Today we have a lovely interview with Amanda of The Upside of Wonder. Amanda runs a sweet blog that features her daily outfit photos, and thoughts that are on her mind. She also runs a sweet feature called “Hello, Blogosphere!” where she features lovely fashion bloggers that people should know about.

Meet Amanda:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

–My name is Amanda and I’m a 21 year old from the great state of Texas! I’m extremely goofy and terribly impatient. I lovelovelove to cook (and eat) and I can’t go a week without eating sushi. I like to think I’m well-rounded; I grew up doing swimming, violin, soccer, theatre and tennis. I’m currently a bio major and I think I want to focus on marine and freshwater biology, but that’ll probably change tomorrow. I’m very indecisive.

2. What got you interested in blogging, and how long have you been blogging for?

–I’ve been blogging for about a year and a half now. I got interested in blogging around the same time I started getting interested in vintage dresses. I found some amazing vintage-inspired blogs and I thought the girls’ styles were amazing! From there, I couldn’t help wanting to start my own blog and begin a little style transformation of my own. I really wanted to utilize the clothes I had in my closet instead of just sticking with t-shirts and jeans everyday!

3. Can you tell us about your style?

-I like to think my style is pretty simple, very colorful, and fun. I don’t like to feel restricted in my clothing, I much prefer to wear something that just flows and sort of has a life of its own! Since I’ve lived in Texas most of my life, I’ve become accustomed to the blazing heat and I tend to keep my outfits on the simpler side as opposed to lots of layers.

4. Your outfits and photos always have this great, natural look to them. How important do you think it is to have this type of consistency in your blog?

–You know, I wasn’t even aware of this…I guess it’s just my aesthetic! I think it’s important to an extent to have this consistency, but not completely necessary. As long as someone can read your blog and say “Hey that’s totally [your name here]’s style!” then that’s the important thing.

5. What are your favorite trends for summer?

-Haha, I just had to Google “summer fashion trends” because I have no idea what’s trending this summer and still don’t really know. I’m just looking forward to wearing lots of pretty white sundresses, lots of quirky prints, and hats. I’ve been a hat fiend lately.

6. When you’re not busy blogging, what can you be found doing?

-Well, right now I just started a new job and am also transferring to a new university this fall, so I have lots of stuff to do regarding those two things. Other than that, I’m usually hanging out with my family or friends or boyfriend, Gavin. Or I might be reading, or riding my bike, or playing tennis or guitar. But if I’m not doing any of the above, I’m probably eating. I’m a constant eater.

7. With regards to fashion, what do you draw inspiration from?

-Blogs, blogs, blogs. That’s basically the sole source of my fashion inspiration. I find that real girls dress so much more appealing than girls in magazines.

8. If you had to pick one outfit to wear the rest of your life, what would it look like?

-It would be a cute little lightweight jumper dress with a fun print and definitely no sleeves. There would be some cute flats thrown in, a long necklace and possibly a hat. And there would definitely be no belts involved. I hate having to belt my dresses. It’s like being forced to eat peas at dinner when you are seven.

9. Looking back at some of your previous posts, I’ve noticed that you seem very drawn to softer, lighter tones. What is your favorite color/color palette to wear, and why?

-Based off of my eye color and skin color, I should be wearing lots of greens and purples, but for some reason I am just drawn to blue like nothing else. I think about half of my wardrobe contains some shade of blue. It’s like I’m a blue hoarder. Aside from that though, pretty much anything with color I will wear. I’m totally not into neutrals or pastels, it’s just not for me!

10. Do you have any advice for aspiring fashion bloggers? What about for someone who searching for their true style, but is having a hard time pinning it down?

-I say just have fun with it! Don’t do it to gain followers or sponsors, do it because you are really interested in developing/showcasing your own style. And really just be genuine. There are blogs out there that you can tell the girl is just being herself and there are also blogs where you can tell that everything is contrived, so just be you. And if you feel like you can’t pin down your “true” style, then don’t! To me, style is like playing dress-up. It should be fun and you can be anything you want to be. Don’t feel like you have to stick to the same things every day. I mean, who likes to place limits on themselves? :]

Thank you so much Amanda for doing this interview! Don’t forget to check out Amanda’s blog for some sweet outfit inspiration and a heads-up on some great fashion bloggers out there!

-Chelsea