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From working in the marketing world, a local blogger brings knowledge of consumer communication to all aspects of her life - even her home renovations.

go haud
Emily May is the editor of Go Haus Go, shares DIY projects for the home.

From working in the marketing world to blogging in her free time, Emily May, editor of Go Haus Go, is all about sharing a brand’s story.

During the day, May works as a Senior Strategist at Seed Strategy in Crestview Hills, KY. “It’s a product innovation company,” she explains. “We help businesses come up with what their next product is going to be.”

The experience May has in the marketing industry has carried over to her personal blog, “Go Haus Go.” It’s a place, May says, where she’s “communicating with consumers in the most relevant way possible.” The consumers in the blogging world are people reading her blog, and in the marketing world, it means people who are buying the product. “I know the content that I’m writing and the product that I’m putting on shelves,” May says.

The biggest relationship between the marketing industry and blogging is brand, May says. That’s why she works with a variety of brands for her blog for things such as partnerships, sponsorships, product reviews, and even just helping people find a solution about a product. “It’s working with brand, finding out their needs and figuring out a cool way to talk about them,” she says.

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The blog primarily focuses on do-it-yourself projects for your home. The latest project posted was a renovation of her front porch. She decided to make the outside of her home fall themed by adding pumpkins, planters, a striped floor, a striped ottoman, etc. “It really focuses on using the DIY projects to decorate on a budget,” May says. Also, she talks about her family and “Cincinnati Finds.” This discusses new and secret places where people can get great deals on furniture and home decor.

“I am more of a blogger who finds things at the thrift store, at a garage sale, or even from Target or Home Goods,” she explains, “one of the cheaper stores.” May loves to take ready-made pieces and customize them to her style and taste.

May has been posting on “Go Haus Go” for six years now, and turned her blog into a paying business in 2014. It started out small, but then May started to get the attention of brands. “It slowly evolved into becoming one of the biggest transitions for my business,” she says. The most memorable moment that May remembers from the blog is when Better Homes and Gardens went to her home and took pictures for the magazine. There were multiple photo shoots where stylists, photographers and props were brought in. “Seeing your home and work in the magazine was fun,” she says.

With blogging, there are certain guidelines that May has before she posts a blog. She tries to post multiple, professional photos. She enjoys the process of taking photos and uploading them to the server. May’s favorite part of blogging is doing the projects and get getting sharp, clear photos. “It always keeps me busy in that way,” she says.

For those who are interested in becoming do-it-yourself bloggers themselves, May has advice for you. To become a pro, the most important thing is to just get started, she says. “A lot of times you just set up your page and you start writing, that’s easy,” she adds, stressing the importance of never giving up. “The hard part is perseverance. It’ll likely be two years before anyone really starts to notice what you’re doing.”

To learn more, visit http://gohausgo.com.

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See how a local fashionista has fun with her style - at work and play - and shows you how to do the same on her blog.

The Professional Prep
Kayla Parsley shows how to take workwear to the weekend on her blog The Professional Prep.

Looking to add excitement to your current wardrobe? Check out Kayla Parsley’s fashion blog, The Professional Prep, for women ages 20-35.

The name of the blog is a play on words. “You can take it as someone who is professionally prepping herself or someone with a preppy style who dresses professionally,” Parsley explains. In her blog, she features an outfit of the day, upcoming trends, and do-it-yourself projects. “I’m really big on not having to change from the workplace to the weekend,” she explains. “A lot of what I wear, you can wear all the time.”

Kayla Parsley shows how to take workwear to the weekend.

From being an Account Executive for the Cincinnati Reds to a fashion blogger at night, Parsley is able to successfully translate her style from the workplace to the evening. During the day, her job consists of planning corporate outings and fundraisers at the Great American Ball Park. She also assists with special themed nights, such as Lauren Hill Night, Strike Out Stroke Night, and Girl Scout Night. At night, she works on her blog.

When Parsley puts her outfits together, she loves to add a splash of color. “I wear a lot of color, all year round, it’s not even just a summer thing,” she says. In her post, “Pretty in Pink: The Female Young Professionals’ Guide to Business Casual,” Parsley discussed her outfit of the day when she went to an important appointment with a company to purchase a suite for 10 Reds games at Great American Ball Park. She believes that adding a pop of color adds personality to your outfit. “I fully believe that you can embrace business casual/business professional in the workplace and still rock something that is fabulous and on trend,” she says.

