Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Happy Graduation!




I very much believe that sometimes the right person or opportunity comes along at just the right moment in your life. It doesn't happen often, but when it does...you KNOW! It could be a handyman, a helpful friend, a contractor named Sergio (but I digress...). In this case, it was Holly Becker from Decor8 who announced earlier this year that she was starting a blogging class called Blogging Your Way. I immediately jumped at the opportunity.

The class was terrific and oh so motivating...I loved it! It is complete with encouraging and informative podcasts from Holly, countless written tips on blogging which cover everything from getting started and motivated, finding your niche, overcoming fear, and practical advice about increasing readership, expanding your blogging community, and reaching out to others. 

I believe she plans to run the class again, and I strongly recommend it. It was great to meet fellow bloggers in all stages of their endeavors. I got some great feedback and encouragement on my blog and was able to make many improvements...how am I doing?

Here are some new blogs I discovered through the class that I hope you will enjoy as much as I have!
  • Sarah Ahearn: Featuring work and posts from a beautiful collage artist...must check out these great pieces!
  • MamaLoves: A new stay at home mom raising beautiful twin girls. I'm a twin...she needs to ask my mom for advice!
  • Visual Notes: Great Etsy finds and home decor
  • The Red Thread: The beautiful blog of an Australian artist. I think it's always cool to read about people in other countries...especially those with similar interests!
  • Studio G: The blog of a landscape designer...I wish she would come over and help me out!
  • Simply Hue: Great color inspiration!
And a special thanks to those in my group for their helpful advice!
  • Blaubeermund: Written about a design student in Germany featuring great photos.
  • She & Helix: A fun blog focusing on sewing and photography.
  • Mama Without Borders: Written by a journalist in California focusing on interesting design finds.
  • Moore than a Mom: The daily trials and triumphs of a mom raising her kids while her husband is often away.
P.S. Aren't these images great? They're all from The Love Shop...


6 comments:

Elle said...

Thank you so much for spreading the love. Stay tuned, I plan to feature your blog this week. I would love advice from your mom;) And insight from you would be awesome. Are you identical twins?

decor8 said...

This is so very nice, I love the feeling in this post -- you really connected with some of these bloggers, I can tell by your descriptions of them which is really great. Your blog and header look great to, wonderful job!

xo
Holly

Jacqueline said...

This is such a lovely post! I love all those photos and those wonderful classmates blogs! Glad i got a chance to walk this journey with you on Holly's e-course! Have a lovely merry happy day!

sarah ahearn bellemare said...

hi heather!
thanks for your mention! i'm flattered! yes, holly's class was fantastic! i'm just a bit behind on my homework... : ) off to listen to the final lesson! i'm sad it's over!
thanks so much for coming over to my blog and saying hi! i'm looking forward to getting to know you through your blog here too... it looks wonderful!
more soon & thanks again,
*s

rochelle said...

thanks so much for the mention!! this is my first time at your site!! I hate to say it...the blogging class had so much to offer...I kept working my way aorund blogs...but still haven't made it everywhere...
Great site...am noticing the flotsam post...I literally pulled over to write down notes about this book-guy (Curtis I think) when I heard a story about this project on NPR the other day...you must have heard it too....so interesting...love it. Cool interview. Will be back soon.

Minnie said...

Oh Heather, Thank you for mentioning my blog. With the course over, I now finally have some time to mull over what I've learned and changes that I need to make. I've been so consumed with my planning since class ended Monday that I hadn't had a chance to go back to the e-course site until now and just discovered this last homework assignment. I love how your blog is so focused and well-defined. I'll be including it in homework post. BTW, I went to my cookbook bookcase and, sure enough, I found a book with your artwork in it, a small black BBQ book that I gave to my husband soon after we married. He uses it every summer. What a treat to see your name in it!