Instagram Haul- Part 4!

While I am a busy busy bee trying to put together a blog sale to generate some money for an exciting little surprise *cough -new blog design- cough*, I thought it was time for an instagram update. Of course if you follow me, you might have seen these already, but for the readers who do not have an instagram or who just dont follow me (shame on you), these are a snippet into my life you otherwise don't see! Enjoy!

PS- Have you seen my giveaway? You can pick from a whole website full of items. Don't forget to take a look here!

The Secret Blogging Weapon You Probably Aren't Using

I'm sure this isn't what most people are expecting to read when they see a post update, but I feel this really does need sharing. It wasn't until my friend Elana from Room 334 enlightened me to the importance of networking as a blogger that I really truly understood it's value, which is what I'm here to write about.

Now I know that must seem silly. A blogger who doesn't have a handle on her networking? It sounds just as ridiculous as a pro-athlete that doesn't have a handle on their diet, or a doctor that doesn't have a handle on her people skills. At first, it doesn't seem like a HUGE deal. I mean, as long as a doctor knows how cure pneumonia and an athlete knows how to throw a ball, what harm is done? But once your eyes are opened that a doctor who can communicate with people and be empathetic or an athlete who can feed his body to make his performance that much more elite, you'll see that it's just as essential as the initial skill set- if not more.

A blogger who cannot utilize the resources of the internet will not make it very far. Rarely does it happen that a blogger with no networking skills make it beyond the level of sharing with friends and family on Facebook. Why? Because it doesn't matter how well your posts are written, how expertly your photos are taken, or how masterfully your blog layout is set up if no one knows about it.

Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, and I'm not saying that it cannot be done. However, prime examples of bloggers with networking skills are those who don't have a fancy camera and who's HTML skills are elementary at best, yet still have 100+ comments per post and their follower count inches closer to the next thousandths milestone every day. Have you never wondered how they do it? The key is networking. 

Sign up for all the websites you can. I know it may seem time consuming- that's because it is. I've been sitting at my laptop for about 2 hours reading "about us" pages and clicking "sign up" buttons. It also may seem overwhelming. In all that Internet space there are thousands of social media and networking websites, but there are a few that stand out and that seem to be reoccurring on many successful blogger's websites.

Instagram Life #3

OOTD - My 'every day' makeup - My first Razzleberry Peace Tea!

Rompers are the best - #mylife - OOTD featuring my DIY American Flag shorts

I was going to die - The Beauty Crush in TIME (and subscribing to my Youtube!) - the prettiest cat we found a home for

My makeup from prom - cuddling - my new favorite necklace in two OOTDS!

I feel like a default to these posts every time life gets busy and hectic and I'm not sure what else to post, but there is always positive feedback, so I'm just going to keep doing it! Life has just been BOOM-BOOM-BOOM one thing right after the next lately, and it's not slowing down. Weddings, work, vacation, it's all just piling up! I'm sure you all can relate. Hopefully I'll have some time to breathe in the next couple days, and there will be a proper post soon. Ta-ta for now!

(I really need a different ending. I don't want to sound like Tigger)

A Week In the Life

My new rook piercing! - I was having a good curl day ^_^ - preview from the Easter post!

Shameless selfie - delicious Starbucks and my new sunglasses - spoiled myself with a laptop sleeve ;)

TBT post from senior prom - first time trying the Green Tea Frapaccino- Tyler asking me to his prom <3

Tyler and me on our anniversary - my sister at the Melting Pot for her 16th birthday! - Shy Girl by MAC (and my latest obsession)

Sorry for being MIA! My camera died in the middle of taking pictures on Easter, and after I came home to try and find the charger I realized that I had no clue where it was! Consequently, I haven't been able to use my camera since then. Hopefully I'll find it soon!

