DeDivahDeals

Fashion and Fun after Fifty

Archive for February, 2015

10 Basic Blogging Tips

10 Basic Blogging Tips

basic blogging tips for success

1. First Impression is the Last Impression

If your blog don’t have decent layout and your readers are finding it hard to read your actual content, you need to fix it . It’s your blog design which is first viewed by your blog readers and if they don’t like it, they will simply close it and move on.

2. Content Quality

You content’s quality matters a great deal. If it’s really good, it will motivate your blog readers to visit your blog again and again to read your latest blogging tips and keep up with your posts. Relevant and interesting images and videos makes your posts more interesting. No one wants to read a long wordy blog post without a single image. Also, proofread for grammatical and sentence related errors and create an eye catching title for all your blog posts.

Blog posts with eye catching headlines get better CTR (Click through Rate) in search engine results and other places of listings.

3. Write Guest Posts for Other Blogs

Write guest posts for other blogs in your targeted niche is one of the best things you could do to become a successful blogger. Make a list of most popular blogs in your niche and approach them with high quality guest posts.

comment

4. Reply to Comments

You should reply to comments coming on your blog posts. If you are not replying comments, don’t expect lots of comments on your blog posts from genuine blog readers. Check your guest posts on regular basis and reply to incoming comments. Before commenting you should set an avatar with your picture on Gravatar.com.

SEO

5. Learn the Basics of SEO

You should start learning the basics of SEO. It will be your SEO skills that will take you from being an average blogger to a successful blogger. Use targeted keywords in your blog post URL, Title, meta tags, as an alternative text with images, heading tags and few times in your actual blog content. You should interlink your blog posts where they make sense. Link to trusted websites to give additional information about a topic to your blog readers.

6. Link Building Activities

Guest blogging on other blogs will help you get some high quality backlinks for your blog from popular blogs in your niche. You cannot get much traffic to your blog without link building activities if you are blogging about a competitive niche.

social media presence

7. Have a Strong Presence on Social Media Networks

You need to make sure your blog has a strong presence on Social Media networks like Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

8. Improve Speed of Your Blog

You need to look at all possible ways to improve the speed of your blog. If you are adding images, you should optimize their sizes before uploading on your blog. You should enter cleaned HTML into your blog posts.

guest blogging

9. Improve Engagement on Your Blog

You should write engaging content on your blog. You should give a personal touch to your blog posts. You should ask questions; take advice and feedback from your blog readers. CommentLuv plugin to encourage visitors to leave comments and interact with one another.

10. Monetize Your Blog

If one of your primary goals behind blogging is earning cash, you should start monetizing your blog once you start seeing some traffic on it. No doubt there are hundreds or even thousands of websites claiming to help you make money from your blog, but don’t believe all of them, ask other bloggers who are more than willing to share their success stories.  

Do you have other tips to share?

New Year ~ New You

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A Spring Cleanse Begins Within

A Spring Cleanse Begins Within

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world. Did you start off the year trying to declutter and rid your home of unwanted or unnecessary items from your closets and dresser drawers? Perhaps you would rather wait until the Spring thaw to begin the cleaning process. If you haven’t started cleaning the house or car, just remember that a Spring Cleanse begins within and you should start now.

preparing collard greens A Colon Cleanse is a healthy way to rid your body of toxins, toxins that enter our body almost daily. I am not one who advocates replacing meals with a gallon of lemonade made with cayenne pepper or popping pills that put me in the bathroom all day. I use natural healthy ways to cleanse, such as drinking boiled parsley or cilantro; a few teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar or one of my grandmother’s favorite, “pot liquor” which is essentially the juice that remains in the pot after we’ve eaten all the collard greens.

improvKitchen_greenSmoothie_02

theimprovkitchen.blogspot.com photo

Green smoothies are another way to get a natural healthy cleanse and there are a million and one recipes on the internet, including this one I found at The Improv Kitchen, check it out.

Recently I heard an interview on the TJMS with TheHerbSistah and her recommendations to use natural ingredients to help men and women cleanse and detoxify.  I believe that incorporating Superfoods into your diet is truly the best way to keep yourself regular, so remember to add a few of these goodies to your grocery basket the next time you shop.

