Ask Me Anything!

Can you tell I am obsessed with florals lately? My pants are American Apparel (old), my top is DVF, my bracelets are The Peachbox, my shoes are Forever21, and my bag is Prada.

Today I’ve decided to do a post featuring questions asked by YOU! I collected questions yesterday on Instagram and am excited to now share my answers!

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Q: “How do you maintain your gorgeous pink locks!!! And what color comes next” – @samanthas.style

A: I shared my hair care regimen in my previous post here! As for what color is coming next…I’m really not sure.  I’m happy being pink right now, and without meaning to, the color has sort of become a major part of my brand.  It would be really hard to change that! I enjoyed having pastel purple hair so I would consider doing that again at some point, and I would love to have mint-colored hair sometime too 🙂

Q: “How did u photoshop all your photos to b sooo pink?” – @aldora_muses

A: Haha it’s no secret that there is definitely some pink Photoshop magic happening in a lot of my Instagram photos! I have a few different methods depending on the photo, but I have two way that I use most frequently.  The first one is simply placing a layer of solid pink overlaying my photo and turning down the opacity to around 20%.  I could probably do this using some app or another but I prefer to use Photoshop so that I have the most control.  The second method is a little trickier.  In this one, I select the entire background but leave the subject (me, the stuff in my flat lay, etc.) unselected.  Then I paint the whole background pink.  I have to be extremely meticulous about perfectly selected the background or this looks very fake/obvious.

Q: “What are the biggest challenges and rewards of blogging that you have came across? (Expected and surprises)” – @the.abstract.life

A: The biggest challenges and rewards of blogging for me both surround friendships.  I have met so many amazing women and have found a few of my very best friends through blogging.  However, I have also met the most awful people that I have ever known in my life.  I truly treasure all the opportunities of meeting people that it brings, but I have also had to learn to be very very careful with who I let in close.

Q: “Can you explain some of the basics of starting a blog?” – @dungareegal

A: This is a great question but probably needs an entire post to answer! In my experience, there are three factors that are the most important in having a successful blog.  The first is having a unique angle, idea, and/or aesthetic.  The second is having a strong Instagram audience.  The third is posting regularly on both your blog and social media.  When you start, it is a good idea to keep these ideas in the back of your head.  Do not be discouraged when things are very slow to pick up…I blogged for about a year until anyone gave half a shit about me (people still only give like 3/4 a shit about me)! Even when things are slow, you still have to remain consistent with posting.  You may feel like no one is reading what you are posting, but in a few months when your audience is bigger, people will enjoy looking back on those old posts!

Q: “What’s the story behind your blog name? Why did you start a blog? How many different hair colors have you had in the past, and what’s next? Favorite place in the world? How did you make blogging your career & why are you so perfect?” – @alinamodeblog

A: Ahhh so many good questions!!!
– The name of my blog is from my two dogs (or “hounds”) Wendell and Penelope.  They run my household, so I live in a house of hounds! Except I thought the German spelling “haus” was cuter and more memorable 🙂
– I started a blog because when I first moved to LA I was doing fashion photography for local bloggers.  When I was working for Kier Mellour (before she screwed me over and I had to take her ass to court…Read about it here), I felt that I would be able to connect better with her and other potential clients if I had a blog too.  She used to say that no one would ever read my blog unless I was writing about her.  I’ve certainly proven that wrong, but at least she was good for something.
– I have had so many! I have had black, red, brown/blonde highlights, brown/blonde ombre, dark purple, light purple, grey, and pink! Like I mentioned earlier, I’m not sure what is next but maybe light purple again or mint.
– My favorite place in the world is either Florence or the Caribbean.
– Blogging actually is not my career! I am technically a professional blogger but my main job is running my graphic design business Houndstooth Press.  They are of equal importance to me 🙂
– You are silly.  I am so far from perfect it’s not even funny.  As I type this I have a farting dog in my lap, curlers in my hair, and I forgot to put deodorant on today.  How’s that for imperfect? 😀

Q: “What’s something you never leave the house with, besides your phone?”- @ardentreverie

A: Hmm I wish I had an interesting answer to this but I totally don’t! A lot of times when I go on errands or go to yoga I don’t have much with me other than my keys and phone.  But I do always have my vintage Louis wallet fully stocked with business cards!

Q: “If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what other career path(s) do you gravitate towards? Anything you think would surprise us?” – @yoga_and_unicorns

A: This is such a fun question! From hair styling to social work, I have considered a lot of different career paths over the years. I have really enjoyed being an entrepreneur ever since I started selling used clothing on eBay when I was 17 (I still do that by the way)! If I could not blog or design anymore, I would probably focus on my clothing sales.  For a little while I considered amping up my selling but I just don’t have time to along with everything else!

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This was so much fun! I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did.  If there are any of these questions (or others) that you would like me to elaborate on more, just let me know and maybe I can make a separate post about it.

xoxox

Emily