Hello fellow Gardeners! Are you enjoying the quiet winter or are ready to fast foward to spring? We have had record low January temperatures this year, six inches of snow this week, and everyone else seems to be having a really cold and snowy winter this year too! While we may be stuck with winter for awhile, there’s no doubt that the seasons will change before we know it. The onset of spring tends to bring to mind endless thoughts about spring gardening delights, and if you are like me, you may even have already begun looking through spring magazines and Pinterest boards to plan out what you want to achieve with your outdoor space this spring.
However, as winter moves into becoming a memory, we all may find that our gardens aren’t quite what we remembered them to be. The most conspicuous victim is likely to be the lawn; it may have been lush and green once, but suddenly, it’s looking like a shadow of its former self. Over the years I have learned to begin preparing my lawn in late winter to get a head start on spring gardening and to keep it looking it’s best. Even if it snows through May, a bit of late winter tending to the lawn will really help it look so much better when spring finally arrives to stay.
All the paperwork signed, everything is packed…it’s moving day! The frantic actions of moving trigger thoughts of the Home Alone movie scene when the family wakes up late and pandemonium ensues! You may not be this disorganized, but even still, you never know when you’re going to be confronted with a challenging situation. Having moved several times, I have learned a thing or two about the importance of an organized moving day.
It’s always a good idea to hire a professional moving company. to cut down on physical and emotional stress. Still moving day can still be so overwhelming that you may find yourself standing around because you just don’t know where to begin. By planning ahead you can really cut down on the amount of chaos and wasted time and lower the possibility of accidents. Here are some easy ways to make your moving day a success! *This post contains affiliate links and/or sponsored content.
Hello all, this has been an amazing week filled with inspiration! Twelve Bloggers came together to decorate their homes and share with you tips and ideas on how to bring cozy, neutral winter decor to your homes. I hope you were able to visit each one – if not, the list is below! We wanted to see your inspiring homes and how you transition your home from the festive decor of Christmas to a more serene winter decor.
Here’s some of what was shared with you this week:
Kathy incorporated cozy blankets, pillows with plenty of books to read to create inviting places to linger. Deborah at Hip and Humble Style beautifully incorporated lots of texture and cozy soft fabrics to make each room inviting and warm. Bethany at Crisp Collective added cozy pillows, floor cushions, fluffy throws and beautifully accented with touches of blush. Kristin at White Arrows Home‘s transformation from Christmas decor to neutral winter – cabin – decor is scrumptiously cozy and inviting! Rhonda at Hallstrom Home added a wonderful twist to her Neutral Winter Decor – Shabby Chic – you’ll love how she beautifully combines the soft textures of her lovely linens in her lovely rooms. Pollie at Pollie’s Place added amazing texture, natural elements with gorgeous collections in her Neutral Winter Decor.
Jaclyn at Fancy Pants Mommy co created this wonderful wall – decorated with this amazing clock and accessorized with soft textures and natural elements makes this a very cozy spot in her home.
Debra from Common Ground brings an elegant flair to her decor with the Leopard prints and beautifully arranged vignettes. Amber at Follow the Yellow Brick Home shares how the warm woods in her home, her beautifully arranged collections paired with soft textures and neutral colors create a wonderfully cozy atmosphere in her home.
Leanna from Clare and Grace Designs shares with us how to bring neutral, cozy decor to our homes after Christmas.
Jami at My Modern Farmhaus shared step-by-step how to create this beautiful Neutral Winter vignette. Marci from Lemons to Lovelys brings the beauty of winter indoors – by adding fluffy pom-pom garlands, warm cozy throws and fluffy area rug next to her beautiful cozy fire.
Here’s the complete list from the Neutral Winter Home Decor Blog Hop:
If you’re online with a profile and a persona, you’re going to have a following. Whether that’s simply your friends and family on social media, or something a bit larger with your own blog or youtube channel, there are people who look to you everyday for various reasons. Yet, when you’re a blogger, it’s an unspoken understanding that people need to care about what you have to say if you want to grow your following and increase readership! There’s no better way of doing that than by letting your potential audience get involved with what you’re writing and posting, and allowing them a platform to talk to you in real time. Here are three easy ways to connect with your audience that will help you establish and maintain a solid blog following, and will make blogging a more rewarding experience for you as well. *This post contains affiliate links.
In order to really let your personality shine through on your blog you need to “keep it real” from time to time! This makes you more relatable to your audience. Being relatable often means being open, and there’s no better way to do that than to be real about who you are. We can all feel a little self conscious when we’re putting both our strengths and weaknesses on the internet for the whole world to see, but it’s our humanity that gets people more interested in what we’re offering. When you’re relatable and seem as down to earth as a “normal” human being can be, (whatever that is…) people are going to naturally be more drawn to you than someone who seems to live the “picture perfect” life. Often times on Instagram, I will post a funny video in my Instastories showing my hoards of vintage junk in the basement, dishes in the sink, or laundry piling up in my vintage French wire laundry basket (instead being used to display layers of gorgeous linen pillows and soft blankets). Sometimes, I just share how wild and crazy my hair looks when I wake up!
Even if you’re a little apprehensive to post about personal matters, you can simply craft your fun and friendly personality online with posts you know you’d want to read. Attract people with similar interests, and write posts for people looking for advice from people just like you, and you will have better chance of gaining a solid following who want to become email subscribers. People don’t like to be deceived, either online, or in the “real world” and they can often pick up on your authenticity.
Sometimes just being able to leave a comment on a blog post doesn’t quite make the cut for a follower. They may want to be able to better contact you via other routes, so be sure to make it easy for your readers to contact you. Although many bloggers provide personal phone numbers, others may not feel comfortable sharing that information and that is okay. Email is the primary form of establishing and maintaining communication with your followers. The more I learn about blogging and growing my blogging business, the more I realize the importance of email communication via a daily or weekly newsletter to my email list. With the right software programs you can have your post turned into virtual mail when you have the right software, and your followers will be able to contact you instantly.
Look into the best virtual postal mail service and get messages from followers right into your inbox. This is also a good solution for someone who’s constantly busy or on the move, as bloggers usually are, but that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t be able to contact you! Solve this problem of delicately balancing your work life with your personal life in one fell swoop; thank goodness we have the internet!
3. Have A Sense Of Humor!
Lighten up! This is a great way to connect to the masses as everyone loves a good laugh! A lot of people use humor to cope with stress in their lives, and others just appreciate a good chuckle, so use this to good effect. Blogging doesn’t have to be all serious! You will enjoy blogging much more when you are able to laugh a little too!
Be funny with what you’re saying by including anecdotes, jokes, and even the odd pun. A bit of satire always works well; when something’s in good taste, everybody will enjoy it! My dear friend Olivia Reinvented Collection shared a humorous story of getting attacked by bees that stung her in the behind while she was out in the woods foraging flowers for a blog post! It sounds terrible, but she turned her “ordeal” into a humorous post that her readers have loved!
She also has told me several times that the only reason she reached out to me on Instagram was due to a bit of humor in my IG profile that captured my personality. We are now blogger besties!
As you can see, connecting with your audience is really about being personable and reachable. As you incorporate these three easy tips for connecting with your audience, you will start to establish real and meaningful connections that will be rewarding for you as well. I always love reading all of your comments and emails! They truly are the highlight of my blogging day. Let’s chat soon!