*Salmon
*Tuna
*Avocado
*Walnuts
*Almonds
*Olive Oil
*Flax Seeds

*Blueberries

*Raspberries
*Spinach
*Kale
*Eggplant
*Tomatoes
*Carrots
*Sweet Potatoes
*Apples
*Oranges
*Butternut Squash

STOCK PHOTO getty_rf_photo_of_fresh_produce_in_grocery_basket

STOCK PHOTO

Superfoods not only help you cleanse your body to rid it of harmful substances, but they also fight off any harmful agents that may be trying to attack your system. You can keep those nasty bugs and virus’ at bay with a natural cleanse if you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.  

Come Spring you’ll be ready to tackle those cabinets and closets!

Happy New Year ~ Happy New You!

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Headed to Hollywood – Part I – Pinch Me Please!

Headed to Hollywood – Part I – Pinch Me Please!

Hello friends and welcome to Thankful Thursday. Today’s post is Part I of my fabulous trip to Los Angeles. I am still in awe and total amazement to think that I was chosen to be a Brand Ambassador for a Kimberly-Clark campaign. I think I read the email 5 or 6 times before it actually sunk in…and when it did – wow it was a wonderful experience!

Headed to Hollywood

I was one of three bloggers chosen for this particular campaign; Pam of over50feeling40 and Alexandria of Fun and Fit were the other two.  We had a fun, fantastic time and our individual quirky personalities really meshed, we are definitely “Reality TV” material! #3boomerswhoblog

3 boomers who blog

It was an early morning flight from Philly to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to LA but I was so pumped with adrenaline, I couldn’t sleep a wink on any leg of the trip. Upon arrival at the airport I took a shuttle to the hotel, The Standard, which is an eco-friendly downtown LA hotel with a few quirky room amenities, however, I will dedicate a separate post with pictures about it at a later date.

waiting for the shuttle at LAX

Meeting Pam for the first time was like greeting an old friend, we hit it off immediately and due to a mix-up with the room reservations we were able to spent hours in the hotel lobby talking and taking pictures before dinner with Alexandria and our agency contacts Mendy, Sarah, Maria, Jake and Kay.

Pam and I in the hotel resturant hanging out in the lobby of The Standard Hotel

pam and me

Bright and early Friday morning, we all headed to the beautiful Veterans Memorial Park in Sylmar for a video shoot which was preceded by a great breakfast then followed by an awesome lunch from Beezoo catering before heading to Melrose Place in West Hollywood. It definitely was an awesome day, makeup and hair, followed by a wardrobe selection, which for me was this Diane Von Furstenberg Freya Silk Shirt dress and Steve Madden flats which I was able to keep!!

Sunny Day in LA

Beautiful Day in LA

having fun early in the morning

Pam and I at the truck

Hair and makeup by Erika

hair and makeup

After hair and make up

 

BeeZoo's chocolate tart

Camera Ready

It was a gorgeous day in Hollywood and at one point during my shoot, a PAP (paparazzi) stopped his car to take pictures of me. Not knowing who I was but obviously impressed by all the cameras and crew he must have thought I was someone famous, that really made my day! I laughed, thinking, “just wait until he finds out who I really am and what I was there for”.  Too bad he along with you will have to wait until April for the big reveal. Hollywood, California is definitely the place where dreams are made!

Hollywood, California

 

Stay tuned next week for Part II of Headed to Hollywood ~ Scenes from the Shoot

Selfie in LA

 

Just think, this time last week…Pinch Me Please!

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5 Things You Don’t Have in Your Bathroom But Probably Should {Guest Post}

5 Things You Don’t Have in Your Bathroom But Probably Should {Guest Post} 

Author: Amber Brubaker

You may think that your bathroom is outfitted with everything necessary for you and your family’s needs. But think again. There’s always a way that you can spruce up your bathroom for both looks and functionality. Once you try these five functional and attractive bathroom additions, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them!

Bathroom

1. Nifty, Creative Storage

Maybe you don’t have very much cupboard or drawer space and something always gets left out without a home. Or maybe you have plenty of cupboard and drawer space, but they’re always cluttered and unsightly. Either way, you need some new, creative DIY storage solutions like the ones below.

Mounted Mason Jars: Mason jars are the perfect and cute way to store your cotton balls, q-tips, and makeup brushes. Just nail some large metal, adjustable hoop rings to a painted board, put your mason jars in the rings, and hang the display for some adorable storage!