Parsley also posts about trends that pique her interest. For example, a trend that she loves, especially in the fall, is discussed in “Fall Favs: Leather and Fur.” It fuses an “outfit of the day” with the fall fur trend where she wears a Michael Kors fur vest, along with an Ann Taylor leather pencil skirt. “It’s the perfect outfit that works for the office and can be worn for a night out as well.”

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Parsley has experienced great success with her do-it-yourself projects as well. “Most of the time, it’s stuff that I think is really cute, but expensive and I wouldn’t want to pay for it,” she says. Her biggest project to date has been her Rebecca Minkoff inspired tassel bag and it’s her favorite blog post thus far. In fact, she had so many people message her asking if she would make one for them too that she opened her own Etsy shop. “I got so many people that I couldn’t even keep track of the orders,” Parsley says. To date, her shop has sold more than 100 bags.

Parsley began her blogging journey three years ago by following multiple fashion bloggers on Instagram. She gets the inspiration for her ideas from the people around her. “I might see another blogger trying a trend and I’ll try it out,” says Parsley. “Find things that I already have in my closet that I think I can put together.”
To learn more about The Professional Prep blog, visit www.theprofessionalprep.com or check out Parsley’s Instagram.

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Blogger Chelsea DiMarco fuses her two loves, fashion and cocktails, in a hip new lifestyle blog. Read on to learn more… cheers!

Chelsea DiMarcco, the blogger behind Closet Full of Cocktails
Chelsea DiMarco, the blogger behind Closet Full of Cocktails

Inspired by her “love for cocktail dresses and, quite literally, cocktails,” Buffalo, New York native, Cincinnati-based Chelsea DiMarco runs Closet Full of Cocktails. It’s a fashion and lifestyle blog focused on fashion, lifestyle content, cocktail recipes, recaps of her adventures around town, and more.

Two of DiMarco’s greatest loves are writing (which she’s enjoyed since grade school) and fashion (because she can get creative with her outfits). She enjoys the endless possibilities of both and using her creativity. “You could say the idea to start blogging has been 23 years in the making,” she laughs.

Once she embraced Instagram, she noticed that most of the accounts she followed were fashion bloggers. “I thought, ‘Why can’t I be one of those bloggers?’” she recalls. “The answer was simply, ‘I can!’” So she took the leap of faith, created Closet Full of Cocktails, and hasn’t looked back since.

DiMarco describes her personal style as “comfy casual with feminine twist,” she says, adding that her main goal is comfort. “Whether it’s dressing up ripped jeans with a ruffled top or a plain tee with a statement necklace.”

According to her website, DiMarco loves statement jewelry, lipstick, and florals, but right now she is focused on “creating a capsule wardrobe, or a collection of versatile pieces that work for multiple outfits.”

The problem with loud, bright prints, like florals, are that they only go with so many things, so now she gravitates toward basics, such as slouchy tees and fitted tanks, and pairing them with bolder pieces like bomber jackets and leather leggings. Some of the looks showcased on her blog include mixing prints (her advice: pair a basic print like stripes with a bolder print like florals to avoid print overload), bold earrings, and rompers as far as the eye can see.

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Her favorite places to get everyday items for less are Gap, Old Navy, American Eagle and Target, and if she wants to splurge a little, she likes to go to Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, LOFT and J. Crew. Despite price, her favorite stores are Kate Spade and Lululemon because “you can never have too many purses or workout clothes!”

On the cocktail side, DiMarco’s recipes range from the simple (such as the Lazy Girl Sangria and the Adult Sparkling Cider) to iconic twists on old favorites (such as the Fizzy Mint Julep). She also loves cocktail-themed wall art and styled bar carts; she bought a reasonably-priced cart at IKEA and decorated it with an assortment of glasses, coasters, bottles and even a bedazzled cocktail shaker. Pictures of those will soon appear on her blog, she says.

In less than a year, Closet Full of Cocktails has grown rapidly and brought on many interesting opportunities, such as joining Thread Cincinnati, a collective group of local influencers. That has led to a number of new partnerships.

By day, DiMarco works in the editorial department of a Cincinnati-based advertising agency, which she loves because “I’m able to be creative at my day AND night job!” She also enjoys exploring the restaurants, bars, parks, and shops of Cincinnati, usually with her camera in tow, which she records on her blog. To learn more, visit her blog, http://closetfullofcocktails.com/. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.

