We’ve really been feeling the entrepreneurial spirit at Style Sample lately. Maybe it’s the spring weather and the promise of a new start, or maybe we’re ready to change direction, but we’re looking to past and current Blogging + Business features (and obsessively watching clips of “Kell on Earth”) for inspiration:

“The best part is being able to create this business from the ground up on my own. The worst part is being able to create this business from the ground up on my own… it’s hard work but also extremely rewarding.”
~Rodellee of Adore Vintage, Issue #1

“Engage in Twitter, write a blog, do free PR for your friend with the cute handbag line. If the opportunities aren’t there, look for ways to create them on your own terms.”
Crosby of PR Couture, Issue #2

“I’m in love with storytelling, which makes the pieces intimate and meaningful to the owner. The personal touch is best.”
~Wendy of Wendy Brandes Jewelry, Issue #3

“Whatever I put into it is what I get out… so at the end of the day, there is nothing as rewarding as this.”
~Mimi of Brook&Lyn, Issue #4

“Just write about something that you are passionate about and it will come easy. If you really love what you do and work hard at it, then you will be successful.”
~Krista of MyLookbook, Issue #5

“I guess the most crazy part of it is how quickly it’s grown from a small online store to a business which has over 100 stockists.  Rach and I literally squeal when we see girls on the street wearing Stylestalker.”
~Sue-Ann and Rachel of Stylestalker, Issue #6

Are you interested in building your own fashion-based business? How do you get inspired?

Just in case you missed ‘em the first time around, here are our picks for the best articles of 2009 on StyleSampleMag.com:

Interview with Rihanna’s stylist Mariel Haenn: Hayley and I met up with Rihanna’s stylist, who gave us advice on everything from getting started in fashion styling to making industry contacts. Great info for future stylists.

Premiere Issue release: If for no other reason than sheer sentimental value, check out the very first issue of Style Sample mag. Remembering this one always makes me smile.

How to Pitch a Story to a Magazine: Aspiring fashion writers, take note.

How to create a Facebook Fan Page for your blog: Actually setting it up is easy; here’s advice on what to post and how to attract fans.

Monetizing with ad networks: This is a new one, but chock-full of extremely useful info about earning money with your blog.

Free Blog Templates and Themes: This is fashion darling, looks are important. Here are some of the best sites for blog templates and themes to make your site sexy.

The Top 3 Online Image Editors: A review of the best (free!) online photo editors so you can easily create collages, add text to photos, enhance your images, and more.

Do you agree with our choices or do you have other favorites?

We’re all about supporting independent businesses, so we’re starting a new series featuring favorite picks from fellow bloggers who own online retail establishments, just in time for the holidays. Get ready to jump-start your holiday shopping!

Marie Denee’s The Curvy Fashionista appeared as a “Blog to Watch” in the very first issue of Style Sample magazine, and we were right–she is definitely one to keep an eye on! Since then, she’s launched her very own online boutique for plus-size fashion, MarieDenee.com. Here are some of her favorites for the holidays:

1.Amanda Uprichard Zipper Dress, $240 100% sumptuous silk dress that easily shifts from day into night in both Teal and Green! Your skin and curves will thank you!

2. B.G.U. Nia Goddess Dress, $176 Rev up the Curve factor with this on trend-updated version of your little black dress!

3. Lilypad Earrings, $32 I DIE for these 100% Sterling silver earrings! Not your usual look, these are sure to captivate and inspire the fashionista in you!

4. Starburst Ring, $52 Sometimes you need a little drama to your look and this sterling silver and mother of pearl ring is sure to deliver!

5. Melissa Masse Sweetheart Color Blocked Dress, $220 When you want to add a splash of sass with the right amount of class, this naughty knit is like butter for your curves!

Available at www.mariedenee.com, an upscale contemporary online boutique dedicated to fashion your curves and bring you styles to keep you Curvy.Confident.Chic!

Woo-hoo! You can finally get your hands on a print copy of the premiere issue of Style Sample Magazine. Just head over to MagCloud.com, place your order (it costs $3.20 + $1.40 for shipping and you’ll need a PayPal account or a major credit card), and wait for your very own copy to arrive in the mail. Services like this are why I love the interwebz!

The only downside is that the bottom four inches on the back cover are covered by the mailing label. Ah, well…You can always read it here!

