Thanks to Trop 50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 fabulous wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to help grant a friend’s wish!
This? Right here? Is my morning routine.
Albeit a little late. Unemployment really changes a person’s definition of “morning.”
I get up, use the loo, pour a cup of juice (no coffee here – gives me the jitters), and read my favorite blogs. I don’t use any fancy feed readers or have updates emailed to me. If I like a site, I bookmark it and visit regularly.
I think part of the connection between bloggers and their readers isn’t just the words on the screen; it’s how those words are presented and the intimacy of being able to go to a blogger’s home to read those words. It’s the design, the layout, the photos, the color choices – the complete experience.
Without further ado – here are five blogs that are always in my daily rotation:
Jeremy & Kathleen – They climbed to Mt. Everest Base Camp. For fun. That’s pretty much all you need to know to be hooked, but as a long time reader, I’ll tell you more – Kathleen blogs about fashion, style, food, design, and more – all with photos and images that will make you swoon. She’s a bit kooky, a bit classic, and completely charming.
Hilah Cooking – I love food blogs but honestly, they can get more than a little full of themselves. All those pretentious ingredients and kitchen gadgets nobody has room for. Hilah is having none of that. She’s a hot-mess in the best possible way. She’s smart, witty, uses only simple ingredients, and isn’t afraid to make a mess or add an extra splash of booze.
Cupcakes & Cashmere – Emily is the style director for Beso, but don’t let that scare you off. Her fashion and style posts are classic and accessible, her food posts are simple and beautiful, and she has her own Coach bag. Who can top that?
Design Mom – Before I knew her blog, I met Gabrielle Blair at BlogHer Chicago where she graciously showed me how to screen print tees and bags even though she was almost out of supplies and packing up for the day. Since then, I’ve been whoo-ed by her understated style and soothing tone. She has six of the most fantastically charming children ever and she always responds to comments.
The Bloggess – What list of favorite blogs would be complete without Jenny The Bloggess? I accosted her on the Weinermobile and demanded that she try to save my marriage (for the record, those were two completely separate incidents). I’d ask her to dinner (she lives in the next town over) but that would clearly be crossing the line. She’s honest, hysterical, doesn’t offer any apologies, and is a very good person.
I have a whole list of favorites that I’ll continue to share here and on Twitter, but who would you recommend that I read? Am I missing one of your favorites?
Don’t forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to support a friend’s wish. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.
