Clean Cut

One thing I miss when I'm in Birmingham is the architecture of the buildings in my home cities of Bath and Bristol. As you will know if you have visited either Bath or Bristol, a lot of the older buildings and houses are built from Bath Stone and the houses have very traditional black iron railings separating them from the pavement. This makes them not only very beautiful architecturally but also a great backdrop for outfit of the day photography. I had to take advantage of this while I'm home from Uni, so while showing my boyfriend round Bristol I persuaded him to also be my photographer.

What I'm Wearing - Missguided Coat, Primark Jumper, Missguided Trousers, Vans Shoes, Céline Sunglasses, M&S Bag 

We spent most of the day exploring the area around Park Street and climbing up Cabot Tower. The views from Cabot Tower are some of the best in Bristol, and it is only from here that you begin to grasp the size of the city. Park Street is also a lovely part of the city, filled to burst with quirky independent stores and cafes such as Rise Records (honestly the best record store I've ever been to) but the street is on a massive hill so prepare for lots of walking. Luckily this outfit was perfect for exploring the city as my Vans provided comfort and my small M&S bag didn't weigh me down or give me back pains unlike my usual handbag.

Eleanor xx

5 Reasons Why People Aren't Returning To Your Blog

With it being a four day weekend I'm sure many of you will be taking the time off to not only spend time with family or scoff hundreds of Easter Eggs but also to spend time working on your blog. While you could spend hours writing and photographing posts, you might find yourself wondering "What's the point when people aren't returning to my blog?" After reading this similar post about the issue by Corinne from skinnedcartree (an amazing blog with really great blogging advice and tips) it got me thinking about reasons why I will follow a blog and reasons why I will immediately exit. 

They Can't Figure How To Follow Your Blog
Getting people to follow your blog on a site such as Bloglovin or on social media, is almost a guaranteed way to get people to return to your site, but if they can't follow your blog then they're likely to forget about it and never return. The best way to combat this is to make sure your follow buttons are all clearly displayed together on your blog and that all of the links work. As you can see all of the buttons to follow my blog on various sites are clearly displayed both at the top of my site and also on the right side bar, you could also add a widget like my instagram widget to give a taste of what else you offer.

It's Hard To Leave A Comment
I like to interact with the blogs I read regularly and that often involves leaving a comment and disusing the subject of the blog post. But there have been so many times when I read a really great blog post and want to comment on it, only to either struggle to find where to comment or for it to be complicated to comment. If commenting takes more than a couple of minutes to do the likelihood is that I won't and I will immediately leave your blog. So if it's not clear on your blog where to comment (at the end of a blog post is always a good place) or your commenting system is timely asking readers to enter their name, email address and website every time they want to comment, then maybe you should consider a change. I personally like to use Disqus, a commenting system that is very popular among bloggers as it's very easy to use, install and have conversations.

Your Layout Makes Your Posts Difficult To Read
We live in a world where we have become accustomed to getting our information in easy to consume bites, 6 second vines and 140 character tweets. In comparison big chunks of text can be scary, so cater to your audience by separating your writing into easy to consume paragraphs.  

Photography Is Everything
Similar to my last point but with Instagram and Tumblr being so popular these days we are obsessed with photography. The sad but true fact is that the majority of people will skim read your text and mainly look at your photography, so if it's not up to scratch you will fail to engage your audience. Don't be fooled into thinking that you need a fancy camera to take good photos though, all you need is good lighting and the right set up. If you want to see how I take and edit my blog photos I've done a post on that here and also another post on the best blog photography props.

Your Content Is Not Engaging
You may be posting seven days a week but you may only be gaining views from new readers as people aren't returning to your site, the reason for that may be that your content just isn't engaging. I believe strongly in quality over quantity, so spend time on your posts and ask yourself whether your post would be something you would want to read. If you're still not sure what your readers want to see perhaps run a poll on Twitter or look at your most and least popular posts in the past, to help you see what may be popular in the future.

Please take this kind of post with a pinch of salt and bare in mind that I'm not claiming to be the Holy Mother of Blogging, one I may like may not be someone else's cup of tea. I like to think though that there's always room to improve and in all honesty I could probably use some of these tips myself. I'd love to know your thoughts and tips, even if you stumble upon my blog and decide to never come back I'd be intrigued to hear why.

Have a lovely Easter!

Eleanor xx

NEW IN - Missguided and Public Desire

I haven't done a haul type post in what seems like forever and I think that's partly due to the fact that I am trying my very best to save my money but also because I often spread out my spending rather than going on one big binge. But this week I had two very exciting deliveries of items that I have been eyeing up for a really long time.

I must admit the first thing in this post was not bought with my own money as I was lucky enough to win a competition on Public Desire's Instagram. I never ever win anything, so I was over the moon when Public Desire contacted me on Monday to tell me I'd won their competition and that I could pick whatever I liked from their Spring collection!

