5 Questions With PaleoScaleo

Today we’d like to introduce you to food blogger Jessica of PaleoScaleo! Read on to learn more about her unique blog and foray into the world of blogging! Scully 01

1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
We started eating following basic paleo guidelines a couple of years ago, and saw such dramatic changes in our bodies and health. It was tough at first, as there’s so many things that are ‘not allowed’ in paleo eating. It took me some time to learn how to get creative with the ingredients and not compromise on flavor. So many people would say to us, “I don’t know how you do it.” I discovered that telling them, “It’s not that hard” wasn’t actually an answer that helped them in any way. I wanted to show people that it wasn’t as complicated as the media makes it out to be, and that it can just operate as a framework for the way you eat and not as a strict set of rules. I wanted to share my recipes with them and inspire them to see that it really was an attainable thing.

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
I’m not sure I’ve had a “moment” just yet! But I love when I see myself make progress with something. In the beginning, it’s the little victories. There’s so many things to learn and so many boxes to check, and when you finally get a great photo, or see an improvement in your work, or increased traffic on a post, it inspires you to keep going. I love those little moments that let me know to just keep on building it out and developing my recipes and eventually the audience will follow.

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
Food photography! I’ve come a long way in a few short months, but there’s still so much for me to learn. It’s difficult to know about all the different camera settings, lighting, staging….it can be overwhelming at times. I don’t think when you start blogging, you realize that you also have to become a photographer!

4. Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
My porch swing at my downtown Charleston home. I love listening to both the sounds of nature and the sounds of a city alive with people with the breeze blowing and enjoying the sunshine.

5. If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
Lindsay Ostrom from Pinch of Yum!

5 Questions With Renovating Charleston

Today we would like to introduce you to English the blogger behind Renovating Charleston, a unique blog about her journey to renovate a 100 year old house in Charleston! Read all about English below and make sure to follow along with her blog and Instagram!English Drews RenovatingCharleston.com
1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
I have only been blogging for about 6 months. It was never my plan to renovate our 100 year old family home or to start a blog about it.

Renovating Charleston is about the renovation of the home my great-grandparents built in 1915 in the historic Hampton Park neighborhood. It has been in our family continuously since then, but as a duplex and rental property for the past 30 years. It was not a planned decision to take on this renovation, but one my husband and I decided to do shortly after my father passed away.

My inspiration came from a place of wanting to tell the story about the history of the home, the community, my family, the amazing people who touched this project and the unique people and businesses that daily influence the beauty and charm of Charleston. In many ways my blog is a love story. Love of family, love of this City and community, and the desire to share our journey to inspire others to take on adventures that might seem overwhelming and scary. Soon after I started blogging about our renovation project, I realized there are so many stories to tell and resources to share as a result of our journey.

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
I have been most delighted when people share with me how much they enjoy reading my blog and how it has sparked their own memories or inspired them to try something new. I have a few favorite blogs that I am really proud of, (The Dimes is one), and when people tell me they love a particular blog, I know that sharing my story is a source of inspiration.

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
I was born and raised in Charleston. I remember when The Ordinary was the C&S bank, when there was only one Cooper River Bridge, when Hampton Park had a zoo, and when King Street was hardly considered a place to shop. Charleston has transformed through the years but has maintained it’s history, charm, and beauty. I want to continue to learn about the people and small businesses that are continuing to shape this city while sustaining it to be one of America’s Best Cities! (And I want to be a better blogger through social media avenues!)

4. Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
Since this renovation project has been all consuming, I mentally blog while I am on the job site. I take pictures daily and through that I find my inspiration for my story and title. I come home, get a glass of wine, and start to type it up. I often get my husband’s input, as he is right there with me in this journey. I look forward to being able to blog in Hampton Park, which is one of my favorite places in the city.

5. If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
Joanna Gaines from HGTV Fixer Upper. She seems so down to earth and I love that she finds beauty in some of the worst looking houses you have ever seen. That was something I struggled with, I just couldn’t see the potential, and I would love to know how she goes about tackling some of the bigger challenges in their projects. She inspires me in how she transforms properties!

5 Questions With Kristie’s Reverie

Today we would like to introduce you to Kristie the fashion blogger behind Kristie’s Reverie. Read about this fashionista below and make sure to follow along with her blog and Instagram!CarolineTan_Kristie2016_0013_cts Image Caroline Tan

1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
I have been following blogs for years and find it very inspiring to hear others’ stories. I started my first blog a few years as an art and dance review, where essentially I would go to galleries and performances and share my opinions of what I saw. Looking back, I think that I wasn’t ready to commit to all that it takes to build a blog, so after a few months, I stopped altogether. In the back of my mind lingered the possibility of a re-launch, perhaps with a different concept. Fast forward to last summer and Kristie’s Reverie was born. With this fashion/ lifestyle blog, I am able to write about what I love on my own time.

