Brandy is wearing a shirt from Marshalls, pants from Celebrity Pink Jeans, cardigan and scarf from Express, DVF sunglasses, Dolce Vita flats, Kate Spade bag, and a Marc Jacobs watch.
What’s your name? Where do you live? What do you do?
My name is Brandy Saldana and I live in Berkeley. I work at UC Berkeley as a Program Assistant for a Health & Safety Office and I blog about my personal style and cupcakes I decorate on my blog Will Bake for Shoes.
How did you get into blogging?
I actually became interested in street style fashion blogs during my 2nd year at Cal after having my outfit noticed and photographed by you while I was waiting at a bus stop! I tossed around the idea of starting my own blog for a couple of years, but I held myself back and kept talking myself out of it. Once I graduated, I felt if I ever wanted to write for a magazine or website, I would need some experience and figured this would be a good way to get that type of experience and a bonus that I could be as creative as I wanted to be with it.
How would you describe your style?
I am not really sure how to describe it sometimes because I feel I am still experimenting and discovering new things for myself. I like to be dressed appropriately for the occasion, but at the end of the day I really like girly, feminine pieces in fun, bold prints. I used to prefer dark colors, but I've noticed I am not afraid to rock bold hues.
In addition to blogging about fashion, you also write and share photos of cupcakes you’ve made. Can you tell us more about this?
My baking hobby started before my blog, and actually before my 3rd year of school. I found a Hello, Cupcake book at Target and started baking and decorating cupcakes with my sister. I really started getting into it when I moved into my studio and had a spacious and cute kitchen. I get a lot of my inspiration and ideas from that book, but I add my own spin on something I am decorating. The name of my blog comes from a cup I labeled “Will Bake for Shoes” that I placed next to marshmallow flower cupcakes I brought in to work as a joke that donations would go towards a pair of new Manolo Blahniks, and it was just something I would do to practice decorating and to pay for more baking supplies with the goal of becoming skilled enough to open up a family business. I still think that is a possibility, but for now I enjoy it as a hobby and sharing what I make.
What have you learned from blogging?
By blogging, I've learned a lot about myself and how much I've changed, which I did not expect when I initially started out. I've also learned it is one of the best ways to put yourself out there to meet people. I've made a lot of friends by connecting with other bloggers, and that's been my favorite perk that comes from all the work. It takes a lot of work to run a blog, and that includes networking and community.
How has blogging changed since you started three years ago?
I think the biggest thing I've noticed was the impact of having a social media presence for your blog and micro-blogging. I started out and never placed importance on Twitter or Instagram, but eventually came around and started using these mediums. It's been a fun learning experience, but I have yet to embrace Snapchat and it is probably because I already feel overwhelmed by all the Social Media apps there are already.
What can we expect to see from you in the future?
I know I want to be able to share more cupcake projects, but maybe I'll be going a step further and focusing more on tutorials. I am also interested in doing more DIY Crafts and potentially start sharing my favorite restaurants. The possibilities are endless, but my goal is to keep things interesting!
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