Floral Midi Dress

Dress: SheIn (c/o) / Heels: Sam Edelman
Clutch: Valentino / Earrings: Bauble Bar

One thing I love is finding a dress with an amazing print just like this dress from SheIn! I would have to say this dress is so pretty and feminine - it's seriously giving me all the spring vibes. I also love the long sleeves which is perfect for those chilly spring evenings. There is also a slip under the dress so it's not see through and I also like the fact that the slip has adjustable straps. I am wearing a size small for sizing reference. This dress is on sale for just under $30 which I think is a great price point!

One thing I get asked frequently are the quality of SheIn clothing. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the dress. It's very similar to a dress from Zara that I own and honestly for the price point I would go with this one from SheIn anyday!

Pastel Midi Pleated Skirt

Pleated Skirt: H&M / Crewneck Shirt: GAP / Denim Jacket: H&M (Similar)
Heels: Sam Edelman / Crossbody: Tory Burch Robinson
Watch: Movado / Sunglasses: Sperry (Similar)

Happy Thursday everyone! I’m happy to say that spring is FINALLY here and as you can see I'm all about spring fashion! The temperatures have been in the 80’s here in Philadelphia and I’m loving it! I can finally say that I am ready to put away my winter clothes and do a spring cleaning! Who else does a wardrobe switch-out each season? I usually try to do it twice a year – once in the fall and once in the spring. The way it works is that I take out all my clothes for the season and create three files - toss, donate, and keep. It honestly feels so good afterwards when your closet is clean and organized!

I'm also happy to say that pleated skirts are back for spring but updated for the season with pretty pastel colors! One of my new editions to my spring wardrobe is this beautiful mint colored midi pleated skirt. When I put it on my husband was like wow “I love that color and skirt on you!” It’s honestly perfect for spring and it’s under $50! I paired this look with heels to keep the look dressy for the evening but this pleated skirt would also be super cute paired with white sneakers!

I’ve linked a few other of my favorite pastel pleated skirts in the widget below.

The Blog Connect Conference 2018

This past weekend was the third annual Blog Connect Conference #theblogconnect hosted by PHL Bloggers. PHL Bloggers is an amazing community of bloggers and small business owners from the Philadelphia area. The conference was held at the lovely Saxby’s Headquarters at 2300 Chestnut Street. As the event was located at the Saxby’s Headquarters there was free tea and coffee all day long (including latte, espresso, etc. in any size)!

Once you arrived and checked in, you could get your headshot taken by Julia Dent (which I definitely got taken!). Breakfast which was provided by Saxby's consisted of bagels and cream cheese, fruit, and pastries. There was a chance to mingle and get settled in before the conference started promptly at 9:00AM. As this was my second year attending the conference it was so nice to see both familiar and new faces!

This year’s blog theme was: Find Your Roots. It’s all about going deeper into the skills you already have, developing good habits and creating content. There were many wonderful speakers and sessions all day long!

Listing of Speakers:

Emcee

Andy Shaw // Instafather

Keynotes

Sarah Von Bargen // Yes and Yes

Tara Gentile // CoCommercial

Speakers

AK Brown & Diamond Hudson // Just Bloggers: No Explanation

Len Markidan // Podia

Antoinette Minor // The Young Professionalist

Michelle Conron // Cashman & Associates

Judy Freedman // A Boomer's Life After 50

Amber Burns // Space on Third

Panelists

Jessica Lawlor Jessica Lawlor / Melissa Alam Femme & Fortune/ Sarah DeGeorge Socially Dedicated

After the morning speakers, we had lunch catered by Snap Kitchen. Snap Kitchen provides fresh, prepared meals using high quality ingredients. After lunch came the afternoon session with more speakers and breakout session. There was also a mid-afternoon snack break with Federal Donuts (seriously they are SO yummy!).

Here are the FIVE biggest takeaways which I took from the conference:

Morning keynote speaker, Sarah Von Bargen from Yes and Yes made us think What does blogging success look like to you? Success looks and feels different for everyone. In order to reach your version of success, you need to create habits which set you up for success. Those habits can be daily, weekly, monthly, etc - whatever it looks like to you. Success is not measured in how many likes you might get on Instagram or how many followers you have (which is SO important especially in today's world!). It's what makes YOU feel successful.

