in regards to my blogging journey

1. Invest in your blog- if you are serious about blogging, invest in it. In order to make money, you (may) have to spend money. I am Frugal Fran and the cheapest person I know. Let me state the facts...this tip literally took me a while to learn. I remember early on in my blogging journey, I assumed that once I hit publish, the ball would get rolling, but I did not invest in my blog properly to make the ball roll. I had a wonky camera, I did not purchase a domain, my blog template was whack...I was doing everything wrong and I could not understand. It was not until I was reading a fellow bloggers post about their blogging tools did I realize that I need to make some changes and if I want to brand myself and live up to my style I would have to invest in myself and in my blog. Below are some tools that I have invested in that has taken my blog from a 1 to a 8. I am not perfect, my blog is not perfect, BUT it has improved since making these changes.

GOOD CAMERA

If you visit some of my earlier post, you may have noticed that my photo's suck...like BIG time. Invest in a good camera and learn how to use it. There are plenty of tutorials on Pinterest that can help aid you into taking good photos.

So what does having a good camera have to do with blogging? Well...everything! They say that content is king, but if you do not have good pictures to back it up, it does not mean anything. TRUST ME! I do not know how many times (in the past) I had what I considered great ideas, but I had a wonky camera and took wonky photos, no one paid any mind. If you do not have a good camera, use your smart phone. Since I am a home decor blogger, Pinterest, is one of the best way to share my post....and with that said, most things that get pinned to pinterest are really pretty, bright, crisp photos. I would consider a good camera a must-have for blogging, especially if you are a home decor blogger or plan to be one.

SMART PHONE

I never was one to follow the trends or go off of the hype of something. This past year, we (the mister and I) finally gave in to purchasing a smart phone. I know we are so behind on the trend. The crazy thing is I never cared to have a smart phone nor did I want to pay that much for one. My husband ended up gifting it to me because my old phone was cracked and acting up. Let me just say, my phone up'd my blogging game. I am more active via social media because of it and I use it as a backup camera. Well, lately most to all of my pictures have been taken on my phone.

LAPTOP/DESKTOP

In order to blog you need some type of electronic device to blog on. Way back in the beginning of my blogging days, I blogged off of my iPad....nothing wrong with that. In fact I was able to use so many different apps to help aid my blog...BUT once I viewed my blog on our (the mister's) laptop my images, template, and other pictures were distorted and not as clear as it was on my iPad. So to fix this problem, I purchased a laptop.

2. Social Media is NO joke- Hear me out for a second...without social media, my blog will basically be considered a journal or a "personal" blog. I remember publishing my post and thinking that anyone and everyone would read it, but I was wrong. Without social media, I would have not been able to grow my blog to where it is now. Social media is one of the best way to share your content and spread the word about your blog. Although, I had been blogging for 1.5+ years, it was not until mid-year of this year that I finally started getting serious about blogging...and thank goodness, I had a smartphone to help me with my decision because I do not know what I would have done. There are tools to help bloggers schedule their post unfortunately, I have yet to jump on board. I plan to...everything just happened so fast and I really have not had time to digest everything and figure out how to balance things out. 2016...2016!

3. Stay true to who you are- I can be any type of blogger that I want to be to please my viewers, but I would be lying to myself if I did not stay true to who I am as a person and designer. This can be both easy and hard to do at times. I am me and I do "me" proud, but sometimes I am at a crossroad with whether or not a project will appeal to my audience (or to anyone in general) to a point that I question myself. I know I sound silly, but that is my reality. I have a vision for myself and what I want to become, but I do not know if it translates well with others. That is what I struggle with.

4. Bloggers DO Struggle- Most bloggers will not admit it, but we do struggle...with something. Whether it is our blogging game... our photo taking skills... our story telling...our social media skills...it is always something. As a home decor blogger, I only show so much. For example, I do not show pictures of my house a mess and you can only assume that it is clean 24/7, but guys...I struggle with maintaining a clean house 24/7, but you will never know that because I do not air out my dirty laundry. Just for the books, my BIGGEST blogging struggle is social media...but I hope I can take command of it in 2016.

Sometimes I forget that bloggers are human, we are like everyone else and we are not perfect. Another thing I struggle with is balance. It may seem like I have it all together, but I do not. Life happens and with young kids, there are bound to be endless nights where I am up late working on a project or writing a post that is due the next day. Any blogger can attest, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!

5. Live within your means- This goes hand in hand with "the struggle" and staying true to who you are. Frugal Fran speaking over here...I like fancy things and it does not help that most things that inspire me come from the runway or Lonny magazine, but as a mother to 3 kids I have to live within my means. I am blessed to be able to share my talent with you but it all comes at a price. I would never advise anyone to blog and share tips on how to obtain certain looks so that they can keep up with the Jones', that is not how I do it. Blogging is my side job and when it comes to budgeting for projects, it is an after thought after my bills are paid. LOL. Frugal Fran is who I am, blogging and sharing inexpensive projects is what I do...I am not here to try to impress anyone, I am here to share with people how to create luxe, chic looks for the cheapest price possible. As a home decor blogger, it is easy to get lost into the crowd, I want to stand out...and the only for me to do that is to live within my means and share my talent with all of you.

