An Update From Midwest Bloggers

Hey Midwest Bloggers!

First off, we wanted to say, “Hi!” We know it’s been awhile since we last chatted, so we wanted to give you all an update about the Midwest Bloggers Network – and most importantly, thank you for being a part of it!

You may have noticed that things have been a little quieter than usual over the past few months around the Midwest Bloggers social accounts. While we love social media as much as the next gal, sometimes we need a break too! We wanted to take some time to figure out the future of Midwest Bloggers as well as determine what we think would add the most value for our members. After taking a little break we came up with some ideas and we’re hoping to implement them in the coming months!

To give you a little background, when the co-founders first got together, we anticipated bringing a group of 50 or so bloggers together – not knowing that the network would quickly grow to 500+ in just a few short months! It’s been a wild ride, and we’ve been so excited to be able to connect so many fabulous bloggers together while bringing more awareness to just how fashionable and creative us Midwesterners truly are. However, we also realized that managing so many updates, changes, new bloggers, etc was a bit more than we anticipated – so moving forward we’re making a few changes to make things easier for you, and ourselves. If you’re still interested in keeping up with the Midwest Bloggers, we’d love to have you add your information in this link right here so we can keep better records on our end (which also makes it easier for us to not have to add bloggers more manually!) While we totally get that people take much needed time off, we just ask that you have updated your blog in the last month or so to ensure that our membership is active. 

Additionally, once we’re able to revamp our list, we’re hoping to build more opportunities with brands, publications, etc! If you’re interested, please stay for the ride – we’re hoping it’s a good one :)

And finally, THANK YOU so much for your continued support and for being such an important part of this network. We love seeing your #MidwestBloggers posts across social and all the amazing content our network continues to share. We can’t wait for what the future holds as we continue to serve our members better and we truly thank you for your involvement. 

Best, 

The Midwest Bloggers Team

Friday Link Up #38

My name is Andrea, I'm a 30 something year old Fashion blogger over at MommaInFlipFlops.com, and I specialize in Real Mom Style. Sharing outfit ideas, trends & how you can look put together even with kids pulling you in all directions. 

When I search out blogs, I'm looking for other ladies I can relate too, that's why I chose the following gals blogs & I hope you'll stop by and check them out too! 

1. That Chic Mom. I adore her fashion sense & that she's a mommy of girls that still looks chic no matter what. I can always find what I'm looking for when it comes to a chic and cute outfit idea. 

2. I'm new to Buttons & Birdcages, but what drew me in was her love for vintage fashion. Finding great pieces through thrift finds and working them into her wardrobe. 

3.Can you go wrong with the name Pink & Navy Stripes? Her style is completely my own. Great collages & outfit inspiration. 

4. The Closet Confessional, I love when I can visit a site and find Outfit Posts, inspiration for my day & that's exactly what drew me here! Plus her fabulous style!

Join the Friday Favorites Link Up & share one of your favorite recent blog posts. Be sure to stop by and show some love to your fellow Midwest Bloggers!

Midwest Bloggers Friday Favorites Link Up #37

Hello!  We are Kelly and Andra - the dynamic duo behind With Grace and Gold.  Our friendship began last Spring - when we met one another at a local coffee shop. Our connection was instant - like, The Bachelor instant - and we quickly became best friends and business partners!

Our business, With Grace and Gold, is a Minneapolis-based branding boutique dedicated to creating purposeful and authentic branding for small businesses!  We do a variety of design (logo design, stationery design), styling (blog styling, website styling), and consulting services for small businesses and bloggers all over the country!

Everything we do is rooted in faith and friendship - and the idea that creating a sense of community among bloggers and business owners will allow all of us to shine brightly!  Visit us at www.withgraceandgold.com! 
 

About the Bloggers:

Kinks are the New Pink: We learned about Ashlei's blog, Kinks are the New Pink, through Midwest Bloggers.  We love Ashlei's voice -- reading her blog is just like chatting with a friend!

Charmingly Styled: We love Maya!  Not only is she super-fun in real life, but her blog is a must-see.  Her style is amazing, and we love following along with her adventures!

Eeny Meeny Miny Morgan: Morgan's style is so wonderful; she inspires us!  She is super creative, and we love following along with her blog!

The Golden Girl Blog:  We learned about Jess's blog through Midwest Bloggers, too!  (So awesome!)  There is truly something for everyone on The Golden Girl Blog - from style to recipes!

 

Join the Friday Favorites Link Up & share one of your favorite recent blog posts. Be sure to stop by and show some love to your fellow Midwest Bloggers!

Midwest Bloggers Love: Kuhfs

 This has seemed like the longest winter ever (how much snow did you get this weekend?!).We know how tricky it can be to add a stylish touch to your outfits in the winter time. Kuhfs, handmade boot cuffs designed by Amy Olson,  are the perfect solution!

