Forever Beloved

For a complete list of The Blogvember Challenge prompts, click HERE!

November 19 –  If you could give advice to a new blogger, what would it be?

Boy, the timing of this prompt.  I just had a good friend message me yesterday and ask for blogging advice.  He’s felt God nudging his heart to start blogging and isn’t sure where exactly to start.  And this gives me the push I need to write down all the advice I have for new bloggers!

As I’ve said before, I’ve had my blog for 13 years.  I’ve watched a lot of blogging trends comes and go.  And I’ve learned so, so much throughout the years.  Hopefully I can pass on a little of my blogging knowledge to y’all.

Platform

The first thing I would suggest doing is choosing your platform.  I started out on Blogger and eventually moved to WordPress.  Both platforms offer free options.  I actually used the free option until about two years ago.  But, of course, if you want to be able to do all the things you’ll have to upgrade.

Audience

You need to know who your target audience is.  These are the people that actually come to your blog, read your posts, comment on them and share your post with their friends.  When your blog speaks to your readers something truly magical happens.  The comments start rolling in on your blog and on Facebook.  Other bloggers in your industry begin wanting to network with you. Your readers start to link to your site on their posts wanting to tell their audience about you.  It’s a beautiful thing!

Photos

One thing I highly suggest is using good quality photos.  An eye-catching, interesting, bright and crisp photo will draw your audience in.  And when you take your post over to social media, your in post photo will pop up on there.

Now this was easy for me since I’m a photographer, but I realize not everyone is.  There are websites I highly suggest utilizing.  They have high-quality photos you are allowed to use royalty free.  That’s important, you never want to steal a photographers work.  But there are websites, such as unsplash, where photographers upload their work for the sole purpose of bloggers or website designers using them.

Watermark

As I said above, when you take your post to social media (Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) it will draw your in-post image up.  I highly, highly suggest putting your blog address at the bottom.  You can see what I mean by looking at the image above.  I want people to know where the post is from before they even click the link.  I also always put a title on my image for the same reason.  In our world of pinning and re-pinning, it’s easy for images to get grabbed without a direct connection back to your blog.  By adding your web address and blog title, you’re providing a direct conduit back to your blog.  Not only does it protect your images from theft, but it gives your photos that professional look.

I use Photoshop, but I realize not everyone has access to that.  There are other online editing tools, such as pixlr.  A quick google search for online photo editors will bring up a long list.

Socials

I’ve greatly benefited from having social media platforms just for my blog.  I have Bloglovin, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that I post my blogs on.  It’s a great way to get your posts out there for others to share.  Sometimes a pin (a Pinterest post) will take off like wildfire!  I’ve had one single pin take off and the post it’s linked to on my blog has been viewed over 45,000 times!  It’s a fabulous marketing tool that we have at our fingertips.  I also give my readers the option of subscribing via email.  When a new post goes live on my blog, they’ll get it right to their inbox!  When providing these options to your readers, it’s important they be visible at all times.  I would suggest either on your sidebar or menu.  Many, if not all, blog templates will have these social buttons included in their design.

Visit Other Blogs & Comment

This is a big lesson I have learned.  It’s so rewarding to get comments on a post.  Knowing that something you worked hard on was useful or rewarding to someone else.  After all, for many of us, that’s the reason we blog: to share with others.  And again, it’s a get way to network.

Post Consistently

I know, like I’m one to talk.  Set a personal goal of how many times you would like to post a week and try to stick with it.  That will help keep you disciplined and let your readers know what to expect.  So, whether it’s once a week or once a day, try to be consistent.  And of course, give yourself grace when you’re not.

I’m so excited to see what advice y’all have for new bloggers.  Be sure to link-up below!

For a complete list of The Blogvember Challenge prompts, click HERE!

November 17 – Show us your favorite room in your house and give us a tour around it.

This is my favorite room in our house.  A room that I spend so much of my time in…my kitchen.

We live in my Grandparents farmhouse, also the house my father was born in and grew up in.  For me, this house holds so many cherished memories.  I grew up right next door, in the house my parents still live in.  My Grandparents house always felt like home to me.  We had family holiday meals around my Grandma’s dining room table, running around the yard with my cousins and scooting down here every day to play with her dog.  Every day after school I would walk down from the bus stop, directly to their house and into this kitchen.  I knew as soon as I walked in the door that my Grandpap would have my after school snack ready…a slice of bread with apple butter.  Her kitchen always smelled so good, like spices.  And I knew the cookie tin would always be full of either gingersnaps or mincemeat cookies.

I adore my kitchen sink and it’s probably my favorite part of my kitchen.  It was my Grandmas sink and I love it so much I’ve never even thought of replacing it.  It’s old, worn and chipped but that just gives it character.  I love knowing when I stand at it, I’m standing right where she did.  When I wash dishes, I’m washing them where she did.  When I stand there and can for hours on end, I’m doing it at the same spot she did.

When I stand at my kitchen sink and look out the window, I can see all my chickens busily running around the yard.  And I must admit, I normally talk to them out my window and in my mind I like to think they give me a holla back.

Below on the right you’ll see the only built-in cupboard we have in our kitchen.  And while that has been a big drawback, and slight annoyance, I do love how much character they give my kitchen.  I built the wooden counter-top myself years ago.  And am dreaming of a DIY upgrade to it within the next year.

I’ve also saved many of my Grandma’s vintage utensils and cook wear and display them in my kitchen.  You can see many of them hanging over my table.  On my hutch, I have more of her items.  Her beautiful old scale is proudly displayed on my top shelf.  On the bottom shelf in the center is my favorite bowl of hers, a vintage Halls China bowl in the red poppy pattern.

I’m also very fortunate to have a local husband and wife team that builds this gorgeous primitive furniture.  I have many, many of their pieces in my house.  They built my kitchen table with matching benches, the hutch and the cupboard to the right of it.  I absolutely love their pieces!

I’m so excited to take a peek into your house today and see all your favorite rooms!