When I met Anna Jones I knew we would be fast friends. When I heard about her blog, Silver Spoon Taste on a Plastic Fork Budget, I thought we might be soul mates. If there’s one thing that tugs at my heart strings, it’s a good deal and that’s what Silver Spoon Taste is all about. Anna hilariously documents finding what her heart desires most at a price her wallet can afford, while sprinkling in a dash of newlywed humor and loads of good advice.
I briefly considered selfishly keeping my find to myself (yes, Anna, you are a find yourself!), but instead I’m going to share the wealth with you, Sweet Lemon readers! So make sure to check out Silver Spoon Taste as fast as your fingers can type, but in the meantime, get a preview of SST’s tips and tricks as well as Anna’s hysterical sense of humor right here:
Sweet Lemon: How would you describe Silver Spoon Taste in one sentence?
Anna Jones: Silver Spoon Taste is a lifestyle blog and personal narrative that documents my adventures of getting what I want for the money I have to spend, with plenty of cocktails and laughs in between.
SL: Why did you start SST?
AJ: I created Silver Spoon Taste for many reasons, the most important of which is the incredible creative outlet it provides for me. It’s a place where I can share my thoughts and feelings about anything, and do so through brutal honesty and a little humor. While I have no professional pedigree in fashion or interior design, I’ve always been very interested in both and I love chatting away about the latest styles and trends.
The blog also is a great mental challenge – editing yourself is very difficult and forces me to use parts of my brain I wasn’t using before. My blog isn’t perfect but the writing process is both intellectually rigorous and emotionally therapeutic at the same time… it’s the best.
SL: This one’s a toughie…which do you love more – clothes or home goods? Why?
AJ: That is a difficult question! And here’s an annoying answer – both. When my husband and I first moved into our house, I was obsessed with home goods. All I did was look at consignment stores and online pop-up shops and purchase things for around the house. Now that our house has come together (sort of!), I’m interested in the spring fashion trends. My preference cycles back and forth between both, and I have to control it because it can get out of hand quickly!
SL: While we’re at it, someone’s holding a gun to your head…mimosa or Malbec?
AJ: Ahhh! That’s like having to choose between one of your children! Alright, gun to my head… Malbec. By 7 PM every night I’m usually clutching a glass as a way to wind down from the day. Cooking dinner is also MUCH more enjoyable with a glass of wine. Actually anything is.
SL: What’s your favorite steal and favorite splurge you’ve ever bought?
AJ: Fashion-wise, my favorite steal is a red Catherine Malandrino cocktail dress I scored from Neiman-Marcus – originally it was almost $500, but I got it for $90! I was just as proud of myself then as I was when I graduated college. My favorite splurge is a pair of Valentino nude pumps I bought myself for my rehearsal dinner. They are so high and so fabulous and I feel like a million bucks when I wear them. I almost had a hernia when I paid for them, but they were worth every penny.
For home goods, it’s more difficult to choose because I have found so many awesome steals for our house. If I had to pick one though, I’d pick an art deco glass coffee table that I found at Sleepy Poet, a consignment store in Charlotte. I almost had an altercation with another lady because she wanted it too. You can read more about that saga here… My favorite splurge undoubtedly is a pair of Lee Industries chairs I purchased from Circa Interiors in Charlotte. Even though I got them on sale they were STILL so expensive, but every time I look at them I smile. They are also very comfortable – they better be for what I paid for them!
SL: Tell us about the How to Speak Southern part of SST.
AJ: The How to Speak Southern section of my blog is my way of paying homage to my unique Southern upbringing. Being Southern has a certain allure about it – there is such a rich, distinctive culture in the South, with a lot of pride and ego involved, too. In How to Speak Southern I chronicle my heritage – from my mother’s incessant etiquette lessons, to my dad’s deliciously fattening cooking, to a family-wide strict adherence to a 5PM cocktail hour, this section is my personal favorite and undoubtedly the quirkiest part of my blog. That’s the beauty of the South – we take pride in everything, especially in the crazy.
SL: Why should people read SST?
AJ: I want people to read SST to find ways to creatively stretch their budget to get the things they really want. My mantra is to live luxuriously while still living within my means, which requires me to be imaginative, frugal and often times downright scrappy. I want to share these experiences with people because they are relatable and real. Another one of my goals in life is to make people laugh, and I hope that is another reason people read SST, too.
SL: What advice do you have for other lifestyle bloggers?
AJ: I feel like me giving advice is like the blind leading the blind, but I guess I’ll give it a try… I would say that the most important piece of advice for other lifestyle bloggers is to never be boring. NO ONE wants to read something that is boring. It doesn’t matter if a million other bloggers have blogged about the topic – if you haven’t blogged about it, then you have the chance to make it unique and potentially extraordinary. On the flip side, if you write about something completely original but it’s a bore to read, it’s still useless. I often ask myself, is this really that interesting, or will it cheapen the quality of my blog? Generating constant content is important, but it’s the quality of the content that keeps people coming back. Keep it fresh, keep it honest and you can’t go wrong.
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All Images Courtesy of Anna Jones/Silver Spoon Taste
