September 9, 2015

CELEBRATING THREE YEARS OF BLOGGING!

I am thrilled to be able to announce that I am celebrating
MY THIRD BLOGIVERSARY!

I published my very first blog post on September 5, 2012! I just re-read it, and found it to be quite interesting and fairly entertaining. 

Looking ahead to three years later, I have definitely adhered to my original intent. There have been a few changes along the way. But, for the most part, I am still diligently trying to plant those little CREATIVE PAPER SEEDLINGS

It was a slow start in the beginning. My MDS-created quote pieces, for the most part, fell flat with my readers. So, I eventually gave up on them.

Now, however, I have picked up on the quotes once again with my Focus Fridays. For each of my weekly Focus Fridays, I share one of my Instagram photos, as well as a few words <of  wisdom> about my feelings on the subject matter. I end the post with a quote that complements the week's theme. 

I have been receiving many wonderful comments on my Focus Friday posts. So many, and so wonderful, in fact, that I'm wondering if I should just give up on the papercrafting altogether. 

Nope. Can't do that. Photography is one of my passions. But, papercrafting and my love of sharing and planting Paper Seedlings is my favorite and most motivating passion. I truly love how just committing to publishing a papercrafting post every Sunday and Wednesday keeps me so active creatively. It is truly cathartic for me. 

Speaking of comments -- and feedback -- I didn't hear from anyone until I had been blogging for almost a month. Nor did I get many views. I wondered if I was reaching ANYONE!

Long about September 27, I posted a lovely card that got TONS of attention though. In fact, I smile every time I STILL see it re-pinned more than occasionally on Pinterest. This particular post, Autumn Splendor Emboss Resist, has received an astonishing -- to me, at least! -- 4,962 views. 


However, the post, White Wedding, is the one that has received the most pageviews for me. It boasts a total of 7,953 views! I hope the recipients of this card have saved it!


The post, . . . and She Said, "Be My Guest." was my second-most-viewed post, dating from May 3, 2013, with a whopping 5,464 pageviews. I was honored to have been asked to do a guest blog post on someone else's blog. A tutorial, complete with a plethora of step-by-step photos, is included in this guest post.


Even though I think my work and ideas have been improving all along, I feel like I am stagnating a bit.

I'm not sure what has happened since the beginning of 2015. These past months, I am lucky if I have a post that receives a paltry 300 pageviews. And those are usually photos from my Focus Friday posts. Hmmm. Any opinions to share on this unwelcome phenomenon?

When I first started blogging, one of my goals was to -- as I had noted in my very first blog post -- extend my reach beyond sharing with just those in the area who attend my monthly workshops. In saying this, I had hoped to not only reach more papercrafters with my ideas, but to maybe pick up some new Stampin' Up! customers. This hasn't happened. I haven't let this deter me (not overly much anyway) and have kept plugging away with my inspirational posts. 

It always pleases me when I receive a comment from one of my readers about how, with a particular post, I have inspired them to . . . 

I love to be your inspiration! If you think of any other ways I can change or improve my blog offerings, I would dearly love to hear from you. I want to continue to extend my creative outreach, and if I'm not hitting the nail exactly on the head, I need to hear ways I can do my job better. OK?

I abhor the fact that I am not more technically proficient to keep my blog looking and running its best. 

In fact, as I was writing this blog post, I'd wanted to access my Pinterest stats. I just wished to get some more detailed information about how many times my Autumn Splendor Emboss Resist post has been repinned on Pinterest. 

According to what I read regarding Pinterest Analytics, I needed to upgrade my account to a Business Account. Willing to do this, I proceeded as I was directed, only to become tangled up in the html coding. I wasted an inordinately exorbitant amount of time trying to work this out, only to give up in frustration. 

My daughter, Emily, has mentioned to me on occasion that my blog header in itself is woefully outdated (my words, not hers exactly). In taking a close, nonobjective look at my carefully-crafted-in-MDS Paper Seedlings header, I am forced to agree. 

Now, with the dawning of my fourth year of blogging, I am about to set out on a new adventure of reworking my header. Emily told me that my existing header does not adequately represent what my blog is all about. She continued to suggest that I actually "handcraft" my header, similar to how I create a card.

After giving the possibility some thought, I have decided that (once again) she is right! And what a fun project that could prove to be! 

I have become quite psyched about this project, and have been planning it all out in my brain. So far, I love the (imagined) results! And I can't wait to get to work on it. 

