10 Totally Free Styled Stock Images

<h2 style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Free-styled-stock-images" height="1698" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8259/29549245255_2f7c565115_o.jpg" title="" width="599" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br /></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The thing I love most about blogging is the photography side of it, I get to be as creative as I like and that makes me happy. Basically I love a good flat lay.</i></span></h2><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But I totally get that some of you don't!  </span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Blog photo<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">graphy is</span></span> literally back breaking work (okay, not literally, but nearly), natural lighting is beyond temperamental and understanding how to get the best out of a camera can be tricky not to mention boring. So that's why I<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'ve </span>decided to give you a few free<b>*</b> high quality stock images that you can do as you wish with (<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">for personal use o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">nly</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">) </span></span>- blog posts, cropped for social media... whatever you like! <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Basically I</span> love giving away free stuff to help <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">fellow bloggers </span>and I realised I haven't created anything since my <a href="http://www.makeupsavvy.co.uk/2014/11/free-printable-weekly-blog-planner.html" target="_blank">Free Printable Weekly Blog Planner</a> way over a year ago now! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>*</b>If you ever want to repay my kindness and find yourself <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">visiting</span> the U.S feel free to pick me up a zillion Bath & Body Works candles! I joke... but seriously if you want to I won't stop you. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Please Credit!</span></span></h3></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of course I'd LOVE if you could credit my blog if you use any of the images, just a tiny 'source � Makeup Savvy' linked to back to my homepage or this post. But if you don't I won't hunt you down, I'm cool like that. Anyway, so here are the 10 styled stock images in 4 swanky themes � <b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">M<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">akeup</span></span></b>,<b> Lifestyle</b>,<b> Girl Boss</b> and <b>Seasonal</b> (Autumn!). Simply right <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">click</span> over t<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he image an<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d 'Save Image <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As...'<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can also find <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ideas of how <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to style<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">/use th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ese <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">free lifestyle stock images at the <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bottom o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">f the post<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">enjoy! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h2><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">M<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">akeup Stock Ima<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ges </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img alt="free-makeup-stock-images" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0ynI6mg-d590_JDHRDFw7ZxcH6o6-hjuJRCEFJo2z9jigkyKFm-vYaPyjtJUuRUhxDtcO_1hFYcxDFbKLQLjGQCI7qQDZL2GLm7w8dTOeFxCqonBdf_JlPWliS9NuDSfJy2StoI6C8M/s1600/makeup-stock-1.JPG" title="" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0tczhOimCcmveW-1KncT4v3mHlRnDCsSiTzKjGSLdgLbYhbL0qVXJvVwpdnax5tdDII33z3iHRTTe3VpiryEDsbTQjuuElx4o9AkzhMgLUR7ecV6CNUSlW6qn7GehG8OfYhO85yJlSk/s1600/makeup-stock-3.JPG" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeOKtmkKI0UKpO3gwiRzr8shqq3m4cc-XotykiYi_jJrDW3qyUD9mxUfV1pqs5c-n10boQZrydZppz8L4r8B3ivavR-yxUnvhVILOL8dAv4ssgJ2mC5ZBV3kmv2kGRpS8GDJ6m8pGscg/s1600/makeup-stock-2.JPG" /></div><h2><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lifestyle