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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; blogging</title>
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	<link>http://www.wirlproject.com</link>
	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>What It&#8217;s Really Like &#8211; The Story Behind WIRL Project</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-the-story-behind-wirl-project/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-the-story-behind-wirl-project/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2015 07:30:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sara Brennan]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alike]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Assuring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Billion Dollars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CORE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Famous Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Instagram]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[More]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sara Brennan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selfies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Share]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Struggle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[T.v. Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What It's Really Like]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Project]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=7969</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had the privilege of being invited by T.v. Williams to be on his Famous Podcast a few weeks ago. I recently shared Part 1 of the show featuring a few stories about me and my personal life. Today I&#8217;m talking more about my professional life and how I was inspired to create the WIRL Project platform. In this particular portion of the show (Part 2) I am talking about: My son Mason (a quick blurb) My career as a teacher and how I always felt compelled to do something &#8220;more&#8221;.  How my Father pushed me to follow my heart, even in his last days How I ever got started blogging in the first place How T.v. called WIRL Project the next &#8220;Billion Dollar Company&#8221;! (Hint: He compared it to Instagram!)  Why I believe that people are all alike at our core How you can get involved and start sharing your stories on the WIRL Project platform &#160; As I said with Part 1, was very honest and real in this podcast and I&#8217;m looking forward to sharing the other parts with you in the future. I love the idea of podcasting because not everyone has time to sit down and read everyday, plus you get to actually see the show in action! I also love podcasts because they&#8217;re something you can play on your phone while you are driving or cleaning your kitchen or while you have a few minutes to sit on the couch and relax. The video link is below, let me know what you think! &#160; &#160; Thanks for watching and thank you T.v. for having me on the Famous Podcast! &#160; &#160; &#160;]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-the-story-behind-wirl-project/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>BlogU Taught Me About Blogging and Powdered Alcohol</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/blogu-taught-me-about-blogging-and-powdered-alcohol/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/blogu-taught-me-about-blogging-and-powdered-alcohol/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2015 23:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest WIRL]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology/Web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BlogU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conference]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Doughnuts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Powdered Alcohol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sleep]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge BlogU]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6988</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This past weekend was one that I had basically been counting down to since it was over last year, Blog U was finally here. This time was made even better by the fact that one of my real life besties was joining me this go round. Nicole and I headed up on Thursday and made it despite the dreary and seemingly never ending rain that fell from Durham all the way to Baltimore. We relaxed a little bit before heading out to eat and met up with a group at a nearby restaurant after bumping into two of my favorites, Frugie and Kerry. A few squeals and hugs may have transpired in the tiny Radisson elevator. It first it felt like we had intruded on a tight knit group, but by the end we were laughing hysterically and were so glad we decided to join them for dinner, even if we waited forever and all the days for our food. Just meant more conversation. We headed back to our hotel and joined the pow wow that was happening in the lobby and met even more fantastic ladies. Lots of the BluntMom crew and to put it bluntly (hardy har har) these were some of my favorite ladies of the weekend. I hearted them almost immediately. The next day was National Donut Day and who in the hades would I be not to participate? Ergo, Nicole and I stopped by the Fractured Prune and oh. my. heavens. Delicious.  