She’s Baaaack!

Nie Nie is back!! I just visited her blog and was so happy to see that she’s back to blogging again! Wow, what a journey, what a strong woman, what a supportive family.

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Support A Blogger in Need

One of my blogging friends, Stace at Kids Stuff World, emailed me the other day, asking if I would help support another blogger who was just in a horrible plane crash. Stacy wanted to know if I’d be willing for my Lotus Bag to go up in a auction where all the proceeds go to Nie Nie, the blogger in need. Of COURSE I was willing!

Head on over to Stacy’s great blog to bid on the bag or other items up for grabs! AUCTION HERE!

                             

Blogging Techniques

Doing the Business Techniques series (hopefully I’ll have more entries on that shortly!) really got me thinking about how much pieces of advice from successful individuals really is inspiring and helpful. I took a lot out of what the seller said about their money managing techniques. I decided to do something similar with Blogging Techniques.

I asked a couple of my favorite bloggers about their blogging techniques or advice on blogging and I’ll be posting their advice in a couple different entries.

My first question went out to Blaze who is both a fellow blogger and Etsy seller: How have you found success as a blogger?

Blaze answered:  I have found, through blogging for almost a year, that a lot of wonderful things come from blogging. I have found amazing friends, and a community that spans over seas and mountains. 🙂 Not only have I found inspiring folks that are kindred spirits, I also have had a wonderful time inspiring new friends and building relationships over pretty things.

Here are a few things I’ve learned from others and from my own experience:

1.) Presentation matters. My favorite blogs to visit are always enchanting and aesthetically pleasing. I love when each post reflects the personality of the blogger, and favorite colors become very obvious. I love thinking about how each post will look with my header, so when a newcomer visits, they’ll see a balanced and pretty sight. It’s important to take extra time to take crisp photos, and write strategically to your goals. Every time before I hit “publish” I ask myself if my post is achieving my overall goal to inspire creativity, bring about old memories, and bring out the feminine, nostalgic, whimsy in all of us. 😉 Not to mention, feature all of my own artistic endeavors. 🙂

2.) Don’t apologize. A lot of times, I read about artists who are sorry or apologetic for their lack of posts, their artwork, or their shops. The best blogs I’ve found are confident and cheerful, seeming purposeful in all their activities. Of course, it’s important to explain long absences, but overall, it’s your blog. You don’t need to answer to anyone. 🙂

3.) Comment much. I LOVE commenting and receiving comments. 🙂 That’s the whole purpose of blogging (at least to me!), and networking is super fun. I have slowly built up quite a few dear friends who check in regularly, and every once in a while I’ll comment on about 50 random blogs. That way, I’ll make a few new friends, who will hopefully become regular visitors. It also keeps expanding my circle, and a lot of doors have opened for me this way. My friends are a great source of encouragement and advice, and I don’t think I would enjoy blogging if it weren’t for them. Of course it goes both ways, and I love catching up with their doings as well. (There are even some people that I hope very much to meet someday!!)

I have learned to love my blog very much, and I think it’s a great way to make wonderful friendships, as well as a way to keep people interested in myself and my artwork. I recommend it very much. 😀

Giveaway!

Lis, from the Orange Plum (blogger and Etsy seller!), and I have teamed up to do a Giveaway here on the KJ Blog!

To enter, check out her store and leave a link to your favorite item in your comment here on the blog! Next Wednesday, August 20th, I will randomly pick one of the commenters and they will win this great headband from Orange Plum!

                            

                             

Remember to leave your contact information, an email or your Etsy store link. If the winner doesn’t respond within two days, we’ll have to draw another name! Good luck!

Big News!

Yep, like promise there’s HUGE news today! It’s now official that katelynjane.com is owned and operated by ME (: That’s right, I have my own website, katelynjane.com!! At the moment I’m still working at understanding the set up, learning the ropes and getting it to where I want it to be. Eventually I’d like to move the blog over there, but we’ll keep it here for now.

I’ve been working on this project a lot lately and hope you love it as much as I do!! It’s been so much fun learning how to work the site (it’s wordpress.org and quite a bit different than wordpress.com) and decorate the blog. I love the challenge and even though some parts of the process have been a bit overwhelming, I’ve still been having fun.

A big thanks to Damien who has been mentoring me in this process. I pestered him constantly for a while there, always asking questions and getting him to help me. Thanks Damien!

This is just one of the stepping stones towards my biggest goal. I have yet to put this goal into words, but I have an idea of it in my head. Slowly and surely.

Go on over to the new site and check it out! I’d love your input about the look, it’s been a fun process for me and I hope you love it too!!