Stock Images</span></h2><h2><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0AXLRyBIph0xmawhApqDSCRjUh8ovkp9t8i7XRV5qFY3oFp-q9-xE_xd33UTaFDmdHpXxB63HwPkDSp44WJH0Ou9ua0_essxO3BdbnPdC9cir5Um7prebquG4DtoJDHnYUby5P2t5dc/s1600/lifestyle-stock-1.JPG" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CmVZpnla3BP-DZtRUsu6uLkx89cUmBJZ0BBv3m1Mk88ERLFF1NvlsaH5NaTPIyWs8uI6lqU-PWFaQgnHyqrQAJPHjmmGiTYD5eEhGnuvxTZrvrbrt2AFh4wttC5gufP4BYQsudT9hbI/s1600/lifestyle-stock-2.JPG" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGUWvk90eXxoUuc656JASLeuFWuwdX60HZKLfQjanxN5V-GyKkRmHn23zSN9hD7ye4jt0U4wA4zPn4pSi5umo9h5oPVZ2w1crDo7vPWRPodE666kTtb71rQFFp8TCIspZcA3n8KIxleg/s1600/lifestyle-stock-3.JPG" /></div><h2><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Girl Boss Stock Images </span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br /></span></h2></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPW1TxbDyGIDhPl_U1jlmMbr_s7XEVYT2QuNNoi6g7GJihhzCI5bxokLWQV1j0qV1r83MT_fdQ7UTnWJE2V7MO0CohGjMHPWc9lU0TUL1rOGGBU_JCALOHO_YhuJtZmKQcGVUDajmUDCc/s1600/girlboss-stock-1.JPG" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyJ6f7U2f3wKAjJbGK6jnkQ5v5oFmXqmiVpWQuFOOcTgBlmz4IjMNY_rD5qXU7mTLgtIVyyO-0rzkq3cdHgxVHwoffDXTi2vVhNtRuVF5Tl00NvP5__P4ILn6aoFBKpLxmQtUnOpu-2o/s1600/girlboss-stock-2.JPG" /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h2>Seasonal Stock Images</h2><h2> </h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCf43QOwS8-r_g0utTB9LINycoWYnSCDbrL7jhnsPwoWtFzN1nv63nSc1FJfagw4mQPRmovMLqAuPPCBuj38p67EweBfiiEGEiTljuGMHDXpM1me2AUM7u61j54satKAESNkhgsAAXHZg/s1600/autumn-stock-1.JPG" /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZtQLGtqvK2ZWVc5Egy7fCBQoYPo2gLV4l4UneylP72dKvcM5jIfoYyqWSnMgUI1Y9Z_-Y5pzcYwb9ko0iAEvj7vUDO2XyHiPUqU8D_jYOKDZUo5-TQSyjNht6hYyOR6d8mWxd9DH3xo/s1600/autumn-stock-2.JPG" /></div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How to get the most use out of these styled stock photos</span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Y</span>ou could always leave <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e images plain </span></span>but below I've given you a few rough ideas on how to could use text with <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">them</span>. Images with a fine white inn<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">er</span> boarder always look great<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>and of course modern calligraphy fonts (DaFont.com do some good free ones!) make any image creative and done<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. My personal favourite ha<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s to be th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e Au<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">tumn stock image <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">with</span> ro<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">se gold <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">foil text!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="free-lifestyle-stock-images" height="1000" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8644/29259504830_d6bbe938af_o.jpg" width="600" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As mentioned feel free to use these how you wish � Blog posts, Instagram, Facebook, cropped as sidebar buttons for your social media platforms etc etc. With a little credit back to m<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">yself</span> or if you want a cheeky pin of this post on Pinterest because I'm getting into it � finally! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Really hope you can make use of these styled stock images! </span></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fee xo. </span></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Related (ish) free stuff </b>: </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.makeupsavvy.co.uk/2014/11/free-printable-weekly-blog-planner.html" target="_blank">Free weekly blogger planner</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.makeupsavvy.co.uk/2013/04/5-free-desktop-backgrounds-for.html" target="_blank">5 Free desktop backgrounds</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.makeupsavvy.co.uk/2013/10/blog-photography-diy-reflector.html" target="_blank">DIY photography reflector</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>