Don&#8217;t just trust me, Melissa and Susanne agree also. The rest of the day went by fast, getting to catch up with so many of my favorite people (Tabatha!!!) and also turning Facebook friends into actual friends. There was also plenty of time spent confusing the hell out of people by saying Amanda Madison is my Facebook but please call me &#8216;Maddie&#8221;  Confused yet? Good. This year started off with a bang and we went right into sessions. I learned so much from the first two and am already putting Anna&#8217;s and Lynn&#8217;s tips to good use. I am already seeing a spike from Pinterest and I think I am using SEO properly. Being around this group of women (and men!) seems to just ignite something inside of you and you just jump into bettering yourself and your blog. I also ascertained (via the back of a bathroom stall, we were on a college campus, after all) that there is such a thing as powdered alcohol.  Apparently you can&#8217;t snort it or eat it, therefore I can only assume you just pinch it in your butt cheeks like they used to do for fun with chewing tobacco. Or you know, mix it with liquid but&#8230; how boring. This is not a conference you want to attend if you need to sleep. It is pretty much go time from the moment you arrive. Sessions on Friday and then an awesome event that night. Saturday morning after breakfast, which really is just social hour with people half awake, you head to hear amazing keynote speakers before participating in a full day of more sessions, cupcakes and then, the Saturday night fun&#8230;this year the theme was Middle School Awkward and it didn&#8217;t disappoint. Nicole and I just kept mentioning how pretty much every single person was dancing! There was just one drawback, my awesome roomie, Amy, wasn&#8217;t there this year. My partner in tea loving crime. Next year, friend! And you were certainly missed. You were the absolute first thing Foxy and I talked about upon seeing each other. And neither was Megan because of last minute emergency. I will see you very soon in NYC though, my friend! For now though, here&#8217;s a photo overload for you all. You&#8217;re so welcome. We had the middle school awkward dance on Saturday and I need better pictures because my acid wash jeans were legit&#8230;legitimately ugly as all hell. &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; Blog U was once again held at the beautiful Notre Dame of Maryland Campus and Nick Mom hosted the Saturday night festivities, they did a fantastic job and it was just as awesome as last year! I cannot emphasize enough how much knowledge I gained from attending this conference. Stephanie, Meredith and the rest of the Blog U faculty completely rock this whole shebang. There is plenty of socializing to be had, but what I learned is by far the best reason to attend, well, besides these (right). &#160; &#160; *This WIRL was originally published on The Whimsy One.  &#160; &#160; Join The Conversation! Easily contribute your story here. &#160; About the Author… Madison Rae is a Southern girl from the country that fell in love with a Boston boy. You can usually find her sippin&#8217; sweet tea or bourbon, and reading books or watching a sporting event. She loves to travel with her husband and is a complete history groupie. She blogs @ The Whimsy One and The ThankFull Tummy &#160;]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/blogu-taught-me-about-blogging-and-powdered-alcohol/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>What Blogging Is Really Like &#8211; Sharing And Caring</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-blogging-is-really-like-sharing-and-caring/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-blogging-is-really-like-sharing-and-caring/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 22:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Maria Magdalena]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology/Web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[joomla]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marcellinamaria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sharing and Caring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Blogging]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6348</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I first started blogging, I thought I should write a full story of my life. Then I thought I should write all of my thoughts. After a few years, I know that my orientation about blogging was changing! Blogging is about keeping my working portfolios. I&#8217;ve been a blogger since 2009, and now when I read my old posts, they make “aha” moments. From the old posts I know when I mastering certain knowledge and how I learned about it. Blogging is about keeping family memories. My babies photos, wedding photos, and some old photos of my parents, my house, my pets with stories that explained, that I put on my blog several years ago, keep my eyes wet when I read them! I&#8217;m the kind of woman that easily cries when something from my memories is recalled. And that feeling is beautiful, I like to remember my past, that’s why I like to become a blogger. Blogging is about learning to build a website. My first blog was built at Blogger. Then I realized that Blogger is not the right platform if you want to raise your blog and having more features. Since a year ago I switched my blog’s platform into Joomla. And now I can do so much with my blog and engage more relation with my readers. Switching the platform is easy if you hire a website expert, but not if you do it yourself. I had to learn a lot to manage my Joomla. I love to learn! So the switching was not hard, and I like to work on it. Blogging is about friendship. From my blog I made friendship with fabulous people from around the world. Initially, they liked my topic, they were interested with my experiences, then they become my friends since we were interact frequently through email or social media. I like to have friends from different places; there are so many topics that we can share, especially about the differences of our places, cultures, food, and living style. Those are my real experiences on blogging. Blogging is about more than just making money from home, if you don&#8217;t think so then you&#8217;re wrong. Blogging is also about sharing and caring.