Forgive me! This weekend was very active and as I get closer to my due date, there are just more things I have to focus on. In the interim, I’m excited to share today’s post. I haven’t really done a Blogging 101 post in a while due to lack of blogging but there are some ways that you can go into 2015 ready to make it your best blogging year to date.

Do Your Best Planning Early

One of the things that I’ve taken into account this year in working with brands and operations is that the earlier you have ideas is the easier it is to execute on them. There are only eight full days remaining in the year and what planning have you done for your blog next year? Challenge yourself to take time during the next few days to just write down ideas. The more ideas you have is the easier it is to refine those ideas into future content. Here are a few ideas to get your planning session started:

• Take a look at the past
  • Looking at what worked for you in 2014 and what didn’t might help you develop a better sense of understanding of what you want for your blog in 2015.
• Get a great planner.
  • It’s sometimes easier to see things planned out in front of you in an organized fashion.
  • There are hundreds of planners now available and dedicated to blogging which include planning sheets that make your life easier!
• Plan realistically.
  • My blog plans for 2015 are quite different after experiencing this pregnancy. While it’s been pretty easy, the reality of being pregnant and having high-demand clients meant there wasn’t a lot of time for me to put into the blog as I had originally planned. This year, I’m being realistic about my time and putting my goals once again towards quality versus quantity.

Build Your Relationships

I can honestly say this has been my saving grace this year. If you haven’t worked on building relationships with other bloggers, you have to start now. Being able to connect with others in your niche, helps you stay relevant and introduces you to a new audience. Plan on making the new year, the year of your blog friendships.

• Start reading and commenting.
  • If you don’t already, you need to start reading other blogs. Reading blogs isn’t just informative; it helps you find people who are like yourself!
  • If you aren’t commenting, do so! You will find that bloggers are more inclined to connect with other bloggers via comments and then you can grow from there.
• Be genuine.
  • I say this in every post I share about blogger connections because it’s the most important factor. Please be genuine in the things you say or do towards others online. Genuine relationships are much more beneficial than ones that are only looking for self-gain.
• Nourish your blog friendships.
  • I wasn’t as great this year as I previously have been but it’s important to nourish your blog friendships. Send out quick emails or mail cards throughout the year just to show your appreciation. Have a coffee chat with a local blog friend and catch up! Blog friendships, like all relationships, must be maintained sincerely.

Put Yourself First

My biggest pet peeve with blogging advice is that it’s generally reader-centric. Don’t get me wrong, my readers are amazing! I love to get emails and comments from people who find this blog helpful and insightful. However, the reality of blogging weighs down on you as a person. I would love to have a million daily hits but in reality, I’m not putting in the work that requires it because it’s not what this blog needs from me. In 2015, approach your blog with yourself in mind. You want to make this space about you and being the best you attracts people who want to hear what you have to say.

• Numbers aren’t everything.
  • In this upcoming year, make a conscious effort to avoid statistics being how you measure your success. We’re in an age where transparency can often cause competitiveness in an unhealthy way. I think to be successful, you must truly measure your success in a way that works for you. Set small goals and work towards building your way up. Oprah wasn’t built in a day.
• Your health matters.
  • I don’t talk about my health journey here too often but health is very important to me. I think bloggers often put themselves aside to reach goals, especially when blogging is your full time job. This year, take time out to put your mental and physical health in a good place. Carve out an hour for you! Your readers will appreciate you coming to your blog with with a renewed spirit and it helps avoid blogger burnout.
• Do what makes you happy.
  • This is your blog space! Do what makes you happy. We often tend to rely on blogging trends to guide our content. Create the content that works best for you because trends are so short-lived. You want to be able to look at your blog a year from now and still see the beauty in what you’ve created.

These are just a few tips to get you into 2015. What are your plans for the new year? Feel free to share below!

The post Blogging 101: Setting Intentions for 2015 appeared first on Studio 404 Paper.

TGIF! This week has been full of ups and downs for me but I’m still here and posting! In case you’ve missed any of the amazing 12 Days of Christmas posts, check the tag and get caught up.

Today’s freebie is brought to you by the very talented Kory Woodard. I’ve been reading Kory’s blog for the past two years almost and have really come to enjoy her as a designer and blogger. She’s extremely talented and is working towards building her business helping brands.

Connect with Kory: Portfolio | Blog | Dribbble | Google+ |  Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

The post 12DOC: Holiday Printable by Kory Woodard appeared first on Studio 404 Paper.

Hello friends! I’m so excited to share another freebie during this 12 Days of Christmas. Today’s gift is a lovely hand lettered wallpaper by the amazing Kelsey of Pinegate Road. I’m so excited to have Kelsey’s work on the blog as she is such an inspiration to me. It’s never too late to get your desktop and devices holiday ready so be sure to download.

Download: 2560×1440 | 1920×1200 | 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×800 | iPad – Horizontal | iPad – Vertical | iPhone

Connect with Kelsey: Blog / Studio | Shop | Instagram | Bloglovin | Dribbble | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter

The post 12DOC: Christmas Wallpaper by Pinegate Road appeared first on Studio 404 Paper.

I’m so sorry for not getting this up yesterday! I’ve got a lot going on over here so please forgive me over the next few days if posts are late. 🙂 I’m so excited to be a part of this giveaway. The Blog Action Planner is my favorite item to share with blog clients to help them get their blog in shape! This giveaway will be going until the end of the year so be sure to enter to win.