 

We love highlighting fellow fashion brands- especially ones that are based right here in the Midwest. Kuhfs can be worn on any almost boot you already own- and can be paired with jeans or even your yoga pants.

 

Each of our Midwest Bloggers co-founders is sharing how they're put their own spin by styling their Kuhfs in their latest outfit posts.

 

 Katelyn wearing an animal print pair of Kuhfs

 Maya wearing the "New York" Kuhfs

Lauren wearing the "Boulder" Kuhfs

 

Kuhfs are kept in place by applying the slide pin over your boots or  pants and then into the pre-sewn slide pin pocket. All Kuhfs are lined  with silicone to keep them in place! We are all in favor of any fashion accessories to add a little extra something to your look! They're all homemade by mom & entrepreneur, Amy Olson, who is based in Illinois.

 

Be sure to check out Kuhfs for even more fashionable boot cuff styles!



Go Blog Social Ticket Giveaway + Discount Code

We are so excited to team up the Go Blog Social girls to offer you an awesome giveaway and ticket discount to the GBS Workshop on February 22nd in Kansas City. If you haven't had the chance to attend one of the Go Blog Social events you're definitely missing out. This is a great way to network with likeminded individuals and the perfect hands-on experience to better your blog or business.  

Go Blog Social is a Midwest based blog and social media conference which is designed to educate, inspire and connect like-minded bloggers, social media enthusiasts and creatives. Go Blog Social is excited to bring a new event concept to it's line-up with GBS Workshop, a one-day event comprised of hands-on, creative breakout sessions paired with motivational presentations that will help take your biz or blog to the next level.

GBS Workshop will offer a variety of hands-on, interactive courses in an intimate setting. Held in a relaxed and creative learning environment, the one-day GBS Workshop offers a unique opportunity to grow your brand or blog, engage with like-minded entrepreneurs, bloggers and social media enthusiasts, all while having fun.

Break out presentations at the Kansas City River Market Event Place include topics on branding, blog design, photography, styling, social media strategy and more from Midwest-based bloggers and creatives such as Touch of Ambition, Wake up for Makeup, Cassandra Castaneda Photography, StyleEsque, and The Blog Salon. Attendees will have the opportunity to pick and choose which sessions best suit their blog interests.

  

Get your tickets to #GBSWorkshop here: http://bit.ly/1DmUmZJ

Use code: MIDWESTBLOGGERS for 20% off! 

Enter to win 1 of 2 tickets below. The winners will be emailed next Wednesday the 14th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Techie Tuesday: Improve Your Images with Three Free Resources

You don’t know what you have. 

This phrase is usually mentioned in regards to someone being ungrateful. However, from working with bloggers, I’ve discovered that most bloggers aren’t using all the tools they can, and opting to pay for tools they necessarily don’t need. Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite free resources for photo composition and editing.

One of the most common questions I get from bloggers is, “should I buy photoshop”? My answer is no in most cases. The only real exception would be if you have a photography blog.

Product Collages - Canva: Bloggers can spend a lot of time finding the perfect images and products for collages. Canva is great because you can include any images/products that you want. It also provides some built in templates and graphics that you can customize. Any graphics or illustrations that you want to arrange for your blog, social media profiles, or promotions, you can definitely do in Canva.

Photo Editing - iPhoto: You can only do so much with a photograph if it was taken on a bad camera. I suggest that people opt to purchase a good camera and lens, instead of Photoshop. By using a high-quality camera, you will have to do less photo editing. With iPhoto, you can crop and resize images quite easily, adjust the photo filters and lighting (with moderation). iPhoto allows you to bulk-export images to the sizes and specs you need (tutorial I wrote for on White Oak). You can read more iPhoto tutorials here.

Photo Collages - Picasa: Picasa is through Google. It allows you to organize, store, and edit your photos. It is not as smooth as iPhoto, but it works very well to put together photo collages - i.e. two vertical photos together, etc. If photo editing and collages are not that intuitive to you, I would recommend going through the tutorials that each piece of software provides. You can also view youtube videos online.

If you have specific questions about any of these products or a question for “Techie Tuesday”, either leave a comment below or you can write me at hello (a) whiteoakcreative (dot) com.

Iowa Blogger's Holiday Party

We are so excited to host a Midwest Bloggers holiday soirée in Iowa to catch up, meet new friends, network and celebrate this jolly time of the year. We'd love to invite you to sip, chat and be glam at Penelopie Beauty Bar on Friday, December 12th from 7-10pm. Penelopie Beauty Bar will be offering complimentary makeup demos and snacks and drinks will be provides. To give back, please bring an unwrapped toy for Toys For Tots to enter to win a free blowout. Please RSVP back to KatalinaGirlBlog@gmail.com by Friday so we can figure out how much food and drink is need.  We hope to see you all there.