5 THINGS WITH LITTLE TREE

Hi everyone! My name is Maria and I am the little lady behind Little Tree Vintage. My blog is a lifestyle blog that expresses my personal style choices and encompasses everything that I love. I also own the Little Tree Vintage Shop on Etsy. I grew up adoring my mother's closet and was always stealing her vintage jewelry. When I got a little older, I realized how much I enjoyed it and I decided to start my own shop. That's how Little Tree was born.

Some of my favorite things include shopping (of course), making jewelry, collecting vintage//pre-loved items, antiquing, thrifting, and cooking. I spend most of my days daydreaming about things that inspire me and keep me motivated. I hardly ever feel like I have my feet on the ground, but that's what makes life fun, right? I chose to talk about the topic of blogging, because I think there are a lot of things that I have learned during this whole process and I love being able to share that with others. Coming into the blogging world can be very intimidating, but once you develop your own style, everything will fall into place!

1. Be yourself. ---> Always stay true to yourself. There are so many bloggers out there doing the "same" things. Find ways to stand out and find your own style. It's important to be yourself and not try to imitate anyone else, plus everyone wants to find out about *you*, not someone else! I think being genuine is extremely important, even in the blogging world, because no one likes a phony, and you're not really being you. Embrace who you are and roll with it; chances are people will love it, too! I know we are all terrified of putting ourselves out there completely, and I totally understand where you're coming from, but honestly...that's what people relate to.

2. Social networking. ---> Join social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest. These are such great ways to meet new people who share the same interests as you. Branching out across different areas of the web will bring you all different kinds of readers and make your blog more accessible.

3. Make your blog pretty. ---> I think this is really important, because how your blog looks says a lot about you! You should treat your blog like your baby. I know I do! People will judge your blog when they first visit it. It's the same as meeting you in person. How it looks tells a lot about what the readers should expect. I don't think everyone needs a super fancy layout, but I do think there are a lot of free and easy tutorials you can do to spruce up your own blog! The internet is full of resources and sometimes even asking other bloggers can help! Some good websites I have used for tutorials are Youtube and photoshop tutorials.

4. Don't be discouraged by the "numbers". ---> When you start your blog, there's a huge chance that no one will read it. That doesn't mean in any way that what you're writing isn't great or worthwhile. It just means that you haven't built up a solid readership yet. Things like this take time and dedication, and if you work at it, it will come. You just have to be patient and ignore the numbers. Do what you love and the rest follows.

5. Don't let negativity bring you down. ---> When you put things on the internet, there will always be people who just simply do not agree with you, or what you stand for. The best thing to do to people like this is just simply ignore them and go on your merry way. Feeding into negativity will make you seem just as childish as the person who started the problem to begin with. Let it roll off of your back, as much as it might irritate you; it's not worth it! And remember, taking the high road does pay off, and people will always respect that. Don't let anyone control how you feel about your blog. Keep doing what you love!

Find Maria Here:  Blog  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Bloglovin

Thank you, Maria, for sharing your tips on blogging! I loved what you had to say about not letting negativity bring you down. It's important to remember why you do what you do...because you love it! Negative comments shouldn't make you re-consider what you love.