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-blogging-is-really-like-sharing-and-caring/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Glamorous Life of Blog Photography</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/the-glamorous-life-of-blog-photography/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/the-glamorous-life-of-blog-photography/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 20:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristen Miller]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology/Web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Light box]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lighting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Studio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Blogging]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6419</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let me take you behind the scenes for a few minutes at a glamorous real life blog photo shoot. I am a new blogger and I have a budget of practically nothing. I also have two small daughters, so the only time I can blog is late at night after they go to bed. Nighttime isn&#8217;t the best for taking quality blog photos, especially of food, but I that&#8217;s what I have to do if I want to be a blogger at this stage of my life. I researched light boxes online and although I found some that were relativly inexpensive &#8211; they just weren&#8217;t in the budget. So the cheapest alternative was a DIY project. I searched YouTube for DIY light boxes and learned how to make my own from a cardboard box, white tissue paper and white poster board. Here is the video I used to learn how to make this light box. I borrowed some lights from my husband&#8217;s garage and set up my &#8220;studio&#8221; in our living room. I did splurge on some natural white light bulbs at our local home improvement store. Good lighting really is the key here and regular light bulbs just give off a yellow tinge to everything. I also have a nice camera. When our first daughter was born a few years ago, we thought we would take a lot of pictures of her. And we do take a lot of pictures of her &#8211; just not with the camera. Getting a nice camera out when you have a baby or a toddler is just about the last thing on my list. Luckily iPhone cameras are very good these days. As my blog grows, getting a more professional set up is definitely on my To-Do list. But until I am consistently making money, I have to work with what I have and make do. What do you think of my &#8220;glamorous&#8221; blog photography set? Learn more about being a Practical Mommy and blogger on Facebook.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/the-glamorous-life-of-blog-photography/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Double the Blogs, Double the Fun, Except Maybe for the Husband</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/double-the-blogs-double-the-fun-except-maybe-for-the-husband/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/double-the-blogs-double-the-fun-except-maybe-for-the-husband/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephanie Volkert]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Obsessed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Talk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Blogging]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6404</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m Stephanie, and I&#8217;m maybe-slightly-kind-of addicted to blogging. I don&#8217;t need, like, group meetings and an intervention or anything. I just really, really like it. I can quit anytime. I swear! (No, you don&#8217;t need to speak with my husband. Let&#8217;s just keep this between us. *wink wink*) I started several years ago, have been through three domain names as I finally narrowed down my focus, and now I have two blogs, run a wonderful Facebook group for bloggers, and contribute to several websites. “All the V&#8217;s” is my primary blog, where I share my love of photography, beauty, fashion, and writing. “Janus Lane” is a new venture and it&#8217;s where I let my creative side out through recipes, crafts, and homemaking. By the way, naming a blog is about as stressful as naming your new baby. That name is forever. I finally settled on “All the V&#8217;s” because our last names start with a V, as do our dog&#8217;s names. And one snake. Janus Lane is a throwback to a street I use to live on, so that one was actually pretty easy. By the way, naming a blog is about as stressful as naming your new baby. Blogging is a unique experience in that I never really turn “off.” I see the world in terms of, “Can I blog that?” My camera – be it my smart phone and/or one of my three digital cameras – are my faithful travel companions. My phone is filled with blogging ideas and reminders. I go through a LOT of Post-It Notes. My desk doesn&#8217;t know what it&#8217;s like to stay uncluttered. It was clean last weekend, I