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
My proudest blogging moments are simply getting to work with different companies as well as my friends on exciting projects. It is very encouraging to see all the positive feedback I’ve received, but primarily I’m just happy to have a space to create. If my blog inspires someone else or connects people, then I feel like I have accomplished something.

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
I would love to learn more about photography. I have a very basic understanding of an art form that I so respect and that is instrumental to blogging.

4. Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
My favorite place to blog is in my bed! I work full-time, so typically I’m on my computer first thing in the morning or late at night trying to finish up a post.

5. If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
I would love to grab coffee with Audrey of Frassy. Her writing is so eloquent and it touches on many topics that women experience on a day to day basis. Plus, she truly seems like a fun and genuine person.

5 Questions With Little Legs. Big Heart.

Today we would like to introduce you to Kristen of Little Legs. Big Heart. Check out her heartfelt blog and follow along with her Instagram here. kristen

1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
I have been blogging since 2012. Little Legs. Big Heart. began as a personal outlet for me during a particularly difficult and transitional time in my life. Due to unforeseen medical circumstances, I left my home here in Charleston and moved to West Palm Beach, Florida to undergo surgery on both of my legs. What I never realized was that by opening up to reveal the authentic Kristen and share my true story, others were going to relate. By connecting with others, I learned that a true story can heal just as much as modern medicine; that is pretty incredible.

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
This past December, Refinery 29 reached out to me via Little Legs. Big Heart. They gave me an opportunity to interview with them and share my story. Society has a habit of trying to fit everyone into this little box labeled as perfect. Rather than allow myself to be squeezed into said box, the interview allowed society to experience a part of me for who I am. As a woman with dwarfism, it was truly an honor to share how I don’t view my condition as a source of disability (or different-ability as I prefer to say) but as a root of adventure, compassion and understanding.

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
At this moment, I am in the middle of my 200hr. yoga teacher training at Charleston Power Yoga. It has been an opportunity to learn more about myself inside and out. Since becoming a member of the ever growing yoga community, a few very talented teachers have bestowed their wisdom upon me. As a result, I have grown in oh-so many ways. But I know that there is more to learn. So I am eager for more knowledge on how to make my asana practice more accessible for my body and how to teach future students the same.

4.  Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
It is fair to say that I don’t have just one favorite place. That is what I love about Charleston; endless possibilities. Being outside is definitely a plus in my book. The Daily, Vintage Coffee and Huriyali are definitely up there for me. At the same time, nothing beats sitting in the company of a friend, also on a writing mission, in the comfort of a home or backyard patio.

5.  If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
Kathryn Budig. Lucky for me, we share a similar addiction, the almond milk latte from The Daily, and I have had the honor to sit down with her on multiple occasions. I am grateful to call her a friend.

As a yogi myself, Kathryn has always been an amazing role model. An empowered woman with a beautiful heart, she is a talented yogi, writer and foodie. What initially struck me was her authenticity and positive outlook on life. Her firm stance on maintaining a positive body image and encouraging others, yogi or not, to do the same, has always spoken to my soul.

5 Questions With My Coastal Chaos

We are so excited to introduce you to lifestyle blogger Sarah Johnston of My Coastal Chaos today! Make sure you visit Sarah’s Instagram and check out her blog here. IMG_9610
1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
I really enjoy reading blogs and have always enjoyed writing. I don’t think my life is that grand, but having two little girls (1 and 3) keeps me on my toes. I was joking around with my husband one night that I should start writing about the chaos that is our life and the next thing you know I’m purchasing my domain name and learning how to build a WordPress site! I’ve only had my blog since Sept 2015 so I’m a newbie for sure!

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
Seeing my site come to life after I built it! I was SO nervous to hit the publish button on my first blog, I didn’t think anyone would read it! I by no means have a huge following….in fact I don’t even think it’s 10 people, but I enjoy writing and keeping it real so I don’t plan to stop! I was so excited when I got my first comments on some of my new posts, definitely a pinch me moment!

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
I would love to learn about getting more followers and building a name for myself in the blogging world. My plan is to eventually be able to supplement my income but I don’t want to come across as “selling” so I would love to learn about how all that works as well.

4. Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
I would love to say that it’s in some secret spot that only I know about, but the truth is that it’s my kitchen table!