However, something has me mystified. Something that I will have to pursue further to get the answers I need. And I know I will be experiencing some technical frustration on that front. I am anxious to get going on the hands-on creating of the new header. But I do not know what size to work in so that it fits at the top of my blog like a header should. 

As I previously stated, my original header was created in My Digital Studio (which is now defunct). So it was easy to digitally get the finished piece to be the right size for Blogger.

So, while I am planning more and more cute components for my new and improved header, I am at a standstill until I can figure out that sizing problem.

I apologize that this post has become fairly lengthy. But I wanted to do something of an overview of my first three years as a blogger. I also wished to let you know that I hope to make some improvements in my blog in the coming months -- if I am able to figure it all out! If you are willing to help me out with some ideas, logistics or simple suggestions, as I've previously noted, I would love to hear from you!

So, with that all said, 
HAPPY THIRD BLOGIVERSARY TO ME!

Bloggy
Smiles.


18 comments:

  1. First congrats on your 3 years. I often stop by as your projects often catch my eye at various link party that you participate in. I always enjoy seeing new card ideas from you, they are the ones that seem to make me click thorough anyway.
    Isn't it lovely how our kids can be so refreshingly honest - bless them! I think woefully outdated is a BIT harsh but I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Good luck with the next 3 years!

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  2. Congrats on 3 years!! I love your blog, especially the thought you put into it. I don't always post on your Friday posts but I love them and think about them too. Just continue with your art and you have an avid reader here!

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  3. Enjoyed reading your reflections on three years. That is a lot of planning and dealing with technical issues! As a reader I don't always post a comment but will try to be better about that. Your projects and photography are an inspiration! Congratulations on three years!! May your happy mail continue to grace my inbox.

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  4. Enjoyed reading your reflections on three years. That is a lot of planning and dealing with technical issues! As a reader I don't always post a comment but will try to be better about that. Your projects and photography are an inspiration! Congratulations on three years!! May your happy mail continue to grace my inbox.

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  5. Enjoyed reading your reflections on three years. That is a lot of planning and dealing with technical issues! As a reader I don't always post a comment but will try to be better about that. Your projects and photography are an inspiration! Congratulations on three years!! May your happy mail continue to grace my inbox.

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  6. Linda, congratulations on your 3 years. I am still a baby at 6 months. And I hear you about all that technical stuff..(.Pinterst has me baffled too). always taking away from our joy which is to create. Hope the next year is as great as you want it to be.

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  7. Happy blogiversary! Your cards are just beautiful; thank you for sharing them with us!

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  8. Congratulations! 3 years of blogging...that deserves a big celebration. Your cards are beautiful and inspiring! Thank you for sharing on #HomeMattersParty. Wishing you success over the next 3 years.

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  9. CONGRATS! It's such a HUGE accomplishment! I'm heading on 3 years on the 27th! :)

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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  10. Congratulations on three years of blogging Linda! And I have to say I am not surprised that your Fall card is still being repinned on Pinterest! As for your header, I did mine using Pic Monkey, and whilst it was challenging, I was happy with the result. I wonder if that's an option for you? Thanks for sharing this post at Five Star Frugal this week. Love, Mimi xxx

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  11. How awesome to have hit the 3 year mark! Congrats. Now as for that header. I had issues with it too. Then I had resizing issues for mobile because I made my header fit. Here's how I overcame the problem. I gave my header a suitable background colour that matched my header perfectly. I then made my header image transparent and not too wide. It looks like it's the full width but because it isn't it will resize down in mobile better. Feel free to message me if you have any hiccups and I can go and check actual sizes and discuss programs. good luck!

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  12. Congtatulations on 3 years Linda! Good luck with the blog updating and lots more years of blogging and papercrafting! Thanks for linking to A Round Tuit. Hope you have a lovely week!

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  13. Happy Anniversary. WOW I can never imagine having that many views on any post. CONGRATULATIONS!

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  14. Happy Anniversary. WOW I can never imagine having that many views on any post. CONGRATULATIONS!

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  15. Congrats on 3 years of blogging! I just found your blog so I'm looking forward to more years ahead! :)

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  16. Congratulations on your anniversary!! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday...hope to see you again this week!! Pinned!

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  17. Congrads! Your designs have been so clever over the year !! Thank you for contributing for years to SHARE IT Sunday at www.FineCraftGuild.com . As you know, we have a new party today and hope to see you again today or later as the party stays open all week long. Hugs, Rose

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  18. I'm always so amazed by you! This looks so good! Pinned and tweeted. I appreciate you taking the time to party with us. I hope to see you on Monday at 7. Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls

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