Hi Katherine! What’s the name of your blog?
Where are you from?
Knoxville, TN.
Tell us a little bit more about you and your blog, Pender & Peony.
I consider myself an interior stylist, curator of chic curios, and aspiring southern tastemaker aka blogger. Pender & Peony has changed quite a bit over the years since the initial start in 2014, but at its heart it is a lifestyle blog about entertaining and decorating in the South.
How many years have you been blogging at Pender & Peony?
5 years.
Give us your best tip to staying on top of the blog/work/life balance?
Learn when to put the laptop or cell phone down and just be in the moment with friends and family.
Fill in the blank. What people don’t realize about blogging is….
Blogging is a lifestyle choice that affects everyone in your family because you are sharing your home, your career, and your passions.
What are three things you wish you knew about blogging before you started?
- How time-consuming it would be.
- How much I would love the creativity and ability to share and connect with others.
- Last, how evolving the tech would be.
What’s your favorite WordPress plugin?
Heatmap – it allows you to really see where your visitors are clicking and interacting with your content.
What skills and qualities do you think are necessary for a successful and professional blogger?
I think a blogger really has to have a vision and central driving message they want to share and connect readers with. I also think it takes great tenacity to stick with this career because payoffs don’t happen overnight and building an audience is hard.
What has blogging taught you that no other career or job has before?
Blogging has given me the ability to combine my various backgrounds, skills, and passions in one career that is fulfilling and creative.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the blog world?
Literally, you will hear this from lots of other sources, but to succeed at this you’ve got to clearly define your voice and message in way that highlights your unique perspective.
What makes your brand, Pender & Peony, different than other bloggers?
P&P is the source for attainable grandmillennial style and gracious living, offering entertaining and decorating advice in a way that is affordable and from the standpoint of a life more abundant.
What topic do you most enjoy writing about?
Home Decor.
What would your dream partnership look like?
I would love to work with a designer fabric company on a print mixing course that would really help my readers understand decorating with pattern better.
A current blogging goal you are working on?
I am working to improve my traffic and email subscriber count.
What does a typical workday for you look like?
About a year ago I started blogging full time, so now my day typically starts at 7AM with writing or checking emails. I love being able to work from home and break up my day however necessary.
What’s your most recent WIN with your blog?
Pender & Peony was recently featured in the Washington Post as part of an article about grandmillennial style.
What is one thing in the blogging industry that frustrates you that you wish you could change?
It’s very frustrating at times to get companies and others to understand the necessity of paying bloggers not in products and not in features, but actually money for sponsored content.
What’s your guilty pleasure TV show?
New Girl.
What’s your Starbucks order?
Chestnut praline when it’s Christmas.
