Coffee Date: Melissa Meredith of Southern Vogue

I love the blog Southern Vogue.   Melissa Meredith introduces us to everything there is to love about the South, as she says, “from stilettos to stationary to sprinkles, we’ll decipher favor in the South.”  Melissa Meredith’s blog showcases her talent for photography, event planning, and baking.  My slideshow features Melissa Meredith’s pictures of her baking creations and “fabulous fetes.”   You can find out more about Melissa Meredith on Southern Vogue’s Facebook page, her Pinterest page, and her tweets.

1. How did you come up with the idea or focal point for your blog?  Many people assume that I named my blog “Southern Vogue” because of the magazine. The real motivation behind the name, though, is that the word “vogue” simply means “in favor at the time.” I fill the pages of Southern Vogue with just that– whatever pretty little Southern things I’m loving at just that moment. My interests are always growing & evolving, so the blog is the perfect place to chronicle these ever-changing passions. For this reason, there isn’t one central focal point of Southern Vogue. I write about everything under the sun… from stilettos to stationery to sprinkles!
2. If your blog had a mission statement what would it be?  My tag line is, “From stilettos to stationery to sprinkles, we’ll decipher favor in the South.” A mission statement for Southern Vogue, eh? Let’s go with the Kate Spade quote, “She had a cocktail in hand & confetti in her hair.”
3. What advice would you give to people who have just started or would like to start a blog?  My advice to others starting a blog is that you must love to write, whether a single person reads it or not. Write what you love, and others will love it in return! Oh, and it takes time. Patience is a virtue!
4. What forms of social media or widgets do you use to gain readers and followers?  Honestly, I don’t monitor who reads my blog, nor do I seek new methods of growing my readership. I keep writing & photographing & tweeting because it makes me happy, and the fact that people like it, too? Well, that’s just the cherry on top!
5. How have you been able to gain friendships with other bloggers?  Perhaps the single loveliest gift I’ve received from writing Southern Vogue is the darling friends I’m made along the way. On my last trip to NYC, for example, I attended a high tea with other preppy bloggers. I left with a dozen new friends! We’re all connected by similar interests and, through blogging, physical location seems totally irrelevant! I absolutely adore reading every e-mail, comment & tweet from the ladies who read Southern Vogue. It makes me grin from ear to ear when I think of all the charming people who’ve entered my life through these pages!
6. What goals do have for your blog?  My goals are never about obtaining a number of readers. Rather, I simply want to write more eloquently & photograph more beautiful things.
7. How do you get inspiration for posts?  I love to fill my day-to-day life with pretty things. From the perfect polka dotted mug of hot chocolate to a retro brass bar cart I find on Craig’s List to the perfect bouquet of pink peonies, I find inspiration everywhere! On Southern Vogue, I always write about things that I love… and fill my life and home with. For this reason, I’m endlessly inspired. I do have, I must admit, a special affection for anything witty & whimsical. Or pink & polka-dotted.

Move over Martha (Stewart) Melissa Meredith’s in town.

Love,

The Preppy Post Grad

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