It's Been a Month Since I've Moved!

Hi guys, I'm stopping by to remind you that my blog has moved! I noticed that I do still have some people that are viewing this blog (some might even be myself because I accidentally type the wrong address sometimes- woops!) and some people that are following this one on Bloglovin and not my new one.

So head over to my new blog at emmabauso.com, and follow that one on Bloglovin by clicking here!

Thanks to everyone who has followed me to my new blog- it's so awesome to know that my followers aren't just following me on accident! I'm loving the look and feel of my new blog. Changing it has really motivated e to get serious about my online presence. There's some great stuff going on over there!

Hello! My Blog Moved!

I switched my blog from emmabauso.blogspot.com to emmabauso.com! Be sure to check out the new site, give feedback please, and add me on Bloglovin'!

Click here to go to the new site. // Click here to add my new blog on Bloglovin'.

I've Moved!

My new site address is emmabauso.com!

Yep! *Insert gritting teeth emoji here* It was sort of a quick decision that I didn't even really think too much about, but I felt like making the switch to a Squarespace site for a couple reasons...

1. I think getting away from Blogger makes me take myself more serious and now that I'm actually paying to have my space on the internet I'll be even more dedicated to writing.

2. I eventually want to move my portfolio site and my blog in together for a more unified brand. So give me a little bit to get that all figured out and together. 

3. I chose Squarespace over other platforms because it seemed to be the most cost effective option at the moment, and it also promised not having to know any coding knowldge, which I am embarassed to admit that I haven't gotten out of the beginner stage of learning yet. 

4. I want to realllyyy simplify things in terms of blog design, and really expose my writing and content and be able to focus on that instead of always worrying about whats in my sidebar and all of that.

5. I'm figuring out more and more of what I like and what my personal style is, as well as what my design style is, so this is kind of an extension of that. A "new me" I guess! More sophisticated, simpler, cleaner, and fresher. (I personally am pretty clean, FYI.)

So, yeah! It'll be interesting to see how I like the switch, and I will probably share more about my experience so far with Squarespace this week!

Have a great rest of your Sunday and an even better Monday!!

Take a quick reader survey!

I'm back quick with a link to a reader survey that I would love for you to take! It's only 10 quick questions, and I promise it's not too painful. I would love to get a better sense of my readers and what I can do to make my blog even better for you. You will even get a surprise for taking it!

Gratitude Journal // 05

Some weeks are just blah, and they just seem to pass by without any significance at all, which is weird to admit because shouldn’t every day be significant? I’m torn between feeling like only the things that feel important and grand are significant and feeling like even the most ordinary of days are significant because they’re part of a bigger picture. Taking a day out of your life would be like pulling a row of string out of a shirt- it’s incomplete and imperfect.

So I’m not sure how I feel because this whole week seemed unimportant, really. The only interesting thing that happened to me was that I received my At Home Try On from Warby Parker, which was fun. So maybe that was the significance of my week because now I’ll finally order some glasses and finally be able to read without squinting and drive without fearing for my life.

So, while there are probably a few small things that I could be grateful this week, I’m really just grateful that it’s Friday, which means that I might get to sleep in once this weekend (much needed) and that I might get to work on some design work for myself (I need new business cards!!).

I’m pretty proud that I’ve blogged every day this week, and I hope that next week will be just as productive here! I’m finding that some of my best and most thoughtful posts come from a whim or something I see that sparks my mind. Then before I know it I’ve written for a half hour on something that was inspired by a Tweet from a friend. I just love to write!

So, have a great weekend! Do something significant!

Developing Your Brand: Photography Styles

Something that I’ve been really vigilant of lately is the photography styles that belong to my favorite bloggers or designers. It’s funny how sometimes you can scroll through Pinterest and look at a picture and instantly know whose blog it came from. There are tons of people out there that are amazing at this, and it’s really a huge part of creating your brand identity. It’s something that usually develops over a span of time and doesn’t happen overnight. You might not even realize that you have a style or that your pictures are different than anyone else’s because that’s just what you like to look at personally.

