WHAT IS THE SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD? 

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given by blogging peers to bloggers who are bringing positivity and creative content to the blogging world. It helps us recognize each other whose work and mission we admire!

Rules for the Sunshine Blogger Award: 

• Thank the blogger who nominated you in your blog post and link back to his/her blog.
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
• Nominate 11 new bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 questions.
• List these rules and display the sunshine blogger award logo in your post and on your blog.

My nominator

I was nominated by Jessi of The Rambling Raccoon! I met Jessi on Instagram and I love all of her travel and lifestyle content. I highly recommend you check out her blog, if you get a chance. Thanks for nominating me, Jessi!

Jessi’s questions for me:

Where did you go on your first trip out of the country?

My first trip out of the country was to Playas del Coco, Costa Rica, when I was 16. My family stayed in a beautiful mountain home with an infinity pool and a view of the ocean. The house chef made us tacos one night, and to this day I still swear up and down that they were the best meal I’ve ever had!

What inspired you to start blogging?

I’ve had blogs off-and-on since I was in seventh grade (yes, I still know my first blog’s URL, but no, I won’t tell you.) It took me a while to find my niche, and this blog is the first one I’m super passionate about the content I’m creating! I used to share all my #OOTDs on my Snapchat story every day, but felt like I could be doing more. One day I joked about starting a blog to showcase all my outfit details, and the response was so overwhelmingly positive that I decided to go ahead and do it.

What has been your biggest struggles when it comes to blogging?

I sometimes struggle to find the balance between what I want to create and what I feel like my audience wants to see. I feel like a blog dedicated almost exclusively to #OOTDs is unconventional, but that’s also why I started it to begin with so I don’t want to detract from its original purpose.

Where are you located? (home-base)

This is a multi-tiered question for me! Currently I’m in Austin, Texas, but I only have a few more weeks here before my internship ends. During the academic year I go to school at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. My home town is Frisco, Texas, which is a little north of Dallas. So many cities to call home!

If you could go anywhere in the world to visit, where would you go?

I’ve been on a European tour which took me to 7 different countries, so a lot of those that used to be on my list have moved down in priority so I can experience other places. Right now, Greece is probably the highest on my wish list. I pin way too many pictures of it on Pinterest!

How did you come up with your blog name?

This one is easy. First, this blog was started to share my #OOTD details, so I knew I had to get that in there. Also, I take a lot of selfies of myself (#notsorry) so I figured that would be a good fit, too. I pronounce my blog’s name as “selfies and O-O-T-Ds,” so it rhymes, but I’ve also heard people say “selfies and oo-ts” (wrong.) Truthfully, I don’t say my blog’s name a lot out loud, so it doesn’t come up a lot!

What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

I love creating content for my blog, working on my online portfolio site, or designing resumes!

How do you unwind and de-stress?

Gossip Girl. If I’m ever in need of a mindless activity, I throw on a random episode and just chill out. I’ve probably seen all 6 seasons, all the way through 15+ times. I can probably quote most of it. XO XO.

What’s the best advice you can give to someone who just started a blog?

Stay true to the content you’re passionate about creating, your interest in the subject matter will translate to your work!

When did you start blogging?

I had my first blog in seventh grade (so 2011?) but I founded Selfies & OOTDs in February 2019.

When is the last time you took a day away from work and your blog? What did you do?

Tragically, the last time I took a day to just do nothing was when I was sick with bronchitis recently. I was feeling too under-the-weather to do anything productive!

My nominees

1. Julie Wadley – Mommie. Lover. Friend.
2. Brenna Correia – All the Bs Wax
3. Savanna Bradfield – Keeping It Savy
4. Lilly Husak – Thriving Lilly
5. Marshalee – Lifestyle by Marshalee
6. Becky – The Bonafide Brunette
7. Tatiana – Shades of Tatiana
8. Katie Cooper – Life in the Fancy Lane
9. Samantha Hansen – Samantha Renee Hansen
10. Shelly Ray – Shelly Ray
11. Alexa Woo – From A to W

my Questions

1. What is a staple item in your closet?
2. What is the smartest purchase you’ve ever made?
3. If money was no object, where would you choose to live?
4. Most recent DIY you tried? (Successful or not)
5. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
6. When you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to cook, what do you make?
7. What color do you feel describes you, and why?
8. Craziest coincidence you’ve ever experienced?
9. What is your opinion on avocado toast?
10. Song-of-the-moment?
11. What is the #1 item on your bucket list?

OVERALL

Thanks again to Jessi for nominating me! To my readers, I hope you not only learned more about me, but also found some more content creators to follow and find inspiration from. To my nominees, I hope you answer the questions so I can learn more about you, and your audience can, too!

-K