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Learn about a local blogger who's bringing out the fashionista and book worm in all of us by serving up weekly novel reviews in style with her wowing wardrobe finds.

Gilt Edge
Brett Parker, Founder of the blog Gilt Edge.

If you love a good book AND a fab find for your wardrobe, Gilt Edge is for you.

This Cincinnati-based blog, founded by Brett Parker, marries her love of literature and fashion to offer hand-picked book recommendations and reviews, fashion inspiration and beauty finds sprinkled with a hand-picked music and food recipes all of which are inspired by each other.

Parker started Gilt Edge in 2015 as a “space to share her passions and connect with others,” she says and describes herself as a music lover, beauty junkie, fashion enthusiast and avid reader. “I treat my blog as if I were talking to a friend, so I share as much about my interests and favorites as I can.”

Inspiration is found everywhere for Parker but especially in of her love of fashion. “I love to shop, so as far as clothing, it is really easy for me to find inspiration,” she explains. “I typically just step inside a Nordstrom and feel inspired. I do pull a lot of inspiration online, though. I love Who What Wear, and I find other bloggers really inspiring.”

100316fashion2Although native to the Midwest, Parker is new to Cincinnati, as a Bay Area transplant, so navigating her new city and forming relationships with fellow Tri-State bloggers through Thread Cincinnati has in itself become a large source of inspiration. This is reflected in Gilt Edge’s image driven website where you’ll often find Parker’s outfits are a combination of high end fashion coupled with causal staples such Levi jean shorts paired with a Marc Jacobs bag.

“I love trends, but I also love classics. I dress for occasions and the adventure I want to have. I think fashion and getting dressed every morning should be fun, and I try to emulate that in my style,” Parker says. “I’ve been really into Free People for the last year or so. I just love all of their dresses. I love Marc Jacobs handbags. I shop a lot at Nordstrom, as well as Von Maur. I just adore department stores in general, because they carry such a wide variety and the customer service is always exceptional.”

Parker, with her big city style and Midwest charm, openly admits that, like the rest of us “there are a ton of designers I admire but can’t always fit into my budget,” she laughs. “I love Alice + Olivia and Charlotte Olympia. If I could have an entire wardrobe made up of just their pieces, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

As far as the literary aspects of her blog Parker says she finds inspiration around every corner. “I get recommendations everywhere, friends, family, social media. Eva Chen of Instagram is always reading and TheSkimm has some great recommendations occasionally,” she explains.

To learn more about Parker and Gilt Edge, visit her website http://www.giltedgeblog.com. You can also find her on Instagram and Twitter. For a focus on fashion, check her out on Pinterest and if a good read is what you’re in the market for, visit her on Googlereads.

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A local fashion and beauty blogger turned traveler just celebrated the one-year anniversary of her blog. See what’s new for year two and beyond.

Molly Moran of See Molly Blog
Molly Moran of See Molly Blog

Cincy Chic: Tell us more about See Molly Blog!
Molly Moran, Founder of See Molly Blog: See Molly Blog is an online extension of myself, my little piece of the internet where I can be creative, and share the things I love via photos and writing.

Cincy Chic: What inspired you to start your blog?
Moran: The inspiration behind my blog See Molly Blog, was honestly fear and hesitation. I have been a follower of fashion and beauty blogs for years, and was always too afraid and self conscious to start one of my own, until September 22, 2015. I decided that it was time to throw my inhibitions aside, and do something that really interested and excited me. The title “See Molly Blog” is sort of a proclamation to the world. Hey world! See me blog, and see me say yes to new things and no to being afraid.

Cincy Chic: What types of topics do you cover in See Molly Blog?
Moran: When I started See Molly Blog, I intended it to be mostly a fashion and beauty blog, but it has quickly evolved into a personal journal of my life. Nothing is off limits. Of course I love sharing my favorite fashion pieces, but I also love tackling subjects like body confidence, and sharing things going on in my life, like my recent engagement! I really want my readers to feel like friends, and friends talk about any and everything.

