Weβre going on five years living here in Sacramento and weβve started to look forward to the Global Winter Wonderland which comes to town every year for the holiday season. During the months of November, December and January the Cal Expo in Sacramento converts into a magical lights festival with light displays, holiday music, amusement rides and carnival foods.
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So you consider yourself to be a fashionista and love to take and share outfit inspiration photos. Great, I love it too! But as much as you may enjoy the process of creating style content, it takes more than just some pretty pictures to grow an audience.
One of the biggest challenges of being a fashion blogger is establishing yourself as an authority in the industry and growing a loyal following. The first step to accomplishing this is to create a marketing plan that guides your steps in virtually every promotional area. Taking the time to research and plan your strategy will help ensure that your blog attracts the right audience and grows over time.
Once you have solidified your content and marketing plan, the tech tools and apps you use can help you find success, particularly with your social media engagement and domain site traffic.
As a ten year veteran blogger, I'm sharing some ways you can use technology to grow your following as a fashion blogger and streamline your content creation process.
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As a parent to two littles ones, I always highly recommend expecting mamas to take a pregnancy-friendly babymoon vacation before the arrival of baby. Trust me when I tell you that traveling will never be the same once your pregnancy is over and youβve got kids to care for. Your babymoon is the last hurrah and a chance to relax before the chaos of motherhood begins.
California has several pregnancy-friendly destinations for a babymoon and Palm Springs is definitely at the top of the list. A Palm Springs babymoon is all about relaxing in the desert with beautiful natural scenery mixed with hotels designed with modern decor.
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Los Angeles is a huge sprawling city and it can quickly become overwhelming to decide on what to do and where to stay when planning a girls trip. West Hollywood (referred to as WeHo by locals) tends to have all those bucket list things we love for traveling. In West Hollywood thereβs an abundance of restaurants with great food and ambiance, fun daytime activities and poppinβ nightlife.
Whether itβs a bachelorette trip, a birthday celebration or just because you want to spend quality time with your gal pals, West Hollywood in Los Angeles is the perfect place to plan a getaway with your girlfriends. Thereβs plenty of places in West Hollywood that have those modern feminine vibes we love.
In this travel guide I breakdown all the highlights of West Hollywood to help you plan your itinerary. When Iβm traveling Iβm always on the hunt for restaurants with yummy food and a great ambiance, so all my foodie recommendations are picture pretty.
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If you are a local in the San Fernando Valley or a visitor with an extended stay, this guide serves as an excellent resource for all kinds of breakfast foods available in the region. While this blog post was written with visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood in mind, I uncovered some gem foodie spots that anyone can enjoy for a weekend brunch in The Valley.
Growing up my family went to Universal Studios every summer because my grandmother lived very close to the park. The same goes with my husband, his aunt and uncle used to take the kids often. I have lots of fond memories and I still enjoy going going as an adult.
I wrote this blog post because oddly enough finding breakfast early in the morning near the park is a bit of a challenge. Itβs very common for Universal Studios visitors to plan strategically with an early start to beat the crowds and high heat temperatures.
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When I heard that Jurassic Quest was coming to town in Sacramento I jumped at the chance to obtain tickets to see it. Both my daughter and my husband are big fans of dinosaurs and it seems like a fun idea to have a βJurassic Parkβ adventure. Obviously we will never see real dinosaurs so this is as close as you can get to the seeing the jurassic period come to life.
This blog post is a Jurassic Quest review based on our experience and may help you answer the questions on whether or not it would be worth it for you to spend the money to visit.
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Traditional English trifle is a desert dish characterized by layers of cake, fruits, jams, custards and is served in a large glass bowl. Trifle is often spiked with some sweet alcohol such as brandy, sherry or white wine. The Brits often serve trifle for Christmas desert.
By far my favorite Rose family tradition is enjoying my momβs English trifle every Christmas. She came to visit us here in Sacramento and together we made her signature trifle so that I could document the recipe for the blog.
