Have you joined MFB? + Giveaway by Tiffany (CLOSED)

Hey, hey! This is Tiffany and I'm new to Clothed Much! I handle anything and everything related to our lovely Mormon Fashion Bloggers. We have much to celebrate, but first, I'm looking for new bloggers to join the MFB community. That's right -- Clothed Much is growing and I would like for you to join us if you fit the description here. The more the merrier! :)

Now on to the giveaway.. (Fist pump!) As you know, Clothed Much now has a reader base of over 4,000 followers!! In light of this, I felt it was time to have a giveaway to celebrate. We have six fabulous prizes and we're going to have six lucky winners for this giveaway!

Here are the deets on the prizes...

1. $75 e-gift card to Shabby Apple
2. dress, mini cami, and mini molly from Molly's Clothing
3. $50 e-gift card to Madewell
4. $65 e-gift card to Ruche
5. any one dress from JunieBlake
6. swimsuit from Beverly Swimwear

All you have to do to enter is tell us which prize you'd love to win and don't forget to follow Clothed Much!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Favorite and Most Comfortable Sandals

I've worn both of these shoes on the blog plenty of times, but I feel like they deserve a separate post because they're just that awesome. Lately, I've become a total grandma and been looking for comfy shoes than the ~$10 ones I used to buy at Forever 21 and Target. You know... cheap, uncomfortable, not good quality? Yeah, those. Most of the discomfort can be attributed to my wide feet (Thanks, 아빠..). It doesn't help that most wide-width shoes that are in my price range are also - how can I put this - ugly. So, if you suffer from wide feet and are sick of not finding anything cute and comfortable, I've got two pairs of shoes for you to consider! If you don't have wide feet, you can leave. Just kidding. You're also welcome in our super secret wide-feet group. Just don't tell anyone.

First up are the Bass Margie sandals. I have them in black. (You can see how I wore them last here.) I've had them for a couple years now. They are my most comfortable shoes next to my running sneakers so I wear them a lot for traveling and when I know we'll be doing a lot of walking. I've worn them so much the soles are riddled with holes. I actually have to buy another pair soon. You can get them at Amazon for as low as $25! Really good price for such good quality. I say buy two. And give me one. I'm a 7. Thanks.

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Next are my more dressier sandals, the Naturalizer Fira. I have these in turquoise. (See how I wore them last here.) I wanted something dressier than the Bass sandals that I could wear out to dinner with my husband and still be comfortable and feel stylish in. I love the mix of a bold color, metallic, and snake skin. I think it makes it more matchable with a majority of my outfits. I'm actually wearing this right now as I am typing this. I've been wearing these sandals so much this summer, I'm getting some funky tan lines on my feet..

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So, there you have it. My two favorite and most comfortable shoes. Do you have any comfy shoes to recommend to us? Please share! I'm always on the look out.

16 Weeks: I need a slip.

thrifted Old Navy cardigan, $4 (similar); thrifted Target shirt, $3 (similar); Excess Baggage necklace, $22 (original designer); Target maxi skirt, $16; Target clog sandals (similar)

Okay, so you can totally see my bump here now, right?? I promise I'm not sticking it out too much. Or maybe I ate a lot. It's really hard to say. I'm about 15 weeks here and you can get a small pregnancy update here!

So, I think it's funny that I'm wearing head-to-toe Target (kind of). I thrifted this shirt with Kristine a couple weekends ago along with some other goodies like 3 skirts, 2 slips (to unsheer my new dresses from my sister), necklace, and a cardi. I'm hoping to have some free time to fix the dresses and skirts so they're wearable soon but I also have to nap.. Decisions, decisions..

Reader Question: How I Style My Outfits

via CEEBEE

I got this reader question from Amy a couple weeks ago about how I styled my outfits:

Do you just pull clothes from your closet and lay them out on your bed until you're happy or do you do something artsy fartsy and use like, a dress model or something?

That is such a funny question... Now that I'm pregnant and can't fit into most of my jeans and skirts anymore, it's been more like standing in front of my closet for an hour in the morning and complaining to my husband that I don't have any clothes!!! It's so fun!!!! Usually, I just try on a couple (or a lot) of outfits the night before and pick my favorite one to wear the next day.