blog photography Blogging Tips Series Free stock images 10 Totally Free Styled Stock Images

The thing I love most about blogging is the photography side of it, I get to be as creative as I like and that makes me happy. Basically I l...

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An Insanely Clever Solution If Google Analytics Hurts Your Brain

<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivR16Vu5pGBx-ij_m-OKs9qIjkkjR7MFz6DrBBhuc3mxwQIleJbTwuhH17r9chbJ4GCjgyvpAKWAYXhFhWrMk1mBbEgERvRx58U58weV2VpKNTMZXEc6quHLxHLvQS1a6CGjhuZbretUs/s1600/simple-blogger-analytics-dashboard.JPG" /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br /><h2><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't know about you, but Google Analytics makes<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>my brain hurt - a lot. </span></h2><br /><h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If I spend more than 5 minutes doing anything other than looking at my pageviews and wondering if 'bounce rate' really matters (that's as far as my knowledge goes) then I feel overwhelmed by all the stats and click 'X'. </span></h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But you see all the stats and figures that can literally monitor and measure everything within a website, aren't technically needed if you are a blogger. Okay, if you are into that then great, but for the general blogger it's fine to only understand the basics.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So wouldn't it be great if you could have a dashboard that only showed the important stuff? </span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well whilst doing my nightly search on Pinterest for all things helpful, I call it my blogucation, I came across just that, by wonderful blogger Kate over at <a href="http://www.smallpaperthings.com/" target="_blank">Small Paper Things</a>! Yep, she's actually gone and made the most <a href="http://www.smallpaperthings.com/tracking-blog-progress-free-google-analytics-dashboard-for-bloggers/" target="_blank">simple and FREE plugin for Google Analytics just for bloggers</a> that places all the good stuff you need to be tracking onto your main dashboard - how clever, right?! </span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br /><h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A simpler solution for bloggers </span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can find the dashboard/plugin/whatever you want to call it - <b><a href="http://www.smallpaperthings.com/tracking-blog-progress-free-google-analytics-dashboard-for-bloggers/" target="_blank">here</a></b> and it literally takes seconds to implement on your Google Analytics account; it's as simple as openinga new tab and clicking a drop down menu.<i> I should point out I'm blogging about this because I've never come across anything similar before and I've always hated Google Analytics!</i> Kate also kindly explains what everything on the dashboard means, some of which I didn't know, so I was grateful for that.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2tNB-JQwgPG4ZNZfKyVkQX21WaDs_O9_NwBsxeKFRJ1dQheqsxqFOWbeYzwzXuaGqMBZs8mYT1jYkT5akfe9fVt292ZVaKU-kBsKHjs0p8LSr20zAhVTh_5ZAlA6WwGP2HVQHTlRJxQ/s1600/dashboard-overview+new.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">An example of the blogger-friendly dashboard</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span> <br /><h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I love about my new Blogger GA Dashboard</span></h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Okay, so all of this stuff isn't new and can be found in the sidebar menu with a bit of digging, but so many times I'd forget where to find certain things. So for that reason I'm loving that Keywords that's headed as 'Content Ideas' is now right there for me and I also kinda' love that I can see instantly see how many people are currently on my blog in real time! Not needed... but so fun!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The most helpful thing is knowing what my main traffic sources are, especially as I'm trying to drive more page views/readers to my blog from Pinterest. So I can now monitor my page views from Pinterest every time I click onto my analytics.</span><br /><br /><h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks Kate, you're a star!</span></h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I really love bloggers like this, that provide such helpful resources - totally free! Because clearly Kate is an online genius and 100% doesn't need a simplistic view of Google Analytics... but she gets it, and is kind enough to come up with a solution! That's why I had to make this impromptu techy blog post as I know a lot of fellow bloggers also don't understand Google Analytics and either just look at pageviews (that was me!) or avoid it entirely. I really think this new dashboard will help me track the things I need to know about and stop my brain from feeling like it will explode from all the stats, finally! </span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I hope you've found this post mildly interesting to read, it was a tad zzzz, but Kimberley's dashboard is a huge help! </span></b></i></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Let me know if you decide to get it so we can nod in agreement at how clever it is! </span></b></i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Fee xo. </span></b></i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">P.S. I'm trying out my text left align, instead of centered... let me know what you think. It's supposedly easier on the eyes! Humm, I'm not sure yet.</span> </span></b></i></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></i></span>

blogging tips Blogging Tips Series An Insanely Clever Solution If Google Analytics Hurts Your Brain

I don't know about you, but Google Analytics makes my brain hurt - a lot.  If I spend more than 5 minutes doing anything other than loo...

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3-Hour Blog Planning: Get Motivated & Increase Pageviews

