Trending: 9.30.16-- Celebrating One Year of Belle On Trend!

I can't believe it has been one year! I thought the best way to ring in a year of blogging would be with my traditional #trending report. So, here it goes! It will be slightly different, though. My top ten will have some bits of advice for those of you who might be interested in starting a blog and just some general reflections. Enjoy! (And, I will have some random pictures for you, too! Haha!)

Engagement pics by Meagan Hudak of Blossom Lane Photography. She is the absolute best!

^^^ Time to celebrate 1 year of Belle On Trend! 

Dress: Camilyn Beth.  

[1.0]  As of today, 47,508 people have visited www.BelleOnTrend.com. I honestly NEVER IMAGINED that this blog would reach farther than my dad in the Poland Public Library. hahah! Hi, dad! Love you and your support. I am so grateful to everyone who reads this blog. It has been a rewarding experience all year, and I am extremely grateful for the following! Author's note: I currently have 1,013 Insta followers! OMG!  Follow me on Twitter, Insta and Pinterest: @BelleOnTrend. Also, you can find my Belle On Trend page on Facebook, too!

[2.0] I never thought I could figure out a blog myself, but let me tell you, if I CAN, you for sure can! I always laugh because my kids know I am awful with technology. I can never make the projector work, and 9 times out of 10, somehow I end up projecting my screen saver of Mike and I's wedding instead of their actual assignment. In other words, ANYONE can be a blogger. I promise you that! (It also helps to have a super savvy hubs! Thank you, Mike!). (One of my favorite engagement pics below! He's a genius. Real talk!)

[3.0] I had a "fan" who I didn't know (!) approach me in the park, and it honestly meant sooooooo much to me! I know that I idolize my favorite bloggers (101 Things I love, Barefoot Blonde, Bows and Sequins, Sequins and Stripes, Classy Girls Wear Pearls, and McKenna Bleu), and when I met 101 Things I Love's writer, Johanna, at the Wilco concert in Chicago, I was SO STARSTRUCK!  And, she just so happened to be the sweetest gal ever! McKenna Bleu emailed me back a few times about 2 years ago, and I just have always appreciated her personable nature. These are women who make a living being bloggers. I, of course, do not -- haha! I would never want to stop teaching! But, they have millions of hits each day! They are famous in my eyes!

^^^ Here is the background to my laptop and desktop at work! Haha. Finny!!! 

[4.0] Here's my first ever blog post on our wedding.

^^All the most important little people in our lives (minus Finn because he wasn't on earth yet, haha!)

[5.0] Ask friends and family about blogging. My friend, Krista, helped me set up Shopstyle for my blog. I am currently at $52.71 and will get paid out at $100! I can't wait to celebrate when I make my first real money!

Here's a pic of my good friend, Krista! ^^ and her adorable daughter, Everly Rae!

[6.0] Do it now. Honestly, when else will I be able to write a fashion blog, take pictures of outfits, and just enjoy the time before babes? It's so important to enjoy your own hobbies outside of work. It's also super important to have unique hobbies that your significant other may not share. While Mike drums, I blog :) it's a really nice combo!

^^^ from our 1st anniversary getaway in New Buffalo, MI.

[7.0] Follow your favorite bloggers. I remember the first ever blog I read was Sarah Vickers in Classy Girls Wear Pearls. Jackie showed me this blog about 4 years ago, and I was hooked ever since. Jackie, my super fashion-forward friend and "big sis" is another major reason why I started my blog.

^^ Jackie and me (and my fully sequined crop top baahhaha)

[8.0] Some friends from my 10 year class reunion who I hadn't seen in years approached me and said they loved the blog. That was the best compliment I could have received! I am so thankful for people being so positive. It's so fun to get comments, too!

My besties before our 10 year high school reunion ^^^ 

[9.0] Never let someone discourage your dream. I know that sounds super cliche, but when I told some people I wanted to start a fashion blog, I got a lot of "why?" and "how will you make money on that?" "Wait... what?!" Well, I don't make money... yet! Haha. And why create a blog? Because I absolutely love fashion and writing, so why not combine the two? I've gotten some amazing deals (and free clothing!) to blog about!  That is worth it for me!