Cincy Chic: What’s been your favorite blog post thus far?
Moran: I’m going to cheat and say it’s a tie! One would be my post on body confidence. That post was very close to my heart because body confidence is something I’ve struggled with, and still continue to struggle with, and I felt the need to reach out and let others struggling know that they’re not alone, and that we’re all beautiful, and valuable. The second post would be the post that chronicled the story of my engagement. Again, I love sharing personal milestones in my life, and my engagement was most definitely the happiest day of my life thus far! (Something tells me the wedding will top it, though)

Cincy Chic: What makes See Molly Blog unique?
Moran: I think I make See Molly Blog unique. Fashion and beauty blogging has become so widespread that really the thing separating each one from the other is its author, and the unique flair they give their blog. I try to write my posts in my own unique voice, and share my unique style, and personal experiences, because I know those things are my own, and no one else’s.

Cincy Chic: Is there anything new on the horizon for you or your blog?
Moran: See Molly Blog just turned 1 on September 22, and I think there are a lot of new things on the horizon for year two. I have some new series planned, Wedding Wednesdays and Monthly Favorites, for example, and I’d also love to share some make up tutorials and test more products for my readers.

Cincy Chic: Where can readers go to learn more and follow along on your journey?
Moran: Readers can follow my blog directly at seemollyblog.com or any of other associated social media accounts including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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    Erin Flugstad’s blog “Hot Dinner Happy Home” was inspired by a stressful work day. Today, it’s a place where three busy moms share all of their tasty triumphs, funny fails, and helpful recipes. Keep reading to get all the delicious details.

    Erin Flugstad just wanted to make a stressful day better with some comfort food. Turns out, she cooked up a lot more than just a hot meal that day.

    “After several years of wedded bliss, my husband arrived home from a particularly grueling day on the job,” she says. “With a downcast expression and a mighty sigh, he looked my way with the slightest glimmer of hope in his eyes. ‘All I want,’ he pleaded, ‘is hot dinner.’”

    Erin Flugstad, founder of the “Hot Dinner Happy Home” blog
    Erin Flugstad, founder of the “Hot Dinner Happy Home” blog

    From then on, Flugstad found that she can turn a bad day into something better by what she makes for dinner and decided to launch Hot Dinner Happy Home.

    “Hot Dinner Happy Home is a cooking and lifestyle blog featuring recipes and culinary know-how to help you turn your home into a haven, one meal at a time,” says Flugstad.

    Hot Dinner Happy Home launched in 2010, after Flugstad spent several years in Corporate America doing marketing and PR. Once her son was born in 2012, she said goodbye to her cubicle and started spending her days with the little one. “Through it all,” she says, “I’ve been making hot dinner -and everything in between-for my family and friends.”

    What makes Hot Dinner Happy Home special, according to Flugstad, is that it gives people a glimpse into her life and how she really cooks for her family. “I’m not forecasting food trends, I build my recipes around what’s on sale at the grocery store or the leftovers in my fridge,” she says. “I let you know when I totally botch something or watch way too much reality television.”

    With the blog, Flugstad says that she hopes to make cooking more approachable so that readers want to get in the kitchen. And since everyone has to get in the kitchen and do some cooking, she hopes to have fun doing it together with her readers.

    Recipes featured on Hot Dinner Happy Home come from everywhere. Flugstad is a self-proclaimed food nerd and says that she keeps cookbooks on her nightstand rather than traditional bedtime books. She’s also a fan of cooking shows and said that she finds inspiration from other food blogs.

    Thus far, some of her favorite posts include pumpkin chocolate chip mini muffins http://hotdinnerhappyhome.blogspot.com/2014/10/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-mini-muffins.html that were both moist and delicious and low in fat, which she jokingly says let her eat five for breakfast without any guilt.

    There’s also a roasted vegetable and goat cheese panini recipe that Flugstad says she recreated from a food memory and was just as delicious as she remembers. There’s a beef stew that Flugstad was once intimidated to make and something she was proud to accomplish. She says the first time she made this beef stew, it was a triumph.

    Other favorites of Flugstad’s include bread and butter pickles, roast chicken breast with herbes de provence, three cheese bacon macaroni, Sloppy Joes with crunchy coleslaw and sweet potato and chicken baby food.

    In addition to Flugstad, her fellow foodies Amy and Andrea also contribute content to Hot Dinner Happy Home. Amy is an Ohioan from Dayton while Andrea spent 15 years in the Tri-State. The duo met at Ohio University and Flugstad says they both offer fresh perspectives, humor, and Midwestern sensibilities to Hot Dinner Happy Home’s virtual kitchen.

    To learn more about Hot Dinner Happy Home, visit the blog HotDinnerHappyHome.blogspot.com. You can also connect on Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter @hotdnnrhppyhome.

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