5/19/09

Inspired Blogging - Giveaway!

Meet my Guest:
Darcy from Graphically Designing


When you buy your first home, you can't wait to put a personal touch to your space. Paint swatches are carefully examined, new furniture is strategically placed. Decorations, photos and images are chosen. Great care is taken to make a warm, cozy and hospitable place. If you're a home builder, everything from flooring to faucets is weighed and chosen thoughtfully and deliberately.

The same can be done with your home sweet home... online.

For the same reasons that living in a rental place with all rental white walls and stringent rules about nail holes feels stifling, so can that boring, standard blog. Just like your home creates an atmosphere that reflects your personality, so can your blog - your online home - reflect your personality.

Do you like warm colors, whimsical polka dots, decorative damasks or clean lines with vast white space? Are you a shabby nester or a minimalist? Warm linen or robin's egg blue?



My friend Sandy likes to pick beautiful table linens, sparkling stemware and prepare wonderful meals for her guests. Oh, how I wish I lived closer so I could spend an evening shadowing her, learning her tricks. Since so many of us are separated by miles, often our friends cannot visit our homes and, instead, must visit us online.

Why not take the same care in choosing how you decorate your blog? Instead of tablecloths and stemware - you choose textures and colors. Instead of flatware - you chose font faces. It's so exciting and inviting to your readers to get a glimpse of you in your space.



And all of this allows you to let your readers know that you care about their visit. When your visitors see that you've invested in your space, they know that you care about your readers' experience. And don't let the word invest throw you off! The investment of your time and talent rather than treasure is often investment enough.

The blogosphere is full of tutorials and resources! I've always said I was a graduate of 'Google U' - learning to code one trick at a time. And if the economy has been gracious to your family, there are momtrepreneur designers who make their livelihoods by offering these services. My designer friends and I always appreciate working with client friends to help them make a space their own.

Is it necessary to make these changes? Absolutely not. One might argue it is equally unnecessary to paint your walls and decorate your home. After all, your basic needs for food, water and shelter are equally met with rental white walls or Sherwin William's beautiful color "Aqueduct." But investing in your space online allows friends who are separated by miles still feel like they've been invited around your kitchen table for a chat.

June 8 - June 11th is the A Woman Inspired online conference. I will be giving a workshop on Blogging 101 entitled, "I've got a blog. Now what?"

Giveaway - 5 people will win tickets
Sandy and I are giving away 5 tickets to the conference! If you'd like to learn more about making your blog a home, as well as many other inspiring workshops, please leave a comment to be entered. You have May 19th and 20th to enter.

Extra chances to win
If you'd like chances for extra entries you may blog, tweet and post about this give-away on Facebook linking here. Come back to tell us in another comment with the link to it. Good luck!

Winners announced
Come back Thursday, May 21 - to see if you won! Tickets are $12.95 in value.



Darcy is a momtreprenuer graphic designer over at Graphically Designing. Her work can be found on blogs such as this one, Like Merchant Ships, Nesting Place, A Soft Place to Land and The Blessed Nest. Besides creating home-sweet-homes online, Darcy is a wanna-be photographer, a photoshop fanatic and a homeschool mom of 3. She blogs over at Life with my 3 Boybarians



I can only tell you that my experience working with Darcy in creating 4RE was exceptional. She couldn't have made it any easier for me ... a very busy gal with little time for blog design! Thank you, Darcy, for being my guest but also for your sweet friendship.

If you want to read an inspiring Mother's Day story about Trouble, go here. You'll be touched.

45 comments:

Kim Pigue said...

I am an avid follower of your blog and would love to win a ticket to the online conference!

Sue said...

I too would love to win a ticket to the conference!

Rhonda said...

Please count me in!

Kim said...

I would love the chance to improve my blog!!

Marci said...

Ooh~I would love to win a ticket! Yay!

Unknown said...

I would love to win tickets! Lord knows, I need all the blogging help I can get! :)

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

I'd love to win a ticket! :) You know I just love Miss Darcy!!!

Kathryn said...