<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="blog-planning-increase-page-views" height="884" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8077/29247210531_86ebea28bf_o.jpg" width="600" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>For the past 6 weeks I've been experiencing some pretty severe fatigue (thanks, Vitamin D deficiency) and the last thing I've wanted to do is <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">blog</span> if I'm totally honest<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span>While most of you won't be feeling like a sloth due to an obsession with SPF, blogging slumps can come on for <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">various </span>reasons, good and bad<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> -<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span>I know I've wanted to blog less when I got <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">addicted to </span>watching Making A Murderer! But ditching your blog when you've worked so hard on it <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">just isn't an option<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span></span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Which is why I came up with my monthly 3-hour blog planning solution that has actually motivated me to blog more even if I'm still feeling like sh*t! It's a mixture of inspiring yourself to blog while carefully planning the right content + making your blogging month that bit easier!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Basically here's how I got my blogging mojo back in 3 little hours! </b></span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="create-stock-images-blogging" height="799" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8457/29217871132_6e1a259fac_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="599" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>My stock image library for September </i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Plan out your blog <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">con<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">tent</span></span> for the month ahead</span> </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This may <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">seem an obvious one<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but I <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">certainly wasn't <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">doing it <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">so far in adv<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ance</span>, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">but i</span>t<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> makes a huge difference. But unlike normal blog post planning the aim <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">here is to pla<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n your con<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ten<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">t around <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">myself<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">/<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">your needs </span></span>and then<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> think about what your readers want. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How I l<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ike to plan my <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">content is to have a <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">huge brainstor<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">m and write down as ma<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ny</span> ideas for <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">blog posts as possible and al<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">so products I want to review o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ver the coming mon<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">th</span>. I w<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hen decide <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">re<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">alis<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">tically how o<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ft<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">en I can blog <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">each week and start to pla<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">it all out. If you<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'re<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> not<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> feeling blogging<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">right now</span> i<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">nclude fun and easy pos<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">t</span>s each week such as w<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ishlists<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and tags<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">won't tak<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e much time. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b></span></div><ul style="text-align: center;"><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I</span>nclude at least one easy to write/fun blog post per week </span></li><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">T</span>hink about what your readers want to see and when<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">E</span>xample<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s </span>- <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">H</span>aul posts on/after payday, se<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sonal posts</span>. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This al<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">l </span></span>increase<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s</span> page views! </span> </span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Shoot & edit your own blog stock images </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">br<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ie<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">fly me<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ntioned <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">creating <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a </span>stock image library<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>be<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">fore be<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">cause it<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'s so handy<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> wh<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">en it comes to days you just aren't in the mood to take <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ph<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">otos<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> or </span>the weather is too dark or you just fancy getting a post up quickly. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For this I aim to tak<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e between 4-8 <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ifferent images with <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">slightly different themes<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> to them. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If flatlays do<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n't come n<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">aturally to you then <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">seeking ins<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">piration <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">on Pin<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">terest or <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">from your<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> favourite blogs will seriously help. Once I've shot<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> 4-8 setups I <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">t<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hen jump on my laptop<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, select my favourites and <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">edit them<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. These can be the<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">n used throughout the month <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">just by adding a bit of text<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - for this I use Photo<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">S</span>cape or Can<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">va<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. A<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bove are my own stock images<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and as you can see I used the top left image for today's <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">blog p<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ost just by adding a <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">diagonal <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">stri<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">p and text<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, which took me all of 5 minutes! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b></span></div><ul style="text-align: center;"><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> These can be carried over to the next month and re-used multiple times</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Perfect for blog tip <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and lifestyle</span> posts  </span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Write up a weeks worth of catchy blog titles and save them</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Getting blog post <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">titles wrote and saved as blog p<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">osts can be suc<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">h <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a motivation<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> because whenever you go onto your blogging platform <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">they will be</span> waiting for you <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">you can writ<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e</span></span> bit<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s as and w<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">hen you feel like it. Also planning out your t<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">itles inst<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ead of writin<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">g them <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">just before <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">you write the blog post <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">means you will create more inter<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">esting t<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">itles that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">people will want to click on! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For extra help creating e<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ye catching <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">blog post<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">s this <a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/58546863885143998/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">title template</a> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I found on Pinterest is <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">great<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">or you can even paste your <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">title into <a href="http://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CoS</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coschedule Headline A<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">nalyzer</span></a> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">which will score your headline and really help you make i<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">t th<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e best it can be<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - I love this free<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> resource! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">*Planned out titles will always attract more page views </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">*You've already started your post so you'll feel motivated to write it up! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This 3-hour <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">blo<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">g planning really has m<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">otivated me at a time when I seriously need it an<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">couldn't re<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">co<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">m</span>mend <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">it mo<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">re - <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">if you give it a g<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">o let me know how you g<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">et on in the comments! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fee xo. </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Blogging Tips Series 3-Hour Blog Planning: Get Motivated & Increase Pageviews

For the past 6 weeks I've been experiencing some pretty severe fatigue (thanks, Vitamin D deficiency) and the last thing I've wanted...