5. If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
Kara from boho.berry. I love her style and her creativity!

5 Questions With Side Trekked

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny and Erin the two bloggers behind the travel blog Side Trekked. Make sure to follow along with their adventures on Instagram as well! SideTrekked
1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
One night we were sitting in our living room discussing how we were not using our degrees and how we each wanted to work in the travel industry. Jenny dreamed of being a photographer for National Geographic and Erin really wanted to write for Travel and Leisure magazine. We felt God was calling us to use the talents and passions He had given us to further His Kingdom. So we started SideTrekked to go where we can when we can while we can and launched our blog in October 2015.

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
We love hearing from our friends, family and coworkers when they’ve read the blog and enjoyed it. The random “Hey yesterday’s blog was really wonderful,” just makes our day. However our proudest moments come when we look at where our blog has reached internationally. As a travel blog our goal is to visit as many cultures as possible and so seeing that people in Indonesia, Croatia, Russia and Brazil are consistently reading our blog thrills us to no end. It really pumps us up and inspires us to keep going.

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
We want to learn from each other. Jenny wants to learn more about writing and Erin wants to learn the ins and outs of photography. We are a team and teams teach each other and make each other better. Also as a travel blog we just really want to learn about as many cultures and peoples as we can!

4. Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
We both love Waterfront Park downtown. It’s so pretty and relaxing. It’s hard not to be inspired there. However, when it’s time to get down to business, there is no better place for us to work than on our couch with coffee cups in hand.

5. If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
We love Twins That Travel! They are so inspiring. They always talk about how they don’t travel or blog for a living which is really encouraging since neither do we. We also love Wellness Mama. Katie runs a healthy and all natural household. Our mothers both are very into the whole all natural, real food, diatomaceous earth thing which has definitely influenced the way we live.

5 Questions With Gold Rhapsody

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabina Channa, the lifestyle blogger behind Gold Rhapsody. Read all about Sabina below and follow along with her stylish life over on Instagram here. Sabina Channa
1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
My blog is the result of two of my passions: writing and dressing up. I have been playing with modeling here and there, but became more focused on it when I decided to attend a Media and Modeling school “Zoom Academie” in Montreal, Canada. There I have learned important things about the fashion world, the photography, runways, even television. Gold Rhapsody is the place where my distinct aspirations found a realm to develop and grow. I publicly launched my blog in September, 2015 and so far, this journey has been superb!

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
My blog is very new, therefore the path to reaching a moment of real accomplishment is still long. However, I was extremely pleased and excited when Brandflask featured me on their emerging fashion bloggers’ page. I love their website and the concept! Last, but not least, every time one of my friends or people I know take a minute to give me some kind of feedback or to express their love and appreciation for my work, is a moment of joy and gratefulness, rather than pride.

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
There are so many things I want to explore! I am eager to know as much as possible about the fashion industry and especially the behind the doors aspect. Currently, I am taking online classes in Fashion and Luxury at Bocconi University of Milan, Italy, and the amount of captivating information I discover every single day is incredible! Very powerful and motivating!

4. Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
I live in Myrtle Beach and one place that contributes to my blog inspiration is Le Cupcake Cafe! The Parisian atmosphere, the delicious coffee, and the decadent macarons, are the perfect ingredients for revitalizing my blogging spirit.

5. If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
That’s a good question. There are a couple of them, but I would love to have a talk with Chiara Ferragni from The Blonde Salad. She is a pioneer in the fashion blogging world and certainly a visionary.

5 Questions With The Lowcountry Mama

Today we would like to introduce you to lifestyle blogger Jacquelyn of The Lowcountry Mama! Make sure to check out her blog and visit her Instagram here. 002
1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
I started reading blogs a couple years ago.. I think mostly recipe and DIY posts because I came across them through Pinterest most of the time. That led me to lifestyle blogs, and I was surprised at how interested I actually was in these strangers’ lives. I thought it was so cool how they had all these memories and photos to look back on, and I wanted to document my life too. At the time, my husband and I (then my boyfriend) were traveling a lot so I started writing about our trips back in 2012 or 2013. I started really keeping up with my blog though once I got pregnant, and I’m so happy I have all these memories now, from getting engaged to giving birth, to look back on.

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
I was really proud when my natural birth story was featured on Mama Natural! During my pregnancy I read a ton of blog posts and birth stories to prepare for labor, and I hope that my blog and my story can do the same for others. It’s so much fun to connect with other women with similar interests.. and I love that my posts might help someone or teach them something new.

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
I want to learn EVERYTHING- it’s kind of a problem. I think I actually have too many interests. But when it comes to blogging, I’d like to learn more about gaining a following and the “business” side of things. I’ve always been the entrepreneurial type, and it’s really interesting to me that blogging can potentially become a full-time job. However, I would blog regardless because I enjoy writing and love the connections I’ve been able to make.

4. Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
Honestly, 99% of the time I am typing while bouncing on a yoga ball in my living room with my daughter wrapped up on me! I don’t use my beautiful office nearly enough because it’s also my sewing room, and I make a giant mess when I’m sewing, so it’s like a fabric store exploded in there. I used to go to coffee shops downtown sometimes and work on my computer, but then I had a baby.. and gained a new appreciation for staying home =)

5. If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
Genevieve from Mama Natural. I like talking to moms with similar interests and parenting beliefs, and getting ideas and advice from them. Since having my daughter, I’ve become really passionate about natural birth, gentle mothering, and natural living in general. It’s crazy what having a baby makes you care about and pay more attention to! I’m on a mission to rid our household of all chemicals and toxins, and make everything from food to cleaning products from scratch with all-natural ingredients. It’s overwhelming, but I know it’s possible.

5 Questions With Aimee Mars

Today we would like to introduce you to blogger Aimee Mars! Make sure to check out her blog and visit her Instagram here. 003
1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
Just months after my clothing line in New York City came to a screeching halt I found myself happily home with a newborn but desperately seeking a creative side project to call my own. Though it started as a project to obtain control at a time in my life when everything else felt as though it were spinning wildly out of control, I found my site to be a great outlet for defining a fresh direction in life and establishing new dreams.

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
I wanted to learn every aspect there was to running a website and blogging so I took it upon myself to design the site, code it, and run it in entirety. My proudest blogging moment was actually figuring out how to code and seeing the site live for the very first time. It’s a moment I get to relive often because every time I want to add a new feature, page or design, it requires more code. I’m still completely stunned it works when I hit publish.

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
Honestly, I would like to learn more about writing as basic as it may sound. I always want my posts to be elegantly written with my true voice and personality shining through, but also have them be grammatically correct as well. Grammar can sometimes be a challenge to say the least.

4. Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
My family and I moved to Charleston less than 7 months ago from NYC (read: I haven’t completely found my “favorite” spot yet) but in an effort to replace some of our city haunts we’ve been visiting many of the great cafes and quiet wine bars around town. Currently I’d have to rank St. Alban as one of my favorite blogging spots, and I’ll willingly visit many times just to confirm!

5. If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
The blogger I’d most like to grab coffee with at the moment would be Jillian Harris (her blog is also called Jillian Harris). I found her site and Instagram feed, which are topnotch, long before I knew she was the bachelorette or a host on Love It or List It, but I was hooked instantly. She seems extremely warm and friendly and I always love her content as well as how she presents it.

5 Questions With 2 Blondes Banter

Today we are introducing you to one of our newest members, Heather 1/2 of the team behind 2 Blondes Banter! Make sure to check out their blog and visit their Instagram here. 001
1. What inspired you to start a blog and how long have you been blogging?
I’m a newbie! I’ve only been blogging for about 6 weeks. I was inspired to start 2 Blondes Banter after many discussions with my great friend and blog contributor Nadine Camilla. She is a stylist and I am a writer. We’d been bantering for months about how we can work together. Many an idea bounced and fell, but the blog is the one that stuck… and we couldn’t be happier. It’s been incredibly rewarding to express our creativity and live out our passion everyday.

2. What has been your proudest blogging moment?
So far (as we’re new in this space) it’s been the incredible response and great feedback from the lovely women who’ve viewed and followed us. Meeting inspired women everywhere inspires us to be out there, to learn, to do better and to expand our network of amazing people. People inspire people… and it makes us happy to learn from the best!

3. What is something you would like to learn more about?
Personally, Instagram. I didn’t use it before becoming a blogger (I know, I know, I’m so late to the game!) And I’m also inspired by the creativity I see in other bloggers who really know how to stage a photo. Let me add photography to my list.

4. Favorite place to sit and blog in the city?
I’m a morning person with a 3 year old daughter. That said, most days I have coffee and sit (in the early mornings) by my bay window and blog it out. But I’ve recently discovered Vintage Coffee Cafe in Mount Pleasant and it’s one of my new favorite places. You can’t help but take a picture of the beautiful swirly lattes that come in these wide teal colored vintage coffee mugs on cute little plates. The cafe takes my imagination to a place and time when people might have once dressed up to go out for coffee with their girlfriends.

5. If you could grab coffee with any blogger who would it be?
I’d love to meet Shay Shull of Mix and Match Mama. I’ve been following her for years. While I’m not a food blogger, I find myself referring to her Menu Planning Mondays often for what to make my family for dinner all week. I mean, you get your whole grocery list in one place and her recipes are simple but tasty. Oh, and you don’t need 12 different spices to make a great meal.