I'M BACK! AND... SHARING A FEW BLOGGING TIPS

Jul 24, 2013

hey guys. sorry, i kind of disappeared on you there for a bit and took a wee blog break. it was good, and needed. i started this space just over four months ago and i honestly had no idea where i was going with it... i just knew i needed change. patient i am not. nor am i much of a planner. i basically whipped up my new blog "by the shore" over night and delved right into it. yay for enthusiasm. but then again, sometimes planning is good. which is exactly what i've been up to this past week. oh yeah, and i gave the blog a new look which i tend to do when refocusing myself. i like change. i actually used my old girl & closet template but gave it lots of new touches... i've been craving colour and something a little less minimalist. not so cold feeling, i guess. i'm hoping to add a few more fun & crafty little components but i'll need to hire someone for that. lynn, i'll be calling you later this week. ;)
so what's this fancy blogging plan, you ask? well, haha, i don't have it all figured out quite yet. i do, however, feel like i'm on the right track. i just took elsie's blog love course (from a beautiful mess). it's awesome by the way. and i feel like i walked away with so much good stuff. here are a few things that really stood out for me + i've included my answers for each...

♥ choose themes for your blog posts: my favourite things to blog about are... family photos, adventures, day-to-day life, vegetarian cooking, my etsy shop.

♥ list three things you want to blog about weekly: a fun outing, personal weekly updates (whatever is going on), what i wore.

list three ways you'd like to share your content: lists, photographs with captions, digital scrap-booking for more personal posts.

♥ choosing features that fit your blog: once you've narrowed down your three blog themes, you'll want to create sub-categories to see how viable and repeatable your topics are. basically, you want to pick something where you know you won't run out of content. i won't break down all of my features but here's an example of one of my favourite blog topics: weekly adventures. my sub-categories for that are: out with friends, at the pool, date night, my weekly artist date, cooking with my honey, giving scout a hair cut (that one might need a video, hehe), exploring our favourite pub, at the zoo... etc, you guys get the idea! ;)

another bit of great advice was to always, always blog about what you love. don't do certain posts if you hate them. i can confess to writing posts because i thought they'd be popular on pinterest and it's just not worth it. a blog should definitely be your happy place, and full of the things you love. sounds so good and fun, right?! well, that's exactly what i'll be focusing on in the months to come.

20 sweet notes:

  1. These are really cool blogging tips! I hope this formula works out for you, it'll be interesting to see the results! This makes me feel a little superficial actually, since I only blog my outfits and just randomly write about whatever crap happens to be on my mind that day! ;) Incidentally, what is your weekly artist date? I'm intrigued!

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    1. thanks, gwen! :) and i love that you're spontaneous with your posts!! as for the artist date? it varies from week to week. this week i went for a massage + a coffee date with myself and spent some time writing. :) i do hope to do a post soon though. i find them really great! xo

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    2. Dates with yourself are the best! ;) I see what you mean now. Time set aside to nurture your inner creative artist. :)

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  2. I was just thinking about you today, V - glad to see you're back and I'm loving the new look of your space! {Although personally I also love stark, minimalist designs, this one feels a lot more you.} And I'm glad to hear you speaking so positively about Elsie's blogging course, I've been contemplating enrolling myself and I think this post was just that little extra push I needed :)
    xox,
    Cee

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  3. Love the softer look of our blog, and can attest to loving change. It just feels good to mix things up from time to time. I can be a little over ambitious with it actually! Excited to see what you'll be posting in the future!

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  4. Good thoughts! I've been blogging for a similar amount of time and the first month or so was a total crap shoot! Now I have more of a weekly plan and it's made things much easier, if still time consuming!

    The design changes look great, by the way!

    -Becca
    Ladyface Blog

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  5. Love the new look. I am currently in the middle of that same e-course, I love it and can't wait to implement some of it into my blog.

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  6. these are awesome tips - thanks for sharing :)

    and love the new look!

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  7. Awesome tips thank you so much for sharing them!
    And I'm loving the new blog look! xo

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  8. Lately, I'm feeling the same about my blog! Don't know where it should head at... I enjoy blogging and sharing my life, adventures, ramblings and what not with my readers, but somehow - I don't know. There has to be more to it and I need to find it out, too. :)

    However, I'm glad your back and as always I can only say that I love to read your stories. Can't wait to see what you have in store for us. :)

    Have a happy rest of the week.
    Love, Nadine

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  9. okay lovie, i came by last night to take a peek but seconds later Sean shouted out that dinner was ready so i had to jet...but now i can take it all in with calm clarity. the new look is fab!!! each refined element carries with it a narrative that's only made more attractive when viewed in cohesion. bravo to this change up - refining + refocus has produced an intimate and engaging environment for your stories and imagery to be displayed fluidly.

    working together with you on anything; from a photo shoot collabz to elevating design elements mirroring your catchy character sounds like a ton of fun! i feel like this phone call might contain some other goodness too.....strongly sensing a happy streak occurring. yah!!!

    so cool you took Elsie's course, sounds like you got a lot out of it too. Scout's haircut is something i'm totally looking forward to - i bet he's a good sport when it comes to trims. you just gotta video that. your blog is my happy place, coming here always gives me long lasting impressions of smoothed out swagger. if you can picture a hover-cat like Lynn floating above her office chair then you get the zen-esque emotive your vibes disperse. 100% adore!!!!! ♥

    ps: i may have jumped the gun with new job opinions, this week seems to be improving on the design front and i've voiced my thoughts on the "web room". turns out there might be a way to get around that portion...stay tuned! talk soon about all our stuff, including the dress swap idea (good one!) and more. xxoo

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  10. i did that course as well and loved it. hope you're having a good week x

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  11. Glad you are back! The design looks great. :). And happy birthday!!!

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  12. Your new design is adorable :) Elsie's course sounds GREAT. I'd love to be able to take it. Also, Blogcademy one day.. we have so many resources!

    xo Ashley
    thetiniestfirecracker.com

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  13. thanks for all the blogging tips! Love the new logo

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  14. Love your tips! The idea of creating categories is so good, sometimes I feel stuck when I go to blog, but if i could map it out that way I think it would make me more organized and productive. Cute new design too :)

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  15. Your design is lovely. I just re-did mine, for the 152433th time, and I'm satisfied finally. Thanks for sharing! xx

    http://www.jaellexo.com/

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  16. This is a beneficial material, overall I imagine this is worth a bookmark,I always enjoy your posts.Thanks for sharing good post.
    website design

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