I've been a fan of half birthdays for as long as I can remember (age 3 if I could venture an educated guess). I would proudly state that I was “9 1/2” when I was a little rugrat. Now I can say with tremendous pride that Work Play and Chardonnay has officially reached it's very first half birthday…or you could say it is 6 months old.
I'm going to call it a six-month anniversary. Due in part to my inability to find a “1/2” candle in the store.
It's weird to think that I hemmed and hawed about launching this blog. The fear was real, Y'all. The Work Play and Chardonnay domain had remained dormant for nearly 3 1/2 years (those halves!!!) before I published my first post on March 17th of this year. Fast forward (like in 64x speed) and over 30 posts have been written, scrutinized, and posted over the past 6 months.
Wow…right???!!!
I thought I would honor WPC's 6 months in the blog-o-sphere with a quick round-up of things I've grown to love and things that need a wee bit of work. Or in some cases…a lot of blog elbow grease. File folders…I am giving you serious side eye.
Favorite Bloggy Things
Grammarly – Grammarly makes my writing so much smarter than it actually is. It lets me know when I suck at using the English language and corrects me without being pompous. I do use the premium version to milk the services of Sir/Madam Grammarly for all it is worth. However, I do ignore Sir/Madam Grammarly whenever I make up my own words. It's called creativity, Grammarly, but don't worry. I still love you.
PicMonkey – Photos are a crucial component to WPC – places I've gone, the food I've eaten, the wine I've guzzled. My photos are okay, but they get a little more punched up thanks to the editing prowess of PicMonkey. Also…I like to say PicMonkey. It's a fun name for a brand. No monkey around.
Twitter – One of my learnings as a new blogger is the importance of social media to promote content. Twitter, hands down, is my absolute favorite platform to interact with other bloggers. There are a few a$$hats out there, but overall I have met (online) so many fun and supportive people. Especially Ashley at Big Flavors From a Tiny Kitchen, Mallory May at The Chic Gourmay, Lee at Bella Inspired Grace, and, of course, my best friend in real life, Nicole at American Introvert in London.
What's Next?
Photography Class – PicMonkey has done wonder for my photos, but there is so much left for me to learn. As much as I'd love a professional photographer to reach out and say, “Please, please, pleeeeeaaaasseee…let me take your photos. You can pay me in verbal praise and home-baked cookies!!!” that's just not practical or even remotely realistic. This girl needs to get herself into a photography class soon.
Partner Posts…Occasionally – Slowly I am starting to work with brands which excites me so very, very much. Partner posts have been a goal of mine from the very beginning, so to start having the opportunities to do so makes me sing and dance.
Side note – Hey, Brands, hey! Call me!! My number is on my “About” page.
Second side note – Did that sound desperate or proactive? Or desperately proactive?
Getting My Blog Sh#t Together – There's so much stuff behind-the-scenes that I need to do to get organized. I'm talking spreadsheets, filing systems, and other things that require a trip to Office Max. For some reason, I haven't been all over getting this kind of stuff done. Maybe because I find it mundane? Hmm…
What type of posts do you enjoy via Work Play and Chardonnay? Is there anything you would like to see more or less on the blog? How do you feel about guest posts? Any and all feedback is much appreciated!
Thank you so much for reading whether this is your first post or you have been checking in on the regular! I would share all the cupcakes with everyone if I could (please read “all the cupcakes” in Oprah's giving goodies away voice).
Work Hard. Play Hard. Drink Chard. (I can in 4 days!!)
Laurie