While we all grew up in California, we love to honor our English heritage with this classic English dessert. My mother was taught this recipe from her wonderful old family friend named Wilma Woods. Wilma made this trifle every Christmas for dessert when our family went to the Woodsβ house for Christmas dinner.
Mrs. Woods told my mom that trifle was a recipe created to use up old, stale cake that no one wanted. Since it rarely happens that there is uneaten cake, we have to make a cake to use in the trifle. Hence it is best made ahead a day or so and allowed to βdry outβ a bit first so it will absorb all the ingredients.
Because this recipe is best made in stages, planning ahead is very important. Itβs vital to give yourself plenty of time for the cake to cool and the custard and Jello to set in the refrigerator.
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Because our children are currently so young, we donβt get super ambitions with a full itinerary when we travel. Los Gatos is the perfect small town to just take it slow and walk around with a stroller. The central downtown blocks of Los Gatos are known as a great walkable destination with many shops and restaurants to explore.
The temperatures are mild year-round in Santa Clara County so itβs comfortable to spend the majority of your day outside. Because Los Gatos is centrally located in Northern California, itβs a popular weekend destination for many metros areas including San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento. The folks in the bay area are most likely trying to escape cold foggy days and head into Los Gatos for some sunshine. While the San Jose visitors are looking for that small town charm and then us Sacramento people are trying to get relief from over 100 degrees hot temperatures.
When it comes to traveling with your dog, Los Gatos is a great destination for a weekend trip. Thereβs great dog-friendly hotels and outdoor activities where your pup is welcome. We stayed at the Toll House Hotel which welcomes doggy guests and is very conveniently located in the heart of Los Gatos downtown. Right across the street is the Los Gatos Town Plaza Park with a large grassy lawn where your dog can go potty.
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Travel and lifestyle bloggers are often on the road and itβs very common to share the highlights from your hotel stays with your audience. A fabulous hotel can really enhance your travel experience and is definitely worth sharing in a blog post and social media.
A successful partnership media stay with a hotel is an effective marketing tool for both the hotel and the blogger - it can be a total win-win for both parties! I myself have had many media stays over the years and there are some important guidelines to follow to make sure you are professional in your approach and not overstepping any boundaries. This is not a βgive me a free hotel roomβ type of scheme but actually a true marketing collaboration.
Read on to see my best insider tips on how to pitch a hotel for a media stay. Fair warning, be prepared to do your homework and put in a little work to land the media stay. Iβve also included an email template to help you get started on your email pitch.
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Elopements have become increasingly more popular in modern times as couples are sometimes less willing to pay large sums of money to get married. A traditional wedding can easily cost up to $10,000. In contrast my husband and I spent less than $500 on our San Francisco elopement. We are the type of couple whoβd prefer to spend our savings on buying a house and travel.
California is a popular state for elopements because of both the beautiful scenery and pleasant weather. Unlike other areas of the country, thereβs always a region in both Northern and Southern California with mild and somewhat predictable temperatures. Outdoor weddings and elopements are always an option which means that you donβt have to plan and budget for an indoor venue.
In this blog post I will outline my top recommendations for California elopement cities and locations. The locale themes will vary from urban metro spots to nature and wilderness areas. They will all have excellent backdrops for wedding photography and your elopement will be so sweet and memorable.
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The tropical party theme is perfect for events and gatherings such as baby showers, gender reveal parties, bridal parties, birthdays, Galentineβs Day and more. For example if youβre hosting a home reception for an island destination wedding, a tropical themed grazing table can really help to cultivate those island vibes in your hometown.
Hosts putting on summer parties can also benefit from the colors and flavors of tropical-themed foods. On hot days the fresh fruit and lighter eats really compliment the summer vibes and atmosphere. The tropical theme can also lend itself to a Hawaiian Luau or even Caribbean inspired parties.