In the mean time, here are a few snippets from my Instagram. I am always looking for ways to see more of my favorite internet people's lives, so if you feel so inclined as to follow me, please do! My username is @katiegassmann (the same as my twitter)

Instagram Installment #2 + {GIVEAWAY WINNERS}

IHOP - New old purse - Tyler and I at "wiener dog races"!
Amazing chocolate chip frappe - Preview of a post - Tyler and Mojo :)
Preview of a post - My breakfast on National Girlfriend Day! - My pink rose for NGD <3
Shellac manicure - New thrifted sunglasses - Amazingly indulgent sandwich at 3 AM
"Classic" - Baseball hat Tyler won for me at a carnival - Glitter french manicure

Helloooo everyone! I haven't posted anything mainly because I don't have anything excited to post.. *whomp whomp whomp*. Sad life, I know. Honestly, I've just been working, spending way too much time watching my favorite blogger's YouTube videos (some recent favorites here and here), and wishing I had a more exciting life to share with you all! I did, however, venture out into the world of regular, non-lifeguarding people yesterday to purchase supplies for a new idea I've been hatching. Lately, I've been selling a lot of my clothes (if you're my personal Facebook friend, you're very aware of that), and that got me to thinking: "what if I made clothes to sell?" So that's what I'm going to do! That old adage "you have to spend money to make money" is far too true for my liking after yesterday's expenses, but I felt you all would be worth it. Expect to see lots of dying, ombre, studs, denim, and vintage-inspired items. So, I'll be making an announcement later on this week with lots of pictures and links to where you'll be able to bid on them/buy them (eBay, probably).

Now on to the part I'm sure you all clicked over for: the giveaway winners! Thankfully, there is the amazing website called Rafflecopter that allows people to enter, it stores all the information, and then randomly generates a winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats to the winners, and I'll be emailing them later today! XX

Insta-Haul and Exciting Announcements!

So I know that it's a popular thing to do right now, but I thought that this would be a good little post to let you guys in on my life a little more and to make a couple of announcements! Most of these photos are from when Tyler visited me about a week ago, and then some random tidbits :)

Insta-Haul

First row (left to right): 1. Tyler and I got ice cream. He is just weird... 2. I can't get over Hot Pockets. I think I eat them every day 3. At the zoo!

Second row: 1. Tyler's dog, Sammy. She's so adorable! 2. Me, sporting my straight hair 3. My little fangirl moment when Kavita from She Wears Fashion liked my posts!

Third row: 1. The rows and rows of shoes I loved at the mall 2. Getting excited about my 4th of July post 3. Tyler and I hanging out on a hammock on the 4th :)

Fourth row: 1. My video attempt (disaster! haha) 2. My snacks from going to our outdoor theater 3. Tyler and I at fireworks

Fifth row: 1. My dog Daisy fell in love with him. So sweet! 2. My Vince Camuto heels I snagged at a thrift store for $6! 3. Our day out when we saw Spiderman and went to Red Lobster

I have a couple of announcements! The first being that we hit our first 1,000 page views! Thank you so much for everything. Seriously. I get so excited when I check my email and see that new comments have been added and I do my best to reply as fast as possible and to follow everyone that leaves a link. I'm always happy to check out other blogs! We've also almost hit 20 follows for which I am so grateful. The second announcement is that I have a giveaway planned for the one month anniversary of The Style Duckling coming up on the 27th. I'm not going to say what it is yet, but I will tell you guys that it's a really unique piece of jewelry! I'll make a post about that on the 27th of July, so be sure to check back then (and of course always check back for new posts!). Lastly, I was contacted by one of my classmates from high school who is a photography major, and she offered to help me by taking some outfit shots! We have that planned for Thursday, so that should be quite fun and a great opportunity for the blog. 

Sorry for the huge paragraph. I promise the next post will have some great pictures in it, because a HUGE shout-out needs to go to my daddy for allowing me the use of his amazing D5000 Nikon! The picture quality is amazing, and all of the colors are showing up fantastically.

Well, I do believe that's all for now. If there is anything you guys would like to see, just leave a comment or feel free to email me! Can't wait to hear from you all. Check back soon (probably tomorrow!) for a nail polish review post. I've gotten some feedback to do more nail/nail polish posts. Thanks again, everyone, and keep checking back!