Random Wednesday #25 - Back to My Roots

 GET THE LOOK HERE:

Dress: Forever 21 (exact) | Jacket: JCP (option) (option) | Belt: Old Navy (option) | Shoes: Rue 21 (option) (option) | Bag: Target (exact) | Brown Bracelet c/o: Litva's Jewelry

Yellow Bracelet: No longer in business

So the title of this post has several meanings.

Roots? What are you roots? Well, let me tell ya a couple of mine.

Let's start with the outfit, shall we?

Checkered. Something I haven't worn since my days in elementary school when my mom tried to dress me. I emphasize the word "try". I never thought I would be wearing it again, but I am sorta digging the checks, gauzy material and broomstick fit. It makes me feel young again...you know, back to my roots. 

And let me say, I am still a tad shocked that denim jackets made their way back to the fashion forefront...roots people...going back to our roots.

Next up, the roots of this blog.

The vision of Because Shanna Said So was originally intended to focus on fashion and a few beauty tips. Then a couple of DIYs popped up. Along came product reviews/giveaways. Before I knew it, I was opening up a little more and sharing a smidgen of my real life.

And then came the time I started offering sponsorships and more giveaways appeared.

Then one day, I participated in a massively ginormous group giveaway. I was excited to be part of it. Grateful to this day that I was included.

Then I participated in a few more. My readership, or should I say "followers" increased, but my content started to fall short.

I began to get caught up in the numbers game. More "followers" equaled success to me; like I was doing something right. Like I was getting better at blogging. More people were reading what I wrote and excited about what I had to say.

Wrong. Well, not the getting caught up in the numbers part, but all the rest of what I just said.

Just because I hit a certain GFC number didn't mean that I was more successful; at least personally.

I then realized that success to me isn't just about the numbers, yes it's a magical feeling to see new faces pop up under the "members" sign, but success, for me personally, is receiving sincere, genuine comments and emails from readers that actually READ what I write and relate to my ramblings.

Yes, I appreciate getting the "I am following you now because of such and such giveaway", but what really gets me going are the messages that say, "thank you for inspiring me", "thank you for opening up", "thank you for sharing your story", "thank you for helping me spend money at Forever 21", "thank you for keeping it real".

At the end of the day, I want to relate to people and inspire them in both fashion and life. Having a successful blog for me is when people come to visit more than just once and eventually become  friends that I chat with numerous times a week. Who support me and vice versa.

With that said, my goal is to refocus on why I originally started this blog - to share my love and borderline obsession with fashion, bring to you great shops and products and continue to give everyone a glimpse into my world.

I have decided to change up my sponsorship options come June, opt out of the large group giveaways going around and to stop focusing solely on follower count.

I hope that my blog, my third child, continues to grow, that it's connections expand and increasingly influence women with fun and somewhat entertaining content. 

All I can hope for is that all the heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears that I have shed into my little space won't suffer by choosing to head back to my roots.

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And while we are on the subject of roots, I have a lady that is just as passionate about roots (she's a hair stylist, ya'll) as I am. Actually, she is a stylist by day and a jewelry designer by night. I have spoken highly of her once before, but in case you missed it the first time, here is Ms. Sandra again.

She owns an online jewelry shop called Litva's Jewelry and the brown beaded bracelet I am wearing in the pictures today is from her shop. The detail in her handcrafted designs is pure awesomeness and what really excites me is the passion she puts into every piece. Here are a few of her featured products:

And today, Sandra with Litva's Jewelry is offering $40 to one lucky reader to go and shop for anything in her store. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

**If you are linking up today, I kindly ask that you follow my blog and link back to it in your post. Oh, and go meet some new friends! 

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Linking up with The Pleated Poppy , Lauren, Sarah and Alisa