Live within your means and do NOT get lost along the way! There are a lot of things that are enticing to bloggers, but you have to stay true to who you are as a person.

Well, this is my perspective on what I have learned about blogging. To get the details on what other bloggers think or have learned about blogging, please visit

Jen from Fresh Crush // Stephanie from Casa Watkins // Deb from Seeking Lavender Lane

Behind the Blogger: A Day in the Life

November 03, 2015

Hello and Happy Tuesday! Welcome to another Behind the Blogger Series. Today we are sharing "A Day in the Life" ---basically a day in OUR life. Some of us will share how blogging intertwines with our personal life, others will concentrate on other areas, but all-in-all, this is REAL LIFE! If you have missed my past two previous post, you can check it out here and here.

Blogging series sharing what life is like behind the blog

Stephanie from Casa Watkins // Deb from Seeking Lavender Lane

Jen from Fresh Crush // Ruthie from Refashionably Late

Before I break down my day for you, I want you to know that before I am a blogger, I am a mom. The more serious I get about blogging the more I realized that some people forget that. They see that I posted something on Facebook or Instagram and assume that is how I spend my day. Although, I am busy on the daily, I am busy primarily because of the life I live with my family. Blogging is secondary and something I love to do, but it does not replace my job as a mother and wife.

In the last Behind the Blogger, Man Beside the Blogger, I shared with you my love and for those who do not know...He is a Strength Coach. With that said, he is a very busy man and works extremely long hours and depending on the sporting season sometimes I only see him a couple hours a day or a few hours a week.

My day normally starts off between 5:30 and 6 am. I wake up, pray, and depending on the day I may meditate and read scriptures or inspirational talks--This is something that I am working on. I am not perfect, but I do understand the importance of mediation and setting that time apart to focus on spiritual growth. After that, I start networking. Whenever I schedule a post, I schedule it to go out super early in the morning so I have to to network and get my post out there. I continue to do this until 7am. Once it is is 7am, my focus is on my kids and getting them ready for school.

When it comes to my kids morning routine...All hell breaks loose because the mornings are one of the most HECTIC part of my day...It is ridiculous. I have 3 kids that I am responsible for looking somewhat decent on the daily. ALL of my kids dress themselves, yes you read that right, everyone from my 7 year old to my 3 year old dresses themselves. I basically, get my girls clothes ready for the week, fix their hair, make sure they brush their teeth, have their snacks for the day ready, shoes on, and bags packed. I have one hour to get my kids ready. Once they are ready, we all sit down at the dining table read scriptures as a family and say a daily family prayer. This normally last between 5-10 minutes. Then it is off to school.

I have two kids in school and one child who attends speech classes every day of the week at different times every day. So depending on the day, his classes may be in the morning or the middle day. After I drop my girls off at school, I have my son with me. We normally eat breakfast once we come back home or in the car. After breakfast is eaten, I normally clean or pickup the house for an hour. While doing this I like to listen to inspirational talks. This normally calms me from my hectic morning.

After my one hour of cleaning is over. I do more networking, sharing of my post(s), and blog. I normally have approximately 3 hours of doing this. I try to schedule certain task to do on certain days. This is also the time frame that I work on my tutorials or projects. I live in a dungeon so this is when the most natural light is in my house and the best time for me to take pictures. If I am sitting down and networking, I normally have my son sitting on my lap or on the chair next to me working on some educational games on the iPad or I use my multitasking skills and we are working with flashcards on his articulation. If the weather is nice and I am working on a tutorial or project my son will watch a little bit of TV or play with his toys. Also during this time, my son and I will eat lunch or a snack then I lay him down for a nap. You may have noticed that I do not take my son outside during this time. I normally allow my son to play outside prior to or after his speech class or when we pick his sisters up. We do not have outdoor space for him to run around. I know I sound like a boring mom, but this is what works for us. Please do know, my blogging life is extremely unorganized as I have a difficult time sitting still for so long and get distracted easily. This is just a schedule I try to stick to, but sometimes it does not work.

By now most of my day is gone and around 1:30, I start wrapping up my networking and prep myself to lay my head down for a nap. I take a nap on the regular, it allows me to clear my mind from the blogging world and focus on the task of being a mom. Sometimes this is when inspiration sparks...well, anytime I sleep my thoughts come together...it is very comforting and soothing. Once my nap is over, I pick my girls up from school.