The 2015 Blog Action Planner is the ultimate planner for bloggers, entrepreneurs, small business owners… basically anyone that wants to start a blog. It’s more than your average blogging planner as it provides you with a monthly blueprint that will help you navigate easier in the blogosphere in 2015. This planner provides everything you’d need to manage your blog—from post planning to keeping track of sponsors to measuring your social media analytics. You won’t find no frills here, less is definitely more when it comes to the minimalist layout & clean design.

The 2015 Blog Action Planner is a printable PDF file that includes:

• 2015 Year At A Glance
• 2015 Editorial Calendar
• Monthly Calendar (Jan 2015 – Dec 2015)
• Weekly To Do List
• Daily Post Promotion Checklist (Jan 2015 – Dec 2015)
• Monthly Blog Sponsors
• Financial Report (Jan 2015 – Dec 2015)
• Monthly Income Report
• Monthly Expense Report
• Login Information
• Blog Metrics
• Social Media Analytics
• Post Content Planner
• Blog Series Planner
• Blog Conference Notes
• Affiliate Information
• Giveaway Tracker
• Blog Maintenance
• Contacts
• Notes
• Writing Prompts (Jan 2015 – Dec 2015)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post 12DOC: 2015 Blog Action Planner Giveaway appeared first on Studio 404 Paper.

Welcome to day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas! I’m so excited to share more holiday themed posts with you for the next eight days. Today’s post is from a 12 Days of Christmas veteran, Melissa of Blush & Jelly. Melissa owns Jelly Design Studio, a WordPress & Blogger template shop. She also creates beautiful custom websites for bloggers and I’m quite biased because she’s basically my neighbor. I really love the holiday Facebook headers Melissa created for you guys and I hope you love them as much as I do. Just right-click to save them onto your desktops!

The post 12DOC: Holiday Facebook Headers appeared first on Studio 404 Paper.

Welcome to day three of the 12 Days of Christmas! I’m so excited to be sharing my first guest post in this year’s holiday posts from my very lovely friend, Charisma Moran of Charisma Moran Photography. Charisma is a very talented photographer and creative who lives here in Orlando. She has such a great spirit and I enjoyed sharing her artist showcase here on the blog a few months ago.

As a self proclaimed Christmas fanatic, I love so much about this holiday season. One of my very favorite things about the holidays is all of the bright twinkling lights. There are so many different ways to capture Christmas lights with your camera but one of the more popular options (and my personal favorite) is a technique called bokeh.

Bokeh is a particular quality of blur created in the part of an image that it out of focus. Bokeh is most commonly circular but it is possible to create bokeh of different shapes and sizes. Widely used among photographers and amateurs alike around the year, bokeh is extremely popular during the Christmas season. Even if you are not a professional photographer, bokeh can be an easy and fun addition to your personal holiday photos.

When preparing your camera settings, the most important thing to remember is that you want your aperture to be wide open. The wider your aperture is, the better the bokeh will be. You can achieve these images with the lights in your home on or off, depending on what your preference is. I usually prefer any other lights but the ones on my tree to be off.

Once you have decided on how much additional lighting you prefer, you can set your ISO to the lowest number that will work with your widest aperture. You won’t need an incredibly long shutter speed, the way you would when normally shooting Christmas lights in low light.

Now turn off your autofocus and have some fun! Once you get the hang of it, bokeh is pretty easy and incredibly fun.

Connect with Charisma: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest  | Twitter

The post 12DOC: How to Create Beautiful Bokeh in your Christmas Pictures appeared first on Studio 404 Paper.

Hello! It’s time for another year of 12 Days of Christmas. For the next twelve days, I’ll be delivering holiday-themed content, not only from myself but some of my favorite bloggers as well. If you haven’t been reading this blog all month for the obvious lack of updates, just be sure to tune in for the next twelve days.

Last year, I gave away the original version of the Make Beautiful Things print and this year, I’m giving away a holiday edition. These were recently included in the swag bag’s of yesterday’s Meet and Make hosted by my lovely friend, Sarah of Sarah Hearts. I’m so excited to share these with you and can’t wait to give one away to a lucky winner!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post 12 Days of Christmas: Print Giveaway appeared first on Studio 404 Paper.

Merry, Merry Christmas friends! Thank you so much for sharing this year with me and taking such a big risk in moving my domain after seven years. I’m very excited to finish planning out posts for the first quarter in 2014. I have some amazing things planned but in the meanwhile, here are a few of my favorite posts from 2013.

Ask A Freelancer: On Raising Rates

Blogging 101: Supporting Other Blogs

Bookmarked: Favorite Blog Features

Artist Showcase: Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn

Inspiration: Watercolor Lettering by Mei Lee

Design Trend: Minimal Logos

Inspiration: Pie Recipe Illustrations by Andrea Nguyen

Inspiration: Grounded on the Daily Prints by Nicole Miyuki

Interior Inspiration: Wood Textures

Artist Showcase: Latrina of Of Trees & Hues

Creative Couples: Adam & Allie

This is just a small, small amount of fantastic posts and features on this blog from the previous year. If you have the time, be sure to check out the 2013 archive. Thank you friends!

The post Merry Christmas 2013! appeared first on Studio 404 Paper.