swear, but now it is littered with a portable hard drive, a camera, my wallet, a jar of maraschino cherries, a recipe, two picture frames, an iPod, an empty cupcake wrapper, Poster Putty, eye drops, a mostly-empty bottle of beer, my “I&#8217;d die without this” notebook, my cell phone, a syringe, and a seashell. Every single one of those items somehow relates to blogging. Except the beer. I just like beer. I started blogging because I like to talk. I like to talk a lot. It wasn&#8217;t until a few months in that I realized I could maybe make a little pocket change from it, and then I had to let go of the idea that I could have a successful blog for little-to-no investment. I had to spend money. My blog-related expenses so far this year are over $1,000. I have seen no monetary return&#8230; yet. I am hopeful to at least see both of my blogs become financially self-sufficient. I don&#8217;t see myself making six figures a month from blogging, but I do have long-term goals that are doable and probably lucrative. You have to think “big picture” if you intend to blog as a profession. It&#8217;s like choosing your major in college – there&#8217;s a lot of small goals you&#8217;ll need to achieve along the way, and you can&#8217;t slack off, but they all lead to your future. I blog full-time. I work 6-10 hours per day. I&#8217;m up between 4 and 8 am, depending on when I went to bed. I often do blog-related tasks until midnight or later. I have insomnia, so it&#8217;s not uncommon for me to be awake at 3 am, on Twitter or Pinterest, or editing photos. I&#8217;m on Pacific time, and so the rest of the U.S. is often awake before me, which means no sleeping in if I want to get in on link parties and anything else before I&#8217;m the last one to show up. The early bird gets the readers. Speaking of photos, one of the most time consuming and expensive aspects of blogging, for me, is photography. My costs and time spent in that area are higher than most, because photography is one focus of All the V&#8217;s, but any blogger that intends to have traffic from Pinterest will have to learn photography and invest in a good camera, or be skilled at finding and using stock photos. There&#8217;s just no way around it. You&#8217;ll often find me chasing the good lighting around the house so I can get the best photos. Like last week, when I set up a cupcake photo shoot on the living room coffee table. It felt a little silly, but the photos turned out great. You may be wondering what is so great about blogging. I&#8217;m wondering what isn&#8217;t great about it. There are so many things that I love about blogging. I get to interact with people from all over the world. I learn something new every single day. I have a place to share my thoughts and talents. Blogging pushes me to be the best that I can be in all areas of my life. You, the readers, hold me accountable. As long as I am a blogger, I will never stall, never stagnate, never stop learning and improving. What&#8217;s not to love about that? Speaking of that husband I mentioned at the beginning, he&#8217;s written up what it&#8217;s like to live with a blogger. Here&#8217;s his take on it: I am prepared to answer the following questions at any time, with zero stress: Which is the best tank of the Second World War? Which is better: Godzilla, or the Kaiju from Pacific Rim? How do I get a 70 ton tank across a river? (See end of post for answers.) I am not prepared at all to answer the following questions: Which of these shades of very similar/so-different-as-to-not-even-be-remotely-comparable colors is more attractive? Do you know any berries that have a really red color?  Not like, raspberry red, but really red? What do you think about hosted advertising on my blog? &#160; Needless to say, given the nature of this post and the fact that I am married to a blogger, you can guess which questions I am asked on a daily basis.  At any time, at any point, no matter if I’m on the computer, making dinner, or futzing around with my hobbies, that inquiring tone will sneak into what I’m doing and leave me to answer one of those highly crafty or bloggy questions. Not that I mind.  I actually enjoy being involved with Steph’s projects, and I’m happy she trusts me enough to ask my opinion (even if I’m totally clueless on the matter!) and I am continuing to encourage her to do more food blogging because she’s an awesome cook, and having to wait a few minutes to dig into dinner for photos is okay and worth waiting for. Being married to a blogger means you don’t really get to wander by random objects or consumables, because anything, at any time, could turn into a new project that you’ll be asked to hold up part of, or assess if it’s better THIS way or better THAT way. It means also accepting the small legion of projects in process, or the small scale disaster areas left by projects in the kitchen.  It disappears in due time, but the fact that 90% of the dishes in the house have been consumed by culinary experiments, or the dog has attempted to become entangled in wreath making materials, can occasionally be slightly trying. On the other hand, any healthy relationship includes being supportive of your spouse, and it remains a two way street for us. Just as much as I support Stephanie&#8217;s blogs and craftiness, she supports my desire to paint insane amounts of model tanks, or play board games that require four or so hours TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS AND SET UP ALL THE THINGS before even starting play. So it&#8217;s really not at all that bad. I&#8217;m happy she&#8217;s found something she likes, and I&#8217;m happy to help her make the cupcakes she just made disappear. The occasional odd questions or requests for help are well worth that much. (1. M4 Sherman.  