I’ve been trying to develop my photography style lately by playing around with angles and paying a lot more attention to what’s in the backdrop- white, wood, fabric, grass, trees, people, darkness, shadows, ect. It’s so important to find your style of backgrounds and stick to it, or stick to a few different ones and that’s it.

I want to show you some examples of blogs/brands that come to mind when I think “specific photography styles” and highlight what makes them unique.

Hey Natalie Jean

Natalie’s pictures stand out to me because they are always really unified and consistent. They have this muted quality that plays along with a lot of other elements of her style. What she wears, what her home looks like, and the angles of her pictures all follow a similar, artsy style that is even carried over to her style of writing. You can tell she knows what she likes and she shows that in every aspect of her blog/life. The filters she probably uses reminds me of some of the filters that you can use on VSCO Cam, which I always love experimenting with!

A Beautiful Mess

How could I not talk about how unique their pictures are? When you see an “ABM” picture on Pinterest you know who is behind that camera! I love that all of their images are original, even on obscure posts that it would be sort of hard to find a relevant picture for. The backgrounds of their food posts are usually varied but they sort of follow one theme- neutral textures- which is definitely a compliment to the subject because it shoes off colors and shapes really well.

Another thing that I like about ABM is that even when they have home tours or guests on their blog, they stay with the style that they have developed. The homes they feature are similar to theirs in that they’re funky and quirky but still have that sense of classic traditional style mixed in. Another thing you are sure to see in every picture they post is color! I think that’s what sets their images apart. If I had to pick a filter that is ABM-esque it would be “Chrome” on the iPhone. Warm, vibrant, contrasting.

Breanna Rose

Minimalist design is very “in” right now and a ton of designers are carrying that graphic design style over into their home design and subsequently, their photographs. The photos that Breanna has on her portfolio website are all really crisp and involve bright whites, luscious greens, subtle hints of colors like yellows, oranges, reds, and wood tones. Her photos are really “clean” looking. (Yes, photos can look clean!)

Two Twenty One

Chelsea at Two Twenty One does a really great job of creating “Pinnable” images. When you have a lot of posts that are tutorials or “how tos” it’s definitely important to write the title on the image, otherwise people will just think it’s a pretty picture of a pretty kitchen. I like Chelsea’s pictures because they’re all really bright and crisp, but they’re different because of the color schemes she has chosen for her home and her blog. Rather than have the earthy tones like Breanna, Chelsea’s color schemes are a little ore preppy- gray, pink, green, white, some blues.

Ok, one last one that’s worth mentioning.

And Kathleen

Kathleen talks about a ton of different stuff on her blog, from her new baby boy, Fox, to building a brand for yourself, but he images all feel like they belong to her. It’s not only because of the style of the photos but because she has the tendency to add a yellow overlay to her pictures. I have never seen anyone do that before to their pictures and I think it’s an amazing way to make oardinary pictures. Love it!

So now that you’ve seen a bunch of different styles of photography that other people use for their sites, have you started to think about your images as well? It means a lot more than you think it does!

**All of the pictures featured in this post belong to their original owners, are used for examples only, and I take no credit for them whatsoever.**

Where Art Thou Spring?

Late last week and through this weekend we had beautiful weather here in Central New York, and it was such a huge tease. I even bought Julian a bunch of spring/sumer clothes and shoes from Old Navy because I cannot wait to be rid of snow. At this point it feels like snow will never go away and flip flops will never be an option ever again. But spring will come eventually!

So, I wanted to put together a little moodboard which gives you a taste of what I'm craving this spring!

Clockwise from top left: (links are in the numbers)

1. Love this little outfit for Julian.

2. This color looks great on everyone.

3. Katie Daisy's prints uplift my mood 100%!

4. Spring makes me want to start eating lighter and healthier. These tacos sound amazing!

5. I ordered these shoes for Julian and I can't wait for him to wear them!

6. I love these DIY lanterns as a fun permanent decoration for somewhere in our house.

7. Ahh tulips. I want to find a place to plant some this spring.

8. This outfit looks so cute and could be worn ona casual day or at work!

9. Pointy scallop flats in white? Screams spring and summer to me!

10. This would be a cute Easter treat to bring to the office or to use as little placecard holders at Easter dinner.

What things remind you of spring? Are you as sick of the cold as I am?