Do you guys know of Go Chic or Go Home? I mentioned them before here and here. It's a cool concept - you take pictures of your clothes and "plan" outfits. There have been too many times where I planned outfits but forgot about them later. I know they're working on a camera-cellphone feature so you can easily upload your pics from your phone to your account but not sure if they have finished it yet. (Anybody have an update on this?) I also use Pinterest to help me get dressed. My board seems to be more of "how I wish I dressed" so I follow other people's boards. My favorite and most copy-able boards are Kendi's and Thread Ethic's.

How do you style your outfits?

Street Style: Union Square, San Francisco by Tiffany

Bonjour everyone!! I'm Tiffany from the House of Tong where I love to blog about my family and our life's adventures. One excursion that I'd like share with you is a visit to my all-time favorite city:  San Francisco!! I just love the eats, the people, the shops, and most importantly, the fashion. It is my pleasure to present to you modest fashion from the "City by the Bay."  

Yes, I left my heart in San Francisco and so I will return. I look forward to sharing more street style with everyone from SF and other parts of my Nor Cal home another time!! Adieu!!

16 Weeks: The Green and Black

Excess Baggage necklace, $22 (original designer); black vest via online Asian boutique (similar); asymmetrical dress via eBay, $16 (similar); Vince Camuto heels, $76

A couple new items to share! My sister gave me this vest and two dresses when my family came to visit last week. It was such a nice surprise since she never gets me anything. And, over the weekend, Kristine and I went to the Excess Baggage showroom and I bought this House of Harlow-esque necklace. Sadly, it's probably the most expensive jewelry I own at the moment besides my wedding rings so you'll be seeing it a lot on the blog.. Gotta get my money's worth!!

got my 3rd mani in my lifetime at the showroom // Rosie admiring my EB goodies

How To Lengthen Clothes With Color-Blocking #1 by Kristina

Sometimes, the easiest (and funnest) way to lengthen a dress is to choose a contrasting color. Store-bought clothes incorporate color-block bands at the hem all the time, so don't be afraid to try it yourself and wear it with confidence. This works really well, especially if you've already seen a version you want to imitate. The idea for this project came from a Ralph Lauren dress using the combination of navy and green and works like a dream if you're only needing about three to six inches of extra length. 

15 Weks: Showing off the bump

cardigan from a Korean boutique store, $14 (similar); flower pin c/o Hot Magnets; thrifted Forever 21 maxi dress, $8 (similar); thrifted belt, $1 (similar); Walmart sandals, $10 (similar)

I was so excited when I came up with this outfit because it shows off my huge belly!!! Okay, so it doesn't look so huge in the pictures...but I feel huge. I'm going to regret that statement later, aren't I... The belt had to go once I got to work. Belts are not going to work for me while I'm pregnant I've realized.

Also, my flower smelled like puke all day. So, that was cool..

Green Your Wardrobe: Fabric Choice by Ana

Hello! My name is Ana and I blog over at The Summer Of June about my journey to living a greener lifestyle. On there, I write about everything from fashion and beauty to food and even home décor because they’re all different aspects of my passion:  living green. With every post, I make it my mission to show that you can, in fact, live green and live well simultaneously.

In today’s world, dominated by seasonal trends and fast fashion brands, it can be hard to navigate the sustainable fashion section. So I thought I’d talk a little bit about it and crush the common perception that it’s unfashionable and expensive. In fact, there are already so many brands that produce beautiful eco-friendly pieces, and with more support from us consumers, they’re bound to become even stronger.

via Nicole Bridger, Jigsaw London, and Chinti and Parker

There are so many ways to green your wardrobe, and for this post I picked one of my favorite ways: fabric choice. It is important to look at what our new purchases are made of and make sure they’re not damaging to the planet’s or our health. Here are a few of the more common choices:

• Organic cotton - Our favorite fiber is unfortunately also one of the most polluting of Earth because of the amount of pesticides that is put into conventional cotton crops. Organic cotton is the better alternative.
• Hemp - Hemp is a quickly renewable resource that doesn’t require any pesticides. The fiber is very strong and durable, gets softer with every wash, and is a natural UV block.
• Bamboo - Just like hemp, it doesn’t require any pesticides, grows very quickly depending on the species (up to 1 meter/day), and is biodegradable, which means that the clothing made from it can be composted.
• Tencel/lyocell - Made from the cellulose found in wood pulp, this fiber is made into a fabric through a chemical process. Unlike synthetic fibers, this one has a very small impact on the environment and requires little energy and water.
• Recycled polyester - I’m not a fan of synthetic fibers, and I prefer to stay away from them, but if I must choose one, I’ll always go for the recycled kind to make sure that no other damage is done to our planet.