Not the toughest or biggest, but having a tank all the time beats having a tank sometimes. (2. Depends.  Godzilla because it’s classic, but the variety of the Kaiju beats out fifty shades of green rubber lizard monster) (3. Haha oh God that was fun times.) So there you have it, a glimpse into being a blogger and being married to one. I&#8217;m incredibly grateful to have such a supportive spouse, although he kind of owes me. He did run off to South Korea for 18 months to have fun with tanks.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>What DIY Blogging is REALLY Like: Q/A Session</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-diy-blogging-is-really-like-qa-session/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-diy-blogging-is-really-like-qa-session/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[WIRL Project]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brepurposed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6547</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We sat down with a successful DIY / Furniture Repurposing blogger, Bre, from Brepurposed and asked her to let us in on the insider scene of blogging. She shared her honest answers and stories below: WIRL Project: Where do you get your pieces of furniture to repurpose for your blog?  Bre: I get my pieces from a number of places! Craigslist, garage sales, estate sales, and I have my go-to thrift shops in my area that I try and hit up at least once a month. My friends and family are always on the look out for me too and have brought me some amazing pieces! WIRL Project: How long does it take to flip a piece around? Bre: The timeline is different for each piece and also depends on the type of paint I&#8217;m using. If I&#8217;m going for a distressed, shabby chic look, I&#8217;m usually using a type of chalk paint which requires minimal prep. I don&#8217;t have to sand or prime so I can just clean off my piece and get to work. The paint dries super fast too, so I could be done with paint in a day or two and then I just need to distress and seal. Sealing takes 1-3 days because you want your wax or finish to completely dry and set before you recoat. If I&#8217;m going for a more polished look, I might be using a different type of paint that requires primer. This adds in an extra step and can extend the timeline by at least a day or two. Of course there are the final touches of adding new hardware and maybe some fun paper. All in all, I would say a painted piece of furniture could take anywhere from 3 days to a week and a half. Of course that&#8217;s if I had free time every day They usually take longer! WIRL Project: What do you do with these beauties when you&#8217;re done? Bre: Most pieces I try and sell. I would love to open up my own shop one day. Of course there are pieces we keep and I&#8217;ve also donated some to auctions, etc. I&#8217;ve also done a bunch of pieces as gifts for family and friends. WIRL Project: Have you ever had an epic fail?  Bre: I wouldn&#8217;t be where I am today if I didn&#8217;t have any fails! It&#8217;s all about learning what works for you and doing a lot of trial and error. WIRL Project: Does repurposing furniture and blogging take up a lot of your time? Bre: Blogging takes up a TON of time. It&#8217;s like a second job. I was unemployed for a while, so it was my main focus which was awesome because I had the time to focus on it. Now that I&#8217;m working again, it&#8217;s been a struggle to find that balance. I don&#8217;t have all that extra time to spare and I have to manage it much better. It can get frustrating because I would love blogging to be my full time job (or owning my own shop). I know it will happen one day if that&#8217;s what God chooses for me, so for now I&#8217;m continuing to grow as much as I can and refine my skills and technique so I&#8217;ll be ready for that day &#160; &#160; &#160; Join the conversation! Easily contribute your story here with the tag “WIRL Blogging”. &#160; About the Author… This WIRL was contributed in part by Bre Bertolini from Brepurposed. She is a successful DIY blogger who likes to repurpose things. If you visit her blog you&#8217;ll find she stalks craigslist, thrift stores and friend&#8217;s basements to find hidden gems, and gives them new life. She can be found at her website, on Facebook, and Pinterest. &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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		<title>What Blogging is REALLY Like</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-blogging-is-really-like/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-blogging-is-really-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 16:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest WIRL]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Style/Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology/Web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beauty blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beauty blogger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beginner blogger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog post]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Funny]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leaf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[newbie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6541</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What is blogging REALLY like? An addiction. I mean, it&#8217;s a &#8220;good&#8221; kind of addiction… but it still takes over your life. You&#8217;re out for a walk and see a cute boutique… Potential blog post? That cupcake you treated yourself to after lunch was super tasty… Blog post! A leaf falls off of a tree and lands softly on the sidewalk… YES, there is definitely a blog post in there somewhere because why are leaves falling off trees in the end of May? Time to get educated. Everything you see and do is automatically filtered through a blogger mindset – can this be revamped to go on the blog?  