Len Markidan from Podia did a great presentation on How to earn a living from blogging without sponsors, advertisers, and affiliates. He discussed useful tools and steps in order to come up with a profitable course idea and using Google.com and Reddit.com to do your research in order to find a topic worth teaching. I thought was very informative and this got me thinking how I can apply this to my blog.

Judy Freedman from A Baby Boomer Woman's Life After 50 discussed How to avoid blogger burnout. And YES blogger burnout is a real concept! Judy spoke about mindfulness and certain techniques we can use everyday. One of my favorite techniques she taught us was
STOP – BREATHE – BE.

Antoinette Minor from The Young Professionalist spoke about What to post and how to post on social media. She suggests posting 1x day on Instagram, 2x - 1x day on Facebook, and 3x - 5x on Twitter. I have to admit I never gave much thought into how often or how less I was posting on these social media websites and it's so helpful to have a guide!

Michelle Conron from Cashman & Associates gave us insight into How PR agencies work with Influencers and Clients. Michelle gave us tips on what they look for when vetting through bloggers and influencers. It's also important for bloggers to have consistency among social media platforms (for instance when it comes to branding) and be able to back up your numbers.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, if you ever have the chance to attend a blogging conference I highly suggest it! It may seem intimidating but it’s really great to get out there, network and to meet new people! You honestly never know who you may meet and what new things you may learn. It’s also awesome to be in a room full of individuals who have similar interests with you!

The Suede Skirt You Need for Spring

Suede Skirt: LOFT / White T-Shirt: GAP 
Denim Jacket: H&M (Similar) / Greece Sandals: Steve Madden
Watch: Movado / Sunglasses: Sperry (Similar) 
Necklace: Kate Spade / Crossbody Purse: Tory Burch Robinson

I’m happy to say that I’m in full spring mode and finally wearing my spring outfits! Speaking of spring, I am LOVING this suede skirt from LOFT. It looks like a wrap skirt but it isn’t! I also love the tie detailing and the soft material. I would honestly consider this skirt a neutral piece so I went casual and wore it with a plain tee and a jean jacket. It’s honestly soo easy to re-create this look and I can’t wait to get a lot of use out of this skirt during the spring and summer. I also am also loving these Greece Sandals from Steve Madden. I rarely buy white shoes since they get dirty easily but these have held up really well so far! I can't wait to wear them when we go to Greece next month!

This weekend is The Blog Connect Conference in Philadelphia from Saturday to Sunday! The blog kick off party is Saturday and the actual conference is all day Sunday. This is my second year going and I am super excited! It’s really a great way to meet other bloggers from the area and to listen to some really awesome motivating speakers about various blogging topics! The best part? All the unlimited coffee from Saxby's you want and some awesome serious swag bags!

Asymmetrical Top for Spring Under $100

Top: Endless Rose / Jeans: JCrew
Nude Heels: Sam Edelman / Purse: Tory Burch Robinson
Initial Necklace: Kate Spade / Earrings: Givenchy / Sunglasses: Nicole Miller (Similar)

It’s FINALLY beginning to feel like spring! On Sunday the weather was absolutely gorgeous so the hubby and I decided to venture out for dinner. I love the energy in the city when the weather starts to get warm. It always feels as though everyone is hibernating in the winter and then all at once everyone decides to come out and play. There are always so many people walking around and one of my favorite things to do is to sit outside and have a meal (and of course people watch)! We ventured to Pub & Kitchen on Sunday which is one of my favorite spots for a burger and a  chilled glass of rosé.

I wore this outfit during our dinner outing on Sunday and I just have to talk about how much I love the details on this asymmetrical top. This one is currently on sale for under $100 and is a must have for the spring! I really love fancy tops because I can just throw them on with any jeans and yet look put together. There are also so many similar asymmetrical tops I've been seeing which I am linking below!