Some of my favorite things have been featured today on Simple Lovely! (Thanks, Joslyn.)
Tag: blog
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What Home Means to Me
I’m honored to be kicking off Pin it Forward today. I’ve been using Pinterest for a while, and now they have partnered with sfgirlbybay for this event. There are ten groups of participants, and each day one blogger from each group will write about our theme: Home.
What is home to you? To me, it is…
- Surrounding yourself with your things that make you smile. (•)
- Having a cozy spot to curl up with a book. (• •)
- Being a little cheeky. (*)
- Taking chances, even when you’re not 100% certain. (*)
- Adding grace notes. (*)
- Tending a garden. (*)
- Having fun with family. (*)
- Setting aside space for a little one to get lost in their imagination. (*)
That’s what home means to me.You can see my original board (along with others that I’ve created) on Pinterest, and be sure to follow along with all of the Pin it Forward participants to see what home means to them. Tomorrow you can visit Brigitte at Covet Chicago for her take, and let’s thank Victoria and Pinterest for organizing Pin it Forward!
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Giveaway: Look on the Bright Side
There’s a giveaway going on, and it’s a good one. The lovely ladies over at The Bright Side Project have invited me to share some of my favorite things, and you can win half of them! That’s four of my favorite things, a prize worth more than $500, that you can win by answering one little question over there; What two colors are your favorite together?
Be sure to answer at The Bright Side Project to win. Good luck!
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Blog Sponsorship and Advertising
I’d like to talk to you about the monetization of blogs, and specifically of my blog, Making it Lovely. I announced a new sponsored project earlier this week and the responses were mixed. I feel that it’s important to address the negative sentiments that were expressed.
I am approached daily with offers of items for reviews and giveaways, free trips, sponsorships, and various advertising opportunities (such as text links). I politely decline nearly all of them. To imply that I am thoughtlessly and greedily accepting every freebie that comes my way is hurtful and insulting. I have always taken great care to be ethical, honest, true to myself, and true to my readers. I don’t publish anything that I’m not proud of, and I hold myself to a high degree of integrity and accountability. This blog would be very different if I were only in this to make money. I have always been very selective, choosing only to work with companies that I have used or would use personally regardless of compensation. And now that I’m able to work with a sponsor to share a new project with you that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise? I think that’s wonderful.
Many have lamented the fact that so many blogs are being monetized, and they would prefer to see them remain free of advertising. I respect those individuals that blog without any form of payment, but I also have respect for those that have been able to be fairly compensated for the lovely sites that they have created. It takes a considerable amount of time, effort, and money to keep a blog like Making it Lovely going. I pay for childcare so that I have time to write and edit original photos for the blog. I have upgraded my web hosting to ensure that the site loads quickly and without problems for every visitor. I am always taking time to file away ideas, thinking of new ways to share inspiration with you, and documenting projects for the blog. I’m honored and amazed everyday that Making it Lovely has taken off the way it has, but you must know that there is a lot of work involved.
I am lucky to be able to earn an income via my blog. I have been working toward it for years, and I’m proud of all that I have accomplished. I will continue to accept advertising and explore new sponsorship opportunities in a mindful and responsible way, and I thank you for your support.
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Five Things That Inspire Me
My time in the Blog it Forward lineup has come, and today I’m sharing with you the things that inspire me.
Femininity
The unapologetically pretty. The confidence and strength of owning one’s femininity.
photograph by Eleonore BridgePattern
Cute fabric. Crazy vintage tablecloths. Bold wallpaper.
Mirabel wallpaper by RomoColor
That color in between pink and lilac. Charcoal gray. Olive green. Pumpkin orange.
photograph by 11nightmaresLettering
Awesome fonts. Beautiful handwriting. Enviable calligraphy. Striking initials.
Daily Drop Cap by Jessica HischeFlowers & Foliage
The ruffle of a peony. The fuzzy softness of lamb’s ear. The delicate flutter of petals against a flowering tree branch.
photograph by the Blah, Blah, Blahg
Thank you, Victoria, for organizing Blog it Forward. The baton was passed to me yesterday by make something, and now let me pass it on to max and ellie for tomorrow. Also, be sure to check the full Blog it Forward schedule, as there are ten blogs participating and sharing their inspiration each day! -
The Wish List
Have you checked out the wish list page recently? There are lots of goodies over there.
I keep going back and forth with the idea of upgrading the wish list section of the blog. It’s not really a wish list (I really don’t need all of those things)… it’s more of an “I like it” list. Would you like me to make full blog posts out of them? I feel like there are so many bloggers that just post pretty things, and you probably don’t need me adding to that. I considered starting a tumblr for this purpose, or perhaps starting a new subsection here that you could read and subscribe to separately. I just have so little time I haven’t been able to work on it! What do you think? Would you like to see the wish list items make it into their own posts, or do you like things as they are now?