Blogging Resources

A lot goes into running a blog. These are the tools of the trade I rely on to help things run smoothly!

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The Nuts + Bolts

WordPress.org

Sip + Sanity is a self-hosted site created with WordPress, a free, open source content management system. Think of this as the back end, where I create posts, manage media and build the architecture of the site.

WordPress Theme

The current theme I use is Limoncella from Restored 316. They produce customizable, beautiful themes that are full of great features. After four years of creating content, my needs grew and changed. I needed a robust theme, at a great price, to help me better organize and deliver content to my readers.

I used the Mia Theme from 17th Avenue for many years. They produce gorgeous, responsive, customizable WordPress themes. Their documentation is incredibly thorough and great for a beginner WordPress user.

BigScoots Web Hosting

A web host is the place where all your content, including WordPress and your theme, is stored. I use BigScoots managed hosting. Their service, support and response time is unparalleled. If you aren’t a ‘techy’ person, this is the host for you.

Hover Domain Registrar

Once I decided on Sip + Sanity (www.sipandsanity.com), I had to purchase that domain name and did so through Hover. They also provide free WHOIS privacy (protects your personal information). Hover also offers a custom email address service to match your domain..

Marketing + Design

MailerLite Email Marketing

Because my subscriber list is small, I’m able to use the free version of MailerLite (but their paid plans are very reasonable). Even the free version is really robust and their drag and drop newsletter builder is very easy to use. It can be integrated with a ton of web services, including all the sign up forms on this site.

Brand Images + Headshots

I love taking photos (of food, drinks and products), but when it comes to self-portraits…no thanks! So, I hired a pro whose style felt perfectly aligned with the Sip + Sanity brand to capture behind the scenes images and headshots for social media and the like. If you live in the Washington DC area and need brand and lifestyle photos, professional headshots, or family portraits, I highly recommend Amanda Harner Photography.

Premium Plugins

Tasty Pins

Tasty Pins helps you to optimize the images on your site for Pinterest, SEO and screen readers. It allows me to control ‘pinnable’ images: which images to exclude or promote, as well as what titles and descriptions get attached to those images. Tasty Pins is one of a suite of plug-ins from WP Tasty.

WP Recipe Maker Premium

WP Recipe Maker Premium is a plugin that powers the recipe cards at the bottom of each recipe post. It provides several templates to choose from (though mine is styled by the WordPress theme). The premium version includes some great features including a nutrition calculator and customizable messaging.

Businessy Stuff

The Legal Bundle

As a business, and one with an online presence, it’s important to protect your readers and customers, yourself, and your intellectual property. There are free resources and templates out there, but for true peace of mind, I use The Legal Bundle for my privacy policy, disclaimer and terms + conditions (as well as various contracts and agreements). These are a must have for any blog.

Wave Accounting

Wave is an online accounting tool. I use it to track expenses, create invoices and accept credit card payments for services. If you operate a simple business without employees, Wave is a great tool to manage finances.