Cupboard Door Cubbies: Use some wood glue to attach boards to your cupboard door to create an open box where you can store lotions, toilet paper, and more. Or, if that seems a little too complex for you, simply use adhesive plastic hooks and hang wire baskets from them.

Floating Shelves: Over-the-toilet stands are bulky and not always classy-looking, but floating shelves are the perfect, attractive solution to your storage needs. Whether they’re over your toilet, next to your towel rack, or by the door, floating shelves will look great and work perfectly for your towels, toothbrushes, and bathroom decor.

 

2. Framed Bathroom Mirror

Don’t you love that giant mirror spanning the entire wall of your bathroom? That big mirror is the reason you and your partner never argue about space in front of the mirror in the morning. But that’s pretty much the only good thing about it. It’s not exactly the most attractive part of the room. That can all change if you frame it.

Start by measuring the perimeter of the mirror so that you know how much trim you need to buy. Carefully remove the clips around your mirror and make sure it’s glued to the wall. If it’s not, glue it on. Ask advice from a professional on this one.

Next, collect your trim from a hardware store. You’ll want the edges to be angled so that they’ll fit together in a nice corner. Spray paint the trim with the color of your choice, and use wood glue to attach it to the wall around the mirror. Voila! A perfectly attractive frame to enhance your favorite bathroom feature!

white bathrobes and towels stapled on brown wooden shelf with flowers

3. Indoor Shutters

You’re curtains may be cute, but honestly, they aren’t the best window covering for your bathroom. They fade quickly, aren’t exactly sanitary, and it’s hard to keep them clean. If you want the best possible window covering, you should look into indoor shutters for your windows. They’re the most modern, yet cozy window covering available. You can get them in any color to match your bathroom decor, not to mention, they’ll increase the value of your home. If that’s not enough to convince you that your bathroom needs indoor shutters, read this article for more dynamite reasons.

4. Reminder Boards

Do you have little ones who forget to brush their teeth, wash behind their ears, or any other hygiene necessities? Sounds like you need some cute reminder boards to give them a hand. You could use a plain white board to write daily reminders for your forgetful mini yous, but if you want it to be really cute and match the decor of your space perfectly, make a cute dry erase board out of a picture frame.

All you need is a picture frame of any size, a piece of scrapbook paper that matches your home decor, and some dry erase markers. Put the scrapbook paper in the picture frame, hang the frame on your wall, and use it for your reminders. The dry erase markers work on the glass just like they would on a white board.

 

Mature woman in bathrobe adjusting hair, smiling, view through shutters

5. Towel Hooks

Boring towel racks are a thing of the past. They aren’t exactly attractive, and they usually only hold two towels. You probably also end up with a pile of wet towels on the floor every morning. If that sounds like your bathroom, remove the towel rack ASAP and add cute hooks instead.

You can make your own with some fancy, decorative hooks attached to a painted board that you can hang on the wall. Or, look for a row of hooks in your favorite home goods store. This update is not only stylish, but it will also encourage the other members of your household to hang up their towels because it’s so easy.

So, there you have it! Some simple bathroom remodel ideas that will make your plain bathroom fabulous!

Disclosure: This Guest Post was written by someone other than the author of DeDivahDeals. The author of this post submitted the article to me for the purpose of being published on this blog as a Guest Writer.


Snacks in a Sack ~ Sacko Insulated Lunch Bag Review


Hello friends, how many of you were affected by the first major “snow storm of the season”?  I don’t care how many people complained about it turning out to be a dud, I am truly glad that it didn’t turn out to be as bad as predicted.  

However, it did get me to think about making another DIY “snow survival kit for the car.  This year’s kit is going to be stored in a Sacko Insulated Lunch Bag from Amazon.

Sacko Insulated Lunch Bag Review

The Sacko Insulated Lunch Bag with an adjustable shoulder strap is a great size, perfect for soccer moms who carry snacks to the game or for an extra large lunch for the road crew who are out salting the roads in anticipation of the next big snow storm.

It also features an elastic rope on the side to hold beverages, magazines or newspapers and a side handle for an easy grip and go.
Sacko Insulated Lunch Bag has side ropes to carry magazines The Sacko Insulated Lunch Bag is 12.25″h x 10.25″w x 8.75″d and I have mine filled with non perishables food items as well as bottles of water to keep in the back seat in case of an emergency this winter.  It will also make for a great beach tote this summer.  