So, next time you go clothes shopping, make sure to check the label to see if you’re making an eco-friendly choice and reconsider.

View Entire Collection >>

15 Weeks: Fancy Pajamas

JCPenney necklace (similar); Shade Clothing shirt, $16 (similar); Forever 21 pants, $14 (similar); Target loafers, $20 (similar)

This was one of the outfits I wore on our Utah trip last month. I loved it so much (or I'm running out of ideas on what to wear) that I wore it again! This time to get a full pic. Featuring my new pants. Remember from this post? I finally got them! Good thing because they're now the only pants that fit me. And they're so comfortable! Like fancy pajamas.

In which I go PINK by Melissa

sandals via T.J. Maxx (similar); green skinny jeans c/o Dittos; Gap striped shirt (similar); J.Crew sweater (similar in cream/red); Gap bag; Manic Panic hair dye

I have taken my love for the color pink to a whole new level. I think my daily scrub wear had me so desperate for something different that I dyed my hair.....pink. AND I love it. So it's been pink on and off for a few months now, but this is the first picture I have managed to get with my hair and outfit.

I have never had the task of coordinating my outfit with my hair color before. Um....obviously, I'm still working on it. My pink hair matches my shoes, toe nails, and coordinates nicely with my green skinnies. My sweater coordinates with the green skinnies, and my crew neck t-shirt - well, um....green skinnies again?

How Affiliate Marketing and Blogging Work

If you guys didn't know already, I work in the affiliate marketing industry for my day job at Shopzilla, a shopping comparison website. This is one of many avenues bloggers use to earn money, myself included. This post will give you, whether you are a blogger or a reader, a better idea of how bloggers earn money through affiliate marketing. The below explanation is through my knowledge and experience at Shopzilla.

Oh, how I love my dual monitors.

There are two types of affiliate marketing programs:  cost-per-acquisition (CPA) and cost-per-click (CPC). CPA programs pay when someone buys an item from a blog/site. An example of a CPA program is Reward Style. CPC pays per click. Some examples of CPC programs are ShopStyle, Shopzilla, Commission Junction, and LinkShare. CPA programs usually pay more since they pay on a percentage of the price of the item bought. But if you have a lot of traffic, CPC may be a better program to take advantage of each click. Depending on your audience, either is a sufficient model. I use both. Please keep in mind that these programs can track suspicious activity, including repeatedly clicking on your own links!

Affiliate marketing starts with merchants (retail stores, busineses) who pay for exposure on a site such as Shopzilla's Bizrate or Beso. There are also merchants who don't pay because either their adsvertising budget has been expended or they are already well-known and don't need extra exposure. Usually, these merchants are still included to offer a more diverse shopping experience for the customer.

Sometimes these shopping sites have affiliate programs, such as the Shopzilla Publisher Program. To give merchants more exposure, Shopzilla splits the revenue they receive with publishers/affiliate marketers. The commission rate can vary depending on your traffic volume and quality. Generally, clicks are worth anywhere from $.05-$.30.

The Shopzilla Publisher Program may look generic and difficult to navigate, but once you have a registered Publisher account, you can earn revenue through the Beso Affiliate Portal for fashion and lifestyle brands, which is what I primarily use.

So, why should/do bloggers use affiliate marketing?

Bloggers give merchants a lot of advertising by wearing their clothes, promoting favorite products, etc. and usually without pay. Affiliate marketing turns this free advertising into a revenue stream. I see it as you're giving them free advertising and should get something out of it. I like to use it so readers and visitors can purchase similar items to recreate an outfit or when I showcase a favorite product.

But, what about non-bloggers?

Beso is working on a way for all users to be affiliates, not just bloggers. Why should bloggers be the only ones to reap the benefits of affiliate marketing? If you have a Beso account, you'll be able to earn money soon!