If you thought you were social media-addicted before, just wait &#8217;til you start a blog that you want the online community to notice. Hello, shameless self-promotion. You&#8217;ll be posting more than you ever thought you would post and doing a ridiculous amount of networking and taking sooooo many pictures because who ever thought you would have to take 100 pictures before you got that angle that&#8217;s just PERFECT? And sometimes it&#8217;s 1000 but, hey, #DoItForTheBlog. As a blogger, my head is always spinning with ideas, so much so that I could not live without a planner, and I know many bloggers who would say the same thing. Gotta write that stuff down before my head gets too full and thoughts start escaping! Blogging is way harder than people think because, if you want to excel at it, you will need skills in photography, writing (especially grammar! Like, please stop confusing your/you&#8217;re, people. You&#8217;re better than that.), business, networking, social media and so much more. I know firsthand that it can be overwhelming and I debated closing my account at the beginning, because no hobby should be this much work. I&#8217;m just not passionate enough, I told myself. But I was lying. Blogging is what I was born to do. And I haven&#8217;t even told you the best part! Bloggers (for the most part) are not all in competition with each other – they are so so supportive! Bloggers help each other out and broadcast opportunities and follow back and will definitely let you know if you&#8217;re doing a super awesome job. No cute detail goes unnoticed. So, yes, my head is spinning with new post ideas and blogging opportunities 24/7 and it takes up about 200% of my free time, but I found my passion and you know what they say (cheesy quote alert) – when you do what you love, you&#8217;ll never have to work a day in your life. Love, Erin from erinfinity.com &#160; Join the conversation! Easily contribute your story here with the tag “WIRL Blogging”. &#160; About the Author… This WIRL was contributed by Erin Hesselink. She is a beauty/DIY/lifestyle blogger from Canada and  loves to connect with people. WARNING: She think she&#8217;s pretty hilarious (direct quote from Erin herself!). She can be found at her website, on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. &#160; &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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		<title>The Mad, Mad World Of Blogging</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/the-mad-mad-world-of-blogging/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/the-mad-mad-world-of-blogging/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest WIRL]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[editing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life of a blogger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6357</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It has become somewhat of a whispering joke amongst family members. Oh, look at her! Maybe this is the year she gets a REAL job! The truth is that bloggers work hard —DAMN HARD — probably harder than most. We are writers, editors, proofreaders, and pimps: hustling our lives and submitting our stories for the sake of personal gain. We are also critical of ourselves and thick-skinned because we have to be, which often makes it hard to face the keyboard, but we do. And we do it all for minimal pay with little time to second-guess our strategy. We are also critical of ourselves and thick-skinned because we have to be, which often makes it hard to face the keyboard, but we do. Starting out, I had no idea what to expect —still don&#8217;t. Every day delivers a new set of skills and I take each one with pride. I have learned how to build a website from scratch, design my own comics, promote on social media, support fellow bloggers, and triple check spelling and grammar like a boss. Even so, I still don&#8217;t know it all. In the past two years, I have built a foundation for what is to come and in doing so have made friends for life. You see, blogging isn&#8217;t just another job; it is a way of being. And those of us who get to wake up every day and do it are the happiest people you&#8217;ll ever want to meet. Hello, my name is Lisa. I am a mother, writer, blogger and juggler, and there is nothing about blogging that I don&#8217;t love. &#160; Join the conversation! Easily contribute your story here with the tag “WIRL Blogging”. &#160; About the Author… This WIRL was contributed by Lisa René LeClair, who is a writer, humorist, social media junkie and, most importantly, a mother. When she&#8217;s not giggling with her pint-sized Protégé or pretending to sign autographs in front of a bathroom mirror, you can find Lisa sitting at her desk; wearing coffee stained pajamas and a shit-eating grin… Living the dream. You can contact Lisa at Lisa@sassypiehole.com.  &#160;]]></description>
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