After school is a special time for me. I put my computer down and try not to schedule errands during this time, unless necessary. This is the time I dedicate to my daughters and I call it quiet time. I literally sit beside my daughters and help them with their homework. Some may say I am a helicopter parent and to some degree, I am, but it is my duty to make sure that they are completing their homework and that their projects are turned in on time. I do not coddle them and hold their hand when they do homework but I am there more as support...if they have a question. I love them and I want them to succeed.

We normally work on homework for an hour (sometimes longer), then I begin making dinner. I am typically cleaning the kitchen and preparing dinner at the same time. We all have chores in our house and this is the time that my kids help out. From the time I pick my kids up from school to the time they go to bed, their (my kids) time is my time. I may check my phone here and there during this time, but I am not actively blogging or on social media during this time.

Once the kids are asleep, I catch up on my social media and I go through my blog. I normally do not write my blog post during the week, but I do look over my it during the week and make edits during this time. Oh, and this is when I binge watch TV and spend time with the mister.

This is truly a day in the life...of my life. Thank you for stopping by and don't forget to check out my blogging buddies sites to get the details on a day in their life.

Stephanie from Casa Watkins // Deb from Seeking Lavender Lane

Jen from Fresh Crush // Ruthie from Refashionably Late

Behind the Blogger: Man Beside the Blogger

October 06, 2015

Behind the Blogger: Get To Know Me

September 07, 2015

Happy Monday and Labor Day Folks!

Me and a group of some of my favorite home decor bloggers decided to host a "Behind the Blogger" series that will span 6 months. The premises behind this series is to give a little bit of an insight of who we are behind the blog and what inspires us to be the designers we are.

Blog hop series that gives an insight to who we are as bloggers

I shared a bit about me when I was nominated for a Liebster Award.

Here is a little more About me:

Call me Jess or Jessica, but not Jessie.

My family is INTERRACIAL, both me and the mister are mixed (the mister is Irish and Samoan and I am Black and Filipino).

People always ask me the weirdest questions in regards to my kids...Like am I their nanny? Are they ALL mine?, What are they?, etc...

I love LOVE love "Once Upon the Time," watching reruns of "The Game"--#teammelanieandderwin and I am bummed they canceled "Witches of East End"

I cut my hair more than a year ago and it has taken FOREVER and a day to grow back.

I have naturally curly hair...and look extremely different when it is straight.

Why did I start a blog?

I wanted to start a blog back in 2008, I just did not know how and whether it was the right time. I am glad I did not...I mean, what would I have written about?...I was a fresh out of college, newly married, and a new mom. My lifestyle, probably would not interest many people.

Something clicked the ending of 2012 and I made the decision to start a blog come the new year. With a background in design, I new that was the niche I wanted to tackle. I have an eclectic style with a vintage, edgy flair and I wanted to share it with you....I have to start somewhere, right?

My blogging goals:

To be honest, this blog is one way I plan to brand myself. When I was in college I had these dreams of becoming a successful Architect and making it into "Southern Home Magazine"...Yep, you read that right. At that time in my life I wanted to be an Architect and "Southern Home Magazine" was one of the top magazine's back in the day. It was not until after my second child was born that I realized that becoming an Architect is not the path I wanted to take and that my true passion was interior design. When I was in college I did not heed to the signs--everyone told me I had an eye for interior design...I was even told to double major in Interior Design and Industrial Design (<The field I majored in), but I chose not to listen. I guess you can say, blogging is a way of expressing myself and my design style. Although I am older and have 3 kids who are attached to my hip, I still have dreams and those dreams will become my reality. My success may not be big and grand, but I whole-heartedly believe that I will accomplish my goals--the fight is in me.

What do I like about blogging:

I never knew that I could find friends through blogging. I have built some great relationships with some of my favorite bloggers and I am so thankful for that! I am a bit of an introvert and I can count my closest friends on one hand. I am not one to wonder into the wilderness and to just put myself out there.....So this is BIG for me.

If I can go back is there anything I would change about my blog and why?

Good question! I would have definitely invested in a better camera BEFORE I started blogging. I waited a year after I started my blog to purchase a DSLR and shot everything on a point and shoot digital camera prior to my purchase...and looking back, my blog photos were horrible.

Do you have any advice to share with a newbie blogger?

Be patient, try not to stress yourself out, and make some friends along the way.

Please stop by the other host's site to learn more about them behind the scene's.

Casa Watkins // Seeking Lavender Lane // Fresh Crush // Refashionably Late

Behind the Blogger: My Style 101

Behind the Blogger: My Design Journey

Behind the Blogger Series: What I have Learned about Blogging

Behind the Blogger: A Day in the Life

Behind the Blogger: Man Beside the Blogger

Behind the Blogger: Get To Know Me

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Behind the Blogger: My Style 101

Behind the Blogger: My Design Journey

Behind the Blogger Series: What I have Learned about Blogging

Behind the Blogger: A Day in the Life

Behind the Blogger: Man Beside the Blogger

Behind the Blogger: Get To Know Me

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