I immediately knew which shoes I wanted and asked if I could have a pair of their Julia Heels in Black. After seeing bloggers such as Hannah Crosskey from A Fashion Fix wearing the Julia Heels I knew I had to have them. They're the perfect height so that you can dress them down during the day but also wear them on a night out, the chunky heel and ankle straps also make them a dream to walk in.

So as you may know the internet nearly broke last Monday when Missguided announced that they were doing 50% off and their website went into meltdown. With Missguided being one of my favourite brands and there being a few items I wanted, I knew this was an opportunity I couldn't afford to pass up and I sat refreshing my laptop all day in an attempt to get onto the website. Finally I got onto the website and while a few of the things I wanted were out of stock I managed to grab this pair of trousers for only £12.50!

I've wanted a pair of cigarette trousers for ages, after seeing Victoria Beckham wearing a pair with some Stan Smiths and a polo neck jumper and these are the perfect pair for me. They're high waisted, tailored but still casual with the simple zip detail at the ankle. I was worried they wouldn't fit as I often find that trousers are too big in the waist and tight around the hips, but they're just right around the waist and there is still room to move my hips.

Did you manage to pick up anything in Missguided's crazy sale? I'd love to hear what you picked up or bought recently!

Eleanor xx

Red Bricks

Staying true to my word, I have changed my ways and started to wear more weather appropriate clothing. Yes, if you read my last outfit post you will know that I learnt my lesson after being caught out when it started to snow and I was unfortunately wearing a skirt. But dressing warmer has it's perks. For example It's forced me to experiment with layers in new ways, and this outfit is the result of my experimentation.

What I'm Wearing - New Look Hat, Mango Jacket, New Look Blazer, Primark Polo Neck, Topshop Jeans, M and S Boots and TK Maxx Bag

This outfit has helped me overcome my fear of layering as I've used tailored items, such as the jacket and blazer, to avoid looking as big and puffy as the Michelin Man. Layering is also great because if you get to warm inside you can just take off a layer without disrupting the whole outfit. I think I may have been converted.

What are your opinions on layering? If you have any tips I'd love to hear them!

Eleanor xx

The Best Blog Photography Props

When it comes to blog photography there is no right or wrong way to take your photographs as long as they represent you and your blog. That being said I thought I'd share some ideas on props that you could include in the background of your photo's if you are a bit stuck or looking for some creative inspiration.

Candles 
When I was living at home candles were one of my favourite household items to use in the background of my photographs because of the warm glowing atmosphere they give to photos. Unfortunately since moving into University Halls I can no longer use candles as we are not allowed them because they set off the fire alarms but a good alternative is fairy lights or LED candles.

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Magazines
While I love the look of a plain white or marble background that a lot of bloggers tend to go for these days, magazines are a great way of mixing things up. The magazines that I normally buy and find are best for blog backgrounds are Vogue and Elle as not only do the editorial shoots provide gorgeous imagery but so do the designer adverts. They also work well when layered with other items such as books.

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Flowers
I love flowers and they make the perfect finishing touch to any photograph. Placed out of focus in the background of your photo adds a pop of colour and texture as well as a fresh and feminine feel, not to mention they look really pretty. If you don't want to buy fresh flowers all of the time you could always spend a little more on some artificial flowers to achieve the same affect.

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Chopping Board

Now this is a bit of an unusual one but looks surprisingly good, especially if you're going for a minimalist or natural feel to your photographs. I personally love to use a wooden chopping board as the background for any baking or cooking posts. Another way you could incorporate wood into your backgrounds would be to use wooden floorboards you might have in your house or even buy a sample from B&Q.

Having great props is all well and good but you need to know when to use them. My biggest tip when it comes to picking what props and backgrounds to use in what photo is to pick out the main colour of the focus of the photo. You then want to look for hints of this colour or perhaps opposites of the colour in either the background or the prop. While this doesn't always work, 97% of the time it is a good way to tie the whole photo together and emphasize the product. 

Ultimately don't be scared to try out different layouts, backgrounds and props to see what works best for you and your photo. What are your favourite blog props? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Eleanor xx

Next Stop New Street

When I first moved to Birmingham I didn't anticipate quite how cold it would be. While Bristol is only an hour and 40 minutes away, being that little bit more southern makes all the difference during the colder months. At home I'd happily wear a skirt in March but sometimes I forget that I'm not in Bristol and venture out in a skirt. This was a massive mistake the other day when it started snowing on the way into town to pick up a friend from the station. Let's just say I was thankful when we got to New Street

What I'm Wearing - Topshop Leather Jacket, Zara Jumper, H&M Skirt, TK Maxx Bag and M&S Boots

While I love this outfit, I think that I've learnt my lesson and won't be venturing out in a skirt anytime soon. In the mean time all I could do pray for the weather to get warmer.

Eleanor xx