I hope this helped give a little transparency into how affiliate marketing and blogging work. If you have any questions about it or want more information, let me know in the comments below and I'l do my best to answer!

Knotty Scarf Tutorial by Aarean

Hi there! My name is Aarean, author of The Color Issue. I am a true blue color enthusiast (totally made that phrase "color enthusiast" up, but it describes my passion perfectly). I love trying new projects, experimenting with different color palettes from fashion, food, art, and DIY tutorials -- color just makes everything so much better!

Here is a fun scarf tutorial that I put together. It's super simple and adds that perfect touch of color for any outfit!

Found: The Perfect Diaper Bag

Right after I found out I was pregnant, the first thing I started shopping for was a diaper bag. Not baby clothes (Don't know the sex yet so why?!?) or maternity clothes (Another story entirely..). I looked around Amazon and a couple weeks later, Chase was on there too and saw the ones I looked at previously and he instantly shot them down. "They look like purses. I'm not carrying a purse." I had initially thought I wanted a diaper bag/purse until Chase reminded me that he also needed to carry this bag too. (What a baby!!) Long story short, I saw this unisex diaper bag featured on The Beso Blog the other day and fell in love. Chase even gave his stamp of approval! Now if only they were $170 cheaper.....

via The Beso Blog

What do you think? Are you a fan? More importantly, who wants to get it for us?? 엄마? 아빠??

14 Weeks: A little more room please..

necklace via sample sale, $5; Target t-shirt, $7 (similar); thrifted skirt, $4 (similar, shorter and solid pink); Target clog sandals (similar)

This is one of the few skirts with zippers that still fit me. Okay, it's the only one. It's still a little loose but I like being able to hike it up higher after I eat to let that stomach breathe. (Although at one point I had to unzip it for a bit...or while I was sitting at my desk, whatever..) This outfit reminded me of Sarah for some reason. Maybe 'cause I miss her outfits.. Come back to the fashion blogging world!!

Also, I have this thing about wearing necklaces with v-neck tops but I disregarded it here - I finally did it. I'm learning....slowly, very slowly..

P.S. 13 week update here!

Summer Simplicity by Melissa

white v-neck t-shirt (similar); Anthropologie skirt (similar); Anthropologie bracelet (similar); Gap sandals (similar); Clinique lipstick (similar)

With summer in full swing and so many beautiful colors around me, sometimes I like to keep it simple and let nature have its moment. Summer is a nice breather, even if you still are in school...like me...dang it. Summer means my hair is up a little more, and my heels seem to have disappeared into the back of my closet. Sandals and flats are my go to for the season. The only fall piece that hasn't seem to disappear is my red lipstick... I can't leave her behind.

14 Weeks: Rompin' Around

refashioned JCPenney necklace (similar in colorblock coral); DownEast Basics jumpsuit; MNG by Mango bag; Target clog sandals (similar)

Just realized as I was typing out the outfit details that it was all $0!! Two were bought with a gift card (necklace and bag), one was a present (shoes), and the jumpsuit was a giveaway win from Totally Tessa. (You gotta check out her blog. Cutest girl ev-er.)

So, the jumpsuit... I don't think I'll be wearing this any time soon again. Even with the slightest tummy showing right now, the jumpsuit was tight. Also, it has ruffles. Does anyone know how I can remove it without destroying it completely?? Do you think a tailor would be able to do it? I mean, I like ruffles just as much as the next 5 year-old girl. Okay, that's a lie. I don't really like ruffles...unless it's on someone cuter than me.

Nightlight by Melissa

Madewell shirt, $10 (similar); J.Crew jeans (similar); shoes via T.J.Maxx (similar); necklace via Nordstrom (similar)

My summer wardrobe has become really simple this summer. With my husband away at school for a while, it's just me and Gracie. She likes to play a lot and pull me all over the neighborhood on our "walks." So, I gotta wear something I can move around in.....

I love this neon shirt from Madewell (Sales rack $10!). Contrasting it with my really dark blue jeans makes me think of a nightlight.

Gracie is pretty fashionable too. She decided to upgrade her collar. Nothing less than Nordstrom for Gracie! So what do you wear on an active day?