In the current issue, FashionFille guides us step-by-step through creating a great blog header and notes that she likes to use PhotoFiltre. Being more of a Photoshop girl, I’d never worked with the program before, but decided to give it a try. After a quick and easy download and installation, (sorry Mac users, it’s only for PCs–and it’s a bit wonky with Vista), I started playing around with some of the tools and wound up creating this:

Ha! I called the Michael Jackson/Balmain connection weeks ago! Obviously, I’m obsessed.

PhotoFiltre seems to function as a more advanced version of Microsoft Paint. All the familiar tools are there: fill, shapes, eyedropper, brushes, along with some fun (clone stamp, various filters) and useful (magic wand, polygon & lasso selection) extras.

My biggest issue was that the program doesn’t support layers, so make sure you know what you want where before you put it there–it’s difficult to move things around once they’re in place and de-selected.

In summary:
-Best for simple photo manipulation and adding basic text.
-Download the free version here.
-Check out a few of these video tutorials to get started.

The premiere issue of Style Sample Magazine is here! You can open it in full screen mode (hit escape to exit full screen mode), and note that all of the links in the magazine are active, so click away! A huge thank you to the wonderful contributors:
Modelizing
Ediot
Dirty Laundry
The Curvy Fashionista
Adore Vintage
A Forte for Fashion
Mischief My Dear/dramatis personae
Femme Rationale Stylish Thought
Fashion Fille
Swank Heights
Instant/Vintage
Fatal Attraction 2 Fashion

If you have any suggestions or feedback, don’t hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing/reading your thoughts!

~Tamia

Just tidying up a bit before tomorrow’s launch of Style Sample Magazine! As you can see, there are now (cute heart-shaped) icons in the sidebar that link to the site’s RSS feed, Twitter, Technorati favorites, and StumbleUpon. Give it a try!

Everything is in place, so subscribe by email or stop by tomorrow (around 9am Eastern US time) to see the premiere issue!

Today I’m working on the the final draft and putting the finishing touches on the layout of Style Sample Magazine. This has been a lot of work, but also extremely rewarding.

Please know that your encouragement and positive feedback are what keep me going when I’m up at 2am looking for the “perfect” font or fervently/obsessively checking my email for articles and updates. I appreciate every single comment, and have saved them (no, really!) to refer to when I start feeling overwhelmed.

Thank you!

~Tamia

Blogs to Watch
Four great blogs will be featured in the upcoming issue of Style Sample Magazine:
Dirty Laundry
Ediot
Modelizing
The Curvy Fashionista

How-To
Fashion Fille shows us how to make attractive blog headers and dispenses advice on creating the perfect one for your blog.

More information about the exciting features in the upcoming issue:

Bloggers with Businesses
Rodellee of Adore Vintage gives us an idea of what it takes to run her online vintage boutique and operate not one, but two (absolutely adorable) blogs!

Emerging Designer
Fashion blogger and fellow feather enthusiast Ashley of Dramatis Personae shows us some of the lovely hairpieces from her etsy shop.

Keep watching this space for more info about upcoming features!

One Question, Three bloggers Needs You
If you have a fashion blog, and are interested in being featured in the One Question, 3 Bloggers feature, please contact me at magazine(at)TheStyleSample(dot)com.

I’m putting together a digital magazine for and about fellow internet fashionistas, specifically fashion bloggers and emerging designers.

I’ll admit: At first, the magazine was just going to be about my blog: a digest of the past month’s posts, graphics creation, behind-the-scenes of “photo shoots” (something to do with all those unused shots!), and maybe a few tips. I got to page 5 or so before I realized even I was tired of looking at me.

I’ve really been thinking about trying to do something for other people as opposed to focusing on me me me all the time. After perusing about a jabillion fashion blogs, I tried to figure out what I could do for the masses of amazing/creative/stylish fashion bloggers out there.

As part of a close-knit and passionate community, we all have our own style–clothing, personality, philosophy, etc.– so I think everyone should have a chance in the spotlight! Besides, who hasn’t imagined themselves in glossy fashion mags?

The mag is still in the development stages, but I’d like to feature 3-5 blogs per issue. For now, plan on the first issue coming out around the second week of February.

If you’re interested, submit the form on the right and I’ll try to get back to you ASAP.