You should order one today from Amazon for a quick ship, that way you’ll have it before the next “major snow storm of the season”.  Remember last year’s #PolarVortex hit around this same time in February!!!

Sacko Sack makes for perfect soccer mom snack pack

Stay safe and warm until the next storm!

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Product Review Link Up Weekend Party


ROI or Just Spinning Your Wheels – Blogger’s Problems

 

ROI or just spinning your wheels – Blogger’s Problems

spinning wheel We’ve all been there, while driving in the car an idea suddenly pops into your head…a great post idea.  So you steer with one hand while making notes with the other trying to avoid running a red light or a head on collision.  

You get home and write what you think is a fantastic post, included some great pictures, linked back to reputable sites, even added some personal antidotes, then finally after what seems like 8 hours, you press the Publish button….then what?

Crickets….complete silence…no comments…no likes…no nothing?


What’s your ROI – in other words, what is the return on investment? The investment of time, which could have meant that you worked all day, rushed home to fix dinner, did a few household chores, handled your wifely duties, showered and then sat at the kitchen table until 3:00 am writing, rewriting, editing, uploading, proofreading all for nothinghello…is anyone out there?


hear me now

As a blogger those are the worse days, but also as a blogger they are the motivators that keeps us going, making us want to get better, sharper, more relevant and trust me, that is not a bad thing especially if blogging is your passion.

So what are some ways in which we can get a better ROI, here are just a few things that have worked for me:

Create a Bitly link for each blog post’s url

  • the shorter the link the better it is for syndication especially when posting to Twitter

Queue your posts in Bufferapp

  • scheduling posts to syndicate a minimum of 7 times per day around the clock so while you are sleeping, readers in other parts of the world can be reading your posts

Submit your link with positive comments to the Facebook and Twitter pages of the companies that you have included in your post

social media icons

Syndicate to all your SM networks especially Goggle+ – who doesn’t want that “Google Juice”? – Change up the intro to the post so it appears as a new post and not spam, avoiding the words read my new blog post’

Last but not least have fun and join a party, linkup, but be a courteous guest and stick around to read and leave pertinent comments on others’ posts.

I WAS FEATURED #WWDPARTY

These are just a few ideas to get you started, please feel free to share what has worked for you – Sharing is Caring!

NEW YEAR ~ NEW YOU!

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The Emergency Outfit: The First Aid Kit of Office Attire

The Emergency Outfit: The First Aid Kit of Office Attire

Molly Nox

 

Sometimes life can throw curveballs. Sometimes you stay up too late and sleep through the alarm, and that’s on you. Other times, budget can get in the way of cleaning things on time. If you’re a single parent, you may have completely forgotten to do a load of laundry so you would have something to wear—and you don’t realize until 7 a.m. the following morning it’s just too late to make up for this oversight. And then there are natural disasters, lost clothes at the cleaners, freak accidents with pets deciding your clothes are a bed or a bathroom, and on the list goes. Regardless of what the issue is, it is always smart to have an emergency outfit (or two) on hand.

 

Just like you keep Band-Aids, a fire extinguisher, or aloe vera sunburn gel around, an emergency work ensemble can put out a fire that could have otherwise had you calling in sick. So what should you do? Well to begin, you obviously don’t want to pack away your favorite gear, but conversely, you don’t want to throw a heap of “this will kind of get the job done” into a grocery bag and toss it into the trunk of your car. Your list of goodies doesn’t have to be top of the line, but it needs to be good enough that no one at work asks any questions.

 

Your essentials should include a nice button-down shirt or blouse, a decent pair of slacks (perhaps your favorite work pants from the days of yore that you have just taken out of rotation because you have purchased new ones?), and on the off chance that you endured a flood or something that would otherwise disable you from reach your bureau, a pair of work socks is a good call.

pair of work socks

 

Here’s the an important note: Once you have picked out your emergency outfit, you don’t just want to toss it into your gym bag next to your workout clothes or into a Trader Joe’s bag you happen to have hanging out in the back of your car. In order to keep your emergency wardrobe stash intact, you will want to use a garment bag. You can get a garment bag on the cheap from Wal-Mart and most other mass retailers. It doesn’t have to be a leather bag or anything special—it just needs to be able to store clothing on hangers, fold in the middle, and be storable wherever you deem is the most appropriate for your potential workplace wardrobe emergency situation.

garment bag @Walmart

 

The bottom line is, you will want to be able to reach into that garment back if the occasion arises and dress from head to toe with as little stress as possible. If that also means you have to throw a pair of simple flats into the bottom of the bag, all the better. In this way, you can ensure that if you happened to be wearing stilettos the night before, you won’t have to awkwardly saunter into the office wearing them the next day with an outfit they are completely mismatched with.