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My Regrets in 6 Years of Blogging

<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="blogging-regrets" height="962" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/27101152702_d10e8ceedf_o.jpg" width="600" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I'm not really one for regrets so this post kind of doesn't make much sense<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">!</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">H</span>owever I think we all get thoughts that pop into our head that in hindsight we would have done differently - these are those. </i></span></span></h3></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h3><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>My 'blogger regrets' haven't really affected my blogging as a whole but along the way some of my choices hindered things and I know they could definitely help a few newbie bloggers! So here are my<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>'regrets' when it comes to blogging. </i></span></span></h3></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Not getting more professional earlier on </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I first started Makeup Savvy back in February, 2010 it was purely a hobby after blogging about interiors and soon getting bored from the lack of community and interaction. But within six months to a year of beauty blogging I knew it was different and something that I could grow. I didn't know exactly what I could grow it into but looking back now I wish I had my head screwed on a bit more to snap up that �6.00 domain sooner, get my head around tax and paying for a good blog design instead of days of html headaches. Though these things haven't hindered me as such I feel my blogging journey could have come with a few less headaches if I'd have been a bit more proactive when I started to see the potential of my blog! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Thinking it was quantity over quality </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For years and years I was more concerned with how many times I was blogging per week than the quality of my posts. I think this is something most bloggers get sucked into as we see a high percentage of fellow bloggers updating their blog on a daily basis, if not twice daily! This trap of rushing content has seen me blog 6 times a week and yes, I even went for blogging twice a day at one point in aid to increase pageviews and interaction on my blog. So did it work? Nope! Of course it may work for some but I found as I blogged more about offers, the nail polish I was wearing that day and similar throw-away posts I was receiving less and less comments and eventually page views. I've now taken my foot off the gas and write 3-4 times a week and take much more time over my posts, from the photography to structuring my post more. My page views may have settled off now with more loyal readers (which I'm fine with!) but they are higher than the days of blogging 6 times a week and I've now found my groove.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Apologising for<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">not blogging</span></span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Arghh, this is annoying one! Why do us bloggers do it<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">? </span>NO ONE CARE! Okay, maybe if I disappeared from blogging for 2 months a few of you would start to notice but if I miss a few posts here and there or even take a break from blogging for a week, you get it! Everyone has life stuff to deal with or even enjoy, whether that's family stuff of the good and bad kind, a rubbish cold that leaves you wanting to hibernate in bed or you simply don't want to waste a sunny weekend by being indoors typing away. As you can see I now totally get it and if some weeks I post only 2 blog posts because of, well whatever, I now don't apologise for my absence, I just don't mention it! If you're a fellow blogger that keeps on falling into this apologetic trap and feeling quality for taking time out then simply remember that your readers read more than one blog (probably 50, tbh) and it's really not a big deal to them... they probably don't even notice! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Being won over by PR samples </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over the years I've been lucky enough to receive quite a high number of PR samples and some with pretty much unrelated gifts - i.e blogging bribery! At first as I was relatively new to beauty blogging and receiving essentially free products I was excited. I was amazed I was 'worthy' of being sent PR samples that I would always make sure to review them and 9 times out of 10 with a glowing review. Of course this is now a regret as I blog to inform readers of products worth buying and not to please PR companies. These days though I'm still grateful for receiving PR samples and being kept in the loop of new launches and brands I'm realistic and only include products that really deserve mentioning after weeks of trying them out. Gone are the days I include PR samples after numerous emails from the PR company asking when a review will be up. Gone are the days I instantly share new products on my social media due to receiving extra unrelated free gifts and certainly gone are the days I risk you spending your well earned money on a products that aren't all that. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Hope you've enjoyed this honest post! </b></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>If you're a fellow blogger then certainly feel free to do a similar post on your own blog - I'd love to read it! </b></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Fee xo. </b></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>

Blogging Blogging Tips Series My Regrets in 6 Years of Blogging

I'm not really one for regrets so this post kind of doesn't make much sense ! H owever I think we all get thoughts that pop into ou...

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