My blog needs all the help it can get! Would love a ticket to the conference!!!!! Thank you for the opportunity.

Blessings!

Empty Nest Full Life said...

I'd love to win a ticket. You have such great ideas and so do all the others, I am sure it will be amazing, and I have such a struggle personalizing my blog I could sure use the help. Jackie

Natalie Meester said...

would love to learn more about blogging and how to make my blog over with some personality and pep!

Kristina said...

What a great giveaway! I would love to win tickets...

Kristina said...

I just wrote a post on Facebook about your giveaway & blog.

Courtney said...

I definitely would love attending the online conference. Thanks

GiBee said...

Awe---SOME! Very generous!

Amy said...

Aww, my beautiful cousin and friend!! Love you Darcy! You and your designs rock.

Angie Kerr said...

I would love a chance to win! I love this blog (and many others) and would love to know "how" to do it!

Thanks!

Astrid in Bristling Acres said...

I've just started following your blog. I'm really enjoying reading it!

I'd love a chance to win. My blog could use an update but I just don't have much time! (I still have a Christmas theme going on...LOL!)

Lori said...

I am about to start three blogs. Too much? Maybe, but all of a sudden I feel a major burst of creativity about to explode out of me. Would love to get some tips from the conference. Thanks for sharing yourself on your wonderful blog!

Susan said...

I would love to win tickets! Thanks for the wonderful giveaway!

Amy said...

Aww, man, do I EVER always need help blogging!! Count me hopeful!!

Kris said...

I would also love to win a ticket.

Sabrina said...

I would love to win a ticket. I have so much to learn about blogging. Please enter me.

Lisalulu said...

oh I am a new-bie and need HELP, I have you as in my favorites.. but I am going to follow you now, to watch & learn. Google U, love it!

Amy said...

I am in the process of trying to redesign my blog now and refocus. I would love to win this! :)

Julie said...

I love Darcy... thanks so much for the giveaway

TidyMom said...

Oh I would LOVE to win tickets to this online conference!!

~TidyMom

Ashley said...

What an awesome giveaway!! I definitely am crossing my fingers for this one!!

Ashley said...

Tweet! Tweet!
http://twitter.com/anlinares/status/1860341303

Sharon said...

Great to know about this conference and thanks for the giveaway! Your blog design is beautiful.

~SHANNON~ said...

Oh how great!!! The confrence looks amazing, and boy would some blogging tips and perspectives be wonderful! Great speakers too! And all in my jammies?? :)

Fingers crossed!!! Thanks for the chance to win!

Shanon at: http://milkandcuddles.blogspot.com/

Rachael Schirano \\ Rachael Schirano Photography said...

i would love a chance to win!

Lisa said...

Please count me in!

Holly Campbell said...

Please include me in the drawing! I would love to learn more! Thank you. . .

Amy said...

Just found your blog and loving it! Count me in!

Kinton said...

oh man, does my blog ever need help! yecgggh!

Rhea said...

I'm interested. Boy am I interested. I'm a big fan of DARCY. She rocks.

Angel said...

Just what I need! Been blogging a year now and still very much finding my way and figuring things out. I'd love to win a ticket!!!

Wendy said...

Darcy has prettied my space up already, but I'm achin' to learn more myself. :-) I'd love to win!

Anonymous said...

I hope I'm not too late. I'd love to win!

AdriansCrazyLife said...

This sounds like a great offer. I've got photoshop and I'm pretty computer literate, but I just couldn't figure it out on my own. I want to learn digi scrapbooking and blog design. Wouldn't that be cool?

beachbrights said...

I need all the education I can get!
www.beachbrights.blogspot.com

~SHANNON~ said...

Can't wait to see who won! What a fun giveaway!!

Unknown said...

This sounds so interesting! I would love to be a part of it. :)

Donnetta said...

BUMMER! I missed it! Thanks for the link though! I am going to check it out and probably purchase a ticket to be able to attend. It sounds like just what I need.

Elizabeth said...

I will have to go visit her website. What a wonderful gift she obviously has.

Elizabeth