 

Do you have an emergency work ensemble in the event of a housing emergency, a late night out, or any other random reason? If not, put one together—better safe than sorry when it comes to your career!


Wear Red for Women OOTD LinkUp

Hello friends and welcome to the 2015 “Wear Red for Women” OOTD LinkUp. 

Go Red for Women Linkup

Robin and I have been excited all week in anticipation of this day, not only because it brings awareness to women and heart disease, but also because it is our first linkup!

go-red-for-women-logo

We started the week with Good for the Soul Soulfood recipes and ways in which to eat healthier, lowering sodium and cutting back on red meat.  The alarming statistics explains why it is so very important to be heart healthy, so today we’re celebrating each other by wearing red and taking the pledge to keep ours healthy all year long.  

Please show your support by linking up with us and show off your fabulosity in a cute little RED DRESS, skirt, pants or even a pair of shorts and sandals!

Please note that all entries will also be posted to my Go Red for Women Pinterest board.

Little Red Dress purchased from Ross

 

This little red dress was purchased at Ross and the Jessica Simpson peep-toe pumps were from Charmingly Linda’s Consignment Shop in West Chester, PA.

Jessica Simpson peep-toe pumps

GO RED FOR WOMEN 010 New Year ~ New You

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Thank You–Award Nominations

Hello friends, as you are reading this post, I am heading to the West Coast…yes, I am flying out of Philly this morning enroute to Los Angeles, California! Am I  excited…YES I AM!  Why am I going…oh I am super excited to tell you but am going to make you wait, however, I will give you a two word hint BRAND AMBASSADOR

flying to california

I’ll be there until Saturday so make sure you follow my Instagram page, you never know, you might just see me on a Red Carpet!

However, before I left I wanted to take time to thank and acknowledge two beautiful bloggers who each nominated me for awards.

 

The Versatile Blogger Award from  at C-ray @Sunlight Beauty

Versatile Blogger Award

The Liebster Award from Melinda at There Is A Season

Liebster Award

 

Each award comes with their own set of rules, however, I have combined them both and am providing 8 random facts about myself:

  1. I Blog, Therefore I am
  2. I like the pool –vs- ocean
  3. unsalted chips with hot sauce is my favorite snack
  4. My favorite author is E. Lynn Harris, however, I haven’t read a book in years
  5. I hate getting up early on the weekends
  6. I love thrifting but have too many clothes
  7. Summer is my favorite season
  8. I love to cook




Thank you ladies for the nominations, and don’t forget to follow my Instagram page for some fun and exciting pictures.  I can’t wait to see my bestie again, as it has been too long since last we were together!  Oh, and don’t forget to come back tomorrow to link up your RED OOTD for National Wear Red for Women Day.

go-red-for-women-logo  

New Year ~ New You!

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WIWW OOTD ~ Mixing Prints

Hello friends and Happy Hump Day Wednesday.  

I have gotten away from the OOTD posts because of the weather, hubby is my photographer and he and cold just don’t mix!  However, today, the weather is warmer and the sun is brighter so I took advantage of it to get a few shots of my outfit of the day #workwear.

mixing prints

This is a short work week for me so on Sunday I didn’t prepare my outfits for the entire week as I normally do.  This outfit was pulled together last minute before heading to bed and the mixing of polka dots and animal print seems to work, what do you think?

Fashion after Fifty

Taking full advantage of not only the bright sunshine but also the lack of snow, I chose to wear a pair of my favorite pumps from DSW, along with a pair of light color hose. The pencil skirt and polka dot top are both thrifted from Goodwill and the cardigan …. can’t remember where purchased #seniormoment

thrifted from Goodwill

Monday was much colder so I wore my OTK Suede boots and if you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen these, which are my all time favorite suede boots.

fashionable boots

I do hope you all are enjoying your day and I can’t wait to see your “Go Red for Women” OOTD on Friday, don’t forget to stop by and link up with Robin @robincharmagne and I.  

New Year ~ New You!

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