Styled to Sparkle
Hi! I’m Carlee and I’m the Editor, Blogger and Influencer behind Styled to Sparkle, a lifestyle blog based in Calgary! I started my blogging journey in Spring 2015 because I felt like I had so much useful information bursting out of me that I had to share it with the world! In turn, becoming a “lifestyle blogger” has really become my true calling and passion in life. I get really excited when I’m sharing the things that I love, which I’m sure will become clear as you read this!
What the heck is a lifestyle blogger?
You might be wondering what “lifestyle” even means! To me, I chose to be a “lifestyle blogger” for a few reasons. Mainly, it’s because I believe that so many aspects of our lives are more interconnected than we realize. For example, your personal style (fashion) affects your skin care and makeup choices (beauty), which in turn affect the way you pack for a trip (travel) and even the destinations you select (more travel). Personal style also encompasses your interior design choices in your home (house + home) and maybe even the wine that you drink (wine + spirits) or the restaurants that you choose (more food + travel). See how I started listing my blog categories there?
What Styled to Sparkle Is All About
Now, I don’t claim to be a fashion stylist or a beauty expert, although I do love clothes and cosmetics of all kinds. What I do claim to be is a real girl. Our tagline is “Life & Style for the Real Girl” because at the end of the day, isn’t that what we all are? My goal is to candidly offer a lifestyle that is both aspirational and attainable.
I always look to styles that are classic, timeless and elegant rather than trendy for all aspects of my life. Our aesthetic and overall theme encompass what I call “Classic Style for the Modern Real Girl” in what I hope is an approachable way.
What I Blog About
When people ask me what my favorite thing to blog about is, I always start down one path and then end up listing all the categories on Styled to Sparkle! My passions tend to lead me towards things that I can blog about. For example, a few years ago, my passion for wine led me to completing my WSET Level 2 Sommelier Certification. I don’t work in the field of Wine and Spirits, but it definitely gave me more insight into what I can tell my readers to look for in the next great bottle! My love of wine and spirits also plays a role in my travel destinations! Whether it’s the Okanagan, Tuscany, Japan, Napa or Kentucky…
I’ve always had the travel bug and writing Travel Guides for the destinations that I’ve visited was one of the main reasons I started blogging in the first place! Now it seems I travel to blog and I blog to travel. I can be quite detailed and meticulous and my goal is always to provide my readers with “everything you need to know about…”, especially when it comes to traveling. Planning a trip to Japan? Let me tell you everywhere you should go, what you should see/eat/experience/buy/wear/pack/etc. I try to provide every detail that you didn’t think you needed to know, but probably should know.
My deep love of travelling and sharing it with my readers so that they can learn from my experience led me to creating a YouTube Channel. I felt like sometimes text and photos weren’t enough to show someone what they could see or do, especially when going somewhere more exotic than say, Red Deer (although I do recommend that if you do go to Red Deer, stop in at Donut Mill for a Donut Mill Special – you can thank me later).
Why I Love Blogging & How It Connects Me to My Community
I love that blogging has given me a platform to collaborate with brands that I love (like Local Laundry!) and help promote other local small businesses, too. I’ve been able to meet so many incredible new people through this, not to mention the great experiences that it has provided me. I really see my blog as a way to share what I love both locally and abroad with those local and abroad!
Because I love blogging so much and I believe that everyone has a unique voice and perspective to be heard, I have a number of guest bloggers who write for Styled to Sparkle. All of these ladies are unique and local to Calgary. There is so much that I want to share with my audience that I felt it would be helpful to bring these ladies in to not only showcase their voices and expertise, but also to provide my readers with more great content.
I Want to See Other Bloggers Succeed
My love of blogging and love of helping others start their own ventures (blogging or otherwise) is what has inspired my latest pursuit, Styled Brands. Many people don’t know, but my husband is the photographer/photo editor, video camera man, website creator and all-around tech guru behind Styled to Sparkle. I couldn’t have done most of this without him but not all bloggers or small business owners have access to someone with these skills (at least not at a fair price, or in my case, free). Together we’ve partnered my creativity and his technical abilities to help propel new businesses in our community.
We’ve had so many new and experienced bloggers who have come to us looking for a way to get started online or with frustration over the limitations associated with their current platform. Our goal is to help bloggers and small businesses create an online platform and business that they can be proud of. If we can help others to create something that gives them a platform to share their voice, perspective and passions, all the better.
Connect with Carlee!
- Website: https://www.styledtosparkle.
com/ - Instagram: www.instagram.com/
styledtosparkle (handle: @styledtosparkle) - YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/
styledtosparkle - Styled Brands website: www.styledbrands.ca