In my guide I will give tropical-themed food suggestions along with decor and hosting ideas. While there are many well-known foods and symbols associated with all those tropical vibes, I promise youβll find some new and unexpected surprises in this blog post.
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My interest in fashion began at an early age and I knew that I wanted to somehow work in the industry. Figuring out exactly how to get there took a few years of paying my dues, plus some trial and error.
While thereβs no one path to a successful career in the fashion industry, thereβs definitely many common threads that up and comers will experience. And quite frankly, I think anyone interested in this field should learn early on the significant obstacles to gaining traction in this extremely competitive field.
In this guide to entering the fashion industry workforce, I will go into details about school coursework, fashion internships, entry-level fashion jobs to gain experience, and more helpful insider information.
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You may have already discovered that shopping for maternity clothes can be a real drag. Itβs difficult to find cute attire that you actually want to wear, especially during the time of pregnancy when youβre already feeling big and bloated.
The good news is that thereβs actually plenty of non-maternity clothes that will get you through the 9 months of pregnancy. You will also find that these new wardrobe staples will come very much handy during your postpartum months while your body is adjusting back to normal.
In this blog post Iβm giving suggestions on cuts and styles of dresses, pants, tops, leggings, tunics and more that arenβt necessarily maternity clothes but you can wear for each trimester. After my two pregnancies Iβve learned a thing or two about hacking my closet to fit my growing baby bumps.
Because maternity clothes are so drab, my recommendation is to find wardrobe gems that celebrate pregnancy and mark the special occasion. Not to mention the fact that pretty dresses make motherhood more fun. You want to find clothes that make you feel good and ultimately extend your regular wardrobe. Depending on your style you may even want to flaunt your belly. Do you girl!
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Most of the days that make up our lives are routine and ordinary. We wake up, go to work, eat mediocre meals, etc. But the reality is that there are so many magical moments hidden within those 12 hours, you just need to learn how to find them.
There are so many small components that make up our day, both tangible and intangible. And by far the majority of them are choices weβve made. We chose our homes, the clothes we wear, the foods we eat, almost everything is a choice. I truly believe you can chose joy. You can be very proactive in your own wellness journey by finding small ways to brighten your day.
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This colorful little beach town is located at the north end of Monterey Bay, almost a 2 hour drive south of San Francisco. As you can see from the pictures in this blog post, the sandy beach is a perfect place to lay out a blanket and enjoy a summer picnic.
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Guest blog post by Jessica Holbrook of Salt & Sol Life. All those qualities that make Santa Cruz, California a great college town, an abundance of coffee shops, a lively music scene, and plenty of places to grab a quick bite to eat, make it the perfect getaway with a baby. The vibe is casual and the people are laid-back.
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While we love to travel to far away lands and explore new cultures, I have to admit that I do get a feeling of dread when I think about the long flight. The thought of being stuck on a compact plane for over 10 hours is certainly the least glamorous part of international travel.
In my lifetime Iβve traveled from California to Greece, England, Ireland, Spain, Japan, India, Mexico, Nigeria, New York, Hawaii, Bahamas, France and Holland. During these long haul travels I learned some tricks and travel hacks to make the air travel more tolerable. If youβre able to arrive at your destination well rested and relaxed then youβre setting yourself up for an awesome trip.
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Thereβs over 90 breweries in the greater Sacramento area giving enthusiasts a steady stream of new places to explore and beers to taste. Many of these Sacramento breweries are opening up their doors to the public, often with restaurants serving fresh artesian food.
In this blog post I will highlight some of my favorite beer-centric establishments and events in NorCal Gold Country. This is s great resource for planning foodie and drink-themed weekend road trips to Sacramento.
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When women celebrate other women, we all win! The below guide to throwing a modern feminist themed party can be used for all sorts of occasions. These tips are great for bachelorette parties, bridal showers, birthday parties, baby showers, Galentineβs Day and even #BOSSBABES graduation celebrations.
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