^^Images of my favorite graphic tee and my mug (thanks to Megzo!) from The Trendy Sparrow! The cutest online booty-q based out of Chi-town!

[10.0] Reach out to your super talented friends. Katie Carter, one of our family friends from our middle school days, is an incredibly talented designer. She created my business cards and all my icons/backgrounds for Facebook and Instagram. Check her out! She is the most creative gal ever and has worked for some BIG NAMES in the fashion industry! Plus, she's the sweetest girl, eva!

^^ Katie's handiwork! 

I want to thank you (yes, you!) for reading Belle On Trend. Writing my blog is seriously one of my favorite hobbies. I have been a little down in the dumps this week after getting my lower back MRI results. I have a herniated disc and a stress fracture in my back. It means I need another steroidal epidural in my lower back (scheduled for October 10), and I have to wear a back brace 8 hours a day for 3-4 weeks. Not exactly conducive to wearing fun clothes to teach in, right? My kids and coworkers are amazing. Everyone has been caring and kind about it. Hopefully after the 3-4 weeks I will be healed and back to the Barre. (The other bummer-- I have to take this time off Pure Barre. The ladies at Pure Barre Geneva have been sooo sweet about it).

But, this blog lifts my spirits! And all your kind comments on Instagram. So, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Cheers to many more years of bloggin' :-)
xxoo
Mary

Re-branding of Belle On Trend!

I am going to use this post to brag a little about my good friend, Katie Arnold Carter. She is incredibly talented, and she has created my business cards for Belle On Trend! Check her website out here, and prepare to be amazed!

A special shout out goes to my mom: she bought me this Kate Spade business card holder for Christmas. I just sort of laughed because I am a teacher, and why would I need business cards? But, she said it was for the BLOG!  Duh! But at that point, I was just beginning, and I had no idea people would actually want to know about the blog and care for a business card.

Back to the brains of this operation: Katie.  Katie has been besties with my sister, Anna, for over 2 decades. I grew up with Katie as an "extra" big sis. Her resume is incredible: Katie has designed for Old Navy, Juicy Couture and Abercrombie and Fitch, to name a few of the companies lucky enough to employ her.

She had me create a Pinterest board so she could better come up with a design for Belle On Trend. I pinned-- you guessed it-- a lot of bows, glitter, sequins, monograms, Lilly Pulitzer and all things girly and/or Saint Mary's College related. Katie then took over and turned my vision into reality.

The bells are perfect for my Twitter and Insta icons. These banners are perfect for my blog, Twitter, and my *brand new* Facebook page! ("Like" it, if you have a chance!)

One of the most amazing pieces to her creation was this Lilly Pulitzer-inspired design (below). She texted me one afternoon and simply asked, "what's your favorite flower and animal?" I had no idea where she was going with this, but I answered dutifully. "Gerber daisies and Anna and Shawn's dog, Cooper!" From there, Katie painted a Lilly design with Gerbers and Cooper!

I am telling her she needs to get it to Lilly for their use. It's incredible! It is everything I imagined and more. (See Cooper there between the N of on and D of trend?).

We used Moo.com for my business cards. Let me tell you: I will never buy business cards from another company! The quality, presentation and customer service (not to mention affordable price!) at Moo are so great! They send you a pack of their various (blank) business cards (free of charge), and from there, you can pick out which one you'd like to go with. I chose the "green" business card. You can also have as many backs as you want for your cards. I had 8 different backs, with the Mary Fremeau and glittery bow front. I just put my cell phone number and email address/website on the front.

I've talked to so many awesome women after Pure Barre classes who I've wanted to tell about my blog, but it's always so hard to quickly spell out "Belle on Trend" to someone and to remember, too, without writing it down. Having business cards will make this so much easier! Also, Mike won't have to be my constant "hype man" everywhere we go because I can just hand out a biz card if someone asks about the blog! :)


I am so grateful to Katie for her expertise. She is a true master of her craft and can create anything your heart desires.